coolant leak or head gasket?

[FunkyGibbon]

Hi All

Our freelander (1.8 K series engine) has been using a fair bit of coolant recently. The dealer reckoned they couldn't find a leak and suggested that it might be head gasket.

Now, with the amount of coolant missing I'd expect a head gasket failure to dump all this in the oil resulting in a few pints of mayo! But no.

Is there a simple test to rule out head gasket failure, or is it take the engine to bits and have a look?

TIA
FG

[justinbaker]

Theres a device, pippete type thing that you suck up some coolant and it analyses the fluid to see if there is any combustion gasses in it. Its about a fiver, If I find out the manufacturer I will repost it here!!

If you pull the head off, buy another one with the cam shafts of a Lotus-K, having researched the "king K" 160HP is easy.

also the K-Series is way ahead of its Japanese counterparts. Theres just more in the UK to go wrong!!!

Good luck!

>> Edited by justinbaker on Thursday 2nd June 18:32

[FunkyGibbon]

justinbaker said:

Theres a device, pippete type thing that you suck up some coolant and it analyses the fluid to see if there is any combustion gasses in it. Its about a fiver, If I find out the manufacturer I will repost it here!! If you pull the head off, buy another one with the cam shafts of a Lotus-K, having researched the "king K" 160HP is easy. also the K-Series is way ahead of its Japanese counterparts. Theres just more in the UK to go wrong!!! Good luck! >> Edited by justinbaker on Thursday 2nd June 18:32

cheers! I like the sound of 160 bhp as well.

edited to add:

nice wheels on yours. very tempting, as is the fron end converison.

think I might do the chim first though



>> Edited by FunkyGibbon on Thursday 2nd June 20:08

[GKP]

Inlet manifold gaskets can leak on the K, forcing coolant into the combustion chambers and subsequently out of the exhaust. You'd get no puddles on the floor if this was happening.
Also the heater matrix is prone to weeping, too. If it's just a small leak you probably wouldn't notice anything like damp carpets etc.
The rad cap goes weak fairly often, letting the cooling system vent before it's up to the correct pressure. This would cause a loss of coolant.







Or you could have a HGF

[Bluementhol]

It might have gone between the firering and the waterjacket. This wouldn't affect the oil, so no mayo.

Top it up with water and warm it up. Then from 10mph floor the sucker as hard as you can to about 60ish. Stop and check the expansion bottle and if it's blown out all the coolant you have HGF.

[thesilverfox]

All Freelanders have head gasket problems its a very common problem, you have to fit the modifed dowels in the block ( from plastic to metal dowels ) you also have to fit the modifed thermastat pipe work it comes in a kit. having done all this work if it goes again the engine is scrap coz the linners have moved with the heat, some engines have been replaced FOC by Rover