As most of you know, I recently bought a 1.8 for £150. I knew going in, that for that kind of money it probably wanted a head gasket. It drove okay, didn't lose water, but it did gurgle from the heater, and ran hot. After ruling out an airlock, I decided it needed professional help.
On the first day back to work after my own operation, my mum had a fall, has been in hospital ever since, and they are saying she can't come home, so I am in the throes of all that, trying to find a home, finances etc, so getting the car to one of our site gurus just wasn't going to happen given the distance from me.
I was directed to Dave at Derby, who knows these engines and he informed me that the head was completely ruined by K-Seal! I have seen photos of the state of inside the engine before he got to it, and it was just beyond a joke what this stuff had done.
BUT, that isn't the end of my woes. After replacing the head and liners, thermostat (which was totally gummed up with K-seal too) Dave thought he'd got it all, but no....
On the journey to deliver back to my house last night, the car overheated again - another clogged thermostat already, because K-seal is still present in the system.
Dave is coming back after the holidays for the car to attack it again, but I am now terrified of how we are going to get it all out without replacing all the hoses, radiator, heater matrix etc. Its so sad, because the car absolutely purrs now, and is so quiet, but it can't be driven like this or it will ruin the hard work so far.
SO PLEASE, if you're considering this as a cheap, quick fix, or temporary fix, DON'T DO IT!!!!! I know some people have had success with it, without these issues, but is it really worth the risk?
I didn't put this in my car and am dealing with the aftermath of someone else's decision, and its a shame, because its such a nice drive, and mechanically sound in every other way.
Dawn
