hgf???

[thisgivesmeaheadache]

Excuse me if this has been asked a million times, but I cant seem to find the answer. I have just bought a rover 75 1.8 classic 70000 miles on the clock and drives perfect, no issues except for one very big issue... Gunk in the water and oil. Not overheating, not forcing the water back out of the tank, using little water from what I see. Engine sounds good, no steam from the exhaust, heater works perfect, fan comes on and off as normal. Is this the head gasket or maybe something else?

[Simondi]

Hi

Welcome to the club, sorry your first post is re HGF - ouch:getmecoat:

I'm no technical expert and I'm sure someone will be along directly to give a proer diagnosis but it does sound ominous.

If it does turn out to be HGF there are a number of mechanics etc who can get this sorted for you at reasonable cost.

[thisgivesmeaheadache]

I did buy the car knowing that there was an issue, I just thought that maybe it could be something else as there seems to be no other problem apart from the mix of water and oil. Wishful thinking in my part I think. This the second rover 75 I have had, my first one was a 2.5 connoisseur that I clocked up 60k of the 170k on the clock and apart from normal service items, it never missed a beat. I bought a s type jag after that, and I must admit, the rover 75 was a better car, in nearly every way.

[eddiemc05]

Hi i had same thing! Turned out it was just traces of oil in water from previous hgf and just not flushed out proper... look for the tag sticking out to indicate a new head gasket.. should be a little square peice of gasket sticking out front right corner of head

[thisgivesmeaheadache]

Hi i had same thing! Turned out it was just traces of oil in water from previous hgf and just not flushed out proper... look for the tag sticking out to indicate a new head gasket.. should be a little square peice of gasket sticking out front right corner of head
Hi, cheers for that, I will have a look, but I think with the amount of gunk in the oil and water that the chance of just left over from a previous hgf is doubtful, but it is worth a look. I do not know if I got this right or not, but I am sure I read somewhere that a failed inlet/outlet manifold gasket can cause this. I am sure someone on here will be able to put me on the right track, or it is an expensive chf change for me.

[roverbarmy]

I had traces of oil in my header tank so went for a new head gasket (around 50,000 miles/10 years old). The old one was deteriorating (the sealant part was basically starting to decompose). I had no overheating or coolant loss and the car drove perfectly. Since the head gasket change (obviously including belts, tensioner, stat and water pump) the coolant is as clean as a whistle. In my opinion, I now regard the K head gasket as a service item at the same age as the cambelt. There's not a great deal more work involved and for those who can't do it themselves, there are mobile mechanics who can do the work at very reasonable costs.
Mike

[thisgivesmeaheadache]

Hi

Welcome to the club, sorry your first post is re HGF - ouch:getmecoat:

I'm no technical expert and I'm sure someone will be along directly to give a proer diagnosis but it does sound ominous.

If it does turn out to be HGF there are a number of mechanics etc who can get this sorted for you at reasonable cost.
Got a change of circumstances with this now. I just checked again and following advice from Eddie, it looks as if it has had the cylinder head gasket changed, there is a tab sticking out where he said. I looked at the oil and I cant see any gunk in the filler cap and it is only a slight amount of gunk on the oil dipstick. however the water tank does seem to have a lot of gunk in it????? Now I am confused. Would anyone recommend me doing a engine flush, cooling system flush, oil change and antifreeze change...... and maybe using bodge fluid just incase??

[dadragon]

Thisgivesmeaheadache, Do all you mentioned except the adding of the bodge fluid. You should always service your car anyway when you first buy it, even if the previous owner says it's ben done( heard that before!!). Take off the expansion tank and clean it indoors. Make sure you refill the system correctly so as to avoid airlocks and you should be good to go. :}
Regards DaDragon (Roger)
P.S. Maybe not the engine flush just an oil change.

[T-Cut]

And keep an eye on the hoses, especially the small bleed hose from the inlet manifold to the header tank neck. When this get a film of engine oil on the inside, it quickly swells the rubber, which goes flabby and expands. Easy to detect by feeling and squeezing along the length. Replacement hose either expensive or not available. Use 8mm EPDM pressure hose from eBay. Easy to do and much better quality than the original.

TC