1.8T engine cured!!
 

My wife's 1.8T has been running poorly, lately. It started misfiring and loosing power. At the same time, we noticed a loss of water of about 100ml per day, I check the coolant level daily.

I started by taking the spark plugs out and cleaning them. This made the stuttering worse, to the extent that the yellow engine light would come on under acceleration. Biting the bullet and purchasing 4 (expensive) new plugs did the trick. The car pulls like a locomotive again and, when you compare a new to an old plug, it becomes quite obvious, that the old plugs are very worn.

After the spirited test drive, I checked oil and water, and noticed water under the oil filler cap. I realized why we could not find the outside water leak. Water was getting into the oil! The next day, it was also visible on the dip stick, the oil looking like milky coffee in colour.
Owing to my continuous water checks, I know the car has never run with too little water and has never overheated. There was also no excessive pressure in the cooling system, and no oil in the water.
Prime suspect, a loose liner.

After some soul searching and thinking back and forth, I purchased a bottle of Wondarweld, followed the instructions and added it to the cooling system.
I took the car for a 80 km drive and checked after it had cooled down.

Water level was constant, oil had returned to normal, not one drop of moisture under the oil filler cap!!!!!
Today, after 3 days of driving, I drained, flushed and refilled.

The verdict is a 100 percent success! so far!

I have had an interesting e-mail by a forum member asking, if such sealant should be added as a permanent feature, and at the moment i would tend to say yes, if it is a fluid that will only harden at elevated temperatures, I think it might be extremely useful to have as a permanent feature in the system, provide that anti corrosion and other parameters are not compromised.
The Wondarweld is to be left in the system for 3 days max according to instructions, but I think that your K-seal (which I don't know down here) might be the answer for leaving in the system.


In retrospect, I think we are getting to the point where we can keep the 1.8 engine reliable.
1. Replace, improve all suspect parts in the cooling system (plastic bits, water pump, seals for inlet manifold)
2. Monitor the engine water temperature with aftermarket device or computer, don't rely on on-board gauge.
3. If possible, install a water level sensor.
4. Check water level daily.
5 At first sign of water under oil filler cap, add Wondarweld (or, maybe K-seal)
6. Check with the manufacturer of K-seal and see if it can be added and left in the system.

A headgasket failure on these engines, I maintain, is only likely as a result of overheating, which is likely to occur as a result of loss of water externally OR internally.
I might just add, that in retrospect, my problems with my V6 some while back, strongly resembles this problem. In those days we took the engine to pieces, but could not find a mark on the headgasket. When we assembled the unit, the problem persisted. After another two engine rebuilds, where we eventually used Lock-tite to secure the sleeves, the engine was cured.

Just to stress, I have no interest in any of the products mentioned, and this information is just a reflection of what I have personally experienced. I find the results consistent with what you can expect, and I can see good reason for the results experienced. I am not saying that the product would work if serious damage has been done, and I stress that I am talking about a leak past a liner, not a head gasket failure.
I would also like to add that I expect these engines to have these failures as a result of their construction. IOW you will encounter this sooner or later.
If the addition of K-seal or Wondarweld is possible as a permanent feature, I would suggest that it be done.
Would someone be interested in checking this with the manufacturers? I would be very interested!
If I have a failure, I will let you know!

I have added K-seal in mine recently as I had a constant small coolant loss. K-seal can be left in the system permanently according to the manufacturer and I have only read good reviews about the product. Those who say 'don't do it it will kill the engine' need to come up with some concrete facts supporting this claim. It doesn't go 'sludgy' and doesn't blocks the waterways. You end up with very minute particles in the water which will eventually pack together at any small leak points (including head gaskets) to seal them up which can take a few days.
Saying this I have since found out that I have a suspect water pump which is causing the loss which I am having replaced shortly. Still leaving this stuff in though and I have no worries about using it. Never heard of the other one though.

Rgds

Wayne

Hi Kaiser,
Just thought I would mention the water heated inlet manifold as a possible source for water leaks etc. The joints for this item were uprated round about 1999 or so, to heavier gauge material. The new joints can be identified by their Duck Egg Blue colour. There maybe old type joints still in circulation, which if fitted need to be replace every now and then to ensure a good seal and no water loss either externally or leaking into the airway of the manifold itself. Just a thought, but no doubt you are aware of these weak joints.
Hope the K-seal solves the problem.
Regards,
Telfer.

I am seriously thinking to do likewise!

don't bother..find the source of the leak and sort it..cheaper in the long run

Fortes make a simlar product I think it's called rad sealer or similar..
.

If the car is an old wreck then add the k s***t stuff its your car. My previous 75 had a leak of water into the oil and was cured with a new head gasket but might well have been temporaily fixed by some magic potion. I would rather repair things properly though.


or at first sign of water under the oil filler cap take your car to a Rover specialist garage and get it repaired properly.

At first sign of a noisy gearbox add some sawdust.:D
E.

Well fingers crossed Kaiser & let us know the Verdict in about a years time to give it a fair appraisal.:o

I've heard of some owners putting wonder potions in faulty engines just prior to selling them so they never quite know it it's worked or not.

There's a fair few member's threads on here who've used such potions but no POS or NEG feedback so the threads become inconclusive.:shrug:

I'm still not convinced about potions I'm afraid

The car is great, I have not lost one drop of water.
Gentlemen, you are of course entitled to your views, but also in these cases again, no evidence of any knowledge behind the views put forth.
Cheaper in the long run? why, how, says who?.
Cured by a new headgasket, fixed properly, and yet many have their cars "fixed properly" only to find out that the new headgasket was actually not the problem.
The fact is that these engines have a number of problems. We have got to most of them. One of the ones we have on the dissecting table at the moment, is the loose liners syndrome, which can prove fatal.
It is caused by minute movements of the liner, which, if not arrested, become bigger and bigger, until a small leak becomes a big one. Water loss, over heat, head gasket. The familiar story.
Sodium silicate, go look the stuff up, do a bit of research, and see how it works, that should be the minimum requirement before you start giving advice, I would think
There are very good reasons to believe that it can work for a Rover engine, if you know a bit about what is going on.
It is not a potion, it is not saw dust in the gear box, it has now worked for me.
As for the cost of trying, you have nothing to loose! It is not like you are damaging anything long term.
I have decided I am not getting involved in along discussion on the subject, I am going to add to this thread, initially weekly a short report, then monthly, and then, if or when the repair fails, I will let you know.
And Jules, if you are not convinced, then maybe YOU should give it a try. I was not convinced, I have tried. It works perfectly for me.
Talk about religion:lol:

Maybe I would try it ......if I had a K series to try it on!
However the previous 2 ZT 1.8T's & 2 TF VVC's we owned were all trouble free.

Fingers crossed for you & keep us posted

Jules you have a fair point re threads becoming inconclusive and this applies to a number of problems that arise. It would be beneficial/informative to all owners that a poster finally gives an update when a problem is resolved. Anyhoo re K-Seal I believe Kaiser is good enough to complete a log and I think many will be very interested on the outcome.

This is an interesting thread, although old Kaiser seems to take umbrage at other peoples advice a bit toooo quickly. Clearly with liners like the K4 engine has, there is the possibility that the bottom ends of the liners can leak as well as the well known top end (aka HGF), they are only sealed with a small bead of Hylomar after all. I would think the sealant mentioned by Kaiser would be able to close off leakage at the bottom of the cylinder liners as these are only under the cooling jacket pressure not the combustion chamber. There used to be a product called Bars Leaks which was actually recommended by Jaguar

So lets see how Kaiser gets on. He seems to be a big softy for the Rovers despite his comments that I have read over the past few years on the 4 and 6 cylinder engines. I have to confess to having similar feelings of exasperation with MG Rover and their failure to deal with obvious faults promptly

You are entirely right, and this is exactly the leak I am talking about. This is a leak past the liner, in between the aluminium support, which extends up to say a third/half the length of the liner, and ends with a shoulder at 90 degrees, where the liners is pressed against, at 45%, sealed with hylomar.
With usage the liners tend to fret (move about very slightly) which helps breaking the seal, and lets tiny amounts of water through, between the aluminium and the liner. The tolerances are very close, so it will at first be minute amounts. If not arrested, the leak increases and the liner will become more loose, eventually start loosing the seal at the top as well, and then you have HGF.
A loose liner, as described,will only result in water being forced past into the oil, thus moisture/mayo under the cap, and contamination of the oil. There will be no HGF, unless you allow the process to develop, where the liner will eventually start moving up and down, where it can even create a ridge in the cylinder head!
Sodium silicate as used here has the consistency of water, it is a liquid under normal pressure and temperature, but it solidifies into a hard hard glassy substance at elevated temperatures.
What happens is that water and silicate is finding its way into any leak past the cylinder liner. Here the water will pass into the oil, but because the silicate is entering a high temperature zone (just on the other side of the liner, you have the combustion taking place) it will solidify in the space it occupies, blocking further passage of water AND taking up the vacant space, thus stabilizing the liner!
This last part is at least as important as the blocking of the water. It is a self healing process, and it is therefore, in my view, of tremendous benefit in this type of engine. If you have the stuff in the cooling system, it will actively seek out these tiny leaks before you even know they are there, and it will also stabilize the liners, crucially important in these engines.

Now see what you made me do:D I will post some picture tomorrow, to see if I can make the situation a bit clearer for the non-technical members.
In the meantime, as promised, I will keep you abreast with our car!.

Hi Kaiser,
Good to know you have had success with the K-seal additive.
The movement of the Cylinder Liners you refer to was sometimes a noted failure relating to the Freelander application of the 1.8 K Series engine. In this application the engine was subjected to more torsional stress than that found when used in the 75/ZT models. The Freelander engine sometimes infact cracked it's Cylinder Liners and this was traced to the movement of the Cylinder Head along with some movement within the Block itself. Following investigation and engineering work, the new Cylinder Head Gasket Kit KUA000080 was introduced, which included a new Oil Feed Ladder Rail design and also used with the previously introduced Steel Location Dowels for the Cylinder Head which replace the original plastic composite type. This new combination gives a more positive location for the Cylinder Head to the Cylinder Block, with the new Steel Dowels assisting in preventing sideways movement etc., of the Head. Engineers had suspected this movement was the possible if not the main cause in the majority of cases of cracked Cylinder Liners.
The new Oil Feed Ladder Rail also contributes to the improved clamping arrangements of Cylinder Head to the Block and therefore used along with the new improved Head Gasket and shim, reduces the likelyhood of the Cylinder Head Gasket failing again, especially in a 75/ZT application. Subject of course to a good standard of workmanship and a sound no loss cooling system.
Regards,
Telfer.

Hi All,

Kaiser asked for some evidence of problems with sealant additives for stopping coolant leaks. Here is some personal experience.

In teh late 1980s I had a leak problem with my Vauxhall (aka Opel) Cavalier mk 1 (2000cc, cam in head, cast iron engine). It developed a leak in the radiator and, not wanting the hassle of removing the radiator, I added some 'RadWeld' (the best known product at the time) to the system. This did cure the leak but some time later the car started over heating. After some checks I removed the water pump and thermostat, both of which were partly clogged with hard depsits. After replacing these, the problem persisted. Eventually I removed the cylinder head to find such deposits in all the tight bends I could see in the coolant channels in the head.

After hacking these out and relpacing the head it still over heated and I ended up scrapping the car.

RadWeld says it consists of lots of short fibres that naturally accumulate near small leaks and seals them. They also seem to set hard with prolonged heat. This means that they will also collect in the tight waterways of the cyclinder head and block them.

I was told subsequently that such problems with RadWeld and similar products were not unknown. Kaisers method of putting the sealant in for only a few days, or perhaps one long journey, may have prevented this, but it didn't mention this.

Regards,
Kearton

Attachment 2693

Attachment 2694


I have added these pictures from a KV6 engine, which has had an untimely death.
There has been an obvious problem with the liners (and one problem clearly a leak past one liner in particular).
This engine would for a long period have shown water loss (you can see the corrosion has been caused by prolonged exposure to water) Normally these sleeves should be sparkling clean if the water seal on the top works.
When you open one of these engines, you just see pistons and water. The only seal is the top of the sleeve against the head, and at the shoulder of the sleeve as shown here, against the oil.

Not knowing too much about these products but hasn't the technology moved on a tad since the 80's :shrug: If this was a recent experience after using K-seal or another similar product then point taken.

Two very, very, interesting pictures from Kaiser, proving something I had always thought must ocasionally happen, but never had confirmed, namely the liner seal failing where it fits into the block. As Kaiser says, the inside of the cylinder housing should be clean when dissembled and not corroded. Yet all the sealing provided is a bead of Hylomar, which is good stuff, but maybe not totally sufficient for an engine required to operate for 100,000 miles or more.

The Jaguar V12 engine is the same, and used the same stuff, Hylomar, to make the seal. There have been loads of open deck push-fit liner engines around over the years; did the RR Merlin aero-engine use the same design ?

Another thought I had is that much emphasis is placed in the service instructions on not moving the crankshaft once the heads are off, as the liners can become disturbed, in fact one should bolt them down using a special tool. owever, if the factory processes are not foolproof, and sometimes through inattention, allow movement before the heads are clamped down, a timebomb fault can be created in the engine from new for the unlucky owner to find out about when it finally lets go.

Well, I know you are sitting on tender hooks to see "will he, or won't he???""
OK, he will!!:D
I am glad to announce, that the 1.8t has now run for almost a week, and not needed ONE drop of water.

There is no doubt, had we left it, it would by now have had about half a liter added.
So we can say with certainty, that the internal leak has been stopped!

Time only will tell if it stays so.

There has been no noticeable side effects. Temperature is fine and heater works fine, oil is clear, oil filler cap is dry.

Congratulations, Kaiser ! A non-intrusive repair that has worked.

Time for the weekly update.
Not ONE drop of water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! added:D:D:D:D:D:D

Looking good mate - I like what I'm reading :D Have you noticed any subtle changes with the car eg noise, slower/faster getting to temperature etc?

My experience
 

Heres another prev experience, this time with Blockweld [same manufacturer as Radweld, Holts product from Halfords?] Many, many years ago I was a very poor person, even poorer than now. I ran an Anglia van [now thats poor]
I also lived in a cardboard box, but enough of that.
The water pump went, so I walked to my nearest Ford parts stockist [the nearest breakers] and bought a 2nd hand one.
The pump was held on by 3 bolts in a triangle pattern. While tightening up the bolts I snapped one. "Oh dear", I said, "I hope 2 bolts will hold it" Then I snapped another. I said something stronger. There was no way I could afford to take to a garage to have the bolts drilled out and tapped + eating that week. So walked to Halfords and bought 2 yes, 2 tins Blockweld.
I have 1 bolt holding the water pump on and a gap you could slide a knife blade into. I started the engine and filled with water which ran out as fast as I could put it in, I then added Blockweld slowly and the leak got slower, then stopped.
I drove the van for 7,000 miles, then sold it to a guy who had it for a year prior to writing it off. As far as I know it never leaked again, and ran as perfectly as an Anglia van could.
This story is totally true, maybe some of these products are the answer to some of our problems:shrug:
I know the 998 Anglia engine was a crude unit with bigger waterways than a 75/ZT but products have moved on as well. Dave

Sodium silicate, look it up. It is the active ingredient (well, one of the active ingredients) in most of these "potions". It transforms into "glass" at about 115 degrees, and if you ask me, it is something that should just be added to the cooling system in our engines. I know that this is early days, but I can only say that my 1.8T is perfect.
The water loss that started to creep up on us lasted about 14 days before I added the stuff. It has utterly and completely cured the loss, and there has been absolutely no noticeable ill effects, whatsoever. In fact, I feel really good every time I check the water and see that it hasn't moved one mm!!
This has cost me the princely sum of about 5 Pounds! There is absolutely nothing that prevents me from ripping the engine out and overhaul it. But why?
The small clearance(s) that allowed water to pass the liner(s) has (have)been blocked and sealed with "glass". In all honesty, I think it works better than the seal from the factory.
If things gets out of hand, then you get to a point where only surgery will help. It is in any ones interest to prevent things from developing so far.
If I had not overhauled my V6 and locked the liners with Lock-tite, I would add the stuff to my V6 as a precaution. And I think this is really good news!:)
But time will tell, I will continue my updates, then you can decide from there.

And Dave, when you come to South Africa, come and say hello, if you get the time!

Kaiser, I am coming in June [no dates yet] for about 10 days. Will probably spend a couple of nights in Joburg then travel to Gauteng Kwazulu Natal area,
followed by visits to the western and Eastern Cape. My offer still open to transport some Therm Housing kits. It looked earlier in the year as if I would not be too busy this summer but I am up to my ears, in travel to the Pacific, 4 countries, Middle East 5 countries, Russia, Turkey + most of Europe so being away so much would not allow me to market them. Have you contacted any of our trade members re this? Dave

Do you all remember bars leaks, the cure all of the 80's.
I remember having a conversation with a jaguar mechanic who said that all jags ran with bars leaks in their cooling systems as standard and was there as a safety precaution. Nothings changed then!!!!!

Bars Leaks hmmmm, i remember it blocking up the heater matrix on a ford anglia i owned, think you can still get it.

Halfords still sell it, and very good it is too. I put some in my 1.8T to stop a radiator leak last year. It stopped straight away and it hasn't lost a drop since. It's still in there.
Ford Anglia - hmmmmm!! I didn't think they ran to a heater, maybe that's why you thought it wasn't heating very well!!!! :lol:

John

I think some of them came without heaters, that was considered luxury in some cars. A hardy lot they must have been.:)
I would suspect that this stuff would also seal internal leaks to a degree, so it might be of benefit to keep in the system.

Dave, let us know when you know. Sounds like a busy trip. I will certainly have some housings ready by that time. They weigh in at about 1300 g each. But I presume you will have your kit stuffed with cheap wine, biltong and god knows what.

I'll have to eat the Biltong when there, the drug sniffer dogs go crazy at Heathrow on return and they confiscate it!!:D I can bring a spare bag and will get Business class so can carry a bit extra?
Have a word with SMC or E M S to see if they would like to market, both local to me and could drop them off.
As I said unfortunately out of country for most of Summer so would keep a lot of people waiting for orders if I did the marketing/posting. Will let you know dates as soon as I hear. Dave

This is a very interesting thread, we use Hylomar at work in RR RB211 ( 747-400) engines....but it is of Aerospace Grade, now if this higher spec grade were used in the K series manufacter, I wonder if there would still be problems.Just from an enginering perspective I have allways thought this engine design very much "on the limit" and no allowance for error/wear etc.Now my old "B" series lump.....................:)P.

You clever guys, you guessed it, didn't you:lol:
Just an update for all an sundry, the engine is fine, still not one drop of water added. The heater works, the temperature is fine, absolutely no ill effects whatsoever.:fishslap:

Glad to state that the engine is behaving 100%, no water lost at all, cooling fine, heater works.
The car is cured!!:p:
I will from now on, provided I don't forget, update you monthly, or in case there is a change.:clap::clap:

so,do you think we should all add a wonderweld to our cooling systems..

I was really enthusiastic about this and mentioned it to my trusty mechanic but he was less so :( His view was if you have a coolant loss, best locate the problem - but how much invasive work can a K series take :D I'm still tempted mind.....;)

agree..should i take the chance on blocking the minute water passages on this head?

If you check your car daily, then check also the inside of the oil filler cap.
The moment you see traces of water here, on a hot engine, means that you get water in the oil.
I would have no hesitation whatsoever!! to add Wondarweld in this case. If you don't, you have only one other choice, and this is to rip out the engine and rebuilding it. This is really how simple it is!
To make matters even simpler, you are not causing an damage by adding the stuff, so if unsuccessful, you can still choose to repair.

The above is what I have done. The result has been absolute success, so far.
Maybe to put it differently, had I not done it, the engine would most likely have been damaged by now, almost 100% sure the turbo would have given up.

If you should add stuff permanently, who knows? I would, based upon what I have seen so far.

But keep on watching, I will keep you updated. 110000km, drives like new!

We also have a 416 K series runabout which has presented symptoms of rapid water loss and high pressure in the header tank , with steam from the exhaust. Following this thread and Kaiser's good news, i couldn't resist trying K-Seal at about £7 from Ebay. So far , after 1 week , we have lost no more water ! I will keep watching this , obviously , and if it works that will be all I do as the car is only valued at a few hundred pounds . If it doesn't last , then the head will come off and I will spend about £50 for a gasket kit on ebay . If i were to put it in a garage, they would want about £400 , and at that price I think i would be tempted to scrap the car .

So glad to hear it worked for you!
And to boot, this sounds like a full blown HGF, a much more difficult issue to sort out.
There will obviously be cases so far gone, that it will no longer help to add any stuff. It is thus of importance to get in there early, so a daily check of the oil filler cap, to check for water droplets, must be added to the daily water check.

If there are traces of water and water loss (not external water loss), add the stuff as soon as possible!

I really think this is the cure for the Rover k series engines, if caught early!

This should be worth some celebration, nes pas?:)

I am impressed and very suprised, however I would be always wondering whether I should be taking the car on a long run and if it will get me back.:o

That would just be in the beginning. You will quickly get used to it. You don't worry that the glass you drink from suddenly disintegrates, do you.?
Almost the same thing. Sodium silicate is like rock in its solid form, it wont go anywhere!
I think, to be honest, I would worry more about a thin bead of Hylomar, which has the consistency of chewing gum. That is what stands between you and a recovery truck in any ordinary Rover!
Quite funny, if it was not so sad!

Tried K seal in neighbours 416 two weeks ago it stopped water in oil situation within 5 miles !

Hey Kaiser

Maybe its the hydrophobic properties of sodium silicate that's keeping your engine from leaking. When I lived in Jo'burg I worked for NuWorld Industries making household white goods including irons. We used to coat the upper surface of the soleplate of the irons with sodium silicate. It's the hydrophobic property of ss that instantly changes the water that drips from the tank (when you set it to steam mode) into steam. Also, I see Wiki reckon ss will last for up to two years as a gasket sealant.

Isn't it amazing, we are turning the whole club into chemical students!!:D
I am glad that you have taken the time to go and actually study what is going on!
As for using sodium silicate in irons, that is a field I know little about. As for turning water into steam, I know a bit. Using sodium silicate would have little to do with that, is my guess, as that process is determined by pressure and heat. I would rather suspect, that sodium silicate might have been used to seal any porosity in the metal used for the sole of the iron (if such were to exist), and also to be able to withstand the high temperatures you encounter there. Another possibility is if leads to an increase in the surface area, which would allow an increase in evaporation. But I admit, as said, that my knowledge of these things is limited to using the iron to flatten my shirts!:o
As for the longer term adequacy you can take that to equate that of glass, it is pretty much going to outlast the engine! Once the engine has rusted to dust, the silicate will still be there! It is only going to unlast (new word:shrug:) if erosion of the metal takes place, increasing a cavity, or if there is a mechanical break of the bond, for some reason.
The two years mentioned I would not worry about. Even if it was true, I would repeat the application if need be!
My guess at the moment is that we have club members sneaking out in the middle of the night, pouring this stuff in there with crossed fingers.:D
I am convinced as we gather experience, it will become standard routine quite universally accepted, and we will not think much of it. But, as someone else has said, it is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future!

As I can see a few persons are coming out of the woodwork, it appears we will have some cars under test. We shall quickly, or slowly as the case might be:), see how things develop.

In any case, I personally will maintain my rigid routine of a daily check off water, oil and oil under filler.!! These engines are never going to sneak up on me again!!!:getmecoat:

As promised, an update on the water in oil on my 1.8T.
The car is going strong!! Not a drop of water in the oil, but I did add water once during these last six weeks.
It was approximately one tenth of a cup, and only to bring the level up to MAX in the expansion tank. I suspect that the car tends to settle slightly below the MAX mark, but then there is so little in the tank that it is difficult to see if there is water in the bottom of the tank or just a film of moisture.
So I suspect I might have to continue adding a fraction of a cup about 4 times a year.
I can live with that!!:lol:

Only one thing I'm concerned about (yes my 1.8T has started drinking water and theres mayo under the cap) is the water cooling of the turbo. Wont the k-seal slowly build un on the surface of the water jacket as it can get very hot if the turbo is working hard for a long period (towing up a mountain etc). Other than that the car is not moving until something is done to fix it as I don't want to risk a full blown HGF. Also can we leave K-seal in the engine or do we do what you did with your wonderweld and flush it out after 3 days?
Cheers
Jim

Can't help re the water jacket question. However, according to the promo blurb, K-seal can be put into the engine as a preventive measure.

I recently had to take the head off a 1.6 K series which had previously had K-seal added . The coppery constituent all seemed to have settled around the outside of the liners where they fit into the alloy block .Probably not a bad place for it to live in terms of preventitive measures !

Right, thanks for that guys, I'm going in! Lets face it, I've nothing to loose! The engine is scrap if this fails, its had two attempts at fixing with headgaskets and they have both failed to stop the waterloss.

I just want to give you an up-date. Everything is 100% on track. I consider the engine cured.:D
As for the poster with anxiety for the turbo. You might have a bit of the stuff lining the passage ways in hot areas, I simply don't know, but you will tend to get the stuff deposited, where you have low flow rates and high heat. That would typically mean narrow passages close to the combustion process.
And that is exactly what you want!
I can assure you, it was with a lot of circumspection that I added the stuff to my car, but as you say. Nothing to loose, everything to gain.
You will be surprised positively, I hope. As long as your head gasket is not the main culprit, I guess you will cure it. But let us know.
And, yes, I believe you can leave K-seal in the system, but phone the manufacturers and let us know!
Once in the system, get a nice clear road and give the car about 30 to 40 miles of running. That did it for me.

Good luck.

Hi Kaizer, Thank you for the great improved illuminium thermostat i bought from you, even the people at MG Rover was impressed. I have not installed it as yet as the garage lost my keys and now needs to wait for keys from germany/England. my luck hey

The people at MG Rover tells me that i can not just make a key to fit or even transplant a ignition system from another rover into my car as it will not start. Is it true?

Well, they better be impressed! I guess you are not, though. It would be interesting to know what it costs to get the new keys. What they managed to do for you, I managed to do by myself, or one of my cats, the wife, the kids or whoever else I can blame.
I am both key and clueless!!! Well, I have my spare left, but it is unsettling.
And yes, the key needs to be matched to the vehicle. SIGH
And these comments are in the wrong thread.
MODERATOR!:D:D

I'll let you know how I get on with it.
This will open your eyes! Where I live is a coal fired powersation and a guy from there came down to my local motorfactors after previously buying 5 bottles of k-seal. Said he used it to fix a water cooling turbine housing that was leaking water and was going to have to be sent to France where it was made to have a load of plastic welding done to it to fix it (why the hell they can't do it here I'll never know!) Saved at least a week of it not working plus £5000!

Kaiser 18 April09 - Q We have got to most of them (HGF Problems).
One of the ones we have on the dissecting table at the moment, is the loose liners syndrome, which can prove fatal.
It is caused by minute movements of the liner, which, if not arrested, become bigger and bigger, until a small leak becomes a big one. Water loss, over heat, head gasket. The familiar story.
Sodium silicate, go look the stuff up, do a bit of research, and see how it works, that should be the minimum requirement before you start giving advice, I would think ......

Absolutely Kaiser, hence my interest in the "2 substances in discussion" ?

The Liners' are subject to 'HUGE' trauma, in a 'FRAGILE' Casing Block ..... and, with minute movement, becoming GREATER ....... the ISSUE re-invents itself!!!

I am enthralled with the 'Loctite' with Liner Location ... maybe .... but, it is a very flexible and durable 'thread lock' and Interference Fit Lock (Compression Sealant)

I use 634? (will confirm Grade later) in the watch and clock Industry and my everyday issues including '76 Beetle Beach Bug .... heat cures ... but heat also alows softening, to loosen thread lock .... still 'gummy' on certain applications.

Sodium Silicate (?? Glass) - will the inevitable moving Liners be 'arrested' in their
seats ? (I hav still not studied the substance)

The Liners have a compression fit to the Block, with a recommended base / sealing substance ?

If the Block material or, Liner Base Mount Material is allowing 'aged movement', then
Kaiser is correct with his thinking. Maybe Liner Height spec 'over block face' needs to be increased, thus increasing compression ?

To refresh, within 300kms of purchasing our MG TF 135 1.8 @ 70th Kms, I noticed Mayo in the Tank.
I have just had the full MLS job with Liners, Rings, Bearing Shells,Water Pump and full service kit!
This is the first time the motor has been opened with 3 owners.

SAR21 later, I am VERY interested in subject.

Whatever, let's discuss this.

Stewart - Cape Town.

Technology ......... is how you apply it ?

One week later and all is well. No coolant loss, and the oil is clearing. If it still ok by the end of next week I'll put fresh oil in and a new filter.

So what did you then do?
And just a hint, if the oil is contaminated with water, it will clear rather quickly, but if there is other stuff in it, I would not take a chance, and I would replace that and the oil filter.
I am mainly thinking of the turbo here, having saved the engine just to blow the turbo would be a shame.!
Well, good luck, it looks like it was your liners in the end, but keep an eye on it, always. Check water and oil filler cap daily, water when cold, cap when hot!:D

Just the regular health check.
Car is fine, no water loss, no mayo, full power. Great!:driving:

Good news K!

When you took the filler cap for the oil off there was alot of steam coming out as there was a fair amount of coolant in there. As you say not good for the turbo so I changed it. All I have done to the coolant side is add K-seal. Still not lost a drop of coolant, but since I changed the oil the top end is a bit tapperty sometimes for some reason.... Might put some valve lifter in it and see if that helps.
Cheers
Jim

What brand of oil did you use?

ermmm Exxol 10/40 semi synth.

I only ask because I had a car that tapped with magnatec in it. Although I seem to be on my own with that opinion.:):getmecoat:

agree phil..i have read that on here a few times with magnatec

seems to be ok again now tapperty wise. Still no water loss ;)

Time, i think, for my monthly up-date on the car.!!

AND, TA TAH!!




The car is FINE!!:D:D:D

Please Help!
 

I'm quite confused now with this thread- I'm new to the forum & owning a Rover 75 1.8t, I posted a few days ago with similar problems I'm having also with my car. Loss of power, miss fire but only when going through turbo rev range, replaced plugs also when engine mgt light came on & wouldnt accelerate, problem sorted but now seems to be comming back - turbo seems to kick in then out then in etc & after driving 300 miles yesterday, water level has gone down quite a bit. Does this mean the HGF is on its way & should I put in the sealent mentioned on this post - I'ma novice with the mechanics I'm afraid!!

dont ever take short cuts .
 

my thoughts exactly .if you are losing water find from where it is escaping from and resolve it . that is why so many rover engines end up with hgf due to poor maintaince ,the engines them self are fine if maintained in the right way .the problems i have had with my car are a direct result of a so called mechanic doing a bad job on the car .as you all know my car has now been sorted by my guys and will run for the next 20 years if it is maintained with no problems what so ever . so love your rover treat her to a good service now again

You should always keep a close eye on your water level. If you loose water, then you should establish if it is lost externally, say water pump, T-pipe, inlet manifold, radiator cap or some other external leak.
If, however you loose water internally, then you should see mayo under the oil-filler cap. if that is the only symptom, I would add wondarweld or k-seal to the cooling system, without any hesitation.
That is quite simple.:D

Eeeeeeee i remember when alllllllllll this wer fields

In them days if we had a rad leak we use t' crack egg in rad

cured it first time every time

an you try tell the kids today that - 'n they wont beleive ya :o)

The way I see it, if theres HGF, then get it fixed. If you suspect that its a liner seal failure like Kaiser and I have (had!), then its K-seal or major rebuild time, and TBH whats the point in rebuilding? Theres no saying you'll be able to get the liners out anyway if they have been leaking. I haven't managed it yet on a 1.8t.

Still not a drop of coolant lost!

Liners
 

Hi to all,
new to this excellent forum, my very first questions for anyone with knowledge.
1) How difficult is it to remove the cylinder liners in situ on a 1.8T flat four? I don't mean the stripdown, just the lifting out of the liners, are they tight? If so, any tips for removal? If they are loose would they not just come up and out from the top with the pistons still inside? If they are tight, although maybe leaking, could they not be knocked upwards from below with a mallet etc?
2) If the liners are loose and acting like jack hammers, going up and down with piston movement is K Seal likely to arrest this liner movement?
Regards to all from here in the UK.

Hi!
The liners in the 1.8 are not tight at all. They are at the worst a press fit.
They slide in place and the up-down movement is only arrested by a little lip at the bottom of the liner, a little step at the shoulder and the top gasket at the top.
This weird and wonderful contraption is then sealed around the lip, with medium strength Hylomar. Talking about strength here is a bit of a misnomer, as the consistency is not far from chewing-gum, while it is still being chewed!!!!

That this seals at all, ever, is one of the world's 8 wonders!! (OK so I exaggerate!):D

And often, alas, it does not!!

When that happens, you have small leaks past the seal, into the oil. Water loss, overheating, and eventually, HGF.

This is why a daily check of the water level is mandatory in both the 4 and 6 cylinder machines. Petrol models! And, check under the oil filler cap with a hot engine. If you have mayonnaise here, (with a hot engine, not just luke warm) then almost certainly, you have water past the sleeves!

Will water glass, K-seal and Wondarweld stop it.??

It stopped it in my vehicle, and based on this I can only suggest you try. As the stuff solidifies, it becomes like glass, and it will for sure make it more difficult for the sleeve to move!

You have really nothing to loose. Except a couple of quids for the bottle.

That reminds me!

I have been unable, for a while, to up-date my story, I'll better do that!!

Yes, belated, but better than never!!
An up-date!
The vehicle is going fine, still no water loss, apart from a quarter cup every 6th or 8th week, full heat on the heater and one very happy owner

:D:D:D

Nah, I agree. My Guzzi (with hydraulic valve adjuster!!) also clacks, clacks with Magnatec. Seems awfully thin for an oil.

Doing slightly better than you Kaiser, Mine's not used ONE DROP of coolant yet!:D:D:D

Just an update. Car is fine, not a trace of water under filler cap.

Kaiser,

Reading this with interest, did you just pour it into the expansion tank or drain it out a little first? K-seal says you should dilute in 2 litres of water and pour in then.

Thanks

Simon

not easy to assess quality of an oil by it's thickness/thinness because these are the very dynamic properties of oil 'by design'

it's designed to behave like thin oil (10 grade) when cold to get around the engine quickly and designed to behave like thick (50 grade) oil when it's hot to provide protection

it will be cold when you're assessing it

i.e a non-dynamic oil, say straight 30 would be too thick when cold (let your cam shaft grind itsself into filings before it gets there) and when the engine's hot it will slosh around like water where your big end will last about 15 minutes :D

.

I actually used Wondarweld. I poured it in and flushed after two days, as recommended.
Works very well!
But I would always carefully check to see if there are outside leaks first. The treatment will only work if you have a similar condition to me. It will not seal a leaking water pump for example.

As promised, an update.
The car has now done 120000km, and the water loss is cured!!!
So the stuff works, no doubt about it.

In the meantime, the cambelt jumped a couple of teeth, as a result of the cambelt being eaten away, most likely by the spring gauge on the belt tensioner.

My wife phoned one Friday afternoon, car stuck, not far from home. Horrible smell, help! Which I did. Towed the car home.
No oil or water loss, no overheating, but a faint smell, not far from a forgotten handbrake, but yet, not quite the same.
A couple of days earlier, the car had refused to start, making me think the fuel filter box had gone astray. Not the case. The filter had simply blocked.
Almost impossible to get here, so I washed out, blew compressed air through it, dried it and re-installed.
Obviously the first thought was a repeat performance of the above.

NO!

Cranked the engine, I could swear that I almost had it firing! But no, then much faster reving, and then it hit me. Cambelt and bent valves.

And so it came to pass, that this wretched little invention by ROVER sneaked up upon me again!!! A thing I had sworn would NEVER befall me!

Plans by mice and men!!

Looked at the belt. 10mm left of the 26mm originally there. Checked lash on the valve lifters, four were suspect.

Head off, 4 new valves, gaskets, a week of my spare time, wife driving the wagon, me hitching. Life is great.!!!

Now sorted, goes like stink. AND friends and ladies, the bottom end has been left. Thus the seals established by the Wondaweld has been left. Bolts re-used and there was no sign of any HGF problems, except a small layer of pinkish deposit around the one water way through the head gasket.

The original purpose of the thread is thus still on track, and the car is doing fine!

Water loss, nil!

sorry to hear of the cambelt failure,quite a rare occurrence on this forum.i'm going to change mine shortly.

as for the sealant it seems to be working..i'm not a fan of these products,but i'm slowly being converted.

I dont think magnatec is quality oil - i'm not sure it's even semi-synthetic

.
Following the thread closely since my head gasket blew - only month on and it's losing water 'somewhere' so i've ordered tin K-Seal and fingers 'x'd

Have a check of the T piece behind the radiator, you'll probably find that it is weeping from there.

Well into the new year!
The car almost didn't make it though, the water pump I had overhauled and installed lasted all of 400km. The car suddenly got hot (my son drove) and that after only about one km. He stopped instantly.
It turned out the waterpump had disintegrated, literally. The bearing had lost all its balls, and the pulley had come clean off the shaft. By some miracle, it could however not get off the shaft as the plastic cam belt housing held it back, and it had continued to turn, and kept the belt intact and in place!!!!
I have installed a new pump, which is cheap enough, about 25 Pounds.
The car is again running like a dream, and it has not lost one drop of water!

nice to hear..getting convincing.

Mine has not lost a drop either. I'll consider it cured now me thinks. Just still need to fix this blasted overboosting problem......

overboosting is usually a pipe off the turbo. I had one in b4 xmas over boosting it was the white pipe off on the turbo side.

Pipes replaced and a new solanoid fitted. Worked great for 2 weeks and then failed again........

Just an update, as you have already guessed

NOT A DROP OF WATER NEEDED:D:D

Kaiser. I now believe you're the CEO of K-Seal.com!

TC

Well, maybe I should have a slice of their profits!!:D
:DAlthough I used Wondarweld!

No, it is just a follow up, an example of stuff done, and still working.
Had this not been done, I would have had to overhaul the unit.
It has been worthwhile and certainly much cheaper.
The heater works, the car uses no water, pulls like a train and does over 600km per tank. Seriously, we could not wish for a better vehicle, as long as this continues.
And that is not even considering the luxury, the looks at that price.
Unbeatable.

Just an update!
Car is still perfect, not a drop of water, nice warm heater!!

Thanks for your continuing report Kaiser :)

127740 km as of today. All is well, no water lost.
Thought you might like to know!

Another update, and you guessed it??
Everything is fine.;)

I'm impressed. How many miles have you done since adding it?

The car has just rounded the 130 000km mark. Going strong!!

thanks for the update,keep us up to date with future progress.

one question..what will this product not seal?

It will not, I believe, seal areas with strong pressure gradients and little heat. Thus big leaks with high pressure or any area just exposed to nomal water temperature.
That would be cracks in the block to the outside and leaks directly into the combustion chambers.
Well, this a guess only, but I would think this is where you will have the least amount of success.
The largest chance of success is actually around the liners, because the passage is narrow, and the pressure moderate an one directional. If it CAN seal anything, this is IT!! The added advantage is the stabilizing of the liners, which is a big bonus.

As for the question how much the car has done after this repair, it is in excess of 20000km. It could be as much as close to 30000km, but the first reference to milage is somwhat into the thread at 110000, and it has now done 130000.
That is mileage added for the princely sum of 5 Pounds. And the car is in peak condition. No oil or water loss, engine (and car) clean inside as a whistle, and outside too, obviously. Great fuel economy and more life than my 2.5V6!!!

as you know i'm not a fan of these additives,but this is making impressive reading.

Hi, about time we had another update please kaiser, im about to take the plunge to see if it will cure the dreaded 50-100ml top up after most trips, (everything changed from head gasket to expansion tank cap). Do you think its kind to the water pump seal?

Ha ha. Only good news I'm not afraid to say!!
About 133000km now on the clock, and the car is perfect in all respects.

No water consumption, and absolutely no oil in the water.

I have added maybe half a cup twice since the operation, and I think most, or all, of that has seeped out around the T-piece, which, although made out of metal, could do with a tightening of the hose clamps. Now done.

I can only suggest you give it a try, provided you have carefully checked all the other options, which are

1. Water pump
2. Plastic T-piece
3. Inlet manifold
4. Radiator cap
5. rotten top rubber hose

and, obviously, the catch all

6. any other outside leak

Let us know what you find!!
Good luck

im just glad im being trained as when i had my start of hgf which was only found by chance as car was fine and showing no signs of hgf except a bit of a misfire ,by being shown how to detect leaks using a smoke machine. if i hadnt o been training then i i would of used steel seal as i wouldnt of been able to afford to have the head gasket done .glad i was where i ws when it needed changing ,, and for nothing too:D

Cheers kaiser, yes ive replaced the water pump (this blew its seal a while back and may have been completely unrelated but id only just added a bottle of steel seal, thats why i was pleased to hear you'd had no probs with the pump seal after adding k-seal) i then decided to do the job correctly and fit the multi layer head gasket for peace of mind , inlet manifold gasket and rad cap have all been changed as well as checking every hose for leaks. Anyway ive ordered a bottle of k-seal off the internet and fingers crossed.

good choice on the steel seal as it is suppose to be the better one of the two ,k seal being the other .your hve no bits blocking up mall water ways like k seal has been know to do ..

I have just stuck my nose into the MG forum on the other side, for a chap with somewhat similar problems, so for him, and the rest of you, just an update!

135000km and going strong!!!;);)

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

:p:.........:getmecoat:

K-seal...is useful but not in the intended way!

My 1.8K was losing coolant. Not much, but enough to be a worry, so in went some K-seal. It seemed to cure the leak for a while, but the other day the temp went up to 2/3.

The initial leak was a seriously tiny hairline crack on the top radiator fin next to the inlet hose traced by spotting the tiny coper flecks from the K-seal. This was 'fixed' with JB Weld.

However, there was still a leak. This turned out to be one of the brass inserts in the stat housing had come out somehow. New stat, o-rings and a longer bolt and nyloc nut seems to have done the trick.

Robin

Just an update! Nothing to see here, - pass on!:xmas-smiley-031:

Everything works 100%.

You say you used Wondarweld, not K-seal, does Wondarweld not have the small particles in it like K-seal, that some say can block the heater matrix.

Just a final up-date.
The engine is now being re-built. The aux belt frayed and lodged itself under the cambelt.

The result has been 16 bent valves, one smashed piston and a cracked liner.

Just to emphazise the point, the failure is not related to the cure affected here originally. For what it is worth it might still be running had nothing happened to the cam belt.

I will thus conclude that the cure has been successful, and the distance covered since the cure is about 40000km.

The engine rebuilt is on hold awaiting Gatekeepers arrival from the UK with new head bolts. The previous lot have been re-used twice. I doubt it is necessary, and I will carefully compare the new and old, but for the sake of a relatively modest amount, I will not take the chance!

The re-building can be followed here:http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...t=engine+cured

Ancient post I know - but to add my tuppence, ever tried cleaning up the cooling system when you eventually have no option but to pull the head, not pretty after adding the K-Seal.

K Seal has its uses, no way do you need a full bottle, 33% is enough, I would say its an insurance more than anything. I have a very reliable contact in the trade and he says if the product blocks radiators and heater matrix its purely to do with mixing incompatible antifreeze then adding k seal, a recipe for disaster.

Should be called K cement

It took me 6-8 coolant system flushes before I saw the last flek of copper floating in the header tank. :hurray:

Never again.

The cure with Wondarweld has left no mess anywhere, the engine was clean.

The comments form other users regarding other products must be for their own account.

The use and results I have achieved the way I describe it has been astounding and certainly, in my case, worthwhile.

Hi.
What I have heard is that if OAT and other antifreeze is in the system adding K Seal can cause the gelling effect from mixing dissimilar antifreeze to be quite serious. My system had been thoroughly cleaned and flushed out. So far no problems and that is with 1/3 of a bottle!

I tried k seal as my well documented thread stated to no avail to me as mine was an external leak, so had head gasket job done with no flush just the standard coolant change when doing the full head gasket job, mine has been perfect! Heating, air con running perfectly, all with 15000 miles since work! And not a drop of coolant gone anywhere! No gunk in was found in engine when stripped apart and none in header tank, and since then after a small oil leak was addressed still no sign of gunk in engine!

So whats the update with the 1.8T now Kaiser?

As Wondarweld is not sold in the UK is K-seal the same?
And is radweld different from these?

I used a sealer in desperation on my Rover 800. Okay it fixed the headgasket leak BUT it gummed up the heater matrix so that it only blew cold. I'd had quotes of £600+ and the car was only worth scrap value. It used to pass mots no problem though. I'll never use it again.

Which sealer did you use?

I had a rover 800 and found the rad was blocked by Radwell.
I also brought a jag last year and on the way home found a small hole in the rad and a bottle of used Radwell in the boot. Also found the heater not working due to the heater valve being blocked by Radwell.

I know this is a long thread, but the specifics of Wondarweld is discussed. It is certainly not the same as Radweld, which is designed to stop leaks in the radiator, and contains particles that swell in the holes.
I had a friend with a hole in his radiator in the Karoo in 45 degrees heat. He used it and refilled the radiator and the leak stopped. Two years later he was with me again, same radiator, same repair still worked in some very hot conditions.
I have had no problems with the heater at all, after using Wondarweld.

But the news is, that subsequent to this story, the car ran faultlessly for about 40000 km, as far as I remember.
Then it broke the belt to the power steering, and it lodged itself under the crank sprocket and I had to repair the engine. All valves bent, smacked one piston and one liner.
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=101494
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=130997

I found no traces of the Wondarweld anywhere where it should no be. So iow the cylinder head was not gummed up and water passages blocked. The engine was clean as a whistle.

Currently stands at close to 142000 km and goes like new.
The only issue is a "growl" from the gearbox, especially when cold, which I think it has always had to a lesser degree.

I have given an offer on a 1.8T, where the engine has suffered catastrophic failure (conrod through block and sump).
I plan to fit a 1.9TDi unit to that from a VW.All in theory so far.:D

Why I used the Radweld!
 

It wasn't Radweld. 800 sadly scrapped. The reason I used the sealer was it had our personal plate on it and despite all mot's and tax discs (it was a family hand down twice) the DVLC wanted to inspect it. Had to insure it for a week to take it to local DVLC inspection depot for some young GIRL to lift the bonnet to look at the VIN etc so the plate which had been on 5 cars could be changed! Plate is now on a Rover BRG 600 which suits it. Bottle of sealer + weeks insurance was approx £16 against quote of £75 for a car transport chappie - fortunately it had a weeks mot and tax left on it.

To be fair once the young lady had checked the VIN the paperwork for the transfer was done in about 10 mins. To compensate for having to take a day off work to do this we stopped at a country pub for a nice ploughmans!

K-Seal - Wonderweld - Radweld - BarsLeaks - Etc. Etc.

From what I've seen, there are basically two types of leak sealer. One is the mechanical/chemical system and the other uses only chemicals.
The first type uses a dispersion of a particulate solid/fibre which flows into the hole and mechanically blocks it. Something like the way a filter works. These products require a good shake before use and are opaque and may look metallic. The fibres or flat particles (may be mica) are bonded together with a soluble resin-like chemical that dries/stabilises the plug and holds it in place. I suspect this type is responsible for blockages that often happen in areas like the heater matrix, radiator, small coolant channels. The particles simply settle out in places of low turbulance.

The other type is an older system and works a bit like the old fashioned albumin or egg white method. This uses a water soluble polymer or a polymer producing mixture. These are usually clear liquids, though typically dark in colour. A popular formula in the old days used glutaraldehye, which resinifies with other ingredients when in contact with air. As the solution leaks out, evaporation and/or oxidation causes the resin to harden and it becomes insoluble. Providing there's always water around, this system is less likely to deposit anything where it's not wanted.

I'd guess the first type is quicker acting than the other, so has become more popular. People want instant fixes these days.

TC

Wondarweld
 

Hi Simon,

I have just read all 13 pages of this thread and thought I would check if it is sold in the UK!

Well you can buy Holts Wondarweld from Halfords for £12.99 for a 500ml bottle if you want to try it? Looks to be the same product?

Tom.

Cheers Tom, I have also just seen Wonderweld for sell at GSF as well.

Cheers TC, i take it then Radweld and Barsleaks is the first type and K-seal and Wonderweld the 2nd then???

Wondarweld
 

Hi All,

I have been flicking through this thread and am keen to add something to the coolant on our 1.8T for all the reasons previously stated. As good as Wondarweld sounds however, from what I've read elsewhere, it is not compatible with cooling systems that use antifreeze! Whilst I appreciate that warmer countries may be able to get away with not using it I wouldn't want to try that here!! :eek:

I didn't read every post in all 13 pages so apologies if I've missed something (no time to read all that AND start dinner!) so wondered if anyone is using that here or is everyone plumping for another product!

I've attached a screenshot of the product info from the Halfords website that shows the compatibility info.

Any opinions gratefully received!! :Snow:

I would use it as described. That is leave in for 2 days. I left the thermostat in there however. Drain and flush. But I would only use if confident that the leak was indeed internal. I doubt that it will cure hgf.

Hi Kaiser,

Cheers for the info - I wouldn't try and use it to cure HGF, we've just had it done and want to try minimise the chance of it happening again! Having read your posts at the beginning of the thread you have clearly had success with it - when you refilled your cooling system did you have to use antifreeze? I just wondered if the good work done by two days of use would be undone when antifreeze is used when refilling the system?

Yes, I use antifreeze. Green glycol, mainly for corrosion protection. Never had any isses. When, I rebuilt the engine, - found that coolant must also have leaked from the water gallery into the oil. Insufficient sealing of block at sump, from the factory. There is another thread with pictures.

You wouldn't happen to have a link to the other thread with pictures please? It would be very much appreciated!!

Knock yourself out!

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...archid=7596563

Festive greetings Guido!

What became of those new head bolts I handed over to you at JB?

Merry Christmas :)

Merry Christmas to you too!
The bolts are in, and doing sterling service, so far. Actually the once I used in the rebuild. What happened with the thermos?
The bearing is still in it's package, as the old is still, excuse the pun, bearing up!

But it won't last much longer, strange sounds on corners!!

And a healthy and happy New Year to you and yours!

Top man!
:icon_lol:

Guido best wishes to K for the new year :)

Thanks for the update about the bolts and the bearing will be there too for when the V8 needs it :)
The new thermostats and the housings are now on another channel being road tested and awaiting reports with that project.
Bye for now Guido. I must dash. Be lucky!

It's definitely worth bearing in mind that some simple, easy to replace parts can cause minor coolant leaks - and sometimes the fix is cheaper than a bottle of K Seal.

Off the top of my head:
- Coolant Cap O Rings
- Inlet Manifold Gasket
- Hose joints (check for coolant staining around joints)
- Pinprick holes in hoses

I've had all of these in the past on my cars - always worth a quick check before adding anything. :)

Hiya guys,

I have over the last three months did the following and I am still stumped

Head gasket replaced with MLS gasket
Water pump replaced
All hoses taken off and cleaned out

After the above was done at a considerable cost, I am still having overheating engine and water/coolant loss so as a last resort a friend (self taught mechanic) suggested steel seal so we purchased a bottle from halfords and followed instructions and when we were running it for the 45 mins to get it all up to temperature the water/steel seal just pressurised the engine and basically bubbled out if expansion bottle and top hose to the rad.

It now only allows me to drive for about 3 miles and then I get a slight plume of grey like smoke out of the exhaust and if I stop and open the engine bay the water is bubbling out of the expansion bottle (with cap on) ans the top rad hose again.

Any ideas cause I am stumped my fear is that the head gasket has failed again but this time into the combustion chamber and the combined combustion gases are forcing the water back up out of the expansion bottle and top rad hose, is there any way I can check to confirm this or do I just have to take to a garage and pay again to have the head done again.

I love this car but I an at my wits end as to whether this is all worth it.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Not meant to be rude, but are you filling only to the "MAX" mark, which is virtually on the bottom of the tank?

When you say "It now only allows me to drive for about 3 miles", what actually stops you driving further, or is is that after 3 miles coolant blows out of the expansion tank?

Hi.
Additives don't cure anything TBH.
Question time.
Have you confirmed the thermostat is ok? Substitution is the best idea.
When you had the head off did you get it pressure tested?
Did you get the head skimmed and fit a head saver shim glued to the head with Stag Wellseal?
Did you check the liner heights?
Was it bled as per MGR suggestions?

Agreed, when I had my HG done there was K Seal everywhere and it took mechanic forever to get shut of it, gummed up the water pump everything.
Once the proper procedures had been carried out, HG, pump etc etc, check all hoses etc etc hasn't dripped a dribble.

I suspect the work you paid for didn't fix the problem and the HGF symptoms persist. Better to go back under warranty than take drastic unilateral action with chemical sealers. The original warranty may well have become void under the circumstances.

I'd say you're probably back to square one.

TC

This may be your problem,MLS gasket won't hold if liner heights are low,Elastomer much more forgiving in that respect.

To be honest no I did not have the head skimmed or pressure tested as I was going by advice my current general manager as he has worked built these type of engines and he said that cause when the head blew the first time I only drove it for about a mile before I stopped and then it was not driven until the replacement head was installed, as I got it done through work (on the cheap) there is not warranty so I cannot go back on that, however the gen mgr did ask the mechanics that did the job to test for warpage using a engineering straight to chexk all was goos and they said they did and so it was straight, as for the thermostat I have had it replaced twice as we thiught the problem was that the thermostat was not working correctly so they got another new one and changed it, bu that did not cure the problem, as for the liners no I did have them checked so I am at a quandry and feel that I have been led down a garden path without true advice which is very frustrating.

Oh hang on. It's an 04 model and may have a PRT. Is that what was replaced? Or did they fit a standard stat near the water pump?

TC

TC, I am not sure what you mean by a PRT but the garage took the cover off the cambelt where the water pump is housed and they said that the centre bolt was not in position correctly and was not tight but they took the old pump off and replaced it with a new one, my other mate when he was checking all the coolant pipes found that the gasket where I think he said the coolant temp sensor was had failed and was sopping wet so he replaced it with a liquid gasket and that is now holding fine, the wierd thind is that all these thungs have happened since the mechanics at work done the head gasket.

So you can understand why I am a little bit pi* *ed off with it