Poss head gasket

[rover_ed]

Been working on the project zt for a while now and the more its started up ive noticed loads of steam there was some water in the old back box but now there is a new one on if i dive it and give it abit it blocks view behind most time it runs normal i do get a slight missfire but the coil and leads need changing it warms up stays at temp fans come on/off as normal. BUT twice ive had to put a litre of water in there aint no sign on plugs of water in there did a comp test with throttle open and got 130psi across all cylinders i have got a gasket ready for tomorrow. Thoughts on the comp readings and id of thought id would be running real rough if that amount of water was going into cylinders mls water pump belts aint that old previous owner these was done can water be lost through the turbo. Its no longer than half hour bit of running on drive then a drive round block its next day i ceck water and its gone

[LeRich]

There are numerous things to look and consider.

There are a few weak spots on the cooling system of the 1.8T to consider. The inlet manifold gasket is a biggy as with any K with the plastic manifold. The T-piece at the top front of the engine is known to leak. Water pumps fail. If you haven't already, inspect the cooling system closely for signs of leaks or residue where it's dried.

An airlock can cause the cooling system to over-pressurise and the expansion tank cap to release, ejecting steam and reducing the coolant level.

Does the car overheat? A 1.8T should run at around 90° with the fan kicking in at 104°.

The turbo is water cooled but I don't know how likely/common it is for coolant to leak into the turbo itself.

[rover_ed]

Inlet gasket is new i have fitted metal inlet running temps and cooling fans spot on no overheating are those comp readings ok at least they are equal across the cylinders no obvious signs of any leaks i will be working on it tomorrow with planned gasket job but just after other owners thoughts suggestions

[T-Cut]

This very cold weather causes lots of steamy exhaust, but that should settle down once the back box is hot. The turbocharger can't leak coolant into the exhaust system unless the body is cracked, so very unlikly to be that. However, if you find persistant clouds of steam from the oil filler cap, it's not a good omen. So, I'd suggest checking that out rather than the exhaust. Not so long ago, my 1.8 turbo was doing both the above, even though the engine ran perfectly. It began needing a small top up now and then. When out one day, it dumped all the coolant into the sump. Managed to struggle home at slow speed for a look see. It was pretty clear that the HG had failed. The car had never been mistreated from new (only 30K miles) and had never overheated before this event.
After a strip down, it was apparent that the OEM elastomer gasket had failed between several coolant channels and the oilway. The fire rings were perfect, so no loss of compression. Here's the evidence.



So, the gasket wasn't fit for purpose and probably explains why these engines have such a bad reputation for HGF. As evidenced by mine at least, there appeared to be OAT staining around the areas where detachment of the elastmer beads had allowed it to leak into the sump.
This doesn't necessarily support the OAT is Bad theory and my own tests on the elastomer in 50% OAT are ongoing. After six months at room temperatures, there's been no effect. Time will tell, or maybe not.

This mode of failure won't generate a persistant cooling system overpressure because exhaust gas isn't pumped into it. It's more insidious .

TC

[rover_ed]

Thanks for the replies i will be out early morning poss pull the head off and and see what i find i do have new elastomer gasket to go on it has been fitted with mls dont no if thats got anything to do with it liner heights poor fitting ect

[T-Cut]

Originally Posted by rover_ed

- - - it has been fitted with mls dont no if thats got anything to do with it liner heights poor fitting ect

On historical evidence, I think it probably has. Personally, I wouldn't consider fitting an MLS to mine, even with the specified liner protrusions.



TC

[Lovel]

Long before OAT was introduced these failures of the elastomer were quite typical also. If Powertrain had found a better way of bonding the elastomer to the gasket the K would have had a better reputation. However I would suggest that the lack of deep pockets would have limited what they could engineer. The accountants won in the short term, but the outcome was customer started shying away with a spiral downwards into ultimate closure.

Perhaps a better solution would have been to machine a groove in the cylinder or block face to stop the extrusion/shimmying of the elastomer under heat and pressure cycles between coolant and oil, but that would have been quite expensive and the block has such a thin wall, so perhaps not practical? The complete engine/cooling system has been designed downto the last penny and with throwaway in mind, not unlike many other manufacturers TBH.

[rover_ed]

Took the the head off this morning victor reinz multi gasket fitted built in shim? Two big chunks of silicone trapped in between gasket rouund the fire rings was and in between layers was rusty and the valves was grey/white ish. The head as been skimed and nice and flat i dont think it was very long ago done also the head bolts came out very easy so will be fitting tbe new gaskets ect and should be good to go once ive checked every thing else over and will report how it goes

[kaiser]

The victor Reinz gasket is good, I think. But the fitting instructions given are wrong. It says torque to 20 NM and the angle torque 180 degrees in two series.
The 20 Nm, if done in one go, will leave the centre bolts undertorqued, as the fire rings will compress during the initial torque. Since you start from the middle and work your way out, the initial bolts (in the centre) will be too loose.
I had one head that leaked after 4000 km. If so, your leaks will be the middle cylinders.
Now I torque in 4 stages to 20 Nm, and leave it for a cup of tea. Then I go back and nip all bolts up to torque again. Mark each bolt with a small white dot, and turn 180 degrees in sequence, and then another 180 after that.
The small white dot, will allow you to keep track, if you forget or get interrupted!
Another good gasket is the one from the Chinese MG. It has fatter, flatter silicone strips, and the strips on one side joins with the strips on the other side of the gasket, so it is not only glued on!
And then I never use the OAT. I stick with the old green or blue antifreeze.
Works, so far!!

[WillyHeckaslike]

The OEM gasket was modified and supposedly strengthened. Many holes were made in the metal base sheet so that the silicone beads on each side were attached via molding to each other directly. The characters involved in this development were, like their creation, not fit for purpose. The silicone beads in many engines still dissolved and turned to goop and became detached or disappeared in part, some in very short order and others not so. Any competent engineer would have looked for the common denominator. Fists full of paper and empty heads, perhaps?