it's happened

Corwen · 29th November 2008, 16:12

1800 petrol club 51 plate, checking my engine bay, fill ups and checking plenum as i do on a weekly basis, checked the dipstick saw a bit of white stuff, undone the filling cap and there it was, nasty white muck, no change in temp gauge, but there was some loss of coolant since last week, so thats it, the head gasket has gone, yet i watched it carefully, so down to my local garage monday, also due for belt change. so may as well get the price for that as well, i haven't got a lot of spare cash, but i really enjoy my 75, but need to get her right and not go back to the garage to get something else done later that could save me money having it done now, the garage i used many times but not with my rover, so what do i need,to ask or tell them , regarding the above repairs, plus im i right in sayng the water pump is also a weak spot, if so is that a rover part or a different manufactor, hope the price is something i can afford, don,t want swmbo advicing me to change it.

SMC Trading · 29th November 2008, 16:19

I had exactly the same problem a couple of months back, decided to fix it myself (with a little help from Greeners) and I must say it was so easy, no special tools needed, done the whole job in about 4-5 hours.

The most important thing is to make sure they fit the new MLS head gasket, once that's done I very much doubt it will bother you again

Pete · 29th November 2008, 16:24

Thread moved - this is of a technical nature.

Okay, you say coolant is disappearing. That doesn't mean automatically the head gasket has gone - it can be so due to other reasons. Mayo on the filler cap can be caused by condensation in the engine through continual short runs for example.

The best course of action is to have the problem investigated to determine the nature of the fault and then go from there. Do make sure you have a good search and read through the forums to get a complete picture of the potential issues you may come across as well - it could save you a tidy sum of money.

Corwen · 29th November 2008, 16:28

reached my machanic by phone, he said it would be advicable to have the head skimmed as he has done many HEAD GASKETS on the 75, is this being over zelous or is worth the precation [ and money]

SMC Trading · 29th November 2008, 16:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corwen

reached my machanic by phone, he said it would be advicable to have the head skimmed as he has done many HEAD GASKETS on the 75, is this being over zelous or is worth the precation [ and money]

As the engine has not cooked I would not bother, I thought I read some where it was a bad idea to skim a 1.8 head?

rt2 · 29th November 2008, 16:39

Do not skim the head under any circumstances, as Les said in his post fit the mls gasket. Ask your mechanic about MLS Gaskets & if he does not know what you are talking about enough said about his knowledge.

Corwen · 29th November 2008, 18:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete

Thread moved - this is of a technical nature.

Okay, you say coolant is disappearing. That doesn't mean automatically the head gasket has gone - it can be so due to other reasons. Mayo on the filler cap can be caused by condensation in the engine through continual short runs for example.

The best course of action is to have the problem investigated to determine the nature of the fault and then go from there. Do make sure you have a good search and read through the forums to get a complete picture of the potential issues you may come across as well - it could save you a tidy sum of money.

my usual journeys are to work 3 miles , shopping, not really anything over 20 miles, any other way of checking head gasket failure, or possible cause , or as is said above proving or disproving condensation

Simon · 29th November 2008, 18:35

If your engine temperature hasn't gone skyward I doubt the gasket would have gone because if it had and you had lost all coolant into the engine you would have noticed a lot of smoke out of the rear accompnied by a sudden increase in engine temperature.

Your journey distances mentioned could well be contributing to condensation in the oil. Best thing to do is drain and refill the oil from the engine and ensure your water is topped up - fit a new top cap to the expansion tank to ensure it is not leaking.

Monitor the situation VERY CAREFULLY over the next few journeys - checking ALL fluid's when the engine is cold. If you are still loosing water then it could be that somewhere there is a break in the gasket but that does not mean that the engine has suffered any damage. As said, only severe overheating warrants a head-skim and most people on the forums strongly urge against skimming as it in effect takes away valuable material from the head.

The MLS (multi-layered steel) gasket from X-Part has been specifically developed to fix weak gaskets originally fitted to the 1.8 series engines and if you do need a new gasket, make sure it this one.

Hope that helps.

Corwen · 29th November 2008, 18:43

thanks to simon and others who have replied to my thread, i think it would be best to just have the upgrade mls gasket fitted [no skimming] oil change/ filter and go from there, i would feel more secure having the mls gasket, now what about the rover or other manufactor water pump ??

chrisrc · 29th November 2008, 18:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corwen

thanks to simon and others who have replied to my thread, i think it would be best to just have the upgrade mls gasket fitted [no skimming] oil change/ filter and go from there, i would feel more secure having the mls gasket, now what about the rover or other manufactor water pump ??

If you read some of my threads you will notice that when my club was in with a rover specialist Ha! Ha! he tried telling me the head gasket needed sorting as i was losing coolant( dont think so mate) head gasket was only replaced a year ago look elswhere, i dont know where he looked but he found a leak in a pipe somewhere(job done). Look underneath for any signs of where its leaking from.:lol: Chrisrc

29th November 2008, 16:12	#1
Corwen Loves to post ROVER 75 CLUB SE 1.8 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: heanor Posts: 460 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	it's happened 1800 petrol club 51 plate, checking my engine bay, fill ups and checking plenum as i do on a weekly basis, checked the dipstick saw a bit of white stuff, undone the filling cap and there it was, nasty white muck, no change in temp gauge, but there was some loss of coolant since last week, so thats it, the head gasket has gone, yet i watched it carefully, so down to my local garage monday, also due for belt change. so may as well get the price for that as well, i haven't got a lot of spare cash, but i really enjoy my 75, but need to get her right and not go back to the garage to get something else done later that could save me money having it done now, the garage i used many times but not with my rover, so what do i need,to ask or tell them , regarding the above repairs, plus im i right in sayng the water pump is also a weak spot, if so is that a rover part or a different manufactor, hope the price is something i can afford, don,t want swmbo advicing me to change it.

29th November 2008, 16:24	#3
Pete Owners Club Director Rover 75 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Sherfield-on-Loddon Posts: 4,872 Thanks: 137 Thanked 996 Times in 444 Posts	Thread moved - this is of a technical nature. Okay, you say coolant is disappearing. That doesn't mean automatically the head gasket has gone - it can be so due to other reasons. Mayo on the filler cap can be caused by condensation in the engine through continual short runs for example. The best course of action is to have the problem investigated to determine the nature of the fault and then go from there. Do make sure you have a good search and read through the forums to get a complete picture of the potential issues you may come across as well - it could save you a tidy sum of money. __________________ Follow The Club On Twitter

29th November 2008, 16:19	#2
SMC Trading I really should get out more....... Rover 75 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nr Harlow Posts: 2,872 Thanks: 1 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	I had exactly the same problem a couple of months back, decided to fix it myself (with a little help from Greeners) and I must say it was so easy, no special tools needed, done the whole job in about 4-5 hours. The most important thing is to make sure they fit the new MLS head gasket, once that's done I very much doubt it will bother you again

29th November 2008, 16:28	#4
Corwen Loves to post ROVER 75 CLUB SE 1.8 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: heanor Posts: 460 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	reached my machanic by phone, he said it would be advicable to have the head skimmed as he has done many HEAD GASKETS on the 75, is this being over zelous or is worth the precation [ and money]

29th November 2008, 16:39	#6
rt2 Banned Rover 75 Tourer 2.5 connoisseur se in moonstone manual Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Do not skim the head under any circumstances, as Les said in his post fit the mls gasket. Ask your mechanic about MLS Gaskets & if he does not know what you are talking about enough said about his knowledge.

29th November 2008, 18:35	#8
Simon Banned - Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: - Posts: 10,318 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	If your engine temperature hasn't gone skyward I doubt the gasket would have gone because if it had and you had lost all coolant into the engine you would have noticed a lot of smoke out of the rear accompnied by a sudden increase in engine temperature. Your journey distances mentioned could well be contributing to condensation in the oil. Best thing to do is drain and refill the oil from the engine and ensure your water is topped up - fit a new top cap to the expansion tank to ensure it is not leaking. Monitor the situation VERY CAREFULLY over the next few journeys - checking ALL fluid's when the engine is cold. If you are still loosing water then it could be that somewhere there is a break in the gasket but that does not mean that the engine has suffered any damage. As said, only severe overheating warrants a head-skim and most people on the forums strongly urge against skimming as it in effect takes away valuable material from the head. The MLS (multi-layered steel) gasket from X-Part has been specifically developed to fix weak gaskets originally fitted to the 1.8 series engines and if you do need a new gasket, make sure it this one. Hope that helps.

29th November 2008, 18:43	#9
Corwen Loves to post ROVER 75 CLUB SE 1.8 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: heanor Posts: 460 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	thanks to simon and others who have replied to my thread, i think it would be best to just have the upgrade mls gasket fitted [no skimming] oil change/ filter and go from there, i would feel more secure having the mls gasket, now what about the rover or other manufactor water pump ??