Thermostat V6 190 leak & re-fitting

[Arctic]

I have recently found a leak from the thermostat on my MG ZT 190 V6.

I check the car once a week for all hose leaks etc, all fluids levels be it oil or water, so as per usual on 9th March Sunday I did all the relative checks and everything was fine.

In the mean time I took delivery of a new coolant cap which I had purchased from a vender to see it's quality for the price that is another story, anyways on the 12th March coolant cap arrived the very next day 13th March i thought i will change the cap and see how it looks and works with regards to the original.

Once i took the original cap of the header tank i could see that the level of coolant had drop from the max mark to a fraction below the minimum mark only checked three days ago all was well and have only driven the car 30 miles in those three days, so i take of the engine cover look into the V and there is the problem looking me right in the face coolant loss from the thermostat albeit only a little but never the less a leak.

Photo of the leak below Fig 1
1

As you can see this is very fresh coolant as it is as red as blood, now my MG ZT 190 was fitted with a new thermostat on the 21/01/12 and as only covered approx 3,700 miles since it was fitted. Fig 2
2


I was surprised to find this in the mean time i have not driven the car and ordered a new thermostat which arrived today. Fig 3
3

Upon inspection i find that there seems to be a slight gap already on the joints of the thermostat main body Fig 4/6
4

5

6

So my question now is do i fit this thermostat as it maybe the way they are constructed or do i send it back and wait for the next one to arrive hoping it will not have these defects if that is what they are.

First i will get in touch with the seller whom i will refrain from naming at the moment to see what their opinion is or if i get any reaction from them at all, this thread will now be the one i will use thorough out the process of fitting the thermostat once i am ready along with pics as always cheers Arctic.

[capese21]

I am fairly sure the parts are ultrasonically welded together so nothing wrong with it. Is it a genuine MGR or a pattern part?

Ed.

[Arctic]

Originally Posted by capese21

I am fairly sure the parts are ultrasonically welded together so nothing wrong with it. Is it a genuine MGR or a pattern part?

Ed.

Hi Ed.
I am presuming they are as the listing says this (MG -Rover parts at wholesale process delivered to your door ) intended use replacement part manufacturer Rover.

I contacted the seller and he is saying it is ok he as sold hundreds, so what is that saying with regards to the thermostats on the V6 read into it as you like so having his assurance it is ok I will go ahead and fit it, as soon as I get chance.

below is where it was purchased from.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-ROVER-...4383.l4275.c10

Here also where I purchased the last one fitted in 2012.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NEW-...04245949&rt=nc

So I am hoping this one will be different as I am also adding different O-rings supplied by a very good member Arctic.

[capese21]

imho it will be fine to go ahead and fit it. ECP do sell a different make which looks ok but with a choice I would buy one in MGR packaging.

They should last around 6 years or 60k before needing replacement. So change when the cambelts are being done regardless of condition.

Pop some pics up of the old one.

Good Luck

Ed

[Arctic]

Originally Posted by capese21

imho it will be fine to go ahead and fit it. ECP do sell a different make which looks ok but with a choice I would buy one in MGR packaging.

They should last around 6 years or 60k before needing replacement. So change when the cambelts are being done regardless of condition.

Pop some pics up of the old one.

Good Luck

Ed

Hi Ed
That is what I had done in 2012 2yrs later and 3,700 miles and the thermostat as failed they were all MGR parts from the vendor in the second link so what chance do we have hopefully when I get it off I will find that it is only the O-rings that have failed giving us some hope that the housings are in fact good for some years we shall see.

I did experiment with one not so long back but never fitted it pic below

[Typhoon190]

I also had one fail around the joint on the main thermostat housing after less than 6 months.

[trikey]

Originally Posted by capese21

I am fairly sure the parts are ultrasonically welded together so nothing wrong with it. Is it a genuine MGR or a pattern part?

Ed.

You dont have to be fairly sure, you are 100% correct, ultrasonic welding used to join the parts.

[jn12]

I fitted a new stat kit in July of last year and discovered it is slightly weeping now! Another few hours of my time and £60ish quid gone, still it's all fun and games

John

[capese21]

I also had one fail around the joint on the main thermostat housing after less than 6 months.

I guess like any mass produced part there are faulty ones.

I took my last one off at 60k 6 years and it looked like new. I replaced it at cambelt time as a precaution. The present one has now been on for 3 years and all good so far.

Ed

[zefrench]

Good thing you check every week!

This is one of the reason why I like Kaiser's alloy thermostat housing so much!

You could right a test on your housing and pressure test it prior to install if you are worried.