Spotting head gasket failure in a K series

[mark387mw]

I'm looking at buying a 1998 MGF 1.8 VVC with 40k on it.
Looking at the end of the dipstick its picked up some 'white stuff' as its been withdrawn out. The oil and also the coolant look good but could've been changed. There aren't any signs of mayo in the filler cap or anywhere else. The seller says what I'm seeing is due to condensation not head gasket failure. Is he correct?

[Mark leonard]

mark387mw said:

I'm looking at buying a 1998 MGF 1.8 VVC with 40k on it. Looking at the end of the dipstick its picked up some 'white stuff' as its been withdrawn out. The oil and also the coolant look good but could've been changed. There aren't any signs of mayo in the filler cap or anywhere else. The seller says what I'm seeing is due to condensation not head gasket failure. Is he correct?

The seller could well be right!... short trips with the engine not reaching full operating temp will cause `condensation` in the oil in a perfectly good engine,...However..

As you say the fluids could well have been changed, plus HGF does not allways show as `mayo` in the oil, you can also get oil in the coolant (Check for `rainbow` slicks on the surface of the coolant in expansion tank) also dependant on where the gasket has failed you could get overpressure of the coolant system as the exhaust gases leak in due to a failed fire ring... the best check for this type is a hydrocarbon check, ie the exhaust probe used to check the emmisions on the MOT test stuck in the top of the expansion tank!.
Another failure point is the corner of the block by the alternator, but this usually results in the dramatic, `clouds of steam` type failure sometimes reported.

If you look at the technical section of Rob Bells site (link below) there is a guide with pictures to show you exactly what to look for, PLUS Rob`s site is also a great help for anything and everything MGF!!.

www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/menu.htm

[Yugguy]

And if in doubt go somewhere else, there's loads of fs and tfs out there, it's a buyer's market for them at the moment.