K Series Head Gasket

[BeirutTaxi]

Hi all,

I am pondering something like a MGF as a cheap trackday car, however I'm almost completely put off from what some people have told me about K Series reliability.

I thought it should be the case that when an N Series head gasket was installed that should be that - however speaking to a TF owner this weekend that doesn't appear to be the case.

What should I be looking for with regards to the HG work that has been carried out? Is it the case that they'll always leak at some point no matter what you do?

Basically are they just a bottomless, unreliable money pit?

Kind regards

Matt

Edited by BeirutTaxi on Monday 27th May 10:35

[tdm34]

This thread will tell you pretty much what you need to know....

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

And the K Series is just saddled with an undeserved reputation as far as i'm concerned, the engine is technically very clever, but one changed component
when BMW took over Rover caused its woes, many Rover insiders say it was deliberate.

[Arnold Cunningham]

I've had 2x k-series motors for 11 years now.

They both lost a bit of fluid, but in both cases it was the water pump, not the head. Just done a cambelt service and had already noticed it had dropped a little coolant before. New cambelt inc the pump and it's spot on again.

The first motor did die - it dropped a valve. But HG was still OK.

[Lotobear]

4 thou liner height above deck and you're good to go!

[sgtBerbatov]

tdm34 said:

This thread will tell you pretty much what you need to know....

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

And the K Series is just saddled with an undeserved reputation as far as i'm concerned, the engine is technically very clever, but one changed component
when BMW took over Rover caused its woes, many Rover insiders say it was deliberate.

With the K-series engines built after BMW took over, could you change the component to the original part? If I remember correctly, you're referring to the deck bolts which were changed from steel to plastic? Could you just swap out the plastic bolts for the original steel ones?

[aero250]

Most should be OK now; having either been replaced (hopefully with the MLS Head Gasket/new bearing ladder developed by Land Rover) or been good from new.
The main thing is to make sure the low Water alarm works as it is difficult to see leaks developing with the mid engined set up.

[slybunda]

iv heard about people using the land rover multi layered steel gasket, but i know 2 people who blew that gasket too. no gasket is gonna be up to the task if coolant level is allowed to drop.
iv also read up that some people do a mod and drill and add a sensor to notifiy if coolant level is low.

[DVandrews]

To ensure the HG doesnt fail..

Ensure the head has not softened, peen the fire ring area to eradicate porosity and skim
Ensure you have 3-4 thou liner protrusion
Use a Payen BW750 blue elastomer gasket
Use steel dowels
Use genuine Kamax head bolts.

Based on over 750 head gasket fitments

Dave

[sgtBerbatov]

slybunda said:

iv heard about people using the land rover multi layered steel gasket, but i know 2 people who blew that gasket too. no gasket is gonna be up to the task if coolant level is allowed to drop.
iv also read up that some people do a mod and drill and add a sensor to notifiy if coolant level is low.

From what I've seen, aside from the head gasket upgrade, the sensor is also a very popular upgrade for this engine.

But you know what, no engine is reliable if it's not looked after.

[Arnold Cunningham]

I have to admit that my current motor does have the coolant bottle with the sensor fitted, but I've actually not got round to wiring it up.
However, I do usually check the coolant level frequently anyway.

Recently done the cambelt and before that it did lose just a little water over time, but a new water pump with the cambelt has addressed it.

So my learning is in the first case, don't run the damn thing out of coolant. If it does lose a little coolant, check where it's coming from and don't just assume it's the HG. And if it is the HG and you therefore have to go to the aggro of doing it, do it the way Dave above says.

[PorkFan]

Mk3 MR2 would be my choice. Easy swap to the 190PS 2ZZ engine or whatever it’s called too. And LSD standard.

[A500leroy]

Well I need to do one on my Freelander.

Any sage words of advice on how to do the job.

[richhead]

DVandrews said:

To ensure the HG doesnt fail..

Ensure the head has not softened, peen the fire ring area to eradicate porosity and skim
Ensure you have 3-4 thou liner protrusion
Use a Payen BW750 blue elastomer gasket
Use steel dowels
Use genuine Kamax head bolts.

Based on over 750 head gasket fitments

Dave

All good advice, i may be dreaming this, but wasnt there also a mod to the lower sandwich plate?

[itcaptainslow]

Yes, there was - a strengthened lower oil rail, which I believe originally formed part of the MLS "Land Rover" solution kit.

I've fitted a couple of MLS gaskets, and had one fail many years later on a car that I'd repaired. The MLS shim had made a bit of a mess of the head (took some serious cleaning up!), and the gasket had randomly started weeping coolant down the front of the block. Fitted an elastomer gasket, and it's been fine since in new ownership (although the VVC mechanism is starting to become a bit noisy).

DVAndrews will no doubt provide his usual endless wisdom on my basic understanding, but from what I can gather, the elastomer is a lot more tolerant of uneven/low liner heights and slight unevenness in the block face, should there be any.