K Series problems...

[stackmonkey]

Need some advice on behalf of a friend, if possible.

Friend bought a 2nd hand MG ZS 1.8 120bhp from a main dealer.
While still under warranty, engine starts losing coolant at varying rates.
Blown head gasket obviously suspected, so he returns car to dealer, explains situation.
Dealer unable to replicate fluid loss, and tests for head gasket blow by checking emissions and tells friend this is standard method (even I know this smells fishy). Dealer tells friend gasket is NOT blown.

Problem continues and friend report this to dealer, who eventually tell him to take car to 'specialist dealer' who actually know something about k Series engines.
They diagnose blown head gasket, unsurprisingly.
Friend then takes car back to main dealer to have fixed, who repeat their emissions test to confirm gasket blown and ring warranty company to sort.

2 things:
My friend has now been driving this car (carefully) with blown gasket for EIGHT weeks now and is obviously fearful that his engine is damaged elsewhere and that he will have to pay eventually for the main dealer's stupidity, despite being told today that his engine would be ok being driven with this fault.

What is the actual damage, both immediate and long term, that could be caused by driving with a blown gasket, and how would a good garage test for this damage?

He's looking to get trading standards involved if necessary and is thinking of paying to get the engine independently tested as soon as it has the gasket fixed.

All help appreciated, thanks.

[MR2Mike]

If your friend has been keeping the coolant topped up at all times and has never let the engine overheat then there is a good chance the engine will be ok. Overheating really kills them by softening the alloy head so it won't hold another gasket for very long.

[stackmonkey]

I don't know if engine has properly over heated as yet, but he has been keeping levels topped up.

[steve_d]

If there is no evidence of water in the oil then all that has happened is the internals have had a nice steam clean. A steam clean spark plug is often a good sign of head gasket failure.

Steve

[52classic]

Someone on here identified a way of checking for head gasket failure by reading the Ph level of the water with Litmus paper!!

Brilliant! Just can't find it again.

[hazzaboy69]

If it hasnt overheated then chances are the engine will be fine for a very long time. If it has overheated then make sure that the head is skimmed incase it is warped or distorted. I think that a thorough check of what caused the head gasket to go would be a good idea. It could be that it is just one of those things but then again it could be an underlying fault.
Mine went a while ago fixed it myself and its been fine since although I was paranoid checking the levels every day for a month or two.

Cheers Harry

[johny105]

if it has not boiled it should be fine.
also on my freelander the headgasket has gone 3 (YES I KNOW) 3 times every 14k roughly
the last time i did it i paid a little extra for the lotus modified gasket for the engine and it has been proven by lotus and my vehicle is evidence that this gasket has solved the dreaded k-series problem. as it is now 42k since i last did it.
so i would recomend your friend insists they use a lotus gasket or buy one himself and if he plans to keep the car save himself future costs.
watch it as they will wriggle like hell

[johny105]

if it has not boiled it should be fine.
also on my freelander the headgasket has gone 3 (YES I KNOW) 3 times every 14k roughly
the last time i did it i paid a little extra for the lotus modified gasket for the engine and it has been proven by lotus and my vehicle is evidence that this gasket has solved the dreaded k-series problem. as it is now 42k since i last did it.
so i would recomend your friend insists they use a lotus gasket or buy one himself and if he plans to keep the car save himself future costs.
watch it as they will wriggle like hell

[moffspeed]

One of our secretaries is pretty upset as the head gasket has failed on her 52-plate K-series Freelander and the garage bill has been pretty horrendous. The car has done <40K, is fully stamped and has done nothing more arduous than the school run.

I've done a bit of research and there is clearly a major problem with the feeble OEM gasket as well as other inherent design weaknesses with both the K series 1.8 (hers) and the 2.5 V6 - particularly relating to the position of the thermostat and cooling channels. I suppose putting such a small lump in a Freelander with all of those complicated and hot 4WD transmission parts was always asking for trouble. The common theme seems to be if the Freelander floats your boat (or pulls it for that matter) buy nothing other than a TD4.

So the questions are :

1)Has anyone successfully recovered any dosh (outside warranty) from L-R as a result of these failures ? I know there was talk of a legal class action but I suspect it didn't happen.

2) I have a nasty suspicion that the garage has repaired the engine with another OEM gasket rather than the uprated multi-layer metal gasket (I guess this is the Lotus gasket previously referred to). So, is she looking at a repeat performance in 10K or so ?

[that daddy]

Also make sure the car as the modified dowels fitted(steel)most important,not the plastic ones utter crap at doing the job

[MR2Mike]

that daddy said:

Also make sure the car as the modified dowels fitted(steel)most important,not the plastic ones utter crap at doing the job

You can't even buy a decent gasket set with plastic dowels now, they were changed a long time ago.

[That Daddy]

MR2Mike said:

that daddy said:

Also make sure the car as the modified dowels fitted(steel)most important,not the plastic ones utter crap at doing the job

You can't even buy a decent gasket set with plastic dowels now, they were changed a long time ago.

I know Mike,but i have seen gaskets that have been changed and the old dowels left in because they looked ok,people dont understand why they have to be replacedi have never had problems with the modded Rover parts failing,but i mod the stat also(QH calorstat,rover one is crap)drill small hole 4mm approx on stat frame helps with bleeding,this is without the so called modified cooling config,and have not had one car returned,but i will not touch them if they have any signs of boiling dry,the best cars to take on are the ones with oil slick in expansion bottle and no signs of heating up.That oil slick has to be removed completely(seen a few that have not had this done)and suffered the same fate shortly after