Head Gasket Gone?

Before I start the task of removing the head, can someone assist?

I have had my Rover 214sli for about 2 weeks now, on leafing through the Haynes manual that came with the car, someone has high-lighted the head removal and refitting proceedure in yellow pen.

Anyway, when I got the car, I had to put about 1/2 a litre of water in the header tank. Now, 2 weeks on, I've added about a litre. Is this the water finding air and occupying the space or is it a head gasket gone. ANY help is greatly welcomed!

Dean

Reply to
Dean Carpenter
Loading thread data ...

Could be one of many things, head gasket, leaky hose, leaky radiator... the problem is finding it... over the course of two weeks, it's not a huge amount to lose. But it's hard to track down, the water probably only leaks under pressure, and evaporates on contact with the engine... so actually finding it is gonna be tricky. Check the water for brown discolouring, or if it's foamy when hot... also check under oil cap for any white residue. That's a sure sign of gasket failure... otherwise you may be lucky and just have a small leak in a hose.

I'm not a trained mechanic, so might be worth getting it checked, just don't take it to the same garage as the other guy with an 827 head gasket problem.

H
Reply to
Heckler ²°°³

Has the car got a plastic inlet manifold? The inlet manifold is the box at the back of the engine that says 'Injection' on it. If it is a plastic one, it will probably be the gasket leaking, feel around under it where it bolts to the cylinder head for wetness. If not, then it may just be the coolant tank cap that is not sealing properly, there have been problems with these in the past, they are only cheap. If it is the head gasket, then they are not too bad a job to do, just make sure that you get the head pressure tested and, if necessary, skimmed. Also make sure a genuine Rover Cylinder Head Gasket is used, as these have metal dowels to replace the poxy plastic original ones.

Al

Reply to
Al

Interesting. Mine's a P-reg 1996 Rover 214Si. Don't know how common this problem is, but I recently had a blown head gasket. The clue was the water/coolant disappearing even though I couldn't find any leaks. This little mishap caused £670 worth of damage (at least this included labour, with a service and MOT). The mechanic told me these cars are prone to cracking of the cylinder head, which was what he suspected at first. I'd expect the head gasket to go first though.

Reply to
Mr Greenstone

Reply to
chrismm

Thanks for the pointer. Luckily I didn't spot any water in the sump, and I assume the mechanic didn't either (haven't had a chance to have a post-repair chat with him yet). The new parts included head gasket set, head bolts, hyd. lifters, head refaced, gasket set, and the usual oil change etc.

Reply to
Mr Greenstone

In message , Mr Greenstone scribbled hastily

Why did he replace the head bolts? They are re usable. Also, why new lifters? I have replaced literally hundreds of Rover head gaskets, and have never once had to replace any lifters in the process. If you store them in order and upside down, you minimise oil draining out so they don't rattle upon restarting the engine. If they do drain down, they can be a pig to start and will rattle for about 20 minutes - but they always sorted themselves out.

Reply to
Al

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.