Car experts, help required...

digitalscream

So, got my bloody test on Tuesday...in preparation for my certain pass (heh...), been giving the car a once-over and I'm starting to get paranoid about the well-known head gasket failure on K-series engines.

Basically, the only thing that's making me worry is very slight wispy white vapour from the exhaust. Doesn't appear to be any oil or coolant loss, there's no mayo in the oil filler cap, temperature stays below half-way on the dial, although all I'm doing is running it every couple of days on the driveway (since I can't insure it yet).

I've also read a couple of reports that MGs are known for a bit of vapour from the exhaust in winter, but it's pretty much the opposite of that kind of weather right now.

Is this anything to worry about? Not massively keen on the idea of replacing the head gasket myself (particularly since I think we're going to have to do something with the clutch soon), but also conscious of the fact that having a mechanic do it isn't going to be cheap.

There's also the option of using one of those sealant fluids if it's on its way out...any experience with those?

ThePrettyDamned

If there is steam coming out, that probably means it's time to be taken to a specialist garage for the skim and rebuild. 

Prevention is better than cure with these - I don't know why more people have not had it fixed, although perhaps not everyone realises there is a problem... 

I'll ask my friend where he had his done and get back. His was absolutely sound after the work, and the garage reckons they're the best in the business for the k series. 

proggy

    Good luck for Tuesday.

Try the sealant fluid, it can't hurt. My advice to you though is to join an MG forum and ask on there.

I joined an MR2 forum and they're brilliant for advice, just as this one is for guitar stuff.

ThePrettyDamned

Right, he used The Rover Centre in St Albans. He thinks it's now called The Mini Specialist. Good price, excellent work and highly recommended by my friend who is a motorsport engineer.  

digitalscream

@ThePrettyDamned - cheers

@proggy - That's the problem, the MG forums are full of totally conflicting advice. Some say that the vapour on its own isn't a problem and it's only if you get two or more of the symptoms that it's an issue, others disagree. Some say a preventative replacement of the gasket with the MLS one is a good idea, others say it's best to leave well alone if it's working, and others still say that the MLS gasket is a time bomb waiting to go off.

Bloody forums :P

proggy

digitalscream said:

@ThePrettyDamned - cheers

@proggy - That's the problem, the MG forums are full of totally conflicting advice. Some say that the vapour on its own isn't a problem and it's only if you get two or more of the symptoms that it's an issue, others disagree. Some say a preventative replacement of the gasket with the MLS one is a good idea, others say it's best to leave well alone if it's working, and others still say that the MLS gasket is a time bomb waiting to go off.

Bloody forums :P

Bloody Hell mate. My advice to you now is a part ex on a Toyota.

digitalscream

proggy said:

digitalscream said:

@ThePrettyDamned - cheers

@proggy - That's the problem, the MG forums are full of totally conflicting advice. Some say that the vapour on its own isn't a problem and it's only if you get two or more of the symptoms that it's an issue, others disagree. Some say a preventative replacement of the gasket with the MLS one is a good idea, others say it's best to leave well alone if it's working, and others still say that the MLS gasket is a time bomb waiting to go off.

Bloody forums :P

Bloody Hell mate. My advice to you now is a part ex on a Toyota.

To be fair, I went into this knowing the car was going to be an ongoing project, as with all MGs - hell, it's a 14 year old car, so it's never going to be without issues. In fact, it was basically free because it was bought with unexpected winnings from an excellent lunchtime spent in front of a fruit machine, so I can't really complain.

I just don't want my first day's solo-driving experience to involve sitting on the hard shoulder cooling my heels (and the car)

Sporky

proggy said:

Bloody Hell mate. My advice to you now is a part ex on a Toyota.

Remember to trade in all your clothes for beige slacks, shirts and cardigans too.

Emp_Fab

Stop worrying.  It's almost certainly nothing.  If the water level in the radiator isn't going down, then it's a natural byproduct of combustion or it's nothing more than water that has collected in the exhaust boiling off.  If the radiator level / expansion tank / coolant / whatever you want to call it is going down then you possibly have a head gasket leak.  You're worrying yourself unneccessarily I think.

m_c

Water is a by product of the combustion and catalyst process, so if the cars not had a good run to get the full exhaust system warmed up, then it's perfectly normal to see steam or even water being blown out.

I'd only be worried if the coolant level started dropping, which you say hasn't, so it'll be fine for now.

digitalscream

Emp_Fab said:

Stop worrying.  It's almost certainly nothing.  If the water level in the radiator isn't going down, then it's a natural byproduct of combustion or it's nothing more than water that has collected in the exhaust boiling off.  If the radiator level / expansion tank / coolant / whatever you want to call it is going down then you possibly have a head gasket leak.  You're worrying yourself unneccessarily I think.

That's entirely possible (even likely). Just spoken to the guy who's coming over tomorrow to help me replace the brakes, he's going to take a look at it. 'Course, the odds aren't in my favour for Tuesday, so there's a reasonable likelihood that this is a moot point for now anyway

Oh, and @proggy - the wife had a Toyota Avensis as her first car, no thanks. It developed the common tapping problem (just out of warranty) and the engine nearly shook itself to bits :P

ThePrettyDamned

digitalscream said:

@ThePrettyDamned - cheers

@proggy - That's the problem, the MG forums are full of totally conflicting advice. Some say that the vapour on its own isn't a problem and it's only if you get two or more of the symptoms that it's an issue, others disagree. Some say a preventative replacement of the gasket with the MLS one is a good idea, others say it's best to leave well alone if it's working, and others still say that the MLS gasket is a time bomb waiting to go off.

Bloody forums :P

I know, once I joined this little guitar forum and asked about overdrive pedals... 

digitalscream

ThePrettyDamned said:

digitalscream said:

@ThePrettyDamned - cheers

@proggy - That's the problem, the MG forums are full of totally conflicting advice. Some say that the vapour on its own isn't a problem and it's only if you get two or more of the symptoms that it's an issue, others disagree. Some say a preventative replacement of the gasket with the MLS one is a good idea, others say it's best to leave well alone if it's working, and others still say that the MLS gasket is a time bomb waiting to go off.

Bloody forums :P

I know, once I joined this little guitar forum and asked about overdrive pedals... 

Hehe...on the plus side, I'm enjoying learning about all this shizz. Which, really, was kind of the point of getting an old-ish car.

RiftAmps

Years ago I worked on the service desk of the local MG Rover dealer, the Service Manager insisted that every car with a K-series engine had the radiator cap replaced at every service without fail (it was only a £3 part so he built it in to the cost). The result? We had the lowest head-gasket failure warranty-rate in the country for K-series engines.

mike_l

Probs a bit of condensation.
@digitalscream
I'm off work if you'd like me to pop up and have a look.

TheMarlin

Which MG is it?  

digitalscream

mike_l said:

Probs a bit of condensation.
@digitalscream
I'm off work if you'd like me to pop up and have a look.

I'd take you up on that, but since I've got my mate coming over tomorrow it'd probably be a lot of hassle for you for not a huge amount of gain - particularly since it's very likely I'm just being paranoid. Appreciate the offer, mind

TheMarlin said:

Which MG is it?  

ZR 120. Ridiculous car for a first-timer, particularly one who's just hit 40. I'm calling it my mid-life crisis

proggy

Sporky said:

proggy said:

Bloody Hell mate. My advice to you now is a part ex on a Toyota.

Remember to trade in all your clothes for beige slacks, shirts and cardigans too.

I was thinking more along the lines of one of those new Supras with the twin turbo V6 engine.

mike_l

It's no bother Lee.

I would start it and let it run for half an hour and see if the smoke/steam stays or if it disappears after a few minutes.

Also as the smoke is white it sounds more like water vapour, if it was a bluey-grey I'd be looking deeper, as that's more oily.

speshul91

Take the cap of the coolant tank and smell it after it has been running for a while, it should smell of anti freeze, if headgasket ia going you will smell exhaust in there.

Sporky

proggy said:

Sporky said:

proggy said:

Bloody Hell mate. My advice to you now is a part ex on a Toyota.

Remember to trade in all your clothes for beige slacks, shirts and cardigans too.

I was thinking more along the lines of one of those new Supras with the twin turbo V6 engine.

Ah, gotcha.

In which case add a pair of string-backed driving gloves.