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MG MGF Technical - Another one bites the dust!... HGF.

Just thought I'd add my car to the archives. I had a HGF the other day within 50 miles of taking my car out of the garage for an engine-manifold gasket replacement.
The car has been added to the hall of shame but just for the record here are the details:
1997 mpi, 70000 miles, probably not its first time. Standard everything except MS downpipe which was fitted about a week earlier.
symptoms are lots of steam, severe loss of water, gunk in the expansion tank, no drips, no mayonnaise in oil and temp guauges reading normal before, during and after. I managed to drive 150 miles home after it happened with the help of lots of water. As the AA guy said: It would cost as much to get it towed home as it would to get any damage repaired.
I have already ordered MS head gasket and dowls to be put into the rebuild.
Have I missed anything?
cheers
Darren
D Edwards

Darren

My 96 VVC (45K miles) has just suffered HGF. I'm new to this subject and having received several estimates of £700 - £1000,I'm likely to use non dealer garage.(£400 - £500 including head skim)
Do many owners use non dealers, or am I taking unusual risk?

What is MS head gasket?

Any advice would be most welcome

Thanks

Jeff
Jeff Brookes

Jeff,

See my answer to your second post on the other HGF thread.

Dave
Dave

D

See Jons reply to your other posting re the manifold gasket and your HGF - I would go along with what he says that it sounds like a failure to bleed the system correctly.


I also think that that the AA man was wrong it what he told you - if it is a HGF (or anything else) then driving the car in that state could cause a lot of extra damage resulting in (perhaps) having to het a complete new cylinder head - lifting the repair costs by about anothre £700.00.

Jeff

I see no problems in using a non MGR mechanic as long as he/they are aware of the importance of the correct and essential bleeding procedure of the coolant system on the MGF/TF - if not done correctly this can and almost certainly will cause 'hot spots' and/or 'air locks' in the very long and convoluted plumbing that is required with the front radiator - mid engine layout of the *F* and this in turn can result in an head gasket failure.

Ted
Ted Newman

Ted,
Sorry to confuse peeps but I meant the exhaust manifold not the other one.

As for the limp home, it was a calculated risk based on the thought that the car had survived normal speeds without water for about 50 miles so a steady limp home with frequent top ups was likely to be ok.

Jeff, by MS I mean Mike Satur - he does an uprated head gasket in the hope of fending off a future HGF. His website should be advertised on this site somewhere.
D Edwards

>>As for the limp home, it was a calculated risk based on the thought that the car had survived normal speeds without water for about 50 miles so a steady limp home with frequent top ups was likely to be ok.<<

However, after having done that, get the head checked for distortion and hardness by a local engineering company/ engine builder. It will be a false economy if you don't; a repeat performance is a likely occurance if the head is at all suspect. :o(
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed between 04/11/2002 and 06/11/2002

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