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MG MGF Technical - Head Gasket

Couldn't see a thread on head gaskets on the first page today so thought perhaps someone should start one!

Just had mine replaced for the first time on my 1997 VVC...£570 at a local garage and they sounded very knowledgable on the job.

Driving it again for the 2nd day now and thought I'd have little paranoid look at the oil and the water...to worryingly find very oily water (they warned me it may be a little dark!) and brown gunk on the expansion tank cap. And also the dreaded mayo effect seems to still be there on my oil dipstick!

Should I expect a little of this? Should I clean up the dipstick and the expansion tank and then just monitor very closely...or do I need to get back to the garage asap!!

Thanks,

Dan
Dan Wavell

go back to the garage, they should have flushed the water system thru, I might expect a little bit of gunk in the oil to boil off, but oil in the water is $not_good
Will Munns

Thanks Will...they said they'd flushed the water system, but that it's not uncommon to see a little oil back in there...but really not sure about the water in the oil!

Any thoughts of anything else it might have been other than an HGF?

They had the head machined, replaced the bolts and did the cam belt and vvc timing belts while it was open so sounds like they know what they were doing!
Dan Wavell

Did they say anything about replacing the plastic dowels as well?

Chris
Chris

Ive just had a Head Gasket replaced (1997 VVC 58000 miles) at the MG Owners Club. I had it done there as they are local and about as trustworthy as I could get. The head was skimmed.

When I got it back I was horrified to see mayo on the dip stick, big puffs of smoke out of the exhaust on start up and the water looked a little murky. The MGOC assured me this would settle down.

Ive done about 600 miles and the dipstick has certainly cleared up and the car is running well. However my car is burning up oil (Ive put in 2 litres) and my car wasn't burnig any oil at all before (mileage not too high). Must admit Im a bit worried about the oil as it was fine before but the mayo on the dipstick did clear.
C Hudson

Mayo washed off by all the new oil?
C.R.B. Simeon

Is it important to replace the dowels when you are having a HGF fixed?
Kevin
KJ Harte

Engines before March 2001 had plastic dowels which may have allowed the head to shuffle. Steel dowels were introduced which are a direct replacement costing pennies.
G. Farthing

the dowels come in the gasket kit and their replacement is standard procedure
Will Munns

Thinking about getting the HG done and have noticed there are a few people in the South East who will do a HG change for about £300 inc VAT all parts and labor.

One guy, called Russell is a mobile service - he seems competent enough "claiming" to have 17 years experience as a rover engineer.

Does anybody have any experience of these sorts of mechanics and what are the pitfalls associated with using a mobile service?

ta
Nick

nick

Nick

I suspect that a lot of 'rover engineers' moved to self employed and/or mobile status as the dealers started closing down. Most of them should be good - it was their job.

Other side of the coin: apart from access and a need for carefull bleeding, it is just a K-series engine similar to many thousands of other Rovers and MGs. Most competent mechanics should be able to do it properly but may not fancy the job.
John Ponting

This thread was discussed between 17/05/2007 and 23/05/2007

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