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MG MGF Technical - HGF how difficult to Do

Hi,
2002 1.8MGF head Gasket Failure. I do have DIY mechanical experience of around 20 years, but not done an MGF. I have garage facilities with Lift/Ramp. Is it a very difficult job to replace? I know every HGF is different. Do you drop the whole engine out the bottom and dismantle? I can get a manual, thought it might be a nice little project. Do you have to upgrade the gasket, rails etc.
Brian
B Smith

Have you thought about Russell?
http://www.mgroversolutions.com
Charless

The unbolting of the head is fiddly & will have you on a merry dance through your toolbox, but can be done without dropping the engine out and with the car on terra firma. Lowering the subframe enough to improve access to the manifolds etc adds an awful lot of disconnecting work, approximately doubling the time taken. A manual is certainly a good investment, and don't be too worried about references to special MGR tools - persistence & ingenuity will generally get the job done.

Once the head is off, the state of the gasket usually dictates what remedy needs to be applied. In a majority of cases it's a pure gasket failure, so a very light skim of the head and a new (improved) gasket is all that is required before bolting it back up. The design of the K series engine gives a few other possible causes, e.g. a cylinder liner having dropped a little, the head having warped or cracked, or overheating due to coolant loss elsewhere, so these need to be eliminated first otherwise a new gasket will be a waste of time. It's best practice to renew the head bolts each time the engine is apart (they stretch) and renewing water pump, belts & tensioner is highly recommended too.

The Land Rover gasket which needs the oil rail to be changed too is popular with some people, but the revised MGR gasket is IMHO at least as good and less work to fit.
bandit

Nothing else to add to Bandit's post, other than to say that the lower inlet manifold fastenings are a right pain in the perverbial!

It isn't a particularly difficult job, but one made that little more challenging by the relative lack of access.

One other thing I would recommend is to check on the cylinder liner stand proud. The manual indicates that these should be flush with the deck of the cylinder block, but engine builders like Dave Andrews would recommend a little stand-proud as this improves the clamping upon the fire rings.

The other inspection point would be a look at the cylinder head. Some circular marking around the combustion chamber is to be expected, but if marked (ie measureable - like seen here: http://mgf.ultimatemg.com/group1/info/journal/blog/DSCF0032.JPG) then either the head needs a serious skim, or it's scrap.

If planning to skim, Tim has posted a very useful video on YouTube that shows how to recover the fire-ring land area before sending the head off to a machine shop for skimming, that involves some simple peening of the head to eradicate casting voids in the alloy casting that could cause future problems and gasket failure. See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G6RlW2HQtg&feature=player_embedded
Rob Bell

Thanks very much for the extensive info. I do have a manual already. So just to be correct. There is no need to take out the engine/geabox and do it in situ. Or it is easier in the long run and about the same time to take it out?
Brian
B Smith

Personally, I think that I'd drop the transaxle, so long as you have the space available. I certainly makes the job of working on the engine that much easier. But be wary of the subframe bracket bolts - they shear off with alarming ease in my experience. :o(

See attached picture of how we got Project Shed's engine back in!

Rob Bell

Thanks Rob, I think that I will take all out I do have a garage facility. The idea is to buy one of the many HGF MGF's as a tinker prodject and use for a bit then maybe sell. Thanks again,
Brian
B Smith

Brian, don't let the existence of what appears to be a slumped corpse in the photo put you off, I can confirm that dropping the rear subframe can be achieved without fatalities. But I'll echo Rob's caution on sheared bolts, and that can consume a considerable amount of time and willpower!

Looking at it again, I'm wondering if a shortage of axle stands led to the corpse being used to prop up the bodyshell...

I too have watched a few MGFs with gasket issues sell on eBay, and I'm surprised at how much they fetch compared to full-health cars, often barely enough difference to cover the parts & machining costs.
bandit

I did (and would do again) engine in place.

only thing i would say is if you dont have any - get youself some wobble bars (socket set extenders which allow slight misalignment) don't bother with UJ's
Will Munns

No tool kit would be complete without a slumped corpse Bandit. 101 uses.
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed between 20/01/2010 and 24/01/2010

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