MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGF Technical - HGF...again

Driving into town last night (a trip of less than 5 miles) and I'm just about there when suddenly clouds of steam erupt from the boot. Uh oh - I know what this is :( Managed to find someplace to park within about 200 yards - engine was leaking coolant under the right rear wheel area.

Won't know for sure til I get the car to the garage tomorrow - it might be a split pipe or a problem with the coolant pump, but looks like another HGF... and I do mean *another* - it's my second one in under 6000 miles (and less than 12 months) and the car hasn't even reached 24000 miles yet.

Anyway, I just want any opinions on what might be the cause... I never run the engine over 3000 rpm until the oil temp is over 90C. Do all the usual checks - there was no sign of trouble when I checked the oil and coolant levels on Saturday afternoon...

Anyone think the garage might have not done the job properly last time around? It's 10 months since the last HGF so would it still be under warranty for the work they carried out?

Al
Al

Was the head checked out last time the head gasket was changed (it should have been).

Have you had the head skimmed?

I would ask the garage what they did exactly last time they changed it and if it is another HGF than ask them to carry out the work for free!!

DJT Todhunter

Al,

Really sorry to hear about this. I am by no means an expert on the subject, but it sounds to me as though the work has not been done properly. Wondered whether they could have left an airlock when bleeding the system, but I suppose this would have caused the second HGF a lot sooner.

6000 miles is just too short a gap for random HGFs, check back with the garage. Hope you get it sorted.

Emma Jackman (& Green with Envy ~ S369 FAR)
Emma Jackman

Al, I hope this isn't the case but your head may be buggered. Its surface is annealed and under severe overheating this can be destroyed. A dodgy head will hold its seal with the block for only so long.
Jon Baker

Sorry to read your thread Al,
Let's hope that it is just a hose that has let go!
Tony Harrison

Al,

Make sure the garage replaced the original plastic dowel pegs with metal ones.

Sam
Sam Murray

Bad news Al, agree with Emma, poor quality workmanship. Speak to Consumer Direct or your local Trading Standards. May be ahiding to nothing but worth a natter with them. Fingers crossed for a loose hose and nowt more sinister!!
Timmeh

Dear Al,

Sorry to hear your news. Had my second HGF in January 2005. Took it to an MG dealership who said the head had not previously been skimmed (as itemised in bill from previous garage - HGF 1st time) and, armed with the helpful comments from Rob, Patrick, Sam etc. from a thread I posted at the end of Jan. 2005 I contacted the first garage and informed them I was instructing solicitors ... within days I got a full refund of approx. £1,000 for the work they had previously carried out - so good luck.
Sarah

Sarah

I had the car towed to the garage today and worst fears are confirmed - the dreaded HGF again :(

Unfortunately by the time the tow truck got there and they got round to checking the car the manager had gone home so I haven't had a chance to talk to him about the possibility of the previous work not being corectly carried out, but their standard policy is 3 months or 3000 miles, and it's 10 months and 6000 miles since the last one so I don't know whether they'll accept any liability.

According to the invoice for the last time, the head was crack tested and skimmed, and metal dowels were fitted and I can't see how I can prove that the work wasn't carried out correctly at this time, although I tend to agree with what everyone else has said, that the period of time and the relatively low mileage suggests otherwise.

Thanks for all the sympathy and suggestions folks - any more suggestions on what I instruct the garage to do this time around would be appreciated - I'm not sure whether to ask them to fit the PRT and an 'uprated' head gasket and attempt to treat the cause rather than symptoms.

Cheers,
Al
Al

Al, I would ask them to get the head hardness tested.
Some dealers do this as a matter of course (search the archive), some use past experience.
Clouds of steam from the boot indicates severe overheating, I had two head gasket failures and they were nothing like on your scale of steam clouds.
JonBaker

Al, you and the garage may be jumping to the wrong conclusion. I had known that after HGF (and water has been forced out of the header tank pressure cap) the valve inside the pressure cap gets a little "crossed" and does not seat properly. The result is that the system does not pressurise and so the water boild prematurly at the normal 100 deg. C instead of a much higher temp. This cause water to be thrown out of the header tank even though the engine is not overheating ie it is only at 100 deg C. Filling and bleeding the system and fitting a new pressure cap fixes the problem. The cap can be checked by squeezing one of the rubber hoses and air can be heared wheezing part the pressure cap valve. Ask the garage to see the evidence of the head gasket failure.
K Mills

I had a head gasket failure on my 2001 MGF in January this year. More or less the same as Al's. It was repaired by the local MG dealership, but I have been driving on eggs eversince. Should I be worried that it could happen again?

I bought the July 2006 issue of "track and race cars", where they have an article on the Rover K-series engine. In the article they suggests an uprated headgasket with steel location dowels as well as a thermostat working on engine temperature rather than the water in the radiator.

Your opinion and advise on this will be much appreciated.

Cheers
Henri
Henri

I have had two HGF within last 18 months (7K miles).

It seems that MGF radiators are pretty poor and mine was malfunctioning - any problems with coolant will result in probable HGF.

I have now replaced the radiator and the engine.

If you are getting Head done again - get them to check your radiator cos if there is a problem with that you will be on HGF number 3!!

I am waiting for my next engine problem - pretty car but poor build quality!


Richard Brown

This forum is not a good place to report or discuss HGF. MG´Fs DO NOT have HGF.
Henry F.

This thread was discussed between 06/08/2006 and 22/08/2006

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MGF Technical BBS now