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MG MGF Technical - Opinions please

96 M G F was due for big service. Noticed small amount of emulsion on dip stick, never had it before, told inlet manifold gasket perished and although the head gasket was alright suggested I have it replaced with uprated one with all the other bits to save trouble later. On the way home lost a lot of coolant through a leaky new hose clip fitted at the same time also thermostat replaced. A £1000.00 later every time I take it out, the header tank fills and pressurises and blows water out and dumps me in the middle of nowhere and there is more emulsion on dipstick. Told they cannot find anything wrong, but surely this can't be right. 4 trips back now at £50 a time, totally lost confidence in the machine,wife dare not take it out. What do I do.
Ran perfectly for 21/2 years until all this and I don't drive it like a looney. Can they ever be mended?
clive heenan

Take it to a different dealer?

MG Dealer Guide can be found at....

http://www.dotcomoff.demon.co.uk
Paul Lathwell

Hi,
cause it's the technical subjest..

Did they check and change:
- coolant expansion tank cap
- coolant temperature sensor ?

I think this are the options which could cause that failure currently and I bet it's the crap brown coloured sensor or affiliated electrical connection.
If so, then the front fan doesn't work and the coolant will boil in the above mentioned manner.
Rob Bell has a good site with instructions @
http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/hgf_diagnosis.htm
(ECU sensor replacement)

HTH
Dieter
Dieter Koennecke

and , yes for God's sake find a different garage....
David

Hi Dieter,
Thanks for the reply. Yes the coolant cap was replaced and I had it pressure tested, but I don't know about the sensor. The front fan comes on and the temperature guage is pretty stable. I am concerned that there is a problem with either the new head gasket or inlet manifold gasket, as I maintain there should be no mayo on the dipstick, water is getting in somewhere, condensation it aint. I am no expert but I rebuilt an M G B and although I say it myself made quite a nice job of it. So I'm not a total plonker.( well thats my opinion)
clive heenan

Hmmm, failed inlet manifold gasket shouldn't produce mayonaise IMO. Mayo is caused by coolant and oil mixing, inlet manifold gasket is IIRC nothing to do with oil system, only fuel/air and coolant.

SF
Scarlet Fever

Clive,
I'm with Andy on the inlet manifold gasket case.
Coolant will be 'just burned' and leave through the exhaust. From what I know there is no oil channel closed from the inlet manifold, but coolant only.

Sounds like a failed head gasket repair.
:(
To be complained at the dealer who did it wrong.

Some more about the gasket and former problems.
http://www.mgfcar.de/hgf
http://www.mgfcar.de/bleed/
Most from the experianced regulars of this BBS.

Regards
Dieter
Dieter Koennecke

Clive get the water in the tank checked for hydrocarbons ( I beleive MOT centres should have the kit for this) this will tell you if the boiling over is caused by a hole in the HG

Will
Will Munns

Hi Guys,
Many thanks for your advice and suggestions.I think this is going to take some time. The problem is compounded by the fact that the work was done by a well respected establishment and I do not wish to cast doubts on their abilities but I do feel that I have a legitimate problem and must resolve it some way.
I love the car but I can't expect the A A to do all the return journeys.
Thanks again
Clive
clive heenan

Clive,

I note you say you had your car serviced by a well respected organisation. While it might be well respected, from you tale of woe, I assume it has not earned this respect from servicing cars. Is it the Salvation Army or Oxfam per chance?

More seriously, you took a working car in for a service with a minor gasket problem, they talked you into around a 1k of work. The end result of this considerable spend was a leaking hose because they did not tighten a clip (incompetence is the technical term of this). You also would appear to have a blown head gasket that they are supposed to have replaced. Now was that caused by more incompetence or an air leak getting in through the duff hose?

Who cares. You have spent £1,000 to have your car transformed from a reliable means of transport to a disaster.

Time for a firm but reasoned letter or fax with the "well respected" organisation, demanding what action they intend to take to correct their errors. I would have thought it might be worth mentioning that you have discussed this on the BBS and out of fairness you have not YET mentioned their name. Assuming they do come up with a rapid response you probably will continue to not name them.....

I always try to maintain good relationships with suppliers and assume that they are trying to do a good job. However once they prove to me that this is not their approach then "grab them by the nuts and their heart and mind are bound to follow" is my motto.

Cheers

Patrick
Patrick

Clive, you say you had the mayo problem before you took it for repairs, maybe the liners had moved, this happened to me and a head gasket and inlet gasket didn't cure it.Do you have a full sevice history and what mileage has the car done? Maybe you can get some goodwill from Rover.Hope this helps.
Paul.
Paul

Hi paul,
The car has done 54,000 miles and has service history and until this episode has behaved very well for 21/2 years and has recently sailed through the M O T, In fact the garage said not to try and commit suicide in it as I would probably run out of petrol first . I am the second owner. The place I had the work done have had it a few days and say they can't get it to overheat and blow coolant out, but can't come up with an explanation for the emulsion on the dip stick. The reason I had all the work done was because I intended to keep it for many years. Even now it drives very well. My first thought was that there was an air lock that occasionally moved round the system causing intermittent overheating.
thanks for the input, It will obviously take more investigation. I just want it right.
cheers clive
clive heenan

Please come back in any way and let us know about the investigation results.

Thank you
Dieter
Dieter Koennecke

This also has all the hallmarks of a situation where your 'well respected organisation' have realised just howmuch work is involved in head gasket change and are hoping you'll take it elsewhere and not bother them any more.

Serious amounts of emulsion in the oil are a dead giveaway IMO where else are the two going to mix? How carefully did they check the head surfaces when it was off? Did it need a skim that they missed (quite likely with the aluminium block, especially if it's overhated a few times)? And several other questions... like how long have they run the car in ther atempts to get it to overheat?

E
Ed Clarke

Hi Guys,
Again many thanks for your interest in my problem. Had a call last night to say they had finally got the header tank to over- pressure, so they were going to do a hydrocarbon test on the water. I am still waiting for the results. I will report back as soon as I know.
clive heenan

This thread was discussed between 18/05/2002 and 22/05/2002

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