This is bad news and i’m really sorry to hear it mate…
I can see you have been talking to DVA so no doubt don’t need any advice from me but make sure you get the head skimmed and the block inspected ‘properly’ before you have it all put back together. Are you going to try any of this work your-self?
It would probably also be worthwhile changing the cam-belt at the same time and I would also REPLACE the head bolts even tho’ that adds the guts of �100 to the cost…
BTW – where exactly did DVA say the failure would be on the HG ? just interested… before you start, also let us know if he was correct eh…?
Do you think this failure relates back to your earlier problems with leaves and thermostat?
all the best with the job interview and sorry, again, to hear this about your exige.
The repair is not going to be ready to use the car to the interview, I’ll go by train.
Instead, I’ll take it easy and as I finally found a valid mechanic in Aberdeen, I’ll have Power Systems take off the head and go thoroughly on the root cause of the HGF.
As Dave says, HGF is not a defect, it’s a consequence. The defect is elsewhere. Possibly the liner tops are of different heights or something else.
This is consequence of Rover quality controls, and we ave seen that in the 135R and other cars.
We will inspect thoroughly and since the head is off take off all the valves and do a nice clean-up job of the ports & throttle body matching.
Remember that I mentioned that on Emerald’s mapping session my car was prone to pinking? Well, we will now find out why.
That will take longer than if just the HG repair, but because Bob asked me to wait 1 week so he can finish his flow bench. He wants to measure the improvements he can make with the stock cams and valve sizes.
A little more power is always welcome
And thanks for the job wishings, It’s looking good, this is the second interview for that job, the shortlist has been reduced to two.
But it’s the headquarters that are down in Cleveland, the job is to be based in Aberdeen.
Fingers crossed.
I have just replaced the o-rings that Simon S suggested and tightened up various hose clips and taken the car for a spin. The problem is still there but it’s not so prominant now - the temp doesn’t shoot up as soon as I’m on the throttle but it still does after a longish period of heavy acceleration.
I have come to the conclusion that the reason the problem is not so obvious at the moment is that the undertray is not on and it’s a cold and wet day (extra cooling). I think that the temperature rise only happens when the thermostat opens allowing the air, which has somehow got into the system, into the engine. This says to me that the water pump must be OK otherwise the problem would occur when the thermostat is closed too. Does anyone agree/disagree with that?
If my thinking is correct then the problem must lie somewhere behind the thermostat, the radiator maybe? What I still can’t find, however, is an obvious leak…
Just found the problem with my car and it is…HGF!!!
Just took it up and down the road again and suddenly the rear filled with steam, something had obviously gone pop. Refilled it and ran it up and water is pissing out of the side of the head under the exhaust manifold. Seems a strange place to have HGF.
Looks like I will be spending this evening taking the head of. Fun fun fun.
Well, it was strange but there were some hints…
Only goes to tell you that there are sooo many ways a HGF can represent itself.
Good luck with the repair, fortunately you can do it on your own, should be quick.
But remember, HGF is on the consequence. There is something else wrong. I will check very carefully the liner heights and the head’s straightness.
And Lima, I have done 26K miles, many trackdays and generally a fun life.
I don’t really rev the bollocks out of the engine normally, and always wait for it to be properly warm to hammer it. Always with nice a clean oil and you know, generally pampering it.
It must have been a manufacturing defect (great, warranty’s expired).
I will see.
Apologies if this has already been covered,but is there a recognised course of action if you suspect HGF whilst driving? Is is just a question of switching off the engine asap,and coasting to a halt?Are there certain things that you should and shouldn’t do. Is there any damage limitation that can be done,i.e. just pull over and get recovered rather than risk driving any further? Unfortunately, this seems to be happening almost regularly to someone or other,and given how many S1 Exiges there are in the country,it might become a real problem for someone.Could one of our resident experts perhaps post some guidelines for the more mechanically challenged amongst us please
Well, it all depends on how it goes.
In these two cases, it’s a very light HGF.
Obviously the cars can still run ok on light throttle, and any further damage is very unlikely. We need to find the source of the damage though (like the mentioned liner heights) and solve it, otherwise it WILL come back.
But it’s just logic really. If the cooling system leaks water (because of exhaust gases pushing it for ex.) there is less, but you still need to cool the head.
So, unless you have lost ALL the water in the system, there is still some so I suggest easing the loud pedal and coasting down. If the temp is dropping, leave the engine running and go out, open the hood and check there is no obstruction to the front grille. When the engine reaches normal tem (fan off) you can turn off the engine.
Let it cool and drive limping home.
That would be for a light failure like ours. On a severe case, like if the water is mixed with oil, it would be a case of not starting the engine again.
Or if all the water is out of the system and the temp keeps increasing, I don’t see other solution than stopping the engine, but big bills will follow.
Actually the cost repair is not that bad.
As I mentioned, I have found a good mechanic in Aberdeen that will do the HG change for �200, plus materials, which I have already bought.
But I’m going to pay him a bit more since I want him to strip the head because I want to slightly port it now that it’s out.
A nice clean up job and some shaping.
He’s got a flowbench, to see the changes.
But anyway, no worries. HGF is one of those things that sooner or later everybody experiences. Good when it’s as light as in this cases.
I mean, I will turn it on and drive it to the mechanic with no fear.
