Head gasket

General General Lotus Talk
1

Whats the usual failure mode on the head gasket ?Is it a leak to water ( pressure ) or across cylinders ( lower power )or water to oil etcI’m blowing water out of the expansion tank at higer revs [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/frown.gif[/image] ( Hope its the cap 'cos I understand they are a bit hit and miss )Thanks

2

Mine’s just gone!Blows out the expansion tank and temp runs higher than 'normal’Be interested to hear about labour estimates for doing the job - rear clam off, cheap part loads of labour!Hopefully under warranty!!

3

Was recommended to change the expansion tank cap by a Rover bod - and - problem solved …Phew [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]

4

MinimanGlad to hear that was the only problem.Does anyone have to top their water level up on any kind of regular basis? I used about half a cupfull on the trip to anglesey (not much really) and wondered where it went… Now i’m thinking that maybe its getting blown out the expansion cap in small quantities and drying in the heat of the engine bay due to the small amount??Anyone else have to top-up??

5

I would clean up any dryed up antifreeze off the tank and then see if you get deposits back - thats what put me on to my leak - which got gradually worse by the way … The cap is about 3 quid so maybe worth a change anyhow.CheersAndrew

6

The “few drops coming out if the expansion tank” was how mine started.Just progressively got worse, whilst it is a pressurised system and the cost of a new cap is low this is definately the start point.However if a few drops are still apparent get it checked asap. They can pressure test the system and run the coolant through a gas analyser to find CO2. This will let you know if the head gasket is on the way out.For a few quid worth the check as an overheat is an engine rebuild. NOT GOOD!

7

My car blew it’s head gasket at just a couple of thousand miles. It appeared to go between the cylinders and the water jacket - increased pressure in the expansion tank and massive usage of coolant. The man from the AA put a ‘sniffer’ in the resevoir and detected exhaust gasses coming through which pretty much confirmed it.Bizarrely, my local dealer SGT in Taplow, failed to find anything wrong with the car at this point and simply topped up the reservoir and returned the car! So I took it to Bell & Colvill who fixed it all under warranty.Thinking about it, the other big give-away was that the heater would only blow out cold air, even when the engine temperature was over 100 degrees - it’s worth pointing out that the temperature should never be allowed to approach 120 degrees as this is when the head itself will become damaged and have to be replaced - and cylinder heads cost a lot more than head gaskets!IPJ

8

If you find you are using water, it could be because you’re overfilling the expansion tank.It is marked inclrrectly. When the engine is cold and the tank de-pressurised the level shoul dbe on the min max - that really should say cold.If you fill it to the max mark when cold you may find that some of the excess fluid is blown out of the cap, making you think that you have a faulty cap.SteveB

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quote:Originally posted by Miniman:I would clean up any dryed up antifreeze off the tank and then see if you get deposits back - thats what put me on to my leak - which got gradually worse by the way … The cap is about 3 quid so maybe worth a change anyhow.CheersAndrewCheers everyoneMiniman - where did you get the replacement cap? Lotus dealer or Rover dealer?regards

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MikeI got mine from Paul Matty - local non franchise Lotus place - no problem - in stock …