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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 THE FACTS

I have owned 14 cars in 46 years ranging from minis to 3 litre capris. During this time I have covered 460,000 miles without any HGF failure. I now have owned from new a year 2000 1.8 vvc MGF.
The "Farnham Stealers" take money but fail on their very very poor sevicing.
I did all my own servicing in the past. It worked as you can see. No problems, I did cambelts, clutches etc.
I might just now do servicing on the "F" as no where here seems to do a proper job. Is there a Haynes manual for the MGF.
To finish here. Dispite some think HGF's are normal on all sorts of cars, it definitely is not.What planet are you guys on?????????????
TAKE MY NEAR 500,000 MILES OF MANY CARS(not all new).
Of course I live in fear of the HGF on my MGF even if I check the coolant every day.
I really wish I bought an Lotus Elise. Just compare the depreciation, more performance,that lovely bonded chassis.
Chris
Chris

Chris,

Firstly in reponse to your question regarding a Haynes Manual for the MGF, having searched the Haynes site they state no manual has been produced with no plans for one in the future (mind you what would be the point in a car repair manual for a car that is impossible to repair!)

I own a 2001 MGF 1.8. The car was built in May 2001 and just today have had a third head gasket fitted. The second gasket was a Mike Satur competition gasket that lasted 10 Months & 8000 miles. Incidentally this car was purchased when 18 months old and therefore all repair has been paid for by myself.

It is interesting to see MG Rover are now offering 3 yr warranty on all vehicles - underwriting all the repairs on their 'shoddily' built cars will cost a fortune. So long MG Rover it was crap while it lasted!
C A BAGLEY

Chris,

MGF Workshop manual is available paper or CD from MG Owners Club.

There are 2,500,000 K engines in circulation, perhaps MGF is too close to HGF to be a coincidence, arising from the coolant system as there is very little water actually in the engine.

Paul
Paul

Thanks C.A. Bagley,and Paul.
You have just proved my comments C.A.Bagley Great guy!
Paul, Thanks for your comments. We all know the MGF has a limited amount of coolant. So explain your thread. Do you agree the MGF actually has a problem in this area. I think you agreed. What would be your fix.
I would say, Do not buy an MGF.
Labrat and Will, any comments?
Cheers CHRIS
Chris

Chris, I agree that there are too many HGFs on K-series engines - MGF, Land Rover, Elise et al. But, I'm not sure I agree with your contentious thread heading "HGF THE FACTS". Something along the lines of "HGF MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS" would be more accuarate, or possibly "HGF MY OPINION".
sprinter @home

Hi sprinter@home.
I say your headings are all OK.
Now talk about the content of my thread. That's the reason I wrote it.
Chris
Chris

Chris, you are dreaming.According to the thread on "General" my 20K HGF was the result of poor maintenance????? No problem with K series head gasket at all. Must go, something fat and pink has just flown past the window. Regards.
H.R. Bridge

P.S. Chris, any memories or stories about the "Farnham Flyer"? Regards
H.R. Bridge

Hi Roy,I am not dreaming, pigs don't fly. As you had a HGF,can you put in any useful information to my
thread? I hope you can.
PS. Keep off the drink/drugs. It makes you a sad case.
Now if you can??????????? Talk technical.
CHRIS
Chris

Chris ! I have posted a couple of threads on this site on HGF , check them out, might enlighten you as to head gasket failure.
Robert
R J Hemphill

To: RJ Hemphill and HR Bridge,
Please look at my thread. I am asking why I can do nearly half a million miles in 14 cars with no HGF, but the MGF fails on a regular basis. Hopefully not mine. ANSWER THE THREAD PLEASE. Thank you both.
Chris
Chris

Chris,

The K engine has only just over a litre of coolant which is perhaps half that of other engines. Therefore, any lack of maintenance in this area can only lead to trouble. The coolant route for F is perhaps not the most helpful and so its doubly important to maintain the cooling system.

Are you using Water Wetter or anyone tried Evans coolant.

Paul
Paul

yes the K series has a hgf problem, probably worsened by poor servicing, certainly made apparently worse by the endless threads on the subject, the f also has a number of other build quality issues, as I have found to my (or at least the warranty companies) cost in my year of ownership, however the car is also fun to drive.

Historically sports cars come with baggage, the f is no different, anyone who buys a sports car and expects completely trouble free motoring is, in my humble opinion, being very naive

you pays your money and you makes your choice.

In my case, irrespective of its faults, the pleasureable motoring of the past year, despite a series of seemeingly endless problems, means that a new TF will be winging its way to me in a couple of years, just as soon as the family freelander is paid for
Colin Ashworth

Only 500.000 miles in 46 years, that isn't muchI've had 5 HGF's on cars in 18 years, on all sorts of cars. A beemer, a pug, an Alfa, a Toyota and a Dodge.

HGF's are not special to F's, there are too many though.

It's still a great car.

Johan
Johan Slagter

Chris, since Jan 2002 TF's and Freelanders have been fitted with a pressure sensitive 'stat set up I guess to try to cure the supposedly non existant HG problem.If you look in the archives Scarlet Fever did a lengthy thread, very technical, regarding the reasons for HGF. As for the "Farnham Flyer" just thought living in the birthplace of our first motor racing world champion would have been of some interest you.
Colin I agree , love my TF to bits, in spite of it's faults.Can't think of anything to replace it in it's price range. Regards.
H.R. Bridge

Chris, please read again. I agreed with the content of your thread. I've also been driving continuously for 41 years on both 2 and 4 wheels. Not sure what my 4-wheel milage is but over 250,000 on 2-wheels alone. The only HGF that I ever had was an early mgb roadster in about 1969. Hope this doesn't set a precedent for my MGF.

"Now talk about the content of my thread"

I said <<Chris, I agree that there are too many HGFs on K-series engines - MGF, Land Rover, Elise et al>>
sprinter @home

>>I would say, Do not buy an MGF.<<

Chris, I'm a bit confused. We all know that the MGF/TF is not the best car in the world, but it is affordable fun. What I'm not sure about is why you expect everyone to agree with the above opinion.

Like some of the others I've been driving for a long time (over 36 years on 2 and 4 wheels with well over ½ million miles under my belt) and I've also had HGFs on various models. In fact, my daughter suffered a HGF on her Polo just before Xmas. As has been said many times this BBS does not give a true reflection of the problem. Many people drive MGs quite happily and don't even know this problem exists.
David Clelland

Chris,
Believe me head gasket failure for whatever reason is common on all makes of cars and as an x automotive technician of 40+years i know, I have replaced 100's and not all for overheating , some considerable no for oil leaks.
My personal opinion is that the K series engine in the MGF needs considerable care in the service and maintenance department and the use of quality coolant as sited in the middle it needs all the cooling it can get due to the low coolant content it dosn't take much of a coolant leak or the failure of the engine bay or rad fan to operate for the engine to overheat.
Also a lot of MGF's are abused as i found out when looking to buy one and i looked at dozens before finding one.
Robert
R J Hemphill

Hi Paul Surrey UK.
I do not know of any car engine that is water cooled only needed 1 litre of coolant. The MGF for a full refill, actually needs 10.5 litres. Is this why so many people get HGF's. They would do if they filled their system under your instructions.I suspect you will be so embarresed (cannot spell) at your e- mail. Will you ever write another????????????
Chris
PS no comment on your last paragraph for obvious reasons.
Chris Jones

FACT: Head gaskets rarely fail.... more often than not they are first damaged and then are no longer able to do the job they're designed for. Take any new car ... repeat any, drain a quantity of coolant then go for a high speed run .... betcha get a head gasket failure ..... what came first, the chicken or the egg.

OK, so I've taken an extreme example to illustrate the scenario..... but, many owners of cars, particularly lulled into a false sense of security with ever longer service gap intervals, take this to mean they don't need to check anything for long periods. So, a progressive loss of coolant in ANY car will go unnoticed .... until it's too late by which time the damaged head gasket has 'failed'.

I strongly suspect that cars like the MGF are NOT suitable for these 'I never check nuffink' types..... and when things go wrong: They all do that mate!!!!

R J Hemphill makes some very valid observations. His evidence is the finest available: That directly from his own experience. His observations are far from unique!
John McFeely

I am now on my third head gasket - must be because im one of these 'never check nuffink' types.

Since my first gasket failure i religiously checked my coolant levels however this has not stopped yet another failure.

Surely we must accept this is not simply a maintanence issue - and is instead a fundamental engineering problem.

Those that cannot accept there is a real problem must belong to the 'never wanna believe nuffink' types.

C A BAGLEY

Hi John, When you see the e-mail from Paul Surrey UK who thinks the MGF only takes 1 litre of coolant.It says he is a: "I never check (in your words)nuffink" Even the very basic handbook which comes with the car, tells him the full fill is 10.5 Litres.!!!!!!. Of course he will say it was a TYPO.
CHRIS
Chris Jones

Hello C.A.Bagley, We are soul mates on MGF HGF's. I know there are people with their heads up their ------ and despite endless comformations of this fault continue to say it is not a problem. (Sounds like Tony Blair)I hope it costs them even more money, lets hope they have the failures they think is normal at great expense, and my car does not have this failure.
You and me together. YES
CHRIS
Chris Jones

paul from surrey said
"The K engine has only just over a litre of coolant which is perhaps half that of other engines"

he only mentioned the engine has about one litre of coolant, not the whole cooling system. Read carefully next time please Mr. Chris Jones.
pete

Paul.
You keep saying how small volume in litres the coolant is, Just what is your figure for the MGF. Are your figures diffent to the hand book? I would say, if they are, tell MGR, then justify them to us and MGR.
Chris
Chris Jones

Chris,
The whole cooling system of the Mgf is indeed 10.5 Ltrs, however the actual capacity which is actually in the engine is 1.2Ltrs.
Robert
R J Hemphill

Hi Pete, Thanks. I think I see what you are both saying. OK, but what can anybody do about this as it is
poor engineering. We pay the price.
CHRIS
Chris Jones

Chris

Penny dropped!

As far as I know its designed this way as its very efficient, but it is perhaps a clue as to why the coolant system needs to be 100%

Paul
Paul

>>I am now on my third head gasket - must be because im one of these 'never check nuffink' types.<<

I was trying to be helpful here. If you just want a succession of replies in total agreement with you, just say so and I'll withdraw. There is always another side to every story.

3rd 'failure' ... there could be other reasons .... did you check that whoever repaired those 'failures' did so correctly and not only that, identified and eliminated the original cause? Then having replaced them correctly, bled the all important cooling system correctly. No easy checks for even the knowledgable car owner. It's far from unknown for professionals to have 'failures' ... of competence. Here I speak from direct experience... Believe 'they all do that' if you like ... that's your option. Of course, for many owners they have no option but to trust the professionals who provide advice.

I know of one K series which had two 'failures' in quick succession. When in desparation the unfortunate owner changed to another recommended repairer to solve the problem, guess what ... another 40,000 miles without problems and still going strong. I also know of another 'professional' who lucratively and unnecesarily replaced a good number of 'they all do that' K series head gaskets before he realised that he had incorrectly diagnosed the real causes of the problem. He was a brave man.... disclosed this information on another car enthusiasts web site..... Moral: Beware professionals ....

The verdict could still go either way but, there is a strong possibility that the jury being still out will always be so on K series 'failures' (there are two K series cars in my family and both provide flawless reliability .. so far ... so they all DON'T do that). I know from my own observations that many owners are clueless when it comes to checking their cars from just about every aspect. Here, I do NOT have in mind only MGFs. Head gasket 'failures' are frequent on many other marques and models ..see previous contributions on this thread.... but more often than not, head gaskets fail directly as a result of some other fault in the engine or cooling system. There are any number of reasons for the causes of these faults.

I still strongly suspect that the MGF is an unsuitable car for 'never check nuffink' owners .... and those owners openly admit that sometimes are proud of the fact that they 'never do that checking malarkey' except when things go wrong when it's already too late. You think I'm kidding? Such people exist ... in numbers!

If anyone needs reminding that so called better build quality cars also have quality and/or design 'Big Money Worries' and problems, have a look at Honest John's pages in Motoring Telegraph this weekend..... and past-future editions. Some surprising stuff there.

Anyway, Safety Fast Motoring, whatever your chosen means of transport.

JMcF.
John McFeely

THH GARAGE I USE SERVICES AND REPAIRS ALL MAKES AND MODELS YET THEY ONLY KEEP ONE TYPE OF HEAD GASKET AS A STOCK ITEM ( GUESS WHICH ONE )
THEY HAVE REPLACED LOTS OF HEAD GASKETS ON K SERIES IN
IN THE LAST 3 - 4 YEARS
WHATS HAPPENED IN THE LAST 3-4 YEARS TO MAKE THE K SERIES MORE PRONE TO HGF
WHAT ABOUT MODERN FUEL ???
DO ALL THESE DETERGENTS ETC MAKE THE ENGINE RUN HOTTER
FUEL IS GETTING CLEANER AND GREENER
I AM NO EXPERT BUT IT MUST HAVE SOME EFFECT
CHRIS
LIKE THE TONY BLAIR TOUCH (GREAT)
WHY DO PEOPLE WHO WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A HGF PROBLEM HAVE LONG NECKS
A/ SO THEY CAN SEE OVER THE WINDSCREEN
B/ SO THEY CAN LOOK UNDER THE BONNET WHILE SITTING IN THE DRIVERS SEAT
C/ SO THEY CAN PUT THEIR HEADS UP THEIR ---- WHEN IT IS SUGGESTED MGF HGFs ARE A PROBLEM
ANSWER C
C A BAGLEY

Chris - what 'facts' do you have ?
1) your car's head gasket failed (and previous cars' did not)
2) Servicing is not adequate.
3) HGF is a frequently reported problem.

Any more ?
(1) and (2) may well be related. Certainly, since I've used TechSpeed, my July97 VVC has been transformed into a reliable car. (it had HGF about 4 years ago - and many other problems)
(3) Yes, it is a problem, and not the only problem with the car ( IMO, it's not the biggest problem by any means); BUT 3rd party warranty companies do not load the MGF compared to many other cars, which would indicate the problem is not so significant.

By the way, the official workshop manual isn't so good for home servicing. You will also need a comprehensive knowledge of which parts bins were raided to build the MGF, as this will greatly reduce your parts cost.

I have a lot of sympathy with your viewpoint - I've been in the same position. However those problems have largely been resolved.
I agree with what you say regarding the Elise - but I'm not about to trade.
Steve

Oh - right - I'd best flog it now then before it explodes in a fireball on the side of the road.

5 years. No problem. Only been near a main dealer for it's first service - the rest by a specialist. Work it out.
AndyG

Been reading through this thread - nothing really new here. Opinions clouded by personal experience and expenditure (on both sides of the fence).

Only thing i have an issue with is this statement in the very first posting:

>> Dispite some think HGF's are normal on all sorts of cars, it definitely is not.What planet are you guys on????????????? <<

Can't vouch for anyone else but i've never said it was 'normal' to the best of my knowledge, just 'possible'. For instance i personally know of three Honda V-TEC engines (of various ages and capacities) that have had HGF. Any engine with a gasket can have a gasket failure (head/manifold/exhaust whatever) - QED.

For the record, i too have only ever had one HGF and it was on my MGF. I draw similar conclusions, but not to the same extreme as i understand that the gasket failing is the end link in a chain of other failures. Finding and solving the causal links is key to preventing a repeat HGF - something that is in my experience very rarely done by anyone other than a specialist.

Yes, the K series has a problem, but it isn't as widespread as the media/these forums/dealerships with a vested interest would have us believe. To be honest no one outside of a few people within MGR knows how widespread the problem is, the best we can come up with is the Hall OF Shame (i assume anyone on this thread who has had HGF has visited >> http://www.shame.4mg.com << and added thier details - if not then you are hindering our only independant statistics on the subject) and these stats are 100% dependant on a very small focus group and therefore are only an indicator (MG owning, internet proficient, forum browsing HGF sufferers who could be bothered to fill in thier details).

There are a myriad of reasons for HGF on an F, i don't pretend to know all of them, but i will say that the vast majority of them have been covered (over and over and over again) on this forum. There is so much information on HGF in the archives now as to be unusable to the layman/newbie - and repeat threads like this don't help matters, eventually it'll be archived too and be one more thread to distract attention.

By all means have your opinions on the subject and by all means discuss them on this forum (it's what it is here for after all), but understand that this is probably the number one discussed topic in here and has been so for going on 7/8 years now.

HGF is a conundrum with out a single solution - there are just too many potential causes. These causes have been discussed to death in the past and are in the archives (if you have a spare week or so to trawl through them).

Personally i have had enough of posting the same stuff over and over again on here everytime someone justifiably angry, post-HGF, puts yet another 'call to arms/call for (yet another) technical debate/flame war targetted at MGR' thread on here.

I might have to put together a web page on the suabject - it'll be easier than re-typing reams of technical information each time or sending someone who is not in the mood to the archive to spend hours trawling through threads like this one which don't contain any relevant information.

So, i refuse to be drawn in (yet again) with people banging drums and jumping on bandwagons. Grow up people, do your own research and come back when you have something new to contribute.

SF <---Monday morning :-(
Scarlet Fever

Andy, I hate Monday mornings as well.
sprinter @home

Christ SF thats an awful long post to say you wont be posting ;)
Colin Ashworth

A big thank you to all inputs on this thread. I have learnt a lot. Lets all enjoy MGF motoring. Roll on the Spring/Summer fellow MGF owmers.
Chris
Chris Jones

Finally,From the Guy that started this thread with 1/2 million miles without an HGF. MGF spells "MAIN GASKET FAILURE".I HAVE HAD NO FAILURES ON ANY CAR NEW OR SECOND HAND THAT I HAVE EVER OWNED. Some follow up's think this is normal to have multiple HGF failures.
Enjoy at your expense! What can be more applicable for your sad cases that you think this is par for the course on any car. Especially MGF's. Main (expensive) dealers love you.;
Go there, and line their pockets.
CHRIS
Chris Jones

Chris,
if you have not had an HGF yet on your 2000 MGF, then what is your beef? You are just one of the majority of MGF/TF owners that have NOT had an HGF. If it worries you so much, then sell the F and get something 'better', like an MX5 say. :-)
Neil Courtney

Well here is a question. Do Rover have any plans to replace the ageing K series unit before they close for good ?

I'll take bets that it will not be a very over stretched 1.4 block with thru bolts :-)

S Laithwaite


There's a 2 litre K series engine.
;-)

Currently used for motorsport only.

P.
Paul Nothard

My VVC is five years old and has not had a HGF.
It has been serviced my a local garage and the workmanship has been excellent as well as me saving pounds.
Just had belts, coolant, thermostat and expansion cap relaced. The garage owner recognises that an alloy engine with only 2 litres of coolant in the block needs careful bleed procedure. He has bought a vacuum pump for the very purpose and my car runs great. Runs cool and left idling all three fans cut in.
For the record, these cars are no worse than a lot of others. Read the Telegraph motoring supplement and all sorts of machinery has problems. BMW, Boxters and Audis amongst them. My neighbour bought a Renault new four years ago and the Auto box has failed twice. He has spent £3k on a car that is now worth.........£3k.


Tony
Tony Harrison

C A Bagley

You are the one with your head up your A--e
Charles Wells

I also have experienced a number of k series HGF's, however in most cases I have found the failiure to be a side effect of another defect in the cooling system, eg, airlocks, water pump (looking at it i´m amazed anything circulates!), thermostat etc.. and once the HG has been changed the system should be thoroughly flushed through and the above components removed and checked for faults... as for the K series engine the rover 200 haynes manual details many of the procedures for engine repair, however due to the confined space within the MGB/TF many of the procedures will need to be adapted to work around this. eg drop the engine out!!
another cause of continued HGF's within a K series engine stems from incorrect torque stettings being used for the engine bolts in addition to the old engine bolts being re-used which can also lead to problems.
Having just replaced a HG last month the total DIY cost of relacing the HG, water pump, engine bolts, cam belt and thermostat came in at around 200 quid using genuine rover parts and took approximately 7 hours to complete (novice on the k series!... former Beetle nut...alot easier!!!!) if you need any advice or further sources of information feel free to email me or get me on MSN messenger, If I can help I will!

on a final note, rover have introduced a mod for the new HG by replacing the old fabric locating dowels for aluminium ones, Im lead to believe that all rovers leaving the factory now have this mod fitted.

hope this was some help!
Ian

Ian WROTE:

>>however in most cases I have found the failiure to be a side effect of another defect in the cooling system, eg, <<

Agreed as I indicated previously! Far too few bother to identify the cause of the 'failure'. Here professionals are often very guilty. It's a very lucrative business to replace or repair cars on a 'they all do that m8' basis.

Could happen tomorrow of course but, not so far ever had a head gasket fail (or be damaged as a bi-product in the way Ian mentions) on either of the family's two K series cars. Both engines, a 1.1 and 1.8 run like smooth turbines.

However, I bought my first car back in 1959 and have no idea how many miles I've clocked up since in either my own private or company cars. Most of my cars earn their keep and often have a hard life. Total mileage is not a small figure that's for sure as I've driven most every day since I bought that first car. I have had several head gaskets give up (not actually fail) as a result of being damaged following some other problem elsewhere in the car. I say several, the figure is more like six. Most of these before the K series ever appeared (it's one of the youngest engine designs by the way - rearranged external tin does not always mean new engine design).

It is my nature to have an analytical mind and I rarely accept things purely at face value irrespective of what professional advisors have to say on cars or most other subjects for that matter. Experience has taught me this time and again. I do have some idea what goes on under the bonnet, unlike many car drivers who openly admit to being clueless - some not even knowing where their bonnet release is! I kid you not!.

In most of those head gaskets problems I've made my own searches and where possible, discovered the cause of the failure. Here's some examples of my discoveries:

Two occasions (ten years apart) rapid loss of coolant the first motorway run following professional work on cars failing to locate coolant hoses or tighten their clamps properly. This happened three times actually and I managed to catch one of these before any damage was done on a 'been there, done that' basis....:-) The car was only a few weeks old. Each of these three were main dealership oversights.

Another occasion this time a Ford. Again rapid loss of coolant on motorway. Discovered that top hose had been abraided by chaffing with pressure which caused the hose to move and vibrate against a sharp engine part nearby. Over time, this wore a small hole in the hose allowing coolant to escape. A glance at the hose earlier showed ample clearance which disappeared with coolant expansion and pressure build up in the engine at sustained motorway revs. Hoses move quite a way under certain conditions! Another loss of coolant due to holed radiator - blast those rocks thrown up by lorries - again progressive coolant loss resulted in a damaged cylinder head gasket.

Incidentally, some of these 'failures' showed up later. On one occasion a thousand miles later after these coolant loss incidents. In each of these cases no head gaskets actually failed, each were terminally damaged caused by engine overheating following coolant loss.

On two occasions when I took 'failed' cars to the dealership, I asked to look under the bonnet to point out and check things myself only to be told that I would have no idea what to look for!!!!! Oh yeah ... and a little later to be told 'they all do that mate'. Some dealers, but not all by any means, HATE customers who are not clueless!

Worth repeating ... Altogether now .... OH KNOW THEY DONT.... and Beware Professionals.

I could quote several other similar examples but enough already!

JMcF.
John McFeely

>> on a final note, rover have introduced a mod for the new HG by replacing the old fabric locating dowels for aluminium ones, Im lead to believe that all rovers leaving the factory now have this mod fitted. <<

Yep, introduced around year 2000 along with an uprated gasket (rubber bead pinned through metal, rather than simply adhered to it). Check out the Hall Of Shame statistics >> http://www.shame.4mg.com <<, note the sudden drop in HGF incedents around the time these changes were introduced.

SF
Scarlet Fever

Bagley

YOU ARE A KNOB!!!!!!!!
mega

Hmmm - contentious issue!

I have just had a quote to change the Timing Belt ( separate issue obviously) The Mechanic however, suggested that I should also replace the head gasket as a preventative measure!?? Me thinkst this is garbage and profiteering at its most blatant.

Or am I wrong???
J Martin 1

You're not wrong!

there is actually a little overlap work between headgasket and timing belt, sure you have to take the engine cover off and slaken the belt when removing the head, but the cost of gaskets alone will come to that of a cambelt change!
Will Munns

>on a final note, rover have introduced a mod for the
>new HG by replacing the old fabric locating dowels
>for aluminium ones,

Sort of right, plastic for steel
Will Munns

" and our choise was steel because we need corrosion. At least some heads will be in for a repair / exchange that will justify the total cost of the dowel change "

/ Carl. (Had the chance to see a well used Rover 214 head last week. Oh dear... )
Carl Blom

spoke to a mechanic who has done a lot of hgf , he claims its the heat that builds up in the engine bay. He told me that it gets to 110 deg cel here in Oz, which causes the rubber and plastic fittings to get brittle and leak.
Makes a lot of sense as I have just had my car at the dealers for nearly 3 weeks trying to find out where the coolant disappears to. He told me he fits 2 extraction fans at the top engine bay outlets that come on with the engine bay fan to help cool the engine bay down. will be fitting some soon will let you all know if it helps
regards Mike D
M L Dippenaar

This thread was discussed between 13/03/2004 and 23/03/2004

MG MGF Technical index

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