Blown Head Gasket

Skint_Catt · 4 July 2005 at 12:43PM

Hi guys, need some general advice please.

My boyfriends head gasket has just blown (Rover 416Sli)and due to financial difficulties we don't want to just drop it at the garage and pay the bill at the end of it! (Cost £800 last time it happened)

I know that we need to find out if it is warped and if it needs skimming (water in the oil/oil in the water - more likely than not), but what do either of these mean?

I can get a Head Gasket alone or a Head Gasket set for a decent amount direct, but what if it is warped? Does this mean we will need another part?

Also in previous experience skimming is the most expensive part of the fixing - what are our options here?

Also we have managed to get the car home, but as he can't run the engine he has decided that being towed around garages for quotes is too dangerous on a rope - is a rigid tow bar the answer or are we going to have to pay for a pick-up truck?

Hope someone can help in some small way.

Skint_Catt x

mr_accountant · 4 July 2005 at 7:14PM

have you tried posting on http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/index.htm

there will be some useful advice. how old is the car by the way. if its mid 1990 it may be worthless in money terms, you may be better buying another car. it will save you a lot of hassle and time messing around with tow trucks etc.

rharper83 · 4 July 2005 at 7:33PM

Hi,

I have a Rover 416SLi too. 94/95 model. And guess what, my head gasket went recently too

I've had it repaired at a garage near me and paid about £400, all in complete with gasket which was £120ish.

What year is your boyfriends car? If it's the same as mine, or thereabouts (the old shape), chances are it'll be a Honda engine, and these stand a lot of abuse - I drove mine for 300ish miles with the head gasket gone... was refilling the coolant tank every 5 or so miles at the end of those 300miles!

When the head gasket goes, the water from the coolant system gets into 1 (or more) of the cylinders, and mixes with the oil. Because the coolant is leaking, there is a drop in pressure in it, and also there will be less of it over time. This means that it can't cool the engine as well as it should be able to. This then means the engine block (or the head) starts to heat up lots, and eventually starts to warp out of shape. Skimming the head will make it perfectly flat again (or near enough), and ensure that there is a tight fit between the new gasket and the head. My engine block had to be skimmed, but it didn't cause any problems.

I see that you are based in Worcestershire from your profile. If you are near Redditch I can recommend the place that did mine if you want. Just pm me if you want details

Hope that helps (and sorry if the explanation is patronising, I didn't mean to be!

)

Leylauk · 4 July 2005 at 7:39PM

Hi - I am no expert but my boyfriend had the same problem with an MGF a couple of years ago. I think that skimming means kind of flattening the head back out again i.e. using the original cylinder head. However if it is warped too badly then the whole head and not just the head gasket will need to be replaced. In my boyfriends case the whole head needed to be replaced and in the MGF a lot of the engine which is rear mounted needs to be removed in order to even get to the head. He ended up paying £700 - so I would have thought is skimming only is required then you should be able to get it for this price or cheaper.

I hope that what Ive said is right/makes sense!!!

jjames_3 · 5 July 2005 at 1:40AM

When I read the title I immediately thought "Rover".

HG failure is incredibly common on the K-series engine. The bad news is that when it goes it usually goes again and again.

As Leylauk says eventually the head warps too much and you're looking at a very large bill.

It is a great pity as the Rover is generally a very good car (Honda-based design). But this one nasty flaw is a killer. Get it fixed and get shot, is my advice.

fairmorn308 · 5 July 2005 at 1:57AM

the reason they skim the head is cause the car has overheated etc they check and skim if needed to make the surface on the head flat again so it makes a good seal with the new head gasket.

Also make sure you get the place to double check the head over cause if u skim the head 2 much it will cause u more problems in the future.

Its the gaskets thats the poor design and how there made. so useless.

To skim a head your looking at about £30+vat and best to get it pressure checked aswell which is another £30+vat. Then you have to clean out the water system and also top up the oil but best changing that aswell. all these little bits make it cost more

Skint_Catt · 5 July 2005 at 9:22AM

Hi guys,

Thanks so much for this.

His car is an R Reg (1998). We have heard of so many K-series engine HG going it's untrue - I think it's been on watchdog once too. He only had the last one replaced three years ago!

Will PM you rharper as I work near Redditch so any information could be very useful!

Thank you all for the assistance. We know our decision (or rather his) is to either ged rid or fix it. Unfort with his job he needs a car!

S_C x

CrazyChemist_2 · 5 July 2005 at 9:41AM

I saw this actual problem featured on BBC Watchdog when Rover were still in business screwing customers - they use the same engine as the Land/Range Rover, but the Range Rover company has reimbursed all its customers for this particular problem while Rover refuse to believe it is a problem, even though it's the same engine!

Skint_Catt · 5 July 2005 at 11:47AM

Argh, that's so annoying!

How many times will we have to pay this sort of bill? Surely a gasket shouldn't go twice in seven years? Makes you realise why Rover ended the way it did if it's 'aftercare' is like this. People think a lot more of a company who admit they have a problem and put it right rather than those who blindly ignore their customers!

S_C

CrazyChemist_2 · 5 July 2005 at 1:18PM

ooh you live in Worcestershire too!

Skint_Catt · 5 July 2005 at 3:52PM

There's not that many of us out here CrazyChemist! Seems to be more rural than it should be, lol.

S_C x

Blown Head Gasket

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