MG ZR using a lot of oil

Jvic28

ZellowZed wrote: »

What model ZR do you have?

It's a 55 Plate 1.4, don't really know more than that.

zellowzed wrote: »

I used to keep a bottle in the boot to top up now and then.

How much is every now and again though as It looks like I've used 2 litres in 2000 miles (2 months)

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

Have it compression tested.

Jvic28

steveo3002 wrote: »

the car im talking about used all its oil but the "coolant" mix stayed at the correct level all the time

never overheated or ran funny either

might be worth asking at a garage...they can do a couple of quick checks to confirm it

I'll have a look at the coolant tonight. Should be pretty easy to spot if the coolant is pure oil myself. What was wrong with that car?

Jvic28

ZellowZed wrote: »

From bitter experience I can relay the following:

Check your oil and water.
If the oil looks like mayo or caramel sauce then its HGF (The worst kind)
If the coolant looks oily or unclean (Steve might be able to elaborate) then its also HGF.

Also as a note when my 160 ran low on oil it sounded like a diesel when idling.

I didn't notice any mayo effect when I was topping up last night, would it be that noticable? I haven't looked at the coolant yet to see if it's oily, will have a look tonight. What other symptoms would there be for HGF though as there aren't really any other. Last time the oil went it was making an engine noise but not this time (yet!)

ZellowZed

Hi Jvic

The 1.4 is the 105. But all the petrol engines are fundamentally the same.
2 litres in 2000 miles is quite a bit. Are you driving the car hard? The MG engines do need revving quite a bit to get really going.

The mayo effect is very noticable. With mine all the coolant went into the engine (nasty). Unscrew the oil filler cap and have a look at the underside of it. It should be slightly oily but cleanish, e.g. black and transparent. If it is creamy coloured and thicker than normal then it might be HGF.

The fact that your car is still running it sounds like a simple oil leak. Its also worth noting that MGs after 2002 were fitted with the new style head-gasket. HGF is still possible but it should be rarer on these editions.

Any competant garage should be able to diagnose the problem. But before you do I'd do the following:
- Top up the oil to max
- Note the mileage
- Get a rag and clean the head (The bit above the exhaust manifold)
- Run the car for 1000 miles or so.
- Check how far the oil has dipped
- Check for leaks from the head.

Jvic28

ZellowZed wrote: »

Are you driving the car hard? The MG engines do need revving quite a bit to get really going.

The mayo effect is very noticable. With mine all the coolant went into the engine (nasty). Unscrew the oil filler cap and have a look at the underside of it. It should be slightly oily but cleanish, e.g. black and transparent. If it is creamy coloured and thicker than normal then it might be HGF.

Thanks, we don't drive it really hard as we try to concerve fuel most of the time.

There is no creamy colour under the cap.

Hopefully just a simple (cheap!) oil leak.

[Deleted User]

For anyone who's head gasket does blow.. I used a 'sealant' bought over the net (can't find the name of it though) which did seem to fix it

Then we sold it rather quickly....

steveo3002

Jvic28 wrote: »

I'll have a look at the coolant tonight. Should be pretty easy to spot if the coolant is pure oil myself. What was wrong with that car?

it was a failed headgasket on the one im on about....coolant smells just like oil and is similar appearance to choc milkshake

still ran fine though ...wouldnt know unless id checked the fluids last sat morning

anewman

ringo_24601 wrote: »

For anyone who's head gasket does blow.. I used a 'sealant' bought over the net (can't find the name of it though) which did seem to fix it

Then we sold it rather quickly....

Probably the aptly named k-seal. How crap to sell someone a car that chances are is about to fail though.

steveo3002

hahha wasnt a green one was it...i recon thats what happened to the one the friends bought