Rover 25 Head Gasket Failure

pendulum

flashg67 wrote: »

Pendulum - a ridiculous sweeping statement! We've had 3 Rovers and our last Rover 400 has just died at 12 years old

You say it like 12 years is an impressive figure. I've owned cars that I'd describe as barely run in after 12 years.

Well, I suppose 12 years for a Rover is pretty good.

motorguy

flashg67 wrote: »

OP - the K seal does get good reviews but IMO, there's nowt like a proper repair. If it is the head gasket, budget for about £250-£300 for the repair (what I was quoted on ours, NW England) though I guess it may be a bit more down south...

You;re right theres nothing like a proper repair, but the K seal could well buy you enough time to budget properly for the repair, OR get enough driving out of the car to scrap it.

motorguy

split_second wrote: »

k series engines have a reputation for blowing head gaskets for fun

HGF is generally a symptom of a problem, not a problem in itself.

Chances are the cars been allowed to overheat at some point.

motorguy

pendulum wrote: »

You say it like 12 years is an impressive figure. I've owned cars that I'd describe as barely run in after 12 years.

Well, I suppose 12 years for a Rover is pretty good.

Average lifespan of a car is 12-13 years.

And if you want that in context, how many of the last generation Escorts do you see on the roads these days? (Last made 1998 or so)

motorguy

split_second wrote: »

haha anyone would think that i grew up around rovers :rotfl:

i nearly bought a 20k mile 25 1.4 a couple of years back, decided i didnt like it but cant remember why. pretty certain various head gasket repairs have been done on my mum and dad's driveway with various combinations of swearing from my dad :rotfl:

I would suggest done badly if they have done it various times.

I will now add a 'rotfl' as that seems to imply some sort of superiority and knowledge.

:rotfl:

cmmessenger

Unfortunately they do indeed have a reputation for head gasket failure.

We specialise in MGR parts and repairs and fit the upgraded MLS gasket to all vehicles. A few years ago I would have said that this was a fit and forget repair but there have been cases of failure since, not as common as it was though. Occasionally the cylinder liners cause similar problems, this can be misdiagnosed by a garage unfamiliar with the engine, a head gasket repair is then performed only for the problem to come back shortly afterwards.

The heads will only take so much skimming also.

Once fully repaired they represent great value for money and if you can get hold of a L series engined diesel 25/ZR 45/ZS then you can look forward to excellent mpg too.

The 75/ZT range is also brilliant value when compared to vehicles of the same age, the V6 is a bit thirsty but then they did offer the 2.0 BMW derived diesel engine across the range. Not quite as quick as a 320d but it can be. The interior tends to be fitted a bit better on these vehicles compared to the rest of the range.

pendulum

pgilc1 wrote: »

Average lifespan of a car is 12-13 years.

If the average lifespan is 12 to 13 years, then a car lasting 12 years (the lower end of average) is nothing to boast about is it?

pgilc1 wrote: »

And if you want that in context, how many of the last generation Escorts do you see on the roads these days? (Last made 1998 or so)

My mate has one. Good car. I'd buy one of them over a Rover any day.

pgilc1 wrote: »

HGF is generally a symptom of a problem, not a problem in itself.

Chances are the cars been allowed to overheat at some point.

When will this myth end? A Rover blows its headgasket because of engine design flaws, not because it's been allowed by its owner to overheat. It overheats after it blows its headgasket, not before.

mikey72

pgilc1 wrote: »

Average lifespan of a car is 12-13 years.

And if you want that in context, how many of the last generation Escorts do you see on the roads these days? (Last made 1998 or so)

That's not good for us then.
I change cars when they're worn out, currently our run -abouts are 7 years, 14 years, 15 years, and 23 years old.
The 14 year old one does about 300 miles a week, and just passed 150k, and to be fair doesn't feel new anymore though. They all go well though.

motorguy

pendulum wrote: »

If the average lifespan is 12 to 13 years, then a car lasting 12 years (the lower end of average) is nothing to boast about is it?

Noone used the word impressive except you?

pendulum wrote: »

My mate has one. Good car. I'd buy one of them over a Rover any day.

Noone said it wasnt - merely making the point that cars tend to disappear from our roads once they hit 12-13 years old - even something as once popular as an escort.

pendulum wrote: »

When will this myth end? A Rover blows its headgasket because of engine design flaws, not because it's been allowed by its owner to overheat. It overheats after it blows its headgasket, not before.

Sorry. You're wrong. Generally speaking anyway. There will have been some sort of neglect in the cars past to cause the problem - whether that be coolant leak, water pump failure, overheating, etc.

The two HGFs i've dealt with this year BOTH caused by overheating - oh, and one was on a Clio (a known common problem) and the other an Astra.

motorguy

mikey72 wrote: »

That's not good for us then.
I change cars when they're worn out, currently our run -abouts are 7 years, 14 years, 15 years, and 23 years old.
The 14 year old one does about 300 miles a week, and just passed 150k, and to be fair doesn't feel new anymore though. They all go well though.

Yup. Though the average is around 12-13 years old.

Thats simply because at some point when a car hits being worth a few hundred pounds it will become uneconomic to repair (or at least to that owner) - eg, needs a clutch, rear axle (common on a 306 or 206), excessive engine wear (common on an Astra 1.6), blown turbo (common on a VAG car), DPF failure (common on diesels), etc, etc.