Scott Dabinett Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 After 1000 miles in my first 13 days of 7 ownership I think my head gasket has gone! It is a 1.6 roadsport, done 22k miles. I was taking a friend out and water sprayed out of the bonnet and onto the windscreen and I just thought it was raining so carried on for a bit then stopped and steam came out of the bonnet and looked at the temperature gauge and iy was at well over 120!!! Filled with more water and started it again and it used that, filled it back up because I thought there might be a leak but there wasn't! Now holding water but the radiator is not getting warm or any of the pipes, airlock maybe? but there is oil in the expansion bottle but no water under the oil cap or in the dipstick and it still has oil pressure. Is this a head gasket? If it is where is the best place to get this done? I am in wiltshire but if there is somewhere really good I am willing to travel! Thanks Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewGP Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Scott, saw your post on PH, gutted for you if it is the HG so soon in to you ownership 😔 Whilst I can't help with the diagnosis, if you do need work done I can definitely recommend Neil Garner Motorsport near Kemble. There may well be someone close to you but they did a load of work on my Seven last year and were excellent. Neil himself dealt with most of it and they have extensive experience as he races them too. Plus they do a 10% club discount. Hope it all works out OK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevsta Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Eek, Scott it sounds like it. Certainly similar to when mine has gone - although not in my seven (and others). No reason for the temp to get that high unless something has gone wrong and HG usually causes air in the heating system and then massive rize in temp. Treat it as a way of you getting to know the car and ensuring the future of it is better (also known as upgrade time!). I'd speak to oilyhands (AKA Dave Andrews) as he is the god with K series cars (I'm sure others are also very good, I just trust Dave 100%). Depending on how good you are with a spanner will dictate how much you carry out yourself - Dave is always keen to help people help themselves though and I highly recommend this route. Sounds like it is head off time though. Where are you (so others nearby might be able to help). Depending on any damage (hopefully none) a HG treatment is fairly cheap...its the upgrades that cost! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenF Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Very sorry to hear that Scott. The important thing (which oily will tell you) is to actually fix the root cause of the problem. I think there are various reasons why the HG fails on the K-series. That's why taking it to oily is such a good idea - he will properly fix the problem. I know of other people with K-series engined cars (not 7s) who have had a HG failure repaired only to have it go again a short time later. That would not happen with oily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Machine Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Had similar type of failure. Dave Andrews sorted mine and combined it with one or two upgrades. In replacement I was able to watch and learn how an expert does the job. I had oil in water but no water in the oil. In the case of my failure it was due to a tiny split near the front plastic dowel. I remember Dave saying the same problem can be caused by another type of failure which I now have forgotten. The other failure I think needed some kind of tube inserting. If you can get the car to Dave and he can fit you in, then I would go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dabinett Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 Thanks for your replys i have emailed dave about it this morning so will wait a reply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnv Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Quoting Scott Dabinett: After 1000 miles in my first 13 days of 7 ownership I think my head gasket has gone! hmmm /cynical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Hmmm, I wonder if the previous owner was aware of looming problems. Water in oil - definitely HG failure is your best case scenario. No reason you shouldn't fix it yourself. It's all part of the learning process, just make sure you get the upgraded gasket and fill it properly (eliminating all air-locks) with the right type of coolant (not water). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dabinett Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 Quoting charlie_pank: Hmmm, I wonder if the previous owner was aware of looming problems. Water in oil - definitely HG failure is your best case scenario. No reason you shouldn't fix it yourself. It's all part of the learning process, just make sure you get the upgraded gasket and fill it properly (eliminating all air-locks) with the right type of coolant (not water). I think it had been laid up for a few years with no use! It was faultless up until this happened! (apart from the indicators stopped working haha!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dangerwheels Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Sorry to hear about this - just been through all this hoo-hah myself after my HG failed. As has been said, it was the biggest "get to know your seven" experience i have ever done (more so than any track day). One tip i can pass over to you - i found my a right pain in the posterior filling the coolant - tried all the suggestions i found on blatchat. The best thing i did was buy a bleed tee (some still on sale on ebay, and fitted up by the heater, which made refilling it a doddle. Once one of these is fitted, it will also ensure you can check and refill the levels easily and frequently.... which was the cause of mine in the first place (never checked the coolant level up at the heater - never thought i had to!). Hope this helps and good luck with the HG replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dabinett Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 Quoting Dangerwheels: Sorry to hear about this - just been through all this hoo-hah myself after my HG failed. As has been said, it was the biggest "get to know your seven" experience i have ever done (more so than any track day). One tip i can pass over to you - i found my a right pain in the posterior filling the coolant - tried all the suggestions i found on blatchat. The best thing i did was buy a bleed tee (some still on sale on ebay, and fitted up by the heater, which made refilling it a doddle. Once one of these is fitted, it will also ensure you can check and refill the levels easily and frequently.... which was the cause of mine in the first place (never checked the coolant level up at the heater - never thought i had to!). Hope this helps and good luck with the HG replacement. Will have a look at the bleed valves! Car is all fixed now! Got it done at DVA power! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 (never checked the coolant level up at the heater - never thought i had to!). Dangerwheels, I added a bleeding T to my K series about 18 months ago. I never opened it to check the level. Just thought it is enough to check the level at the coolant bottle and the bleeding T is only to help you when replacing the coolant... Am I missing something here? Ahmed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Ahmed. When the system is cold, remove the expansion bottle cap, lift the bleed tee as high as you can and unscrew the cap (with some paper or cloth under to catch any spills). Should be full of coolant inside. If not, carefully add more until hose/tee is full, then refit cap while keeping hose high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Thank you Ian.... would you do this bleed tee check even if the expansion bottle shows good level of coolant.... how often..? I'm just concerned about the durability of the bleed tee screw.... it feels a bit flimsy and will not stand too many screwing and unscrewing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadsport06 Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 The expansion bottle is not the high point so if air gets in then it will go to near the heater. This could happen if the head gasket has gone. Just check every so often that it still has coolant at the tee, I check mine every few months when I have the bonnet off. Just don't get paranoid with it and enjoy the driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 When I fill my system, I unbolt the expansion bottle and hang it up above the engine bay so that it is the highest point. Then loosen all the hose clamps and wiggle the hose connections about until coolant starts coming out instead of air, then tighten. Work your way from the bottom to the top. Then run the engine for a bit with the expansion bottle open, refill the expansion bottle as necessary. Once the expansion bottle level stops dropping, try running the engine up to temp with the lid on but still suspended above the car. Check hoses for temperature... let it cool overnight, open expansion bottle and top up as necessary... repeat parts of the process as necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS2000 Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 sorry quick question from me.... so if you have heat in all your hoses including the heater, does that mean everything should be ok? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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