Rover 25 , 53000 on clock - Rover 25 coolant loss - patrickviera
My rover 25 loses coolant sometimes. I filled it up to max using ready mixed coolant and the next day it was down to minimum overnight it disappeared. I checked the engine oil, golden brown no milky bits etc.have been monitoring this for two weeks now. I then filled it up again , overnight it went to midway between max and min. Then stayed at that level for 3 days and then all of a sudden went to min overnight. Does anyone know what is happening. If it was a head gasket problem, coolant would be lost instantly within 10 mins of driving. I did a test where I filled it up to max level drove car for an hour and then let it cool down for 2 hours. Coolant was still at max level. Then that same day I checked it before going to sleep and next day it was back to midway.

Any thoughts on this. One thing I did notice is the coolant always stays at the minimum mark. This is a bit odd how the coolant I pour in gets lost. The coolant I poured in is a pink colour compared to the blue coloured coolant already there.
Rover 25 , 53000 on clock - Rover 25 coolant loss - Andrew-T

I would only make two inexpert comments:

A head gasket can fail in a variety of ways giving different symptoms. I started finding oil in the coolant after a 200-mile run in a 20-year-old car. No sign of water in the oil, and a pressure test suggested all was OK. Problem only cured by a new gasket however.

Coolant comes in different colours to indicate different chemical composition (see other threads on here). It's better not to mix them as a rule.

Rover 25 , 53000 on clock - Rover 25 coolant loss - double_tap_that

Its a very very common fault of the k series engines to blow headgaskets for the past time, and with the low value of the cars itself it can not at times viable to pay out garage prices for repairs.

I sugest buying K-SEAL, chuck it in your expansion tank and hopefuly it will be a cheap tempory repair.

Rover 25 , 53000 on clock - Rover 25 coolant loss - patrickviera
I called the aa ,they had a look and said leak is not from head gasket but inlet manifold gasket, told me I could use k seal as my leak is small. However suggested I get is repaired, is this a big job cost wise how much would it cost and is it a complex job , will take a day, or half a day etc.
Rover 25 , 53000 on clock - Rover 25 coolant loss - oldroverboy.

Inlet manifold gasket is not a big job, but best get it done properly and get the coolant replaced properly and properly bleed the system.

Rover 25 , 53000 on clock - Rover 25 coolant loss - Bolt

K-seal sometimes causes other problems as the waterways are very small on that

so getting job done properly is the best option, half a day at most to do and while the manifold is off replace thermostat as its just underneath and easier to get at