Rover 25 (1999 - 2005) - 03 1.6 --losing water

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Wed 23 Sep 2009 23:52
03 1.6 --losing water - argybargy
Bit of advice please, guys.
The coolant expansion tank of my son's Rover 25 regularly requires topping up--at the current rate of loss it would probably go totally dry in a matter of a couple of weeks. There are no other obvious signs of head gasket failure; no mayo under the oil filler cap nor on the dipstick, and the car drives just fine, usually starting first time. Doesnt overheat, either.
When its stood idling, a fair amount of water (which I assumed was condensation till the water loss became obvious) drips onto the floor from a perforated seam under the rear silencer, but there appear to be no water drips under the engine. Theres a sludgy, brownish deposit on the inside walls of the coolant expansion tank, but it doesnt smell of, nor appear to contain oil. He drives about sixty miles on an average weekday.
Could we still be looking at early stages of HG failure, or might there be some other reason for the water loss?
Cheers in advance.
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Wed 23 Sep 2009 23:58
03 1.6 --losing water - bell boy
Get it pressure tested and or sniff tested tomorrow before car becomes an expensive hen hut
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Thu 24 Sep 2009 04:26
03 1.6 --losing water - davecuk
You will only get Mayo when the head gasket has cracked across/or allowing leakage into an oilway. They can go and just affect the cooling system...then no mayo in the rocker box cap.

Common sighs are difficulty in starting in the morning, partial hydraulic lock etc.. with no obvious sighs of a leak and the crud in the water, my bet would be on head gasket.
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Thu 24 Sep 2009 10:36
03 1.6 --losing water - argybargy

Yes, certainly sounds that way. Car usually starts first or second time in the morning, though weve yet to own it through a winter--and how would "partial hydraulic lock" show itself?
Its been suggested that we should try K-Seal to cure the problem, but looking around forums on the internet the jury appears to be well and truly out on the effectiveness of DIY gasket sealant solutions.
Anyone any thoughts on that? Ta.
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Thu 24 Sep 2009 12:25
03 1.6 --losing water - davecuk
Hard to get to turn over, then suddenly becomes easy is a common sign. Usually though this is happening when the gasket has less than 100 miles to go before meltdown.

I didn't realise the jury was out on the effectiveness of DIY gasket seal solutions. In my past experience these things were a bodge used to sell a car and rarely last more than 50 miles. If gasket needs changing it needs changing....period.
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Thu 24 Sep 2009 14:04
03 1.6 --losing water - argybargy

The jury is out in the places where Ive been looking, Dave. Its not hard to find glowing reports on various motoring forums concerning the effectiveness of products such as K-Seal, nor is it difficult to locate alongside them a similar level of scepticism to that expressed by yourself above. While its possible of course that the glowing reports are from people with some kind of vested interest, such opinions are so widespread that it certainly sounds like its worth a go, particularly at £8.99 a shot.
Thanks for your input--if anyone else has any comment about products like K-seal I'd be obliged to read them. :0)
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Fri 25 Sep 2009 15:27
03 1.6 --losing water - mickyh7
My mate at work has a MG Rover,2004,27,000 miles on the clock. It was loosing about a pint of water a week. After spending hours on the internet, reading up on the Head Gasket / Wet Liners situation,he finally took my advice and put in a tin of K-Seal. That was 6 months ago. Its been dry as a bone since. Its got to be worth a Tenner of anyone's money !

Edited by mickyh7 on 25/09/2009 at 15:28

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Fri 25 Sep 2009 23:15
03 1.6 --losing water - argybargy
I put the stuff in last night, not without some trepidation I can tell you.
Hes been to Warrington and back today, around sixty miles, and the water level appears to be the same as when he left. Early days yet, but the signs are good. One thing I didnt do was to flush out and refill the cooling system before adding K seal and give it a clean environment in which to work. Might buy another bottle over the weekend and start from scratch with a fresh dose of coolant.
On the down side he ended up with a whacking great nail in a tyre today, so its not all good news. :0(
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Sat 26 Sep 2009 08:58
03 1.6 --losing water - mickyh7
No need. K-Seal works perfectly well with Antifreeze. It really is a top notch product, amongst a lot of 'Snake Oil' products for cars ! Good Luck.
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Sun 4 Oct 2009 20:04
03 1.6 --losing water - argybargy

Thanks, Micky. About a week on, and although initially I had to top up the water slightly a couple of times, it seems to have more or less found a level. We'll see what the winter brings. Didnt change the coolant in the end--the bottom hose is so difficult to get at that I would probably have to cut it off and replace it to make the change. It really isnt that important so Ive left it.
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Tue 13 Oct 2009 16:11
02 1.4 Losing a fair bit of water! - TinkCymraes
Hello there!

Forgive me, but i don't know much about cars, only really the basics. I have a problem with my water too. I have checked for water in the oil, it appears fine. I have checked underneath the car for obvious signs, nothing. I've checked to see any white smoke coming from my exhaust, that seems fine. The coolant has had to be filled twice in 3 days, it was dry as a bone. It is a little merky and there is yellow sludge on the inside of the tank. I have just bought some K-Seal as thought i could try to see if it helps. Any other suggestions anyone?? Many Thanks
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Fri 10 Sep 2010 08:59
02 1.4 Losing a fair bit of water! - argybargy

Hope you got sorted, Tink.

Just by way of an extremely late update, my son's Rover finally gave up the ghost on a local stretch of motorway about six months ago and we had to bite the bullet and get the HG done. Fortunately we located a semi retired mechanic who works from home and who did the work for a very reasonable price--around a hundred quid less than anyone else had quoted. The car has done around ten thousand miles since and rarely requires a top up.

Moral of the story? A product like K Seal is all very well for a temporary fix, but for proper peace of mind and happy motoring once the symptoms clearly indicate a head gasket problem, get the job done properly and dont waste time putting sticking plasters over a gaping wound.

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