Rover 45 1.6 cc's - Cylinder head gaskets

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Mon 20 Dec 2010 23:18
Rover 45 1.6 cc's - Cylinder head gaskets - tony crofton

I purchased a new Rover 45 in March 2005. As the initial warranty had expired I purchased an extended 3 year warranty from WMS Warranty product services in April this year. I have been told that as I have signs of oil in the radiator header tank and I have to add 1 litre of coolant every 150- 200 m iles I must have a leaking cylinder head gasket. A 12 hour pressure test has given no evidenc e of any leaks. The head gasket is covered by the policy. I am suposed to stop and seek expert advice as to the cause if a fault becomes evident to the driver. . The claim will only be considered if a "mechanical fault" occurs within the policy period. Do I drive until the water level warning light comes on and report it as a fault to the garage that sold me the policy . Can a visual inspection at the road side conform a leaking cylinder head gasket? Please advise me. How much harm will I do to the engine if I continue to drive? The milage was 31,000 miles when I bought the policy and now 34,000 miles.

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Tue 21 Dec 2010 07:51
Rover 45 1.6 cc's - Cylinder head gaskets - craig-pd130

These engines have a water-heated inlet manifold which is sealed at the joint to the cylinder head by O-rings. These perish and fail, losing coolant into the inlet which then burns in the engine.

If the coolant level is not checked, the low coolant will eventually cause the engine to overheat, warping the head and causing the headgasket to fail.

Pressure testing the cooling system is not infallible for detecting headgasket failure or failure of these O-rings.

I would watch the temp gauge like a hawk, and when the low coolant light comes on, report it to the garage.

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Tue 21 Dec 2010 10:38
Rover 45 1.6 cc's - Cylinder head gaskets - madf

I would advise the garage.. and ask them to fix it under the warranty.

The problem is well known and driving with the problem will lead to a hg failure - probably in the middle of a big traffic jam when you have to drive it to get out the way - and invalidate the warranty!

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Tue 21 Dec 2010 12:39
Rover 45 1.6 cc's - Cylinder head gaskets - Collos25

Take it to the Garage as soon as possible if you don.t it could lead to a very expensive repair,make sure the garage uses the modified head bolts,planes the head,replaces the thermostat,replaces the O rings on the inlet manifold and uses the new type head gasget if the don.t you will have the same problem again very soon.

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