[Bluestuff]

A few months ago my F overheated one night, when it cooled i put at least 2 litres of water in the top tank,
after that iv been driving around with no issues, or so i thought.
A few days back i checked the water level and it was fine, no water in the oil so i thought this no longer an issue.
Today i took it for a short drive on a warm day and when i got home i heard it bubbling away in to the top tank.
I put another 2 litres to top it up.
Again no evidence of water in the oil.

I really - Really - REALLY don't want to do a head gasket $$$$$

Could this be a leaky hose but only occasionally ?
It needs so much attention and i am loosing enthusiasm for it all.
I am becoming regretfull i bought this car 😔😫😞

 

[IanMc]

Did you bleed it thoroughly from all THREE points last time? - if not, you might simply have an air lock to resolve.

Another possibility is a faulty reservoir cap.

 

[Austin2297]

Did the temperature gauge indicate overheating?
Sticky thermostat amongst other possibilities.
Ensure the heater control is set to hot before bleeding.

 

[D4KGP]

A few months ago my F overheated one night, when it cooled i put at least 2 litres of water in the top tank,
after that iv been driving around with no issues, or so i thought.
A few days back i checked the water level and it was fine, no water in the oil so i thought this no longer an issue.
Today i took it for a short drive on a warm day and when i got home i heard it bubbling away in to the top tank.
I put another 2 litres to top it up.
Again no evidence of water in the oil.

I really - Really - REALLY don't want to do a head gasket $$$$$

Could this be a leaky hose but only occasionally ?
It needs so much attention and i am loosing enthusiasm for it all.
I am becoming regretfull i bought this car 😔😫😞

Sorry to hear about your overheating/water loss situation and the fact that you are possibly regretting purchasing the F. But these cars usually need a lot of constant love and attention from their owners, reading between the lines maybe you have the wrong car. I hope I'm wrong! Regards. D4KGP.

 

[Bluestuff]

Yes, you could be right, its not a car i should have bought.
I don't enjoy having to work on it like i did in my younger days.
And this seems to have many common issues that don't plage later vehicles.
I will probable have to pay some one to do all this maintainence which then makes it a liability.
and not so much a fun project car.

 

[Austin2297]

It seems you’ve got yourself into a very negative outlook with this car, and may have lost sight that any ‘modern classic’ is going to need a fair amount of ongoing tinkering to keep it mobile.
Any answers to the questions asked or suggestions made -?

 

[D4KGP]

Yes, you could be right, its not a car i should have bought.
I don't enjoy having to work on it like i did in my younger days.
And this seems to have many common issues that don't plage later vehicles.
I will probable have to pay some one to do all this maintainence which then makes it a liability.
and not so much a fun project car.

Younger day's I remember those! But even though I'm now 74 with a urostomy bag attached to my abdomen, I still enjoy working on and hopefully improving my F albeit takes a little longer to slide under and out again. The thing that bugs me the most is the length of time it takes to remove the engine cover. Regards. D4KGP.

 

[Austin2297]

Youngster D4KGP!

 

[D4KGP]

Youngster D4KGP!

I'll take that.

 

[Bluestuff]

Did the temperature gauge indicate overheating?
Sticky thermostat amongst other possibilities.
Ensure the heater control is set to hot before bleeding.

no, i dont recall seeing the temp gauge reading hot ??
or the oil guage reading hot either….

 

[Bluestuff]

The older i am,
the better i was…..

 

[skellum]

Hi Bluestuff.
Just to help me understand: How do you know the car overheated in the first place? Did the car vent steam from the expansion tank, and/or did the temperature gauge show hot?
Could you hear the engine bay fan running?
When you added coolant first time, did you bleed the system? (see here MGF & MG TF Owners Forum - Coolant system. - How to fill and bleed - (the-t-bar.com) )

Repeated loss of coolant could be as simple as a duff expansion cap which is a quick and cheap fix. To help diagnose, see here: Overheating diagnosis and bleeding procedure - MG Parts
if you're at all handy with the spanners get the engine cover off and run the car up to working temp. You might actually spot a leak, or the tell-tale pink stains which dried in coolant can leave on the engine. If possible try parking the car on top of some old cardboard and leaving her to cool down, then look for wet spots underneath. I had a leak once which showed up when the engine was turned off (there's a very long explanation).

The TF is a genuinely great fun car to drive, but most owners come to accept you should check the coolant level every single time you open the boot- it only takes a glance. Dip the oil pretty much weekly, and the temperature gauge is worth looking at almost as often as you check your speedo. They are actions which take a really tiny effort and help big headaches.

A bit more info on what has happened might help us steer you.
Good luck!!

 

[Chris T]

Having put a total of 4 L of water into the system it isn’t the head gasket otherwise the oil would resemble a flat white. I would be looking for a leak, new coolant cap and re-bleed.

 

[Bluestuff]

Hi Bluestuff.
Just to help me understand: How do you know the car overheated in the first place? Did the car vent steam from the expansion tank, and/or did the temperature gauge show hot?
Could you hear the engine bay fan running?
When you added coolant first time, did you bleed the system? (see here MGF & MG TF Owners Forum - Coolant system. - How to fill and bleed - (the-t-bar.com) )

Repeated loss of coolant could be as simple as a duff expansion cap which is a quick and cheap fix. To help diagnose, see here: Overheating diagnosis and bleeding procedure - MG Parts
if you're at all handy with the spanners get the engine cover off and run the car up to working temp. You might actually spot a leak, or the tell-tale pink stains which dried in coolant can leave on the engine. If possible try parking the car on top of some old cardboard and leaving her to cool down, then look for wet spots underneath. I had a leak once which showed up when the engine was turned off (there's a very long explanation).

The TF is a genuinely great fun car to drive, but most owners come to accept you should check the coolant level every single time you open the boot- it only takes a glance. Dip the oil pretty much weekly, and the temperature gauge is worth looking at almost as often as you check your speedo. They are actions which take a really tiny effort and help big headaches.

A bit more info on what has happened might help us steer you.
Good luck!!

The first time i thought i had a potential problem was wen i was fixing the bell crank i noted a random water drip that i couldn't see its origin's.
Then one night i cam home and heard the water boiling away to the header tank,
I let it cool and then added at lest 2L+ of water.
I have checked occationaly and it seemed fine.
Its been ok then the other day i came home and saw the steam and checked to see the water bubling away once more.
The oil had no milk in it so I'm not sure what direction to go next.
I will look at the bleeding procedure or take it to some one else to do it.
I have a bit of a heart issue so im inclined to give the hard jobs to some one else.

Thank you all for your assistance.

 

[D4KGP]

The older i am,
the better i was…..

So what age are you?

 

[Austin2297]

It could just be me, but how can the coolant in the (exposed to air) reservoir be boiling, yet the gauge doesn’t give any indication of overheating? Faulty gauge-? but even so, gauges simply generally work or don’t work.
Not having any water mixing with the oil is not proof positive of freedom from HG issue. HG issues can arise from gasket failure where the failure links coolant to compression, rather than coolant to oil way. Ok small amount of Mayo may occur where the coolant passes passed the rings, but most coolant will be ejected through the exhaust.

 

[mowog73]

Bluestuff,

I'd suggest adding coolant dye to the reservoir, run the engine and then search for a coolant leak using a black light. My F had a multitude of leaks when I bought it and I was able to track down and fix each one with the help of the fluorescent marks left behind by the coolant dye.

I'd also suggest replacing the coolant cap as others have suggested because a bad cap (one not holding pressure) will give symptoms like you are seeing.

 

[deepfat]

You can buy testing kits that apparently test for combustion gases leaking into the coolant. I've no experience of them so don't how good they are, if anyone's tried one please post your results/thoughts.
Got to say reading Bluestuff's experience it does not scream HG to me, more a leak, thermostat or air lock problem, if a compression tester is available this may also help prove/disprove the HG.

 

[coffeebreakbios]

A few months ago my F overheated one night, when it cooled i put at least 2 litres of water in the top tank,
after that iv been driving around with no issues, or so i thought.
A few days back i checked the water level and it was fine, no water in the oil so i thought this no longer an issue.
Today i took it for a short drive on a warm day and when i got home i heard it bubbling away in to the top tank.
I put another 2 litres to top it up.
Again no evidence of water in the oil.

I really - Really - REALLY don't want to do a head gasket $$$$$

Could this be a leaky hose but only occasionally ?
It needs so much attention and i am loosing enthusiasm for it all.
I am becoming regretfull i bought this car 😔😫😞

I do agree with the many members advising you to thorourly bleed the system.

If you still have overheating problems, buy a Reld Cylinder head gasket testing kit
Basically you put it on your radiator filler, put some blue chemical in the tester, start the car, if it stay blue your good, if the liquid turns yellow or clear you will have CO2 in your coolant,,, not good.

If the test is a failure as your local mechanic to do a blow down test, basically he will blow air into each spark plug hole, if the coolant bubbles when he presures that is the cylinder that has a HG fault, at least a blow down will definitely let you know if the HG is ok or not, if it tests ok, then you can look into it further, i.e blockages, thermostat, pump, or even timing.
The cam position sensor can cause overheating
Hope this helps
Ray