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MG MGF Technical - MF TF Coolant loss

Ok, so there's no thread for the new TF, i.e. 2001 onwards, but..

Having owned one now for about 2 months, and put an additional 2.5litres of coolant in, I wonder if anyone else has similar experiences?

It's a November 2002 model, and It's been back to the dealers for investigation, but they aren't making much progress... I think I'm just scraping in on dealers statutory warranty here, but it's gonna get awkward soon, if they don't fix it, and things move onto something more serious, in a few months time.
KJB Blain

KJB,

The fact that you have reported the problem should mean that any rectification work will be carried out under your warranty.

Can you see any puddles of coolant under the car? - this means a leak somewhere.

Is there a "Mayo" gunge around the oil filler or on the dip stick? - this could mean a head gasket failure.

Does the coolant have any hint of oil in it? - ditto.

I had a coolant leak from one of the stainless steel heater pipes which runs inside plastic tunnel in the cockpit from front to rear. It only becane apparent once the coolant had almost all gone and BANG, an HGF. Once HGF was fixed I was still losing coolant, which is when the dealer looked more closely and found very wet carpets uder the seats.

Good luck!

Sam
Sam Murray

Check the spot where you park the car overnight for any signs of coolant. Due to the high concentration of glycol any traces will be "wet" for a long time.
If nothing found it could be more serious,i.e going into the combustion process or into the oil....
What´s the condition of the oil on the dip-stick? /Carl.
Carl

Looks a bit silly,beaten by a few minutes!
But the advises are there (in Stereo) ;O))/Carl.
Carl

Currently, all the right things look right, i.e. oil looks like oil, coolant doesn't, likewise the floor is clean too.

Yes, of course it should be carried out under warranty...

They've performed a pressure test, and claim no losses found, yet a week later I have a litre of coolant less.

Of course I'm contunuing to persue it with them, but I like to stay ahead of the game, and see what experiences / ideas you guys have. I once had a Rover 400 (1.4 K16 Mpi) lovely car, lovely engine, HGF at 60k miles, which I repaired myself, learning a lot about the K series engine in the process, and in fact very impressed with the otherwise excellent condition it was in inside.
Kev

Am I right in assuming that if there is a leak somewhere, the system will not fully pressurise & the coolant level will not rise in the header tank?


Only asking as I had this last week, Level static after 30 min drive, also very slight coolant loss

Traced it to seepage at one of the large hoses at the rear, the ones which sit in a highly vulnerable position underneath the car........

Now fixed, dry and coolant rises 1 cm or so when hot....
Charlie D

Oh, no, it rised when hot alright. It just goes down too, when it feels like it.

The garage tell me that they've take off the inlet manifold, and subsequently the head! Despite not finding a fault when performing a pressure test.

Now, I rekon, it's probably a failure when it's hot, or in the transition from hot to cold, but...

At least, in theory, I should now get a new gasket, have the locating dowels checked to make sure they're steel ones, stretchy bolts replaced if necessary, and to top it all new cambelt too - if they're doing the job properly, that is...
Kev

New expansion tank cap? Are you losing coolant through evaporation?
Russell Parslow

Unlikely and ab it off teh wall, but the LR Freelander suffers from coolant loss which is undetectable under a pressure test and only occurs when the engine is hot. The fault is the expansion tank itself which has microcracks in it which only open when hot to allow coolant loss and close again when cool. Almost impossible to trace.

The water rail on teh rear of teh engine is another area which can lose water but go unseen.

Certainly a replacement expansion tank cap is worth doing, but if the dealer has teh engine in bits, they should do that as a matter of course.
David M

It was a dislodged cylinder liner, apparantly.
Kev

Charlie D, are you Dr Dundas from Ashford? If so how is life ln NZ? Andy
AndyG

Yes it's me!

The car arrived safely a couple of months after me, and is now my daily drive again after a brief period driving a diesel Toyota Townace......
NZ is pretty good, although the only way to get a surfboard in an 'F' is roof down/no passenger, but that's what the /townace is for.

The roads are rather loose/ rough so getting plenty of stonechips, but the scenery is good, and even in the town I stay in I have seen a couple of MGF's.

As for MG mod's, the only 'upgrade' I am looking at is to get hold of some Greygate screen polish!
Hope you are well,

Bit off topic, but back to the subject, I have also had exactly the same thing happen last month (1996 MGF) and the cross spar in the roof appears to be fabric covered as well. Aside from a new roof, is there any way to cure the sagginess at the edges of the hood? ( tried tightening the wires to no avail)


Oh, and I am going to try contact adhesive to re-glue, but the only way to get the fabic to lift up is to drive with the fan on........bit tricky applying glue at the same time!



Charlie D

Oops, thought this was the unsticky hood thread!
Charlie D

Hi Charlie, I am very well thankyou. Glad life is good in NZ. and the car arrived ok.I've got some Greygate polish going spare as I don't need it as I've got a glass screen,I'll post it to you if you would like it.You can e-mail me on
andygod45@btinternet.com
regards
Andy
AndyG

This thread was discussed between 18/05/2005 and 23/05/2005

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