New injector cured supposed head gasket problem?

[justina3 518]

On 5/8/2019 at 7:28 PM, Mark101 said:

I think that 1.4 Pug unit is prone to HG issues mind.

You're right though, I haven't heard of a head gasket go for a long while (queue the jinx).  Rover going put a stop to that.

They are also prone to being diagnosed wrongly back when they first came out i used to have a punt at the suspect ones in the block as you could steal them for dust, but my ratio of bad ones over good ones went way into the red so stopped that game.

 

[ModernBagsofRubbish 3]

After reading the comments & the jobs you have had done

Your water level soundn't keep on dropping, maybe after the first drive after having a water pump done but not after then

If It is the headgaket has gone, it sounds like cylinders to water system, this will increase pressure in the water system & can make other water system parts fail due to over pressure. you won't get any mayonnaise, could get missing, might only leak at certain temps so could pass a compression test.

If your not fully into mechanics, its similar what happens when you use a soda stream machine, the bottle being the water system & the gas being the pressure leaking from the cylinders.

To start with the basics, run the engine for a few mins & check how hard the top hose is, drive for 5 mins & check it again, repeat, if the pipe gets rock hard, I would say its the headgasket. Then go to a garage & have a sniff test done(some liquid that changes colour with exahaust gases) cheap & easy test with no stripping down

You might not know how to judge the hardness of the hose, if not try another car to compare

In regards to having the water pump checked, if you have an external leak you won't get water system pressure & the top hose will be soft, not a bad thing as then it could just be a badly fitting pipe then etc.

Thanks

Edited May 20, 2019 by ModernBagsofRubbish

[MJG50 7]

Many thanks for the replies ModernBagsofRubbish and tradex - I'm not very mechanically minded and thankfully haven't had an issue like this before. It is highly possible that the main dealer that diagnosed the head gasket has gone was right and that increased pressure in the water system made other water system parts fail due to overpressure. It seems such a coincidence that nearly all the water came out of the car recently and that although the garage thought a new water pump would cure it, the fact is the water level is still going down which is a real concern. There's no mayonnaise but very occasaionally, there is a very slight misfire/knock that only happens when the car is idling. I noticed it when moving the car yesterday and it seems more likely to happen when the engine is hot - waiting at traffic lights the other day I noticed a knock and the rev counter jumped slightly. This misfire doesn't trigger the engine management light but it is pretty disconcerting. So after getting the new injector and new water pump, it doesn't seem like this has cured the problem.

I'm just wondering really whether it is worth getting the head gasket checked as the garage I use just seem to think it's fine and seem reluctant to check it. Even if they check it properly though and say the head gasket is fine, I can't sell the car with the occasional knock/misfire as no doubt this will get worse in time. I'm beginning to think the only answer is to get shot of it on a spares or repairs basis. It is such a shame as apart from occasionally when idling, the car drives 100%

 

[MJG50 7]

Thanks again tradex - I must admit I've got so cheesed off with this XK that part of me just wants to get shot of it! It's been a long time since I've had a car that's been such a pain. I can't remember the last car that caused me so many headaches. It's made me tempted to change to more mainstream stuff but then again that's not without it's problems either!

I definitely should get it checked out though - am I right in thinking that one of those head gasket tests that change colour to show the head gasket has gone are reliable? I'll get onto the workshop to do this.

[Dave2302 387]

100% Reliable

[ModernBagsofRubbish 3]

You need to find a garage to do the basic checks, if they sound like they are going to make a big job of it, move to the next

What area are you inn