1.8 Head Gasket

[slimsi]

Just a thought that I have been thinking about my purchase and will be putting 30,000 miles a year on it so in one year could be in what I am told is the HGF point and then every two years from there.

Though is it forgone conclusion that it will fail or if the cooling system is kept in good condition and topped up and if a loss detected not driven till fixed can the head gasket last as long as any other car of this quality?

[GUNN]

There is honestly a mixed opinion about the head gaskets and Im sure you will see both even sides of the argument that it will fail and it wont if good care is taken. After experiencing HGF myself and all the problems I went through afterwards I say its a good investment and for reliability purposes if you get it changed to the uprated MLS landrover gasket. It is again opinion if you fit the uprated oil rail, I did as it only cost £30 extra, after all someone spent time and money developing the uprated gasket system so you might aswell use it as it was designed.

[afcbadam]

a couple of local owners are nearing 120k and there still on the origional head gasket, mine went at 49k so theres no telling when they will go. as long as the car is looked after you greatly reduce the chance of it going

[afcbadam]

gunn. i see you have modified writen next to your car. what ave you done to it as im looking to modify my 1.8T. what power are you running

[Pelvicthrust]

Originally Posted by slimsi

Just a thought that I have been thinking about my purchase and will be putting 30,000 miles a year on it so in one year could be in what I am told is the HGF point and then every two years from there.

Though is it forgone conclusion that it will fail or if the cooling system is kept in good condition and topped up and if a loss detected not driven till fixed can the head gasket last as long as any other car of this quality?

THe H.G. has just gone on mine.I'm desperately looking for someone to sort it.
My mate reckons that on 125,000 mileage its probably been 'skimmed' before.I'll let you know.

[Telferstr]

Originally Posted by GUNN

There is honestly a mixed opinion about the head gaskets and Im sure you will see both even sides of the argument that it will fail and it wont if good care is taken. After experiencing HGF myself and all the problems I went through afterwards I say its a good investment and for reliability purposes if you get it changed to the uprated MLS landrover gasket. It is again opinion if you fit the uprated oil rail, I did as it only cost £30 extra, after all someone spent time and money developing the uprated gasket system so you might aswell use it as it was designed.

You did the right thing Sir. Always but always have the full kit fitted without question. This kit was developed to overcome a serious problem with the K Series 1.8 as fitted in the LR Freelander, make sure you gain and therefore benefit from the engineering exercise that went into solving their problem. The Freelander had a much higher failure rate than the 75, due possibly to the different installation and application. Very detailed work went into finding a cure to the LR problem, so it would be unwise not to take full advantage of the work done. Please use the complete kit and also make absolutely sure you find the "ROOT CAUSE" of the failure. ie, was it a leak from the water pump, water joint for the inlet manifold,(be sure to fit modified one,duck egg blue in colour) a failed water hose, leaking radiator or whatever. Loss of coolant is, but not always, the main cause of Cylinder Head Gasket failure with the 1.8 K Series engine. One other item which can cause problems is the protruding height of the Cylinder Liners. These should always be checked as a matter of course, as sometimes they can be found to be too low in relation to the cylinder block face. Always do this check when a cylinder head is removed for any reason.
Regards,
Telfer.