On of the most important things to do with a Rover / MG / Freelander K-Series engine is to check the water regularly – a problem caught early could save you a lot of money! So you have been regularly checking your water level and all has been going well, until one day you check it and it has used more than normal. What could it be?
If all other driving conditions are as normal – that is you have not been working it harder than usual so it may have naturally used more water – then there are a few places where the water could be escaping from:
- It could be your head gasket. If this is the case you may see a leak around the cylinder head, however the water may be escaping into the oil – this would show up as a mayonnaise coloured residue within the oil, often seen on the oil tank filler cap.
- It may be that your water pump leaking through a worn seal or bearing. In this situation you would tend to find that it drips after the car has been driven. On a Rover / MG / Freelander K-Series engine the drip would be seen on the drivers side at the front of the engine; on the Rover / MG / Freelander K V6 engine the drip would be seen on the drivers side at the back of the engine.
- Your thermostat housing may be cracked or have worn seals. If water is escaping from the thermostat housing you would expect to see the water drip from the back of the engine underneath the inlet manifold for a Rover / MG / Freelander K-Series engine. With the Rover / MG / Freelander K V6 engine the thermostat housing is in the centre of the V so the water would drip into the V and then may drip out at the rear of the engine. With the K V6 engine it can be difficult to tell from where the drip is whether it is the thermostat housing or the water pump.
- The leak could be from the radiator, hence it would be dripping from, well, the radiator!
- The cooling system pipes could be weakened, causing them to split, or the clips holding the pipes have loosened and are no longer strong enough to hold the pressure of the water as it expands. In either of these situations it is a case of checking for drips from any of the cooling system pipes in the engine bay.
- There may be a leak in your heater matrix. Generally if your heater matrix is leaking you will find the foot well inside the car becomes damp.
- The leak may be coming from your inlet manifold gasket. Check for water dripping from around the inlet manifold.
- In a Freelander water could be leaking into the IRD if the cooling plate has been damaged. Check the breather hose for the IRD unit – if this is the case then you will not see a drip of water as the leak is internal to the IRD unit.
- Perhaps the worst cause of a water leak is a crack in one of the cylinder liners. In this situation water would be leaking into the engine itself. Often only small quantities of water are escaping into the engine which may mean that traces of water in the oil are not obvious.
For effective cooling the Rover / MG / Freelander K-series engine requires the red coolant to be used, and when it comes to determining where a leak is this can often be very beneficial as if the leak is dripping externally it will leave pink stains around the area of the drip.
But don’t panic, we can help!
Hi I have a 2003 mg zt 1.8 turbo with 102000 miles on. 2 years ago it had the triple layer head gasket upgrade so I’m a little stumped by my latest fault? When the car has been stood and gone cold and I start it up I get quite a lot of white smoke which stops once it has started to build up temp. Any help with this would be taken onboard with many thanks Wayne
Hi Wayne,
Apologies for the delay in responding.
This sounds very much like an issue with your cylinder liners. If your MG overheated previously it could be that they were compromised then and are only now showing the signs.
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421
have a 2002 1.8 freelander , straight through mot the other day coming back started to get hot lot of pressure in the hoses and header tank, it has a new tank and replacement thermostat on the front of engine , no smoke or water leek apart from boiling up in tank, fine on tick over just when going up hill gets hot could this still be head gasket or something else
Hi I have rover 75 2.5lt v6 24v and the temperature gauge keeps going up and down I have noticed a drip of water under drives seat but theres no white scum. Under oil cap nor can I see any water in the header tank is the rover dead?
Hi Peter,
Apologies for the delay in responding, somehow your comment slipped through the net.
This does sound like a head gasket issue with exhaust gases going into the cooling system unfortunately.
All the best,
Sue
+44-780-9575-421
Hi Scott,
Is the drip by the driver’s seat happening inside the car? If so then you should check if the heater matrix is leaking.
If there is no coolant in the header tank then fill it up to the maximum and keep a close eye on it.
Have you checked for signs of a leak in the V of the engine? If it is leaking there then it will be the thermostat housing, which is a fairly common issue as they are plastic housings positioned in the hottest part of the engine. We do have a modification for this in terms of a metal thermostat housing and pipes – not cheap but a much better solution.
All the best,
Sue
+44-780-9575-421
Hi.
i have been following the thread with regards to the rover 75 2.5l v6. Iv got a leaking thermostat housing i do not want to replace it with another plastic unit.
I saw somebody mentioned a better unit thats available how would i be able to get my hands on a unit and what is the pricing.
Im in south africa cape town.
If anyone has any information please contact me. Laeeqolivergti@gmail.com
Im not sure if this is a local forum.
Hi Laeeq,
We can supply you with the metal thermostat kit which includes the metal thermostat housing and the associated pipes. We are based in the UK. The kit is £245.83 and shipping to South Africa is £45 by courier.
All the best,
Sue
+44-780-9575-421
Hi guys, fairly new to owning a car so bear with me. Recently I bought a 2003 mg ZT+, when I did my checks the coolant seemed empty and the oil too so I topped them both up. Got the car insured this Friday just gone so naturally I was driving all day to get used to it. Later I noticed the fan was coming on a lot and when I popped the bonnet to get a bit of air to it I noticed a little smoke, nothing major. On the way home the engine overheated and the temp gauge was at maximum. When I checked the coolant the bottle was empty. Waited till next morning and topped up the coolant again, but when I looked under the car it looked like coolant was leaking fromwhat looks like the sump. I’ve checked the oil and all seems fine, no build up no residue. Had it to 2 garages and I’ve been told it’s head gasket failure by one and heater matrix by another. The footwells not wet though. I’m thinking airlock but not sure, please help!!!
Hi Chris,
If the leak is external, i.e. you can see that coolant is coming out then it is most likely a leak from the water pump or the thermostat housing. It is possible for the head gasket to leak externally but it is more common for it to cross contaminate into the oil. Sine you can see coolant leaking check the water pump and thermostat, if you have red coolant in the system (which is the coolant you should use) then you should be able to see the pink residue around where it leaks. If you are having difficulty then it could be worth doing a pressure test on the cooling system.
All the best,
Sue
+44-780-9575-421
Colleagues,
I have numerous leaking & overheating problems with my Freelander K – Series, 16 V , Petrol. The best medicine , that I believe will save me time, money and ‘ stress’ , is to’ down the engine ‘ , then just re- build the engine.
Yes ! Sounds strange to some, but once these engines go around 100 000 miles, leaks,overheating head gasket issues/ problems are inevitable.
I am re- building mine & have bought the re- built kit components … almost all in place save for the Head Bolt set and Cam belt tensioner. This will enable me to inspect all the internal components & replace them if need be.
Hope to share the results after engine re- built. Thanks for sharing the possible causes of water loss.
I love my Freelander ! It shall be well !
4×4 by FAR !
http://www.roverkseries.com/rover-k-series/rover-k-series-reconditioned-engine-1-8-litre-petrol-rover-25-45-75-200-400
Hi Mr Q.
We look forward to hearing how you get on with your engine rebuild. The Freelanders are certainly great vehicles.
All the best,
Sue
+44-780-9575-421
I seem to have a lot of coolant being omitted from the exhaust. I ve changed the inlet manifold gasket. It s had new top and bottom hoses and a brand new radiator because the old ones were shot. The oil and water have not mixed together and it doesn’t t overheat
Would the excess coolant from exhaust be the headgasket on it s way out? Thanks
Hi i hv a rover 75 V6 . Did change the thermostat housing as it was leaking. Now when i fill the radiator and drive with the car it looks like the cooling system build up pressure even when the car is cold in the morning and i open the cap the water push out of the radiator can anyone tell me what can be wrong
Hi Johan,
Did you bleed the cooling system when you changed the thermostat? Is the bottom radiator hose getting hot when the car is up to normal operating temperature? Are the fans coming on when they should?
All the best,
Sue
+44-780-9575-421
Hello T.Martin,
It sounds like your cylinder liners may have dropped or cracked if it is the 1.8 K-series engine.
All the best,
Sue
Hi hope you can help. I have a non turbo 1.8 MG ZT and it uses or loses a litre of water. No sign of visible leaks no steam from exhaust or oil scum red coolant just disappears. No engine error codes had recent water pump when cam belt wad done and inlet manifold gasket is replaced. I have checked hose connections am totally perplexed.
Hi Stephen,
My profound apologies, your message found its way into our Spam folder. Have you sorted this problem out or do you still need help?
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421