Topic

Hi all; the honeymoon period is now over and the first problem has arisen wth my TF.
I was stationary in traffic last Weds and the temp guage decided to shoot up to three quarters .. the traffic started moving before it had chance to climb and settled back down to its normal level just above quarter. Drove on the short distance to work and at lunchtime discovered water on the ground and coolant level down by about a pint. Thought Id play safe and book it into the garage for check up. They booked me in for today and a pressure test. In the meantime I topped up the lost coolant and have used the car in the interim keeping close eye on guages and coolant. Everything normal with perhaps a little loss of coolant. Anyway, picked up from garage today and their verdict was water pump. Awaiting a quote tomorrow. Now I know the head gasket was done at 33,000 (now on 41000) so thought Id check paper work that came with the car as it seems odd that they wouldnt have done the pump at the same time...... and yes they had.
So question is .. is it likely that the pump has failed after only 8000 or is it possible the garage might have misdiagnosed. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks rog

Hi Rog,

Anything is 'possible' to be honest! What kind of head gasket did they replace the blown one with? If it was another standard one then that is just as likely a culprit as the water pump (assuming it was actually changed of course!). If it is the water pump then you should see water coming from the drivers side of the engine, just under where the cam-belt cover is - if it is then most likely the pump - if not then suspect the gasket (although usually there's water and oil mixture.

Hi Adam, Thanks for the reply. Im not sure what head gasket was used as it doesnt state on the invoice. I just assumed they would have used the upgraded one. It was serviced at the same time and the service book has been marked with cambelt and water pump change, which is also confirmed on the invoice. I do have the number of the garage that fitted it so I suppose I could ring them and find out more, although it was done two years ago so they might not remember.
Im only questioning todays verdict of pump failure becuase of its apparent short life span.
Also on checking the coolant level this evening the garage have over filled well above the advised seam level. Will this cause any problems or should I syphon some out?

PS. Oil and water are both clean ... at least for now

Bad pumps do happen.
I would be inclined to take it by the shop that did the work and have them put it up on the hoist to check the pump for leaks and play in the bearing.
Of course after 2 years they likely won't warranty the parts but they should do the check for free and may even give you a break on the price for replacing the pump/or HG if required.

Rich

As Rich says - see if you can get he garage to have a look for free... another quick way to see where the leak is - put a sheet of cardboard under the engine area, in the morning you should see where the leak is! That's assuming it's leaking when it is stationary of course!

Thanks guys for advice. I guess my biggest fear is hgf from all the horror stories Ive heard.
Ive been religously keeping an eye on guages and levels since I had the car and in the first week I was stuck in traffic for twenty minutes and the guage didnt budge at all, so whatever the problem is has only just surfaced so water pump could be the culprit. Ill mention the age of the water pump to them tomorrow when they ring with quote and ask them in more detail why they suspect water pump. Ill also ring the garage who did the hg change and try and get some info off them. There's also a guy I know who specialises in Landrovers who I know I can trust so as he's probably familiar with the k engine he would probably give me a second opinion. Ill keep you posted on results.
Thanks
rog

Rog,
the first thing I would do is check the operation of the rad fan.
Boiling in traffic is often down to the rad fan failing to cut in. You can check it by pulling the plug off the coolant temp sensor with the ignition on, the fan should come on. Check the fuse(s) if it doesn't come on.

The loss of coolant could be from the expansion tank cap after overheating occurred. Replace the cap too.

If a garage told me it was the water pump rather than the HG I'd be a happy man rather than talking myself into a HG change.

Water pumps can go, even after low mileages. Did they actually fit a new one or did they just charge for it. Did they fit a genuine one or pattern one. Did they fit it properly.

A standard gasket isn't a bad thing. I chose to fit a Payen elastomer type gasket when I did mine rather than the overhyped MLS type. The MLS are OK if liner heights are spot on, but maybe not so good if there is some variance.

If you are getting a new pump fitted then I would do the belts too as they are around halfway through their life now.

Overfilling the expansion tank will result in coolant being forced out through the expansion tank cap which can damage it.

Have spoken today with the garage who replaced the HG and have been told they replaced the standard with an uprated version.
Getting an estimate tomorrow for the water pump change... any ideas as to the labour time of this as they have hinted it could be quite time intensive as it's hard to get to and thus could be expensive.
Tested radiator this morning and that's working fine.
Ive just bought a workshop manual cd off fleabay so I can gen up more on the mechanics as I want to try and become more hands on myself in the future .... which with my mechanical knowledge could be dangerous.
Hopefully when the water pump is changed I can relax again ... Ive been checking oil and water everyday and panicking over the slightest discolouration.
I think the HG horror stories have got to me a little and hopefully all will be well.

Thanks all for your advice, very much appreciated
rog

Whilst you are waiting for your cd, The PDF versions are here http://www.mgfforum.com/resources/downloads

Rog, you could have downloaded a workshop manual from this forum, i have the expensive paper copy (£35) but have still downloaded one as it is much easier to print the odd page. Clives advice is very sound, please keep us informed on progress. Russell Walsh (MG Rover Solutions) did a Cambelt, water pump & coolant change for Kimshros for under £200. i would get a firm quote from your garage rater than just letting them get on with it.

You beat me to it !!!!!!!