2000 Rover 45 Head gasket failure....or not?

2000 ROVER 45
169,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • MANUAL
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PAULKEARTON
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I have found a small amount of creamy residue on the oil filler cap and a small sign of the creamy substance when I look inside. I also have very dirty/rusty/slightly oily water in the coolant resevior. I do not have any over-heating problems, or bad smells, no smoke, and no loss of coolant or oil. Why would the resevior be so dirty and why is there a slight creamy residue on filler cap? I have been advised to use K-Seal in case the head gasket is on its way out.
Nov 1, 2009 at 1:39 PM
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DAVE H
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A slight amount of cream on the oil filler cap can be caused by condensation ... but the other symptoms your describing do indeed point to headgasket beginning to fail
Nov 2, 2009 at 6:31 AM
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PAULKEARTON
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Even if I have no smoke or smells, no overheating, no loss of water or oil, and my heater still works. Would flushing the coolant, and adding a product such as K-Seal to repair gasket work?
Nov 2, 2009 at 6:38 AM
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DAVE H
  • ✓ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 13,384 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Have a cylinder compression test carried out to check the headgasket for failure !! I have found that using a sealing agent very rarely works for long .. you could try flushing and adding ? ... I think ultimately the gasket will need replacing


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Nov 2, 2009 at 3:26 PM
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