Mayonaisse time - new engine or rebuild

Head gasket - 1.8 - went just before the snow. No warning signs, no water leaks, just let go. So now there is slushy mayonaisse in the sump.
Options -

skim head/updated gasket lots of flushing through of system

second-hand engine

recon engine

100k on the clock, we think the head's been done before....

Advice please

if it were me, I would take the head off and see what state the head face is in and if the liners are above the block face, if ok I would go for a new HG - the MLS type with the strengthened oil rail.

Getting another engine is fine but it could be about as bad as the one you have

as long as it wasn't cooked there is a good chance of a sound repair, but you won't know till it is stripped.

As above.....you'll need to investigate before weighing up your options

when all is still OK I would go for the cheapest option. Use the new type gasket and mod the cooling system.

spoke to a specialist here in Holland whom said non of the modified headgasket car come back with same problem.

I am driving around like that for a year now and all goeas well

Thanks guys, frozen mayonaisse now melted and surprisingly little damage to engine, no signs of warping etc. The rubbers had come away from the gasket, but because there were metal dowels in there we think it has been replaced - badly - before.
Anyway, new uprated gasket arriving tomorrow, new thermostat (with the little valve removed from hole to help reduce temperature shock) new cam seals and water pump while we're in there. Don't want to go opening this one up again...

guy-taliesin said:

new thermostat (with the little valve removed from hole to help reduce temperature shock) ..

Click to expand...

Genuine LR/Rover stats dont have the ickle toggle valve, you sure you haven't got a stat for an old school mini or metro?

if it measures up the same as the old one then shouldn't be a prob. (Probably the same design for the last 30 yrs lol)

I had the same before christmas, which was a bugger as MOT due 12/1

Needed new cylinder head

Have had replace

Have now traded it in

As mentioned worth doing properly

Ouch - I was lucky then! Engine back up and running, but here's an interesting thing - there are two thermostats. Rad wasn't cutting in and then...there's a second thermostat close to the radiator. So how come there's two on this Freebie? It's a 2001 on a Y plate, has someone put remote stat in and not removed the original? Weird

guy-taliesin said:

Ouch - I was lucky then! Engine back up and running, but here's an interesting thing - there are two thermostats. Rad wasn't cutting in and then...there's a second thermostat close to the radiator. So how come there's two on this Freebie? It's a 2001 on a Y plate, has someone put remote stat in and not removed the original? Weird

Click to expand...

Didin't you just start another thread asking this exact same question?