rover 45

[smccullagh]

i have recently bought an 03 rover 45 impression s3 td and it doesn't seem to be retaining water . when filled with water there is no visiable leaks (puddles on the ground) but when the car heats up the water disappears the heater in the car still works and it doesn't overheat(temperature hand stays horizonial) i have only managed to do 10 miles on 2 litres of water then have to stop and fill it up with water again . it only went through the mot 2 weeks ago . any ideas what is wrong with it would be very very helpful thanks

[WELSHYORKIE]

Any 'mayonnaise on the dipstick? Possible head gasket failure?

[chas2008]

unfortunately passing the MOT means nothing regarding the egine (apart from emissions)....if there is no sign of a leak anywhere it can only be losing it through the engine ie head or headgasket....

[TonyV]

sounds like head gasket

[mickrog]

cajn happoen in any car....Rovers no better or worse than others

[TonyV]

not a lot of money to get fixed

[smccullagh]

checked dip stick only pure black oil on it

[Khandro]

If it is because of head gasket failure it wont necessarily show in the oil on the dipstick, but would show on the inside of the oil filler cap. Have you removed it and looked inside ?

[smccullagh]

have oil cap opened and no white sludge of any kind there only good black oil

[Khandro]

If the water isn't going inside the engine block, then it's going outside somewhere, are you filling up the overflow reservoir or the radiator itself?

[Hopkirk]

Get the engine up to temperature, and look in the engine bay and under the engine while it is running. It may be spraying out when pressurised.

Is there much water vapour showing in the exhaust?

I have to disagree with Mickrog though, Rovers are worse than others for head gasket failures. That's how mine died, and I have heard of many more.

[mjwman]

It does rather depend on what engine it has. The K series is well known for head gasket failure but the good news is that they identified the cause so fitting a new one with the right kit will cure it for good.
Probably cost more than the car is worth though. Sorry.

[Cockney_si]

"good black oil" - Clean oil should be golden not black, black is a sign that it hasn't been changed for a while.