The day has finally come; I've had the car nearly 2 years, and I'm pretty certain I now have the dreaded Head Gasket Failure, as shown in the following pictures. Coolant has been steadily disappearing for a couple of months now, and a black gunk has recently appeared in the expansion tank. Then, I found coolant weeping between the block and the head, the final piece of confirmation I needed.
Rang my 3 usual parts places (Xparts, Andrew Pages and a Motor Factors) and the price difference is ridiculous. For all the parts, I've got a difference of £200, yes £200 between the prices quoted by the 3, Xparts being the most expensive.
I can't decide what to do about who to buy from. Xparts themselves seem to reckon liner heights don't affect gasket choice (WTF?!), none of them know about the Oil Ladders (Although Xparts said they think it comes as part of the MLS kit), and the other 2 seem quite cheap compared to Xparts.
I'm going to replace the cambelt (again, but this will be the 3rd time it's been de tensioned then re tensioned), a new water pump as it might as well be done, new head bolts, get the head skimmed (as I don't know if it ever was), and obviously gasket to suit liner heights.
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