Joining the HGF Club!

I´ve been losing coolant for a while now, from a slight leak at the thermostat housing, so have been checking/topping up coolant every day. When checking my oil level today I´ve found slight milky deposits on the end of the dipstick & under the oil filler cap. So it looks like I´ve joined the HGF club at 93,500 miles

While it has not been unexpected that the HG would eventually go (particularly after reading all the posts on here), I am a little surprised that it´s gone without any overheating of the engine - the engine has never overheated, and when running normally the temp gauge needle always sits in it´s usual position of just under half way on the gauge. I changed the oil at 90k miles and no sign of coolant in there then.

So I have a couple of questions:

1. Why would the gasket fail without the engine overheating?
2. Can the oil rail be replaced without removing the engine, i.e. getting at it by removing the sump?
3. Can I continue using the car for a few hundred miles without causing any further (major) damage?

I know I´ll get a few comments saying sell/burn/destroy it, but that´s just not an option open to me.

Cheers (I´m off to get bladdered now to drown my sorrows!)

hg can go anywhere giving diff symtoms but uv done well at 90,000

Like everything, driving it will only make it worse & could start eating into the head depending on where it has failed so I would repair sooner rather than later unless you're going for an engine swap. Remember to check for liner slippage (sadly common on this engine) before replacing gasket & also get the head checked/skimmed for distortion.

1. Cos the red elastomeric compound just wasn't up to the job

2. Head bolts come out for oil rail to go on, yes sump is off for this, jury is still out as to whether oil rail is needed. Just make sure you read up on the procedure before starting strip down and assembly.

3. Yes, provided you make sure it doesn't ever overheat or lose excess coolant, drove for many many miles over months myself.
Emulsified oil and water makes very good lubricant. The arteries will be clogged with gunk the longer you leave it and sump has to be cleared of gunk, cos it won't drain.
Flush coolant and engine throroughly

Well I took the car to my local garage this morning for them to do the work. I got a phone call a little later to say that they had tested the head gasket (something about adding a fluid then checking for the presence of exhaust gasses in the coolant), and that in their opinion the head gasket is fine.

They´re going to fix the leak at the thermostat housing, change the coolant & oil then see what happens. They´ve also said that if they are wrong, and the head gasket has actually gone, they´ll deduct what I pay today from the bill for having the head gasket done - can´t say fairer than that

hydrocarbon test wont always give a positive result with hgf, but hope it hasnt gone... gd luck

is there any hint of contamination in the coolant resevoir,and is the little pipe running all the time the engine is running indicating the jiggle valve is working in the head.

No sign of contamination in the bottle, and yes the jiggle valve is working.

I should get the car back tomorrow so will have to see how it goes over the next few days.