Head Gasket

[Neil Fellows]

I have a 2002 Elise with the K-series engine. I may need to replace the Head gasket and have been told that Lotus have a modified Head Gasket for this model of engine. Can anyone shed any light on this for me please.

 

Neil Fellows

[russelld]

The N series gasket is now supposed to be the gold standard.

https://www.carservicepacks.co.uk/product/k-series-uprated-head-gasket-kit-payen-n-series-gasket/

the head may need skim first 👍

[Rjhoy02]

I've just fitted an new series head gasket and it worked fine. I didn't have to skim the head.

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[MG Ant]

Friend and I took our KSeries Midgets to Nurburgring for a spin; his 'head-gasket' went whilst we were enjoying a drive in the environs - so his car was shipped home and we carried on in mine. The symptoms were: excess gasssing was causing the coolant to be ejected, when the engine was under-load, and severe over-heating.

I wasn't sure the gasket had gone, after a number of tests, but couldn't put a finger on it!

Back home some weeks later, he took the head off and the gasket was in good condition; he skimmed the head and put it all back together.

It still continued to lose water from the cap... and so he tried another one, and the 'head-gasket' was cured.

It turned out that he'd replaced the expansion tank a couple of weeks before the trip from a top-name supplier... and they'd given him the wrong cap !!! It seemed to fit well, but clearly didn't.

I wonder how many 'head-gasket-fails' are the result of something similar?