any advice on headgasket replacement for a '92 1.3CL?

[pete69zx]

The thing you've labelled "What's this?" in the first picture is the water pump.

Cheers m8... just wish i had bought one from ECP when i drove there to collect the other stuff i needed

PETE

[bstardchild]

bstardchild, the Haynes states after stage 2, you angle tighten either two 90 deg turns or one 180 deg turn. I did it in two 90 deg turns, but I can't see how it would matter.

Hey if the Haynes says it's OK then they probably lifted it straight out of the dealer technical info - I just know when I di the LC head gasket it specifically states in one sweep for 180 deg and it's hard to do it on your own - mind you it also said use mineral oil to lubricate the threads not synthetic (apparently it makes a difference to the torque settings - believe me at over £600 for head gasket and bolts I wasn't about to do anything except by the book)

[GroovyCarrot]

believe me at over £600 for head gasket and bolts I wasn't about to do anything except by the book)

Bloody hell.. I thought VW's head gasket set RRP of £85 was steep.. that really takes the p***

Guess it's worth it for a car like that though Still, you could have bought my car twice for the price of a single gasket.. that's scary..

[pete69zx]

Did yours leak oil from the corner near the alternator, where the main oil gallery is?

Yeah, same place

Can I ask why you had to break the cam cover?!

Coz it seemed to be jammed around the waterpump sprocket & was annoying me shall we say at that moment in time, lol

Also, I may be stating the obvious here and it is too late now, but remember when loosening off head bolts, do them in reverse sequence order, starting with number 10.

Couldn't find anything in the haynes relating to this

PETE

[pete69zx]

ok, just gonna set to and try and dissmantle the 'head', wish me luck (im gonna need it! )

PETE

[hayesey]

LogIK wrote:
Also, I may be stating the obvious here and it is too late now, but remember when loosening off head bolts, do them in reverse sequence order, starting with number 10.


Couldn't find anything in the haynes relating to this

there's a picture in the section on doing the head gasket. are you saying you just undid them in any old order? you could've warped the head doing that.

The loosening sequence should be the reverse of the tightening sequence which is given in the haynes.

[bstardchild]

! ....

[bstardchild]

LogIK wrote:
Also, I may be stating the obvious here and it is too late now, but remember when loosening off head bolts, do them in reverse sequence order, starting with number 10.


Couldn't find anything in the haynes relating to this

there's a picture in the section on doing the head gasket. are you saying you just undid them in any old order? you could've warped the head doing that.

The loosening sequence should be the reverse of the tightening sequence which is given in the haynes.

Correct but although it might be too late - you can warp a head (esp alloy ones) if you don't undo the bolts in the same sequence as they are to be done up - always follow the sequence doing up or undoing

My point exactly

[pete69zx]

Ok... so now i feel a complete idiot, as i finally found the relevant section in the Haynes stating headbolt tightening sequence.

I'm familar with the consequences of not keeping to the correct sequence when unbolting an alloy cylinder head... just gonna keep my fingers crossed & hope for the best

The head is due to be skimmed anyways by a local enginnering firm and also chemically cleaned (Friday if i can get my arse outta bed & have all the head stripped down by then).

Early hours this morning, i almost cut the top of my finger off (so thats slowed my process down somewhat) whilst cleaning some of the oil build up away from the inside of the head

I'm just hoping that the warping of the head isnt so bad as me to require a 'new head'

I 'm also hopping that with a skim, it will also increase compression ratio (by almost nill i will agree, but maybee it will run a little better as a result).

Also... i didnt have a Haynes when i started to take the head off (and being the first cylinder head i have removed with the intention of putting it back, ie... keeping the car ) So i didnt put the engine to TDC (im thinking this has also made life harder for me when its time to put it all back together!

I'm now planning on replacing the waterpump and also the cambelt since the head is off the car anyways (fecking bill for this is starting to mount up more and more and enevitably p*ss me off! )

PETE

[Tahrey1043]

it should be easy enough to TDC the engine even with the valves and pistons separated... there's marks on both the cam sprocket and the crank, if i remember right, and even if not its a simple case of turning the crank til the pistons are lined up 2 at the very bottom, 2 at the very top, and get the head set so theres 2 pairs of fully closed valves where the topped cylinders are (and at least one open for one of the bottomed cylinders... one with the inlet valve open, the other with the exhaust?)

then after that it's just a matter of making sure the spark is hitting the right cyl at the right time - it can only happen 2 ways round really

[GroovyCarrot]

Don't worry about the TDC thing.. put the camshaft and the crankshaft to TDC seperately then bolt them together. You'll want to check quite how warped the head is before you bother paying money to have it skimmed though...

[pete69zx]

Whats the tolerances for the 'head' ?

So im then armed with some info for tomorrow, when i take the 'head' in to get skimmed.

PETE

[retro]

Whats the tolerances for the 'head' ?

0.1 mm maximum distortion.

According to Mr Haynes that is.

[genesis92]

I think in the Haynes manual to check for head flatness it says lay a steel ruler along it not flat but on it's side and check by sliding a very small feeler gauge underneath the ruler - if you can get it through then the gap is too big and the head needs skimming. Checking this at all points where the ruler touches the head.
Have to check manual for right size gauge to use it will be the one within "acceptable tolerances" of the bend of the head.

Sorry just noticed 0.1mm post above obviously the gauge will be 0.1mm or smaller.

[pete69zx]

Managed to get the head skimmed yesterday...and now its all bolted back up, with a few more bits and bobs to go back on (camshaft etc...)

I also managed to get a decent deal on an L reg polo cl coupe

However, the gear selection is all messed up...any ideas if this is a common problem and a possible easy fix (wishing here...lol)...
A friend told me of a similar problem on the corrado, and the fix is just a circlip that fit's on the bottom of the gear selector at the bottom of the stick

PETE