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

[pete69zx]

headgasket is on its way out... any advice / parts list i will require to do the job myself?

TIA

PETE

[GroovyCarrot]

Advice: don't worry about it, piece of cake

Parts etc: Head gasket, torque wrench, splined sockets (go to an auto accessory shop and tell them what it's for and they'll give you the right sockets). You may want to get a head gasket set, then you can replace the manifold gaskets etc which will probably also be on the way out. Also, a new set of cylinder head bolts is a good idea, or you can just scrub all the rubbish out of the threads of the existing ones.

It's easy to do, just disconnect any cables / tubes connected to the head / distributor / carb / inlet manifold, remove rocker cover, remove head bolts in sequence, lift head etc out of engine bay, remove existing gasket, replace with new gasket, reverse sequence.

While the head's off, you might want to clean the tops of the valves and pistons with oven cleaner, get all the coke off them, and also make sure the surface of the head is absolutely flat. Do make sure you get all the oven cleaner off afterwards though

[bstardchild]

Advice: don't worry about it, piece of cake

Parts etc: Head gasket, torque wrench, splined sockets (go to an auto accessory shop and tell them what it's for and they'll give you the right sockets). You may want to get a head gasket set, then you can replace the manifold gaskets etc which will probably also be on the way out. Also, a new set of cylinder head bolts is a good idea, or you can just scrub all the rubbish out of the threads of the existing ones.

It's easy to do, just disconnect any cables / tubes connected to the head / distributor / carb / inlet manifold, remove rocker cover, remove head bolts in sequence, lift head etc out of engine bay, remove existing gasket, replace with new gasket, reverse sequence.

While the head's off, you might want to clean the tops of the valves and pistons with oven cleaner, get all the coke off them, and also make sure the surface of the head is absolutely flat. Do make sure you get all the oven cleaner off afterwards though

Written like an expert

[GroovyCarrot]

Written like an expert

Damn well should be an expert by now the amount of time I've spent with the thing on a workbench
I shall delve into the workings of the head itself when I have dubs' engine to play about with.. didn't dare dismantle mine after my experiences with the bottom end..

[pete69zx]

thanx for the advice m8

would you reccomend a 'head skim' aswell?

the gasket dont seem to be too bad, as the car is still driveable, just heating up rapidly & using water.

suggestions please?

i got all the tools, just need the parts tomorrow / saturday morning!

PETE

[GroovyCarrot]

If when you take the head off, you can see any daylight between the surface of the head and a perfectly straight surface, you should really have the head skimmed or it's very likely that the gasket will blow again soon. If not, you're pretty safe really.. do make sure to clean off any coke or other rubbish that may have got stuck on the surface of the head while you're at it, you want the gasket surfaces to be as smooth as possible.

[GroovyCarrot]

Oh yeah, if you're doing this because it's using water and overheating, first open the oil filler cap and check for any white residue, and also check for any oil in the coolant water. If you don't see either of them, it's quite likely that there's a water leak from elsewhere. Mind you, it can't hurt to change the gasket just in case, doesn't take long

[pete69zx]

Oh yeah, if you're doing this because it's using water and overheating, first open the oil filler cap and check for any white residue, and also check for any oil in the coolant water. If you don't see either of them, it's quite likely that there's a water leak from elsewhere. Mind you, it can't hurt to change the gasket just in case, doesn't take long

water in the oil (evident when the oil filler cap is unscrewed).

no oil in the water from what i can see, but imense pressure within the water pipes!

no emulsification appearing on the dip stick though.

PETE

[GroovyCarrot]

If there's any sign of emulsification on the filler gap, change the head gasket.. oil in the water tends to be more extreme cases really, and it sounds like you've nipped this one in the bud pretty early on

[LogIK]

imense pressure within the water pipes!

Exactly what I had. This was my first sign of the gasket blowing, along with a really uneven idle, as it was blowing badly on no.1 cylinder.

When I removed the head this week, the combustion chamber for no.1 cylinder was so clean, due to the water in the cylinder!

GroovyCarrot, you were saying that you should clean all of the coke off the head etc, but I believe that isn't always the right thing to do. I advise that you clean the whole face EXCEPT the combustion chamers on the cylinders that haven't been blowing. There are two reasons for this:

1. They will coke up straight away anyway, so it's a waste of time.
2. The sealing face should still be intact on these cylinders, so you are best leaving it alone. If you mess with it, it may not seal properly when you put the new gasket on. As I say - "If a woman had a perfect face, would you mess with it?"

As for skimming the head, it is probably best getting it done. However, I didn't get mine done, as I checked the head over with a straight edge and it is square.

It's not a difficult job, it just takes a while, making sure everything is right. Take your time, and you will really enjoy it.

Good Luck.

[hayesey]

you should replace the head bolts. Not because the old ones get dirty but because they stretch when they're tightened back up. Re-using the old ones means they wont lock up as tightly.

Also a very good idea to replace the timing belt & water pump while you're at it. Definately replace the belt if it's done more than 20k since last being replaced.

Skimming the head shouldn't be necessary unless the engine has been over heated. But checking its flat with a straight edge wouldn't go a miss.

It's important you progressively undo & tighten the bolts in the correct order to reduce head warping due to stresses of some bolt being tight & other not.

Haynes tells you the orders & importantly the stage of torque to tighten them up to. There are 4 stages, 2 you tighten up to a specified torque using a torque wrench & then 2 stages of 180 degrees. Make sure you've got a big breaker bar and/or scaffolding pole to extend the bar cos those bolts go SERIOUSLY tight.

It's not a hard job though, a bit time consuming but not hard.

[pete69zx]

Upon pulling the head off (excuse the pun )... here are my findings...





Managed to get a full top end rebuild gasket set for when i take ithe head apart (not really looking forward to this, as it will be my first time )

Whilst attempting to remove the head, i had to break the camcover at the bottom aswell to get the head off (bugger)

Also had to chop through the top end of the casting on the dipstick, as the allen stud decided to round off on me

PETE

[GroovyCarrot]

Erk It's a real pain when bolt heads go and you have to start chopping things up

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

Good luck taking the head apart, hope everything goes smoothly...

[bstardchild]

you should replace the head bolts. Not because the old ones get dirty but because they stretch when they're tightened back up. Re-using the old ones means they wont lock up as tightly.

They also snap as you do them up if you re-use them and then it's a real pain in the ass as they normally snap on the final tighten up stage....

Also a very good idea to replace the timing belt & water pump while you're at it. Definately replace the belt if it's done more than 20k since last being replaced.

Good advice

Skimming the head shouldn't be necessary unless the engine has been over heated. But checking its flat with a straight edge wouldn't go a miss.

I'd skim whatever - gives a nice flat surface and gets rid of any water erosion around the water cooling holes so the head gaskets last a bit better. it's only £30 (ish)

It's important you progressively undo & tighten the bolts in the correct order to reduce head warping due to stresses of some bolt being tight & other not.

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

Haynes tells you the orders & importantly the stage of torque to tighten them up to. There are 4 stages, 2 you tighten up to a specified torque using a torque wrench & then 2 stages of 180 degrees. Make sure you've got a big breaker bar and/or scaffolding pole to extend the bar cos those bolts go SERIOUSLY tight.

And it needs to be done in one sweep not 4 x 45 deg bits...... A friend is handy here - you start he finishes

It's not a hard job though, a bit time consuming but not hard.

Well worth doing properly too....

[LogIK]

Mine blew on No.1 Cylinder aswell.

For some reason, mine looked a lot cleaner than yours does in the pics and had a lot less rust in the water ways! Maybe I caught it earlier.

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

Can I ask why you had to break the cam cover?! After disconecting the rad hoses, a few plugs, dipstick tube and the three water pump bolts, the head should come free with no problems.

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.

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.