Head gasket job

Well, I've made a start on replacing the head gasket.

The fanbelt is off, the valve cover's off, the cambelt cover's off.  

So far I've;

Sheared one bolt     (an alternator mounting bolt - mercifully the short one)

Discovered that one bolt is missing   :x   (the panhead bolt that is supposed to hold the cambelt cover on - anyone got one going spare?)

Discovered holes in several, in fact pretty much all, of the rubber vacuum/venting pipes   :roll:   

Started degreasing the valve cover - it's seriously caked - and the various other bits and pieces.

Doused the accessible intake and exhaust manifold bolts in WD40 ready for the next attack.


On balance I think I'm enjoying the process, but I am starting to wonder whether this will all end with me being committed to a home for the mentally fragile, muttering "gaskets! gaskets!"

Has the club considered setting up such a home?

Ali Cabrio

AliCabrio said

end with me being committed to a home for the mentally fragile, muttering "gaskets! gaskets!"

Has the club considered setting up such a home?

Ali Cabrio

   :lmao: funniest thing I've heard in ages!

think your on the right track and hope it all goes back together and runs fine when your done!

got mine to do in the very near future (only leaking a little oil out the front so can wait).. got some 'liquid spanner' for the manifold bolts.. apparently very good and garages use it

not looking forward at this job myself due to the head sounding like a school of tap dancers. Got a solid head and bought a Hydo head from ebay to replace it, but with a K-Jet GTI head.Mines a carb. Got some info to mod it to fit. Just hope it plain sailing. Also been reading up on port n polishing too. I think the dremmel might come out of retirement. Liquid spanner sounds good!.gona have to get a can or buckets of this stuff..lol
Beats watchin the TV in the evenings.

Well done Ali cabrio  :clap: , you're making the right noises and you sound like you are taking it steady. Best way IMO.

You've also started to learn the most difficult bit, undoing nut and bolts that have been happy in place for years, the car restorers love hate relationship to fixing their motors.

Start spraying WD40 or any other releasing oil on all nut an bolt you have to undo so it has time to sink in the loger the better.

One  little tip to stop you shearing bolts, tighten ithem slightly first, just a twitch,then undo. This cracks the rusted/corroded together threads and help get them to be undone, simple but very affective.

Keep us posted and good luck

Rob  

satelliteone said

not looking forward at this job myself due to the head sounding like a school of tap dancers. Got a solid head and bought a Hydo head from ebay to replace it, but with a K-Jet GTI head.Mines a carb. Got some info to mod it to fit. Just hope it plain sailing. Also been reading up on port n polishing too. I think the dremmel might come out of retirement. Liquid spanner sounds good!.gona have to get a can or buckets of this stuff..lol
Beats watchin the TV in the evenings.

If you are changing to hydraulic tappets from solid then you will need to swap to a higher pressure hydro oil pump, or your head will still rattle  :wink:

Well done on attempting to 'Do it yourself'………just think….you are saving yourself ?450 !!!!!!! (That's what I had to shell out to have mine done…..and that was NOT VAG !!!!)

While you are at it, put a new cam belt on and consider replacing the belt tensioner……

Been looking for a Hydo oil pump, cant find one from GFS. or Eurocar parts. The pumps have the same part number for the Carb and GTI 1.6 and 1.8.Only the diesel used a different pump. Where can i get one? Thanks!

   

the sassinfrassinrustedtoblazes piece of b…..olt is still stuck in the alternator, having resisted attacks from stud extractors and drills. So far I don't think I've damaged the threads, but my mental stability is definitely suffering.

I have managed to get the lower cam belt cover off at the relatively minor cost of only one skinned knuckle (through a rubber glove) and no sheared lower pulley bolts  

The plug leads are all labelled up, piston one is at TDC, the plugs are boxed up, and the valve cover has emerged from under its shell of baked on crud     

But most importantly - carefull and reverently I inserted (wait for it) the stunning plastic dash vent inserts into the worn window vent holes, and suddently everything was alright with the world.

Next weekend - off with the inlet manifold, and time to attack the exhaust manifold studs - oh boy what fun that will be  :twisted:

Ali

Good luck! Once you've changed a head gasket, you're king of cars. IMHO of course. Now I've done mine I can do anything….

AliCabrio said

   

the sassinfrassinrustedtoblazes piece of b…..olt is still stuck in the alternator, having resisted attacks from stud extractors and drills. So far I don't think I've damaged the threads, but my mental stability is definitely suffering.

Don't worry I know how you feel. I sheared a bolt which holds the door on (half of it stayed in the door hinge, on the door) and it took 2 days to get it out. I went through 5 sets of drill bits. Eventually, through a combination of drilling, filing and chiselling the bits I could reach, I got the remains of the bolt out. The thread was pretty mashed up, so I had to use a tap & die set to re-cut it and now its all okay.

I'm planning to raid my dad's stash of tap and die sets this weekend - only he doesn't know this yet

The last bolt I had problems with was the 10mm allen headed bolt that clamped one of my motorcycle's clip-ons onto the fork leg.

I had to go to an engineering shop to find a special tap to clean out the threads and to get a replacement bolt the right size - absolute pain the proverbial - but it's reassuring to know that it's not going to give way at 70mph on the motorway (mr officer sir)  :wink:

I can at least get on with removing the intake manifold while thinking about new and inventive ways to atomize rusted bolts….

Ali