head gasket - please help

14th February 2010, 00:34

Okay i have a 1.1 saxo east coast. The head gasket has gone and would like a little help please.

Firstly will i need to skim the head? if it looks straight will i beable to just clean it up, new head gasket and bolts and just torque it down? next, would i beable to use the same cam belt? Regardless, to take it off do i simply get it to TDC and mark all the cogs and belts with a marker to indicate where they are in relation to each other.

To change a head gasket should i only need the following (i will need to drain oil and water):

Head gasket (with bolts)
Cam Belt (if i can't use my current one)
Oil
Anti-freeze
Cooling system flush

time and haynes

Is this right?

Thanks in advanced, i have searched the forum but they are all either dead or haven't answered all my questions.

Ryan

14th February 2010, 02:08

there is a hole in the top cam sprocket to line up with tdc, I wouldnt rely on marking the belt if you are changing the belt [btw I have a spare new belt pm if interested]

did the head overheat? If it did it will be warped and need skimming, if not ok

Wouldnt bother with cooling system flush just run a hose through it.

14th February 2010, 03:25

just done my ax 1.1 hg, i replaced the following;

Head gasket,
Head set inscliding strecth blots all oil seals and gaskets etc,
Thermostat,
Plugs,
Oil Filer & Air Filter (just for good measure)
Radiator

I also had my head skimmed to be on the safe side.
If you feel nessecary do the cam belt and water pump aswell though, i had a cambelt with around 5k on it so didnt bother(just get it safe and clean while off) also i know im gonna regret at some point not doing the water pump.
You should time up the engine and leve the pin in the bottom end then take off the head etc then when re-assembling make sure you align the cam spoket up propperly so the its all timed up before you put the belt back on.

hope that helps (y)

14th February 2010, 11:06

its really difficult to tell if the head is warped you are talking 1000th's of inches here mate, you know what i mean, not really gonna pick that up by eye.

for piece of mind i would definitely advise skimming the head, if not and it is warped and doesn't seal properly you'll be replacing the head gasket again in no time!

14th February 2010, 11:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lew_C

its really difficult to tell if the head is warped you are talking 1000th's of inches here mate, you know what i mean, not really gonna pick that up by eye.

for piece of mind i would definitely advise skimming the head, if not and it is warped and doesn't seal properly you'll be replacing the head gasket again in no time!

Agree mate, look in yellow pages for local engineering firm,prob be £30-£40 max but then you know the jobs done right. (That tiny bit extra compression always helps as well lol)

Good luck with it mate, take your time when doing it, take photos as you go for reference when reassembling.

15th February 2010, 12:41

Thanks to everyone for posting! This is my first thread and am really amazed by the amount of support.

just on more Q: When you put the cam belt on, do you start from the top or bottom sprokets? then check the slack on all the open lengths of belt? how do you ensure that the belt isn't tighter on one side?

I will probably get the head skimmed.

Thanks again,

Ryan

15th February 2010, 13:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by shredtheibanez

Thanks to everyone for posting! This is my first thread and am really amazed by the amount of support.

just on more Q: When you put the cam belt on, do you start from the top or bottom sprokets? then check the slack on all the open lengths of belt? how do you ensure that the belt isn't tighter on one side?

I will probably get the head skimmed.

Thanks again,

Ryan

The tensioner pulley will be slack (you will have done this to remove the old belt previously) allowing you to put the belt over the top and bottom pulleys. Keep the front run tight, you want the slack at the back where the idler/tensioner pully is. You may want to put a spanner on the cam pulley and gently push it anti clockwise to acheive this.

To set belt tension you will need to able to twist the belt in the middle of its longest run (front of engine in our case) by 90 degrees with your finger and thumb with reasonable force. Bit vague but close enough. If you get a whizzing noise when revving after a day or two it's to tight and needs a wee bit of slack introducing.

I found it easier to do this job by taking off the upper engine mount for more access and supporting the engine on a sturdy jack/block of wood.

15th February 2010, 16:46

tbh since you are doing the hg you will want to do the water pump and new timing belt aswell, or you are a fool! lol being blunt..

might aswell get a head gasket kit that will have all the gaskets up the top end..

dont forget a jack and a bunch of bricks!