Head Gasket Repair Diary

  • Thread starter Thread starter M0T
  • Start date Start date
Well I have been forced to stop with the work.

Unfortunatly the Cam locking tool and torx sockets I ordered have decided not to turn up today, I don't really want to run a bodge job so I am going to wait for them to come tomorrow.

I do have plenty of time after all.
 
You can do the job without the locking tool, it just makes it a bit easier, though obviously the torx bits are essential. Make absolutely sure that you replace the inlet manifold gasket as well, and clear all the gunk from the air bleed valve behind the inlet manifold flange.

Has the cooling system been contaminated with mayo?
 
Nozzer said:
:( A K-Series owners' worst nightmare. At least it's cheap and easy to fix.
Click to expand...

as long as you spotted it early and didn't overheat and warp the head.

weekly coolant and oil checks for this K series owner, not lost one yet, touches wood.

HT
 
Even if you did, a new K series is well under a grand...

Spose if it's in an old Rover worth peanuts then the goalposts are moved.
 
ARGH!

I have phoned all the motorfactors in the yellow pages to try and get hold of an inlet manifold gasket, an exhaust manifold gasket and a rocker cover gasket (I knew someone who thought he had some but turned out he didn't which is why I didnt get them from a dealer).

About 3 places had the exhaust manifold gasket, no one had any of the other two. So I phoned up the last place and the bloke went through a very long winded process of asking me what I wanted, took about 5 minutes to find out that he had all 3 bits I needed. I asked him what time he closed and after all that time he told me 'Oh, we're closed today'.

ARGH!
 
Update:

Well today I cracked the head off the engine, made a slight balls up since I forgot to unplug the air intake temperature sensor and have ripped the wiring out of the connector.

Anyway heres the pics:



Woo enter the engine!



The head. Lardy bastid. According to my straight edge the heads perfect, thank god for that. I did not want to have to remove those VVC mechanisms for skimming.



Can you see where it failed yet... /Rolf Harris
 
Head Gasket Diary

Monday:

Dear Diary, Today the head gasket went.

Tuesday:

Dear Diary, today I replaced it.

Wednesday:

Dear Diary, Today the head gasket went....

:p
 
Trust you Fox :p

Tom, great work mate. Looks like you've made a lot of progress. So, from one n00b to another, how hard is it to replace the HG?

That's quite a nasty failure too. Worst I've seen by a long shot anyway!

Keep us updated :)

Maybe it's worth asking a mod to stick this in the archive when it's finished.
 
Its not too difficult seeing as Im following the instructions however it is worth noting the following line:

"46. Using assistance remove cylinder head from cylinder block"

I manfully picked it up and I found out that with the inlet plenum etc it weighs about the same as my sister. I'll need some assistance to put the thing back on tomorrow so I'm phoning round all my friends :)
 
[TW]Fox said:
Head Gasket Diary

Monday:

Dear Diary, Today the head gasket went.

Tuesday:

Dear Diary, today I replaced it.

Wednesday:

Dear Diary, Today the head gasket went....

:p
Click to expand...

Don't be ridiculous fox!

I have absolutely no chance of replacing a head gasket in a day :p

Seems like the fault may be due to the plastic head dowels which have split. Now what eejit puts plastic in an engine?
 
M0T said:
Don't be ridiculous fox!

I have absolutely no chance of replacing a head gasket in a day :p

Seems like the fault may be due to the plastic head dowels which have split. Now what eejit puts plastic in an engine?
Click to expand...

rover

I can just see the meeting now where the accountant questions the 50p steel dowels versus a 10p plastic one

ht
 
A fun little trick for getting all the mayo out of the block after you've got it all together :

1. After final assembly, fill the sump with three quarts of the cheapest oil you can buy. The 99p per quart stuff. Add one quart of automatic transmission fluid. Stick on an absolute dirt cheap oil filter.

2. Fire the engine up for about 2-3 minutes. Just enough to circulate the ATF around every nook and cranny of the engine. The ATF will suspend EVERY little bit of water in the engine in itself and trap it all in the oil filter.

3. Do a complete oil change using a repeat of step one and two. Verify at the end that there is no more mayo (or at the most only a hint) in the oil. If there's still quite a bit, do another change. Even 1cc of water will completely contaminate four quarts of the best oil on the market and make it useless to your engine.

4. When there's no more hint of mayo in what's coming out the sump plug, put your favorite oil and a good filter on and you're ready to go.
 
Mickey_D said:
A fun little trick for getting all the mayo out of the block after you've got it all together :

1. After final assembly, fill the sump with three quarts of the cheapest oil you can buy. The 99p per quart stuff. Add one quart of automatic transmission fluid. Stick on an absolute dirt cheap oil filter.

2. Fire the engine up for about 2-3 minutes. Just enough to circulate the ATF around every nook and cranny of the engine. The ATF will suspend EVERY little bit of water in the engine in itself and trap it all in the oil filter.

3. Do a complete oil change using a repeat of step one and two. Verify at the end that there is no more mayo (or at the most only a hint) in the oil. If there's still quite a bit, do another change. Even 1cc of water will completely contaminate four quarts of the best oil on the market and make it useless to your engine.

4. When there's no more hint of mayo in what's coming out the sump plug, put your favorite oil and a good filter on and you're ready to go.
Click to expand...

Thank You!


I had no idea how I was gonna clean all that crap out, my best plan was with a hose :(

Everybody cross every part of their bodies for me :) I'm about to go and pick up the last of the stuff that I need and get to sorting this puppy out.
 
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