head skim?

[KellyJones]

Ok- the head is now off....funny the guy i bought the car from said the head gasket had gone, i could not test the car as he had already started to strip the head down, anyway i cant see any evidence of water ingress or head gasket leakage? i am looking to get the head surface skimmed, can this be done with valves still in place? the car has only done 75k from new and the seats look perfect, any advise would be good, many thanks

[Alan M]

You can but striiping it for a full freshen up with new stem seals is advisable. Did the previous owner not check to see if the internal oil cooler in the radiator could possibly have leaked and caused a residue in the water? This may have prompted him to say the head gasket was at fault.

[KellyJones]

http://yfrog.com/n2img00124201008231415jHi, thanks, its funny, i cant see any water in the oil, could be the thermostat! i will contact him and ask if it just overheated, anyway, will think about the stripping the head, makes sense, thankshttp:///Users/everythingok2me/Desktop/IMG00124-20100823-1415.jpg

[KellyJones]

http://a.imageshack.us/img829/3474/img00127201008231557.jpg (http://img829.imageshack.us/i/img00127201008231557.jpg/)

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[KellyJones]

http://a.imageshack.us/img830/2526/img00124201008231415.jpg (http://img830.imageshack.us/i/img00124201008231415.jpg/)

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[KellyJones]

http://a.imageshack.us/img834/4194/img00125201008231526.jpg (http://img834.imageshack.us/i/img00125201008231526.jpg/)

[leet5r]

have you had it skimed

[KellyJones]

have you had it skimed

no, thats the head after a quick rub over...

[KellyJones]

http://a.imageshack.us/img411/9747/img00117201008162007.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/i/img00117201008162007.jpg/)

[KellyJones]

URL=http://img821.imageshack.us/i/img00126201008231526.jpg/]http://a.imageshack.us/img821/5272/img00126201008231526.jpg[/URL]

[leet5r]

will you be gettin it skimmed, as i think my head as gone , but i have a spare that i want to use , you think it will be okay , it came from a workin car

[fireclown]

if you are unsure. i would get it pressure tested as well. and if no visible signs of gasket failure. then i would say it is a must.

[leet5r]

yeah i agree , the head i have came from a workin car with no hg issuses

[KellyJones]

Head sent for full pressure test and skim..................

[KellyJones]

http://a.imageshack.us/img829/9815/imageumv.jpg (http://img829.imageshack.us/i/imageumv.jpg/)

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[KellyJones]

Skimmed, pressure tested......ready to fit!

[Dangerous Dave]

Had mine skimmed, came back beautifully finished all for £25.

[KellyJones]

http://a.imageshack.us/img831/460/imagegjf.jpg (http://img831.imageshack.us/i/imagegjf.jpg/)

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[KellyJones]

http://a.imageshack.us/img251/9043/imagedp.jpg (http://img251.imageshack.us/i/imagedp.jpg/)

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[KellyJones]

Need some desprate help setting up the cam timing :-(

[fireclown]

Need some desprate help setting up the cam timing :-(
You will need some cam locking tools they go in the end of the head. im sure someone on the forum has some. if not ask your local ovlov dealer
http://www.jhmbuttco.com/acatalog/info_AST4387.html

[KellyJones]

http://a.imageshack.us/img713/4949/dsc02275j.jpg (http://img713.imageshack.us/i/dsc02275j.jpg/)

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[KellyJones]

Could this really be the crankshaft pully timing mark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dangerous Dave]

Yes that is the crankshaft timing mark (well thats what I used whe I did my headgasket and it works). As you can see in the pic there is a very very tiny notch cut into that groove in the sprocket. Line it up with the mark on the engine and you're set.

God only knows why they cut such an infinitely small notch.

Nice pic BTW, very clear.

[KellyJones]

Fu.....g cam belt is a pain on these! everything i read on the net tells me i need special tools! even taking off the the pas/ac/alt belt looks like a drama, ooo and that tesioner thing that needs a toll to reset.......
Cant wait to fit the exhaust manifold gaskets, loads of room not! any tips....except patience!!

[Dangerous Dave]

Nah, you don't need any special tools. The cambelt tensioner you just put in the vice and compress the pin a tiny bit every few seconds, until the holes line up, then insert a small drill bit to keep it locked down until the belt is fitted.

You got a haynes manual?

Getting the cambelt off and on the crank pulley is a pain due to the oil connector being in the way, so some twisting of the belt ans lots of patience is needed.

The drivebelt can be a nightmare to fit if you've not done it before due to it's twisty path, an extra hand is helpful to hold it on at certain points. To hold back the tensioner I use the head of a spanner to fit the tensioner head and use an adjustable spanner to lock onto the spanner body and move the tensioner. Its a bit of a bodge but it works

Good Luck

[KellyJones]

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[leet5r]

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nice light , i got 1 of those and it gets mega hot lol

[KellyJones]

great for under £5! and like you said....will keep you warm!

[KellyJones]

just ordered my BSR Optiflow.....had one on my old T5 a few years ago.......look and sound fab!

[KellyJones]

http://a.imageshack.us/img541/3646/dsc02336ne.jpg (http://img541.imageshack.us/i/dsc02336ne.jpg/)

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[Dangerous Dave]

Very nice, what did you do to make it look so clean and shiny?

[KellyJones]

Just cleaned the oil off with gunk and water then rubbed it down and sprayed with alloy wheel silver and satin black in the centre.

[KellyJones]

http://a.imageshack.us/img704/929/dsc02335ks.jpg (http://img704.imageshack.us/i/dsc02335ks.jpg/)

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