Novice planning head gasket change on Maverick 2.7TD

[Bones11]

Hi
This is my first post glad to be
here!

White smokey exhaust, Pressure in coolant system + bubbling in reservoir. I am assuming that it is my head gasket and as i cannot afford to scrap it im gonna need to fix it.

Can this be achieved by a novice mechanic - should i attempt it?

i believe it is always better to work with what youve got!!!!!!!

Can anybody offer me any tips

Regardas
Chris

 

[Terranosaurus]

Not done one on one of these but heagaskets are a fairly easy job to do.

Couple of tips.

Get a big piece of cad and lay everything ot and write notes as you go for everything - can be worth having a child/friend around just for that. Digital photos are great for this I imagine but never bothered myself.

Don't skimp and stick the head straight back on - get it pressure tested and tested for true and machined if need be to get it true again - you'll kick yourself if you have to do it all again and buy anothe gasket etc.

Give yourself a day to take it a part and a day to build it back up with the head booked in in between. You might not need all that time but if you've not done it before you might.

Not sure if the head bolts need replacing each time on these - look into that before you start obviously.

Invest in a torque wrench if you havent got one - you will need it to do the head bolts up at least.

I've found it easier to take the wheels off and ower the front down when working in the engine bay but mines lifted but may be worth considering if it makes things easier, takes 5 mins to do and saves a lot of trying to reac stuff.

As well as getting head tested do a thorough decoke, you'll need some of those wire brushes you can put in a drill and some valve grnding paste and a lapping tool - also a valve spring compressor.

Obviously it could well be worth borrowing the tools, spring cmpressor, torque wrench etc if you can.

 

[Bones11]

Hi Hummingbird thanks for your help.

I still have a few reservations_

Timing- How can i be sure that i do not messup my timing. Are there things that should be marked as i go.

What exactly is tdc (top dead centre???)

Torque settings???
Lapping Tool???
I have managed to track down a lend of a torque wrench and valve spring compressor but whenever i tell people that i intend to do this my self they shake their head like they know something that i dont and wish me luck in a 'yeah right' kinda way - whats that all about!!!!!

thanks again
bones11

 

[zippy656]

like hummingbird says, TAKE your time, theres no bills to pay at the end, lots of pics will help too.. i did lots of work on my cortina.. "junk" and it helpd alot as i did lots of little drawings. photos would have been so much better.


keep kids and pets out the way, my neice picked up some "nice shiney" bits.. never saw them again!! the cat was teh same moveing bits about...

and remember. you did it yourself there's a lot of pride in knowing that


Zippy

 

[Deleted Member]

Good Luck!

As HB and Zippy have said TAKE YOUR TIME! pal,quite a big job to undertake but not imposable for a novice.
Just think of the satisfaction at the end,of knowing you did it!!
Remember to keep all the pictures and any reports of stubborn or tricky bits and let the rest of us know :wink: :lol:

 

[zippy656]

you can even get into the download hall of fame!!!

 

[Terranosaurus]

For details on what there is o do have you looked at the MANUAL? Torque wrench settings an details on timing things wil all be in there.

Lapping tool is just a stick with rubber suckers on each end about £2 from most factors/auto shops. Theres one HERE on ebay with some grinding paste.

If you can beg borrow or steal some paste do. I've lost count of the number of heads I've done and valves I've lapped an I'm only on my 2nd tin of paste and thats partly cos I lost the first one.

 

[Deleted Member S]

As HB has said a bit of cardboard is handy to have, if you write on it IN for the inlet valves & EX for the exhaust valves & number them from 1 to 4 it stop up from getting them mixed up if you push the valves through the cardboard :wink:
I was wondering what area your from Bones11 as there maybe a member near you who maybe able to help you

 

[Bones11]

Hi Sweety

Thanks for the help!

I live in a wee town in Scotland called Kilry (PH11 8HR) - a bit out of the way lol!!!!!!

If there does happen to be a member near by who wants to make a few quid on a homer and pass on some knowledge at the same time i would be extremely greatful.

I will be sure to let you know how im progressing in the mean time all advice is appreciated.
thanks guys
bones11

 

[floyd500b]

I'm about 20/25 miles from you.

Haven't done a head gasket in ages and even then it was on a fairly small petrol car, but I am aware of what is required. As the others say, go over the manual until you know exactly what to do and try to anticipate any issues.

I also have a reasonable stash of tools, good sockets, torque wrench etc- but no valve spring compressors I'm afraid..

Give me a shout if I can assist, even just for moral support.

Floyd (Graham)

 

[macabethiel]

novice head gasket replacement

No disrepect but if you are a novice its a pretty daunting job especially if you have not at least done a petrol car before.

I would not attempt it unless you have a friend who is a mechanic to oversee what you are doing. A mistake on the valve timing could cost you dearly if a valve meets the piston!

I would get a price from a diesel specialist (NOT FRANCHISE DEALER) first and just see how much its going to cost to get it done professionally.

Without a ramp just dropping the exhuast system can take a couple of hours or more and thats assuming you do not break a stud or strip a bolt. Doing the valve timing & tappetts need a medium to high level of skill.
Just getting the camshaft sprockets undone without damaging anything is cause for celebration.

If you can get it done by a garage for under £500 I would bite the bullet & pay for the peace of mind and injury free hands!

Best of luck either way !

 

[Bones11]

Hi guys it is good to know that peeps are willing and it is very encouraging to find such a friendly forum :smile:

I have managed to find someone locally that is willing to do the gasket as a homer (yippeee)!!!!

Despite this i am still very glad to have found this forum and will keep you informed of the progress and no doubt be back for advice as it looks like i am gonna be a Maverick owner for some time.

Regards all
Bones11 :wink:

 

[Deleted account DD]

Bones11, first of all good luck :wink: couple of tips I was given on my firrst "major" job. (havent tackled a terrano though)

Make sure you follow sweeties advice with pushing the valves etc INTO the cardboard in order in a sort of mock up of the head. Apart from anything else if you spot a problem in a valve seat or similar you can then go straight to the relevant valve and check it out with confidence rather than wondering which one it actually was..........I've just left them laid out in the past and one stumbly moment !!!!

Secondly, get a bottle of tipex or a small artists brush and tin of white humbrol. As hummingbirdmentioned above take photos but before you do mark reference points, just a dot, on cogs etc so you can really clearly see where they line up in relation to each other. A few minutes doing this can save a lot of brain ache and hassle later :!: ........ says he who got a vauxhall cavalier timing 180 dgrees out after not following decent advice

One more, lots of sanwich bags and a marker pen. When you say take the rocker cover off, bung the bolts/screws in a bag, seal it and mark it. You'd be stunned how similar ancilliary bolts and screws all look if theyre all in one big bucket and you know if (using the example) youve put the rocker cover back on and youve got a bolt left that you need to go back to it but most importantly the specific area the "spare bolt" is from.

Once youve got the head off and before you reasemble , even if it looks ok to you, I would take it to a decent engine builder or genuinely knowledgeable friend for a once over. Cylinder heads only need to be a fraction out and youve wasted all your effort.

Oh yes and a bottle of whisky for the end...celebration of course :smile: :smile: :smile: