Technical Bit the Bullet

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Technical Bit the Bullet

peaster2k

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Right I have bitten the bullet and decided that myself and Brian (Dj_bucho) are going to change my head gasket next week when i am off work. I have a few questions though as not tried anything this big before, especially not on my car.

I have read the Haynes Manual and I have a good understanding of what needs to be removed and replaced and in what order etc. I have a few questions that are concerning me.

When i ordered the parts in for it I have also got a new cambelt and Tensioner and I was wondering how easy/hard they are to do and what is involved. I have read the Haynes on this and seems straight forward enough, is my understanding correct? If I ensure the tension the of the belt is correct along with the alignment marks on the camshaft cog/head and the crankshaft cog/oil pump cover then the timing should be ok once the car is all back together?

Also the other thing is I know i have to disconnect the TB, Inlet and exhaust manifolds from the head and the camcover in order to be able to remove the head. And once the head is off I can go about cleaning up the old oil from the head and chambers. And then its just a case of refitting the parts i took off. I was wondering can anyone point out any areas that might become a problem or have for them in the past. Also any tips that anyone can offer would be great as well

Thanks People. :D:D:D:D

David

Oh i am going to try and take pics throughout just incase something comes up that both me and Brian unsure of. :D:D
 
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Once you have fitted the new cam belt, and before you put the plugs back in, give the engine a couple of rotations by hand to make sure that the engine turns and that the marks still line up. You need a couple of full rotations of the crank at least.

Cleanliness is next to godliness as someone once said, so make sure everything is clean including the head bolt holes. Any oil or water down them will hydraulic as you tighten the bolts and burst the block.

Cheers

D
 
Use a new set of head bolts. You may as well replace the waterpump whilst you have the head off. New alternator belt wouldnt hurt either

I spent around 4-5hours cleaning the inside of the engine, to remove carbon deposits from the tops of the pistons i used a green scouring pad and neat redx injector cleaner on it.

When you take bits off, place them in seperate bags and label them so u know where they came from! Also, when i removed the TB, i couldnt get the pipes that run to the charocal canister (fuel/emissions things) to come off - so i left the TB attached by those and just pushed it over to one side by the ECU

It all came up rather shiny in the end. I didnt have to clean the head as the place that skimmed it also gave it a good clean for me.

Can't think of anything else off the top of my head, but i did this on my cinq 3months ago and tbh was the first big thing ive done to any car. Took around 5 days to do cos i only worked on it in the evening for a bit.
 
How much is a new waterpump? And does it have to be done?

The alternator belt got done about 5months ago as it was the 1st thing that went on the car so i think i will not bother with that.

Any more tips people?

Thanks once again

david
 
Eh, got a quote from Fiat for £47 quid for a waterpump, believe motorfactors to be much cheaper though.

Out of interest Halfords will charge around £33 for one.

You don't need to change it but if it's original and you've removed all the parts surrounding it then you might as well change it too for peace of mind sakes cos likely if you luck's like mine it will bugger up 2k miles afterwards and you need to strip some of the parts back off to do it again.

Oh and can never have enough old rags handy when doing a job like this!

Liam
 
that would just be my luck. I think i will give this one a miss due to the money situation.

Looks like I am ready for the removal next week, i am going to try and get loads of pics and will post some.

thanks people

david
 
Stick your camera in a see through plastic bag (eg:a sandwich bag) so that it doesn't get covered in oil, and yet you can still press the buttons and take snaps.

And don't leave the keys in the car, when you reconnect the battery it may trigger the central locking and lock the doors!

The timing belt is a piece of **** compared to the changing the head gasket.
 
Ok then, over the past few days me and Brian have been very busy getting my cinq back to it glory :D:D:D I am well pleased with it :D

Yesterday we managed to get the headoff and clean it up and bolt that back on with the exhuast as well. I must say it came off alot easier than I expected, a thanks to everyone telling me how easy it is. It REALLY is that easy, If I can do it anyone can.

Today was mainly connecting everything back up and making sure all connections were as they should be. Since we had everything off the drivers side we replaced a section of brake hose that was in a terrible state; as well as the cambelt and tensioner.

I am very very pleased with the past 2 days work. I big MASSIVE thanks to Brian for helping me loads and clogging up his drive with my car for the past 2 days :D:D:D:D:D:D

It seems to be running a bit better than it was before the gasket went, suppose that would be down to new oil and everything else we done. I did not manage to get any pictures as we were cutting it close on time. :(

But i am a very very very very very very happy man again :D Lets the modding commence again :D

David

PS Tosh, brian said he was going to clean up the oil as i it was dark when i left and he had park the other car on the drive ;)
 
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peaster2k said:
PS Tosh, brian said he was going to clean up the oil as i it was dark when i left and he had park the other car on the drive ;)

LIAR, I never said that :(
 
me 2, i am really glad i did it 2. :D doing all it just showed me what is possible and how simple the cinqs r 2 take part and put back together. It has got me thinking about a few other areas that need attention as some as i can get some decent time off work (fingers crossed in a few weeks).

David
 
peaster2k said:
It has got me thinking about a few other areas that need attention as some as i can get some decent time off work (fingers crossed in a few weeks).

David
Sounds like my drive needs a bit of attention...

Tosh
 
fixitagaintomorrow said:
Glad to hear it went well, wanna do mine this weekend? :D

(silver one's gone pop)

That is unfortunate...its either one or the other isnt it?
 
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