Technical Is it dead?

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Technical Is it dead?

Mal, the theory being that if they are bend, they wont sit back in the head correctly and thus the clearance will be larger, seems like a good idea to me! Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Just a quick update, checked the valve clearances, and they were a little large, unsure as to whether this was a sign of wear and tear or not so I changed the cam belt and tensioners, set the valve timing etc and turned the engine over, did a compression test and there is nothing so its head off time but I think I will wait till the new year before I start.

Merry Xmas to one and all.
 
Well one bit of good news is that I have found a low mileage replacement for £380 + £36 del from a known german supplier. I have contacted a few reconditioners, one in Cheshire has one on the shelf (according to their website) so I have emailed them for a price, I think that £380 cant be too far off the cost of a fully reconned unit with warranty but maybe I am wrong. Anyway, back to spraying all the bolts with Duck oil to try to actually remove something without the head shearing off (had 6 so far!).
 
Sorry, but this engine is an interference engine:( meaning any slippage of the belt and it's goodnight valves I'm afraid. By all means try fitting a new belt and timer in hope but I am quite sure you will be removing the head and a top end rebuild. regards clive.
 
Yep, head is coming off after Xmas, head shop in Inverness is going to turn it around in a few days so should be running again around the 10th Jan.

Merry Xmas
 
Quick update, planned on removing head today and packaging up ready to send to head shop. First job was to remove the battery tray as it is full of corrosion from the old battery that was installed, anyway, found that the battery leak must have been quite bad as the acid has obviously run through the drain holes on the battery tray and eaten through the protective sleeving on the loom below. I cant see any damage to the actual wires insulation so hopefully just a clean up and re-tape to protect it.

Then after spraying the manifold to head bolts with penetrating fluid every day for about 2 weeks, these came off easily. Unfortunately the manifold to cat convertor bolts did not fair so well so I left them intact and, whilst supporting the whole exhaust on two jacks, removed the exhaust rubbers and moved the whole lot forward to clear the manifold from the studs. No other dilemas really, just followed the service manual instructions. It took about 3 hours to get to the stage to lift the head off (would have taken longer from scratch but I already had the cam belt cover off and wheel arch liner out). So now I find that I cant lift this thing off (way too heavy) so am waiting till the new year when I can get hold of a block and tackle.

Has anyone got any handy hints for spliting the head from the block? I was planning on putting a block and tackle on it and putting a bit of tension on the chain and then hit the head with a rubber mallet, applying more force on the chain till it pops off.

Regards and al the best for 2009 to you all.

Chris
 
No handy hints from me I'm afraid, but just to say good luck and wish you a good 2009!
 
Its a bit late now but fiat (plus the early alfa's) modded out that sort of tensioner and replaced them with this metal variant,

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Hopefully the shock has'nt damaged the shells.
 
Yep the nice metal one is what I have now. Head is ready to go so will send away tomorrow and hopefully will be back within a week.
 
Shame I didn't see this thread earlier. When an engine makes a terrible noise you should stop immediately and try to turn it over by hand. If you can't turn it over by hand the full 360 degrees then you probably have bent valves. A helpful hint of separanting the block from the head is to replace the spark plugs and turn the engine over. This should only be done with the camshafts removed. When an engine has suffered shock as a result of a slipped or snapped cambelt it is always a good idea to replace the big ends regardless. If you dont then within a few hundred miles you could be looking at a replacement crankshaft for the sake of a few quid spent on new shells. In your case the plastic tensioner has failed. This does happen, remember this plastic tensioner is heated up and cooled down every single time the car is used which causes some plastics to become brittle. It obviously hasn't been changed for a while which is a mistake. You can now buy replacement tensioners made from metal which will be more reliable, however nothing lasts forever!

Sorry to hear this has happened around Christmas its a real shame.

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Thanks for the comments, head is off now, just a bit of lift with a chain block and a swift knock with a rubber hammer and it came of easily. As for the big ends. You may be correct, I presume if I take the old ones out, what am I looking for to check for damage - would I be able to see anything other than major damage by noting the babit is gone and the copper is showing??

Also, any ideas for bearing shells as far as suppliers or is it fiat only??
 
The only way to check the shells would be to use a dti to check them while in the rod. I'd replace them if it was me for the cost of them. Ow and new rod bolts too as you should'nt really re-use them.
 
Yes as HgtBill says you need a dti gauge as visually they can be misleading. You could try places like 'Alternative autos' or the main dealer. It honestly is best to replace them.

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