General Bloody Cars!! Heeeeeelp....

[JuicyLucy]

Hello everyone.

I am after a bit of advice really. My car didn't start this morning, so I called my garage who came out straight away, thought it might have just been the battery. He tested that which was fine. Turns out the cooling system has leaked into the gasket or something and I will need a new head gasket. He got the water out and got it started but advised not to drive it really until it is sorted. He won't know until he strips it back and has a look but he rekons best case scenario is the it is just the gasket and he said it will prob be £250 which is do-erble, worst case is a cracked cylinder head which means one will have to be located.

What I need to know really is how easy is it to get hold of a cylinder head for a 1994 panda? also what would I be looking at price wise?

Mot is also due in October not looking forward to that!

Any help or advise would be great, even if it is just to soften the shock

 

[purple haze]

Hi Lucy.....Getting a head should not be a prob...(Needs to have taken off carefully as per manual!!)..
I did all this just before our summer meet on the Sisley...Head gasket set is about £25...its not to hard a job...just takes some time to do.
If the head is warped it will have to be skimmed to make it flat again which is about £30..
If its cracked it will need welding...better not to bother as it will be cheaper and less hassle to buy one off someone on here.
I had a spare until i had to use it on the sisley...try MEP....There is a '94 Panda at my local scrappy...all injection heads will fit no matter what the year..
£250 seems like ALOT of money to fit a head...or is it just me that thinks this????

Cheers Kev

 

[JuicyLucy]

By the sounds of it I think the cost will be mainly the labour, most garages charge about £40-50 per hour. He said that would be a ball park figure, depending on how long it will take. I will see what he says when he looks at it tomorrow. I am hoping it is just the gasket and nothing more. Been driving him for a week with him bunny hopping until up to temp, just thought it was ht leads or something but then yesterday driving home there was white smoke coming out the back end then he didn't turn over this morning Fingers crossed!

 

[purple haze]

Thats 4 hours work he is saying!!!...Should not take that long...even i could do it in 2 hours and if my life depended on it and i did not have fag breaks i think i could do it in one hour...
Of course the oil and fillter will have to be changed as well...thats about £15-20 in parts.
And to be on the safe side change (or at least check) the coolent for oil.

 

[JuicyLucy]

Hmmmmm thats good to know, I thought it would be a big job that would take the whole day! Maybe hes adding on a charge for coming out today to have a look? hopefully it will not be as much and is a quick fix..

 

[purple haze]

Like i say...not a quick fix..but im sure not 4 hours worth..

Good luck and keep the faith!!..

 

[pandamaniac]

Just a quick point.

It would be worth replacing the water pump and timing belt while the head is off.
It is also usual to replace the cylinder head bolts as well.

What are you on Kev SPEED?

It takes 1/2 an hour to put the kettle on and make a cup of tea.
1/2 an hour to find the right spanners and sockets
10 minutes to put on your overalls.
1/2 an hour to WD40 nuts and the bolts
15 min to find the plasters
2 hours to do the job
1/2 an hour to test.
5 mins to find pain killers for bad back.10 hours for fag break.

Definitely a 2 day job!!!

Pandamaniac

 

[PandaMark]

I have a late SPI head if you need one

 

[xsparky]

Just a quick point.

It would be worth replacing the water pump and timing belt while the head is off.
It is also usual to replace the cylinder head bolts as well.

What are you on Kev SPEED?

It takes 1/2 an hour to put the kettle on and make a cup of tea.
1/2 an hour to find the right spanners and sockets
10 minutes to put on your overalls.
1/2 an hour to WD40 nuts and the bolts
15 min to find the plasters
2 hours to do the job
1/2 an hour to test.
5 mins to find pain killers for bad back.10 hours for fag break.

Definitely a 2 day job!!!

Pandamaniac

I'm with Pandamaniac on this one, It takes me two hours of serious looking, chin rubbing and a lot of hmmm's before I pick up a spanner!

Mike

 

[udtrev]

Just a quick point.

It would be worth replacing the water pump and timing belt while the head is off.
It is also usual to replace the cylinder head bolts as well.

What are you on Kev SPEED?

It takes 1/2 an hour to put the kettle on and make a cup of tea.
1/2 an hour to find the right spanners and sockets
10 minutes to put on your overalls.
1/2 an hour to WD40 nuts and the bolts
15 min to find the plasters
2 hours to do the job
1/2 an hour to test.
5 mins to find pain killers for bad back.10 hours for fag break.

Definitely a 2 day job!!!

Pandamaniac

Where's the 1/2 hour kicking the tyres ?

 

[Chas Uno]

I'm with Pandamaniac on this one, It takes me two hours of serious looking, chin rubbing and a lot of hmmm's before I pick up a spanner!

Mike

You have just defined "Procrastination"

 

[PandaMark]

Where's the 1/2 hour kicking the tyres?

There's no tyre-kicking as he's not coming to buy/bid/barter/b*gger off having wasted everyone's time However, that's still only 14 &half hours, sixteen &half inc. the chin-rubbing Even with a 30min lunch break you'd still be finished before midnight Two days? Methinks you're dragging the job out!

I don't have a water pump, sorry, but I'm sure these things will turn up somewhere, maybe even locally! Here's the head though, picked up from JohnH recently...

Good Luck!

ps:

You have just defined "Procrastination"

I was thinking about saying that, but thought I'd leave it til later!

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Just a quick point.

It would be worth replacing the water pump and timing belt while the head is off.
It is also usual to replace the cylinder head bolts as well.

What are you on Kev SPEED?

It takes 1/2 an hour to put the kettle on and make a cup of tea.
1/2 an hour to find the right spanners and sockets
10 minutes to put on your overalls.
1/2 an hour to WD40 nuts and the bolts
15 min to find the plasters
2 hours to do the job
1/2 an hour to test.
5 mins to find pain killers for bad back.10 hours for fag break.

Definitely a 2 day job!!!

Pandamaniac

I'm with Pandamaniac on this one, It takes me two hours of serious looking, chin rubbing and a lot of hmmm's before I pick up a spanner!

Mike

Where's the 1/2 hour kicking the tyres ?

at the above. PMSL!

Glad I'm not the only one. Then I normally have to allow another day, because half way through one job, I'll end up starting another on the old girl I didn't notice

Luicy, hope its not any more costly than quoted, glad to see you've still got the love for the old girl unlike some owners out there

As kev as said, at a push I do have a Head, although it's off of dad's smashed Selecta and is still sitting in the engine bay (due to have engine and gearbox removed next week), and the main engine is US'ed so I'm not sure about overall condition of the Head.

Probably best to see about Mark's one if he's got one

All the best.

Jon.

 

[Chas Uno]

You have just defined "Procrastination"

ps: I was thinking about saying that, but thought I'd leave it til later!

:doh:

 

[JuicyLucy]

Thanks guys.. I am the queen of procrastination so I completely understand the ways of the mechanic lol! I will know more tomorrow but I will mention I can possibly get hold of a head if he has trouble getting one. The timing belt was changed at the last service this year but will mention the water pump to him later when I drop him off.

Arthur does cause me a bit of pain the wallet region but I just could not get rid of him

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Thanks guys.. I am the queen of procrastination so I completely understand the ways of the mechanic lol! I will know more tomorrow but I will mention I can possibly get hold of a head if he has trouble getting one. The timing belt was changed at the last service this year but will mention the water pump to him later when I drop him off.

Arthur does cause me a bit of pain the wallet region but I just could not get rid of him

Timing belt will be removed anyways, so for a few extra £ (look at me spending your money for you ) I'd get a new belt fitted.

The early mk1 SPI Punto's also share the same head iirc if its of any help managing to getting one local to you

 

[Plug]

Timing belt is £13 at a motor factors - as MEP says, as it's coming off anyway, just slap on a new one.

Sorry to hear of your head gasket woes Lucy, we had the same problem a year or so back. The total bill... are you sitting down... came to £425. Ouch. But it has been good as gold ever since.

If you have been driving Arthur round with a blown gasket, you will almost certainly have warped the head and it *will* need a skim. I speak from bitter experience, don't just replace the gasket. I had this done on a Toyota Supra I owned years ago (£700 to replace the gasket, 14 hours labour at a main dealer!) and 4 months later it went bang again. Take the pain and get the job done properly if you're planning on keeping the car long term

Cheers,

Plug

 

[JuicyLucy]

The verdict is just the head gasket, luckily, in the grand scheme of things that could have gone wrong. I am having the water pump done at the same time as the seal is leaking a bit. Total price he recons will be in the region of £280, so not too bad, and he had a couple of seized bolts to get the head off. Should be ready to pick up on Monday

 

[PandaMark]

That's great news (well, apart from £280!) Good to hear you'll be back Panda-ing soon

 

[purple haze]

Good news Lucy.....yeah forgot the new stretch bolts needed..:doh: