Club 80-90 Forums

I'm about to change the head gasket on my 1.6d.
Has anyone any tips or do's and don'ts?
I have the locking gear and injector removal tool.Any advise greatly recieved.
Rob.

* Get the correct gasket - there are 3 different types.
* Make sure you put the gasket on the right way up or you'll block the oil way in the corner of the block
* De-coke the top of the pistons whilst the head is off
* Make sure you time the engine up properly after ward
* Change the glow plugs behind the pump whilst it's in bits!

* Oh and make sure you keep or change he injector seating washers too - and that you get them the right way up too!

* Get the correct gasket - there are 3 different types.
have same as removed 3 notch
* Make sure you put the gasket on the right way up or you'll block the oil way in the corner of the block
oben up
* De-coke the top of the pistons whilst the head is off
will do
* Make sure you time the engine up properly after ward
This is what worries me
* Change the glow plugs behind the pump whilst it's in bits!
will do

* Oh and make sure you keep or change he injector seating washers too - and that you get them the right way up too!
have new ones not sure which way round they go, but hopefully the old ones will tell me

This is what worries me
The pointer on the fly wheel was lined up with the notch on the bellhousing.
I did have to move the crank very slightly to insert the injection pump locking too,l but after that adjustment the camshaft locking tool slid in with a slight tap of a mallet.
What worries me is that I should have removed the crankshaft pulley before removing the cam/drive belt, and in removing the pullley the crankshaft moved slightly.
If the crankshaft and injection pump are still locked, do I just line up the crankshaft up via the "v" on the flywheel?


Any immediate help will be paid in beer.
Rob.

Hi,

Would you need to re-tighten the head bolts are fitting a new head gasket after a certain mileage ?

Ive noticed a ''leak'' on my 1. DG WBX and its only been a year since Id replaced both gaskets are a major breakdown...I stropped down the lump and got both heads skimmed.

The leak is coming from behind the spalsh shields, maybe coolant - or oil...feels viscous to the touch.

Please dont tell me the gaskets gone again..

Regards, RIchard

Why do you need to take out the injectors when changing a head gasket?

Changing the glow plugs is a good idea but i'd leave the injectors in....

Dunno about petrols but a diesel (which this topic is talking about) should be tightened after 1000 miles i seem to remember. I also seem to remember not bothering and not having any problems...

Sounds like you have it sorted Rob

Ringo

ringo wrote:Why do you need to take out the injectors when changing a head gasket?

Changing the glow plugs is a good idea but i'd leave the injectors in....

Dunno about petrols but a diesel (which this topic is talking about) should be tightened after 1000 miles i seem to remember. I also seem to remember not bothering and not having any problems...

Sounds like you have it sorted Rob

Ringo

HI there Rich....
I was a cats whisker away for ringing you for some advise, and as a diesel guru I may yet need your expertise.
The only reason I removed the injectors was that in the diesel haynes manual I have (1.6d Jetta and golf),It says always remove the injectors and glow plugs before working on the cylinder head.
It definitely needed the gasket changing as one of the head bolts came out orange and very rusty, and I am hoping it will fix my brake vacuum issues.
F**k me were the head bolts, and especially the injectors tight.
Two of us on a metre long snap on breaker bar.
Just a little worried about the timing as before when I did the cambelt,I didn't need to remove anything other than the belt.
Rob.

Feel free to give me a ring mate - im back off me hols now...

Ringo

Ahh - also some diesels use stretch single used head bolts too - Ringo/others can you remember which ones are the stretch bolts - 10mm or 12mm (I recall an allen key or torx head way to tell also but again cant remember which one is which!)

lhd wrote: The pointer on the fly wheel was lined up with the notch on the bellhousing.
I did have to move the crank very slightly to insert the injection pump locking too,l but after that adjustment the camshaft locking tool slid in with a slight tap of a mallet.
What worries me is that I should have removed the crankshaft pulley before removing the cam/drive belt, and in removing the pullley the crankshaft moved slightly.
If the crankshaft and injection pump are still locked, do I just line up the crankshaft up via the "v" on the flywheel?

Rob.

Sounds like it might have been running slightly out.. maybe you'll get a bit more oomf out of it when you put it back together! - as long as you time the crank to the cam properly then you wont damage anything it'll just smoke like billio if the pump is out. the cam-belt wheel is on a taper on the camshaft so remove/loosen it set the crank/cam relationship up, then set the pump timing (use a DTI in the centre of the pump) by rotating the pump on it's housing, set the belt tension then lastly lock up the camshaft wheel

this is what I found.

A crack between the valves in all four cylinders.










And it looks like this is where all my brake vacuum problems were coming from.


and two more.
cylinders 1&2

Cylinders 3&4

Are the cracks terminal? There not as big as the ones Harryman posted in the Wiki.
cheers Rob.

Rob ,the cracks don't look that bad, I'd clean it all up best you can. and then see how things look , is there any piston damage ?

I thought the cracking was normal - i'd do what Mark says and whack in a new gasket.

TBH Rob, you should be whacking in a 1Y

The stretch bolts are the same on all the VW's of the era - and they are all one use.

Ringo

Your head is fairly typical of the 1.6d. I have rebuilt 2 this year and both have been like this and both ran fine.

As for re tightening the head bolts you should do this after around 1000 miles or as instructed by the instructions with the head bolts.

Thanks to all for the advise.
I will put it back together and see how it goes.

I do want a 1Y but the thing is, this engine even when sick has been fantastic. It doesn't smoke on start up or under load and has never failed me other than the Brake vacuum issue, and this was only for a few minutes.
It starts on the button and compared to any other 1.6D n/a its not slow, added to that the TD box gives great economy which I'm sure would be even better with a 1Y.
If I could get a guaranteed sub 80k 1Y engine I wouldn't think twice. (Is there anybody out there)?

All is going well so far, probably wont have it done till thursday as I need to order all the parts I butchered in taking it apart.
funny thing is, as this is the first time I have done this on a diesel, I made so many a*** about face mistakes I would almost like to do it again.
Ps.. I'm well versed about the stretch bolts,tightening seq ,includidng the 1K re torque.
Rob.

I would almost like to do it again.

make sure you clean both faces of any bits of gasket otherwise you might find you do