Replacing Head Gasket

[crooner]

hi, i have a oil leak from cylinder head & i believe it to be a design fault with this car ,

but as it is making a bit of a mess in my driveway ,i'm considering replacing the head gasket

i bought a haynes manual because i want to make sure i understand all the procedures

 

should i replace or renew head bolts .

head bolt torque book says 15 lb angle 240 .when i double check this on internet i'm getting 44lb  95 degrees

so not confident with book settings , maybe these are equivalent to book settings

 

also what are wet liners & bottom seals when head is off ,haynes say

if care is not taken the wet liners could be moved

possibility of bottom seals being disturbed

 

hope someone can clear these issues up

thanks in advance

[paul.h]

Which engine do you have, size, bhp, petrol/diesel, year of car ? If the oil leak is at the timing belt end you should inspect the belt for oil contamination - depending on which engine you have it may be possible to remove the belt top cover by undoing 2 bolts.

 

My Haynes C3 manual covers 2002 to 2005 and under petrol engines 1.1 and 1.4 litre it has the values you have given - 15 lbf ft (20 Nm) followed by 240° so I am guessing you have a 1.1 or 1.4 litre petrol with the TU1JP or TU3JP engine.

 

In Citroen's service box procedures for the 1.1 and 1.4 petrol TU1JP and TU3JP engine for the cylinder head bolt torque it gives:

- aluminium cylinder block 1st stage tighten to 20 Nm, 2nd stage angle tighten 240°.

- cast iron cylinder block 1st stage tighten to 20 Nm, 2nd stage angle tighten 120°, 3rd stage angle tighten 120°.

For the ET3J4 engine it gives 15 Nm, then 25 Nm then 200°.

 

Following the Haynes manual - the head bolts should be measured and it they have stretched too much they should all be replaced. So do the check and then decide. They are likely to be expensive, as an example and not a recommendation of a supplier or their parts, on the eurocarparts site for a 2003 1.4 petrol they are £15.30 for a set. Their head gasket for the same car is £11 or £16 depending on the make.

 

Wet liners can be seen in the engine pictures in Haynes and are the cylinders in which the pistons work, as opposed to a solid engine block that is cast/machined. Half way down these cylinders are O-ring seals against the engine block to keep the coolant out. Haynes shows clamps being used to stop the cylinders moving.

[crooner]

hi moderator, 

year 2004  petrol 1360cc  51,000 miles variant FCKFV*version  FCKFVB

had a look at the top of timing belt it looks in great condition 

if i do decide to have a go , is it possible to put extra sealer around the oil seal part of the head gasket that keeps leaking or is this a big no no

thanks again

[crooner]

also as the torque setting is 15 lb ft  which seems quite low,can you advise me on a suitable torque wrench

cheers

[paul.h]

This 1/4" Teng torque wrench does 0-18 lbf ft (0-25 Nm). Do a search to find the lowest price http://www.screwfix.com/p/teng-tools-drive-torque-wrench/44700 . Its range will be useful for spark plugs and possibly the sump plug.

 

You would not need an angular gauge since 240° is 2/3rds of a circle so you could make something out of card and divide a circle into 3rds and place over the bolt being tightened.

 

You will need to check but the head bolts might need a torx socket (E sockets).

 

I have read that the oil way has a rubber seal in the gasket that perishes over time due to the heat. I would not add any more sealant since it could end up blocking the oil ways and if the original gasket has lasted about 10 years then the replacement should see the car to the end of its life.

[crooner]

only thing i'm not sure about is disturbing the wet liners ,

from what i have read if i lock the crankshaft with locking pin do the head & not move the crankshaft 

the liners won't get disturbed ,  is that right 

[paul.h]

I have not removed a cylinder head on a car with wet liners but reading the Haynes manual for the C3 there is a risk of disturbing the liners when removing the cylinder head. I would think they could also be disturbed when cleaning up the block and liners to remove the old head gasket bits.

[crooner]

i'm not as confident now about doing head gasket because of the chance of disturbing wet liners ,

i could end up with a bigger problem than the oil leak , i will have to think hard about this ,

anyway paul thanks for all your help 

[paul.h]

You could get a quote from a dealer for the work, the parts prices will be the same but you will not need to buy any tools and you could ask on the likelyhood of disturbing the liners.

[paul.h]

This topic by Weeksie is worth a read, he replaced the head gasket (amongst other parts) and made some clamps out of wood and the liners did not move. http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/23157-timing-marks/