Headgasket recommendation please gents ...............

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Linegeist
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Headgasket recommendation please gents ...............

Post by Linegeist »

I want to pull the head off the Athena's 1600 petrol engine - I'm not happy with the smoothness of the motor and a squint at the bores will give me an idea of how long I have to overhaul the 1.7 turbodiesel I plan to slot in next year (and yes, I do plan to do a compression test :wink: )
The question I have is about the relative quality of gasket sets. Anyone care to enlighten me please? Can I just order from a factor with confidence, or should I stick to OEM parts for this job?

A second, related question is, assuming I find a valve seat or two that needs lapping-in, how d'you get your mitts on shims to bring the cam/follower clearance back to tolerance?

Ta in advance of all information/abuse/rogering with a rusty spanner ..... :shock:
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mat_fenwick
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Post by mat_fenwick »

Can't help you with the rogering with the rusty spanner (OK, well maybe if you ask really nicely...) but do have a couple of thoughts for you.

At 80k miles on the TD engine is it really worthwhile to strip it down? I last took the head off mine at about 150k miles and there was no preceptable wear step (either visually or by feel). Secondly, if the plan is to swap engines then unless the petrol engine is in danger of immenant death, does that really need opening up?

But to try and answer your question - I've been sold gasket sets for XUD engines as OEM parts, and they were made by Elring. I've dealt with Elring before in a previous job and although no company has a 100% quality record, they were pretty good and we never had a single failure that was down to one of their gaskets. It's probably a difficult question to get a sensible answer from as the sample is tiny in statistical terms - out of the people here who've had gasket failures, how many of them can say for certain that it was the gasket at fault. But it can't hurt to ask...
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Post by Linegeist »

Thanks Mat - but, erm ,uh ......
Linegeist wrote:I want to pull the head off the Athena's 1600 petrol engine - I'm not happy with the smoothness of the motor
:oops: :wink:

What I plan to do to the TD is service the injectors, swap out the glowplugs and fit a new clutch, before flushing the waterways and replacing the cambelt with an OEM kit I have.

Where did you get the gaskets sets to which you refer? Partco, Halfords, Mail Order .......?? Back when I was in the motor trade, I had a run-in with some dodgy head gaskets from a parts supplier, and they cost me a lot of goodwill (and money). #-o

Once rogered with a rusty spanner, one is always wary of them, see? :wink:
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Post by mat_fenwick »

Ahhhhh. :oops: I had read that as open up the petrol lump to ascertain how long you had to overhaul (assumed full strip dowm and rebuild) the diesel one...I blame the drugs!

I think it was AEP of Glasgow via eBay but I'm not 100% certain, I think their username is Citroen Services. It was definately via eBay for mine, and a local engine remanufacturers when I did a mate's. Will try and post up more sense tomorrow (perhaps).
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Post by Linegeist »

Thanks Mat - appreciated.
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Post by KevR »

I've never had a problem with Payen/Curty gaskets. My favourite engine specialist (Midland Engine Services in Shepshed, who builds a lot of race engines as well as reconditioning normal ones) uses and supplies them, and that's always been good enough for me. Most of the H van replacement sets that I've used have been theirs as well.

One thing... I converted my first petrol BX to TD, and it wasn't just a case of swapping the engine and box over... In the end I had to use pretty much all of the wiring loom, as they were very different. I think my problems partly stepmmed from the fact I was grafting a 1991 motor into a 1987 car and somewhere between those two years they changed the type and thickness of wiring, and a lot of stuff like switches etc no longer fitted. I ended up changing absolutely everything forward of the front seats - dash, loom, the lot. Took me ages and I was very pleased with the result. Then some dozy cow in a Clio sideswiped me on a roundabout 20k later and wrote it off... :evil:
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Post by KevR »

Oh, and shims - any Cit or Peugeot dealer will have them. They're probably common to other vehicles as well. You'll probably find that by swapping the ones you've got around a bit, you'll only need one or two anyway.
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Post by Linegeist »

Top stuff chaps! \:D/
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Post by Kitch »

I might have read this wrong, but if you\'re slotting a diesel lump into it next year, why are you throwing money at the 1600 petrol lump you\'re pulling out?
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Post by Linegeist »

2 reasons Kitch..............

1. I want to use the car while I prepare the diesel motor and assemble all the bits for the swapover out of the donor car. The idea is to have everything diesel-related ready on the bench so that when I come to do the swap, it'll be much less hassle then dismantling the diesel as I go. To do this, I need to continue to use the petrol engine to propel the car. :wink:

2. I'm aware that, by doing this swap, I'll be creating a hybrid out of a potential classic. If I retain the petrol engine in good working order, if/when I come to sell the Athena (which I would do like a shot if I got a sniff of a DS) I can offer it with its original engine and ancillaries.

See? I only look stupid! :wink:
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Post by Kitch »

Furry muff! We\'ve all got different ways of looking at things. I think if I was doing the same job I\'d just ran the 1600 engine until it died, and just hope that\'s long enough. There\'s not much that kills them anyway, unless the H/G has already started to go?

Myself and a mate converted a 405 Mi16 to run a 1.9 diesel engine a few years back. Got it done in a 3-day bank holiday weekend, and that included stripping the donor car down (although we did use a big angle grinder for that one). It was actually quite easy; it\'d be alot harder to retro-fit a petrol lump to a diesel IMO.
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Post by Linegeist »

KevR wrote:I've never had a problem with Payen/Curty gaskets. My favourite engine specialist (Midland Engine Services in Shepshed, who builds a lot of race engines as well as reconditioning normal ones) uses and supplies them.............
Not having a lot of luck gents - Midland Engine Services number (01509 503362) comes us as "Number unobtainable/not recognised". GSF list some obscure manufacturer I've never heard of (and therefore won't risk - knowing GSF) and Google turns up a bunch of businesses calling themselves "Midland Engine Services" in different locations............. :shock:

Hmmm ................... anyone else got a firm contact for a quality head gasket set please ...???? :?
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Post by mat_fenwick »

Have you tried AEP? I'm pretty sure that's where I got mine from last time (via their eBay shop) and everything I've bought from them previously has either been genuine Citroen, or OEM.

I'm sure they would be able to tell you if you give 'em a bell.

Which manufacturer do GSF list?
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Post by Linegeist »

mat_fenwick wrote:Which manufacturer do GSF list?
I can't remember Mat - but the GSF guy had never heard of it either ............ :lol:
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Post by Linegeist »

mat_fenwick wrote:Have you tried AEP? I'm pretty sure that's where I got mine from last time (via their eBay shop) and everything I've bought from them previously has either been genuine Citroën, or OEM.

I'm sure they would be able to tell you if you give 'em a bell.

Which manufacturer do GSF list?
Nice one Mat! Got it in one - AND a set of new headbolts!! =D> \:D/

All I need now is for the ruddy weather to get above zero! I do not function well when I can't feel my pinkies ........... :shock:
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