Head Gasket Set

[Tinkley]

Unfortunately the thermostat cover breakage (old age) has resulted in the head gasket or liner O rings, most likely both, getting too hot and blowing. Anyone got any tips on good quality replacements?. Engine is XU52C (1.6) type, I might as well do the stem seals if the head is off as I know these are a bit leaky - 11 years old.
Do I need to do the head bolts ie change too? These are available as a set but not obviously a one hit stretch type despite the angle tightening data.

Euro have the gasket at just over £11. GSF have head bolts and valve stem seals. I'd guess that Peugeot have the correct grade liner O rings? There seem to be two gasket thicknesses 1.25 and 1.5 - any preference?

Any advive appreciated, are the FAI or Elring gasket (sets) good? Again any tips welcome.

Course I could always try and fit a 16v head which might speed her up.......

[Tinkley]

So no one has fitted a 1.6 or 1.9 head gasket? same bore, different stroke. Would much appreciate any feedback.

[kernowtim]

elring or payen are good quality, better than fai, always used payen in the past myself on my 1.9 diesel

[Jaba]

I usually fit an Ehring (?spellig) standard size gasket as my head has not been skimmed.
I also reuse the stretch bolts once using a torque spanner spanner the second time. I have never known the wet liner o-rings to fail due to overheating. I think if I was going to replace them then I would put new piston rings in too and maybe big ends for good measure.

I never get gasket sets I just get the individual gaskets that I need usually from Malcolm Lockwood.

Have fun doing it all anyway.

[Tinkley]

Thanks for the responses. The engine has done about 74k and was a full Vege recon unit in '04. The plastic thermostat housing (with bleed screw) Part 1336-A1 sheared and disintegrated inside the rubber top rad hose!.
A sort of no warning jobbie on a very hot day. The water use (level drop) is light and she'll run OK for a bit longer, just with the occassional large hiccup!. Bottom end and rings should be fine, though one Pug forum suggests rotating the liners 180 deg to change the thrust face. Others say these motors go 200k-250k... which I can well believe. Still getting over 40 mpg mind you.

I know the liner O rings have a temperature limit not far above that of the red warning light ie about 8 - 10 deg C. Also if the liners shift when the head is off, it is unwise to reuse them. Never quite sure what will stick to which surface when you lift the head....using a broad wood chisel to separate a gasket is not unheard of... Might get a set of the O rings anyway as the 'rubber' will be fresh and un cooked!. At least they'll be there if needed and only about £6 a set.

I will do the stem seals, as I know they are a bit less than perfect, again mostly a bit hard and old, and some light oil can be seen on start up, even well before the gasket playing up. Hopefully the drill press or my G clamps and a bit of jiggery pokery will sort the valve/collet assembly fairly quickly.

Planning to keep all the other parts ie manifolds on head as they are OK. May have to do a new exhaust to down pipe but a minor problem in the scheme of things. I don't know if the head has been skimmed or not as a refurb, I was planning to check with a straight edge ( I have a 600mm one) and fractionally reface with a flat block and wet and dry and a diamond stone if a little out. If bad, I'll get it skimmed.

Just getting all the bits together in advance so hopefully I can get it all done in one hit rather than be stranded waiting for some part.....
Thanks, once again.

[Kitch]

I know the liner O rings have a temperature limit not far above that of the red warning light ie about 8 - 10 deg C. Also if the liners shift when the head is off, it is unwise to reuse them.

First I'd heard that of the liner rings, they certainly wouldn't melt in in a hotter liquid. Suspect it's more a case that if you wander up to 105degrees C or so, you'll get pockets of steam at the bottom of the jackets, meaning the seals wouldn't be immersed in coolant. Now that would knacker them!
Regards the liners, again I've not heard that before. I took all the liners out of the 16v's block when I took that apart (two of them came out with the piston!) Had them honed, put them all back in (same way round as before - was told not to try rotating them), new rings in pistons etc and job's a good'un.

[Tinkley]

I'm pretty sure if the material of the O rings gets hotter than the specified window, it degrades. Note it will still be in one piece but the properties change. I've had a couple of good Citroen techs - like Andy in St Johns (Woking) tell me that so I assume it comes from a Citroen tech document. It certainly makes sense. After all I did lose the top of the block hose and got a temp warning light, so how hot do you think it got at the seals? I'm not sure I could guess - but it was HOT, very hot. No water in oil evident though, at least on dipstick, and it usually goes cafe au lait if your getting mixing...


The liner rotation came from a Pug forum, so is much less reliable, in fact without all the honing data for the engine etc it is hard to ascertain. My old Morini had a 0.01mm taper up the barrel for instance.... but I did have the factory service manual, not quite the full dealer jobbie (ie not every clearance specc'ed) but very close and above all, well translated.

So far I've always managed to get the pistons out of the liners...... even after the Morini nipped up 9k after a rebore...