Doing a Head Gasket/Timing Belt for the first time

[jsm]

Hi guys,

What an awesome amount of knowledge/experience/wisdom on this sight, I've been absorbing an awful lot ever since I found this sight a few months ago!

Anyway, I am about to replace my head gasket/timing belt/injection pump drive shaft seal on my car. I've decided to go with the 1.9 AAZ head gasket, as that seems to be the recommended upgrade for longevity/strength reasons.

The questions I have for you folks, after diligent searching on this site for answers already posted in other threads , are these:

1) Is there going to be compression loss worth worrying about if I use the 1.9 head gasket on my 1.6 engine, due to the increased bore size in the 1.9 engine (79.50mm in the 1.9 and 76.50mm in the 1.6)

2) Will the torquing procedure be different than as per Bentley when using the 1.9 head gasket?

Thank you so much for any and all answers

[duffer]

According to all the people, on the GTD Forum,

who have used the AAZ metal head gasket,

the slight loss of compression is negligible and well

worth the extra durability of the metal head gasket.

Regarding the torque proceedure, perhaps someone else,

on here, can better advise you on that.

[tylernt]

My head gaskets have always come with torque instructions. I follow them except where the Bentley specifies a higher torque, then I use the higher spec.

[Fatmobile]

It sounds like you searched for awhile before you found a question that hasn't been asked.
Does anyone have the headbolt torque procedure for the 1.9 that this metal head gasket is supposed to go on?
The headbolts on the 1.9 and 1.6 are the same right?
... because if the headbolts are the same, the headgasket is different and the procedure is different/same I would go with whatever the 1.9 went with.

[jsm]

Thanks so much for all the help guys, really appreciate it!

We did the job on the weekend, (my girlfriends' grandfather helped out), new timing belt, new AAZ head gasket, and new injection pump drive shaft seal. Sadly my drive shaft bushings in the pump are shot (quite a bit of play in the direction of firewall/front of car), so my new seal won't last all that long probably. I'll have to dig into the pump soon.

Couldn't get the lower timing belt cover off due to the water pump pulley being in the way, not sure how to get around that other than taking off the pulley, or removing the water pump. Anybody have any suggestions on the easiest way to do that in future?

Torqued the head bolts to the specifications in the Bentley manual for the 1.6L engine, minus the re-torques after warm up/after 1000 miles. 935racer over on the GTD forum helped me out with that one, he has done quite a few of these metal head gaskets by the sounds of it. I was wondering too, Fatmobile, about the 1.9 procedures, good question. No instructions on the gasket tylernt

Timed her at 4:00 am by loosening the pump and rotating it to get it sounding the best, then tweaked it the next morning on a test drive. Now she's running pretty good, and finally starts good again due to the pump not losing prime all the time! Replaced 3 of 4 glow plugs too since I had the head off even though I don't think they really needed it, (already had replaced number 4).

Anyway, there's the update,

Thanks a lot!

Justin

[jsm]

Oops!

Justin

[Buzz]

Couldn't get the lower timing belt cover off due to the water pump pulley being in the way, not sure how to get around that other than taking off the pulley, or removing the water pump. Anybody have any suggestions on the easiest way to do that in future?

I had the same problem and came to the conclusion that the pulley had to go. It's not that bad, just three bolts. I'll be replacing them with new bolts when it goes back on.

[jsm]

How did you hold the pulley while taking out the bolts? I tried holding it in place with an old belt and a pair of vice grips in the style of an oil filter wrench or whatever. With a little more persistance and/or help, it probably may have worked. What worked for you?

[v8volvo]

I always jam a flat-blade screwdriver in between a bolt head and the hub of the water pump flange that sticks out through the middle of the pulley, and reef against that to break them loose. Taking off the pulley is the easiest way for sure. In fact, because it is so difficult (on my car at least) to tension the drivebelt, I'm at the point where I don't even release the tension via the sliding strap mounting on the alternator, I just take that pulley off then jam it back on when putting it back together.

Also, since I know I'm going to have to take the pulley off again, I now install the water pump pulley bolts not too tight, but with threadlocker to ensure they don't rattle themselves out. Keeps them in place but leaves them not too difficult to bust loose.

[A1-2-A3]

I use a helper to stand and hold a prybar on the bolt heads while I loosen or tighten them, the pulley comes off easy, for me by hand. Its a pretty big pulley on a little hub lots of leverage.

[Buzz]

I used two allen wrenches and went around in a circle breaking the bolts free... To break the last one free, I put vicegrips on a loose bolt to hold it... however, reading the suggestions here, I think I would have gone with the screwdriver, or a prybar of some sort. Next time...

[Fatmobile]

I use channel locks to grab the two waterpump pully bolts that I am not loosening.

[jsm]

Awesome! Those are great ideas which I will have to try next time. I just squeezed the belt in with the cover still on (all bolts loose and prying out on it), trying not to bend the belt too sharply.

Thanks for the great advice,

Justin

[jsm]

All lower cover bolts/nuts removed I should say

[busguy71]

I may also need a head gasket soon. After overheating my motor and popping the coolant tank, I installed a new tank and it is still leaking out of the cap seemingly due to excess pressure. My friend suggested that the engine may be pressurizing the coolant tank if the head gasket is failing. Any comments on this?

So if I get a new gasket I guess I'd be looking for the 1.9 metal one as well. Does anyone have a part number for it, and did you get it here from Jack? I see them listed here as 1 hole, 2 hole or 3 hole... and I dont know what that means. Thanks!
-Tom