Head Gasget failure. 1.2 Mk1

[NovaKen]

Hi everyone, I haven't been on this site for a while now. My sister's Mk1 Nova (previously mine) has water in her oil. I'm assuming its the head gasget, and I'm going to attempt to fix myself. I have a Haynes manual, and I know how to use a spanner.

I can only work an hour or two a day on it atm, and I'm up to the point of loosening the water pump (I'm going to replace it as it sounds pretty rough).

The manual says there are 3 bolts securing the pump, has anyone got a picture? I'm struggling to find them.

Are there any tricky bits coming up, or any useful tips to make the job easier?

Oh one last thing, how to you get rid of the nasty mess the water has left behind? I'll clean the top half when I remove it, but would flushing the engine after the job be sufficient? Thanks

:)

[AlexW]

The water pump has 2 allen key bolts, a couple of them are tricky to get to but if you look and feel its not too hard. Apart from that make sure you get the head skimmed (about £30 iirc) and replace the cambelt.

[NovaKen]

make sure you get the head skimmed (about £30 iirc)

I didn't know that was necessary. Now I need tow rope lol

[matt_vaughan]

Heads get warped, especially after gasket failure.

[Andy]

I didn't know that was necessary. Now I need tow rope lol Take the head on its own.:confused:
Theres 3 bolts holding the water pump
Yes flushing it will be ok enough

[meritlover]

Heads get warped, especially after gasket failure.

:roll: this is such a cliche. everyone assumes head warpage is synonymous with head gasket failure, it is very often not the case. only if the head has been 'cooked' ie running with no coolant for extended periods, or had the boltes un tensioned in the incorrect order. scores/cuts/burns can occur on the sealing face at the point of failure, however this is again only if the car has been driven hard with a failed gasket. it is easy to see when the head is removed, and a simple check with a straight-edge will confirm if the head is warped or not. then you can decide whether or not to skim.

after all, the gasket is there to take up in-perfections of the sealing faces....thats why theyre used.

most garages skim heads as a matter of course after a head gasket failure, not because the heads are damaged, but because they dont know what they're doing, and its another chance to scam another £40 for something that costs £25.

anyway,

as previously explained, there are 3 water pump cap-screws, you get one chance to round them, so use a high quality allen key, or an allen-socket and a ratched. tap the hex in deep if you can. these will be tight if it hasnt been off for a few years, and expect the waterpump o-ring to be bonded to the block, which will make it hard to rotate. you may need a bar and a hammer to tap the pump around to free off the belt.

you will require removal of the exhaust downpipe, disconnection of the distributor/coil, King lead, fuel pipes (mark your feed and return first) choke and throttle cables as well as associated breathers, vacuum hoses, heater and radiator hoses.

the 17mm headbolts can be removed in order, and the head can be lifted off. take the time to check and prepare the surfaces with a stanley blade and scraper,

fit the gasket and replace in pretty much reverse order using new bolts, refering to your haynes book for details on belt tensioning. also consider changing the rocker gasket at the same time, as no doubt this will be weeping as well.


meritlover

xxxxx

[mowgli]

I can only work an hour or two a day on it


seriously if you have drained the water, 2 hours is about all you will need to do the head.
the waterpump & cambelt may take an extra hour or two cos the old pump can be seized.

if you have never done one before, make sure you clean everything, poke rags down the bores & stud holes when you clean the mating faces. then make sure as you remove the cam carrier, you have a piece of cardboard with numbers on to position the followers correctly.

put simply, be methodical & clean everything twice, then once the engine is running again, immediately change the oil, it will have crap in it.

[NovaKen]

Thanks for all the help.

I have never done anything like this, so the next few days will be interesting. I will check the head for any obvious damage, and yes thinking about it I would obviously just take the head to the garage lol

I think the pump has been removed within the last 2 years, so I'm hoping the bolts will come off trouble free.

No doubt I'll be back soon with more questions :)

[Welsh Dan]

Get new waterpump bolts from a vauxhall stealership before you start, and you'll need a 41mm spanner (or at least thats what I used) for tensioning the cambelt.

[tom reid]

While the head's off the car, you'd be daft not to strip, decarbonise, examine the valves and seats,check for wear in the guides, lap the valves back in, fit new valve stem oil seals, you'll never get a better chance to do it right.

[NovaKen]

Ok, the pump became loose very easy, timing belt now off. Next step is to undo the down pipe from the manifold.

Easy, wrong. The 2 bolts have corroded, and they rounded when I attempted to loosen. Any tips to remove them? I was thinking sawing a line down the middle and undoing with a screwdriver. But I don't think this will be easy.

Ideas?

Thanks

[mowgli]

Ok, the pump became loose very easy, timing belt now off. Next step is to undo the down pipe from the manifold.

Easy, wrong. The 2 bolts have corroded, and they rounded when I attempted to loosen. Any tips to remove them? I was thinking sawing a line down the middle and undoing with a screwdriver. But I don't think this will be easy.

Ideas?

Thanks

just undo the 8 manifold studs, then lower the manifold & downpipe to the ground. then use a vice & molegrips to take the stud nuts off & put te stubs back into the head ready for reassembly

[NovaKen]

just undo the 8 manifold studs, then lower the manifold & downpipe to the ground. then use a vice & molegrips to take the stud nuts off & put te stubs back into the head ready for reassembly

Cheers, sounds like a plan! :cool:

[meritlover]

you can use mole-grips to remove them in situ without removal of the manifold. Failing that, use a pair of small stilsons, use a hex socket as apposed to a bi-hex, or tap on a smaller socket.

[Ernie]

get stuck in to it as could of all been done within a few hrs from start to finsh.

[NovaKen]

get stuck in to it as could of all been done within a few hrs from start to finsh.

Considering the fact that I have never done any work in an engine bay before, and with me working for the past ten days. I think I'm doing OK thanks.

[Andy]

Personally rather than waste time taking the downpipe off,just remove the manifold,you get a new gasket for it in the head set anyway.
You will never get the downpipe bolts out with a screwdriver.Ignore the "its easy,takes a couple of hours" comments and do it in your own time.You will learn a fair deal along the way aswell if its something new to you.

[NovaKen]

Thanks Andy. Ihave some time off over the weekend, but I have work to replace my brakes on my car before I can continue with the Nova.

I will be taking the Manifold off, sounds like the easiest solution :)