Head Gasket And Water Pump All In The Same Week

[zebedy101 0]

hi this is my first proper post on the forums and i really wish it could be about how well my ownership is going so far. iv owned my 205 for around abouts a week and a half now and its not off to the best of starts to be honest as the headgasket and the waterpump have both just gone but never the less im determind not to be put off it as its so much fun to drive and suprisingly economical... at the moment its fitted with a 1.9 gti (db6) engine and a diesel gearbox when i bought it i knew there were going to be certain things i would have to fix (it only set me back £430) one of the reasons for me deciding on buying a 205 was in the hope that i would be able to learn alot more about working on the car myself as they are pretty simple being a single cam 8v engine the time for me to learn to do the headgasket and cambelt have come a fair bit sooner than i had anticipated i really would like to have a crack at it myself as this is the 4th time i have had one go and i just cant justify paying the garage over £500 again to do the same job.

 

i understand what i have to do as im very mechanically minded and am fairly confident when it come to home mechanics but i have just never done it before so im a little aprehensive about trying it and id love some advice on wether im mad for wanting to repair it myself

 

am i totally mad for thinking i stand a chance of being able to do this?

realistically how hard is it to do for someone who has never split open a car engine before?

would it be easier and cheaper just to buy a new engine and fit that?

 

 

cheers in advance seb

Edited April 15, 2009 by zebedy101

[richsmells 2]

Welcome to the forum!

 

Cheaper to fit another engine? Yes, probably, as they go very cheaply on here (£50 and up). But unless they have proven history, you might be buying a lemon.

 

However, if you're confident your engine is in fair condition, you have time, space, tools and the motivation to learn, there's no better time get stuck in. There's loads of info on here and would be worthwhile doing a bit of a search.

 

The haynes manual covers the job quite well.

[Masekwm 2]

Yup as above the Haynes does go through this very well, I'd never done the job either but cracked on and found the book very good.

[chris-stdt 0]

Your not mad for wanting to do the job yourself as it will be alot cheaper but as has been said it will be cheaper still to fit another engine and the waterpump / timing belt will be alot easier done out of the car

 

This is exactly what i am doing but i was lucky enough to find a running engine which was being removed for a V6 conversion so i know the engines ok as i saw it run before it was removed

 

Welcome to the forum

[djinuk 2]

i would advise against just fitting another engine, if you are willing to learn then first thing i would do is clean everything up as best possible, and maybe even drop the engine. It may seem a bit over the top, but for the sake of 2 driveshafts and a few manifold nuts it really isnt much more work, and once the engine is actually out you may spot other obvious things you want to sort out (oil leaks and so on). These boards are great for learning on and folks such as damir are great for getting back to you with top info. The first job i did on a 205 was a headgasket, however once the head was off i treated it to a bit of a refurb aswell (stem seals) and so on. But yea , my advice is dont just buy another running engine, end of the day most have done a lot of miles and have had a hard time, have a go at getting into it. The feeling when its running sweet and looks good is great.

[welshpug 1,657]

would imagine the water pump has been leaking for some time to cause the headgasket to go, they don't just go, that or a radiator or a coolant hose past its best, common sense says to check it all out while you're at it

[zebedy101 0]

Welcome to the forum!

 

Cheaper to fit another engine? Yes, probably, as they go very cheaply on here (£50 and up). But unless they have proven history, you might be buying a lemon.

 

However, if you're confident your engine is in fair condition, you have time, space, tools and the motivation to learn, there's no better time get stuck in. There's loads of info on here and would be worthwhile doing a bit of a search.

 

The haynes manual covers the job quite well.

 

ahh sounds pretty good on the d.i.y side so far then im sure once i start ill be fine i really enjoy taking on new challenges and i especially love it when i complete them and get them right im just a little nervouse that if i get stuck ill be stuck pretty knee deep in the mud or if i get it wrong that i might end up doing yet more damage. if an engine comes up before friday then i shall seriously consider just having a go at changing the engine but the engine thats in mine seems pretty sturdy i have the reciepts from a bottom end re build less than 2 years ago but im not sure of the mileage. il be doing all the work round my unlces because hes got a full engineering workshop i love going round there to work on my car i almost make up problems sometimes just so i can have a tincker, im sure he should have all the tools that i need but il write up a list and check just to make sure.

 

is there anything else i should replace while iv got the head off?

should i get it skimmed or will it be ok as it has not overheated and been cooked yet?

will i need to get any specialist tools?

 

 

i bought my car from just down the road from you in salisbury and it originally came from weymouth.

[zebedy101 0]

would imagine the water pump has been leaking for some time to cause the headgasket to go, they don't just go, that or a radiator or a coolant hose past its best, common sense says to check it all out while you're at it

 

yeah the waterpump has been leaking since i bought it gradually getting worse i was planning on replacing it this weekend anyway so i suppose it all fits in quite well really im pleased i didnt change the belt and the pump then have the headgasket go.

[richsmells 2]

As mentioned above you may want to do the valve stem seals whilst the head is off if they haven't been done. Its not a bad job.

 

If you're unsure of the condition of the head, get it checked by a machine shop to ensure it hasn't warped. You may get away with a light skim to clean it up. Failing that, heads sell for pennies on here.

 

As for tools. A torque wrench. Hex/allen sockets for the head bolts. Get plenty of penetrating spray on the bolts a few days before to let it work in. You wouldn't want a bolt to snap in the block. Pay attention to the removal/fitting sequence. Also, take care to fit the spacers on the bolt above the waterpump!

 

Here's a recent thread about it: Clicky

Edited April 16, 2009 by richsmells

[zebedy101 0]

ahh cheers for the link ill have to give that a good read. im now really confused as to wether the headgasket has gone or not because i have just discoverd how bad the waterpump leak is and it only seems to happen when im moving, the oil on the dipstick is clean but in the oil filler tank its mayonaisey, the temperature guage only changes slightly when its idling never gone anywere near as high as the red though, it doesnt seem to pressure up at all either and its running pretty dam well. should i whip the cam cover off just to make sure it is gone? i have also heard that they do sometimes get mayonaise under the filler cap after doing short journeys is this right?

 

thanks alot seb

[richsmells 2]

Ignore the mayo in the filler, they all do it because it's remote from the engine and doesn't get hot enough to burn off the vapour when doing short journeys. It's worse in the winter.

 

If you're unsure do a compression test on each cylinder, this will tell you more about the health of the engine. You could even have a garage do a sniffer test for exhaust gasses in the water.

 

If it runs up to temp and the fans cut in and out correctly when left to idle without overheating, then it's fine.

 

Do the cambelt, change the tensioner and waterpump and enjoy the car.

Edited April 16, 2009 by richsmells

[zebedy101 0]

Ignore the mayo in the filler, they all do it because it's remote from the engine and doesn't get hot enough to burn off the vapour when doing short journeys. It's worse in the winter.

 

If you're unsure do a compression test on each cylinder, this will tell you more about the health of the engine. You could even have a garage do a sniffer test for exhaust gasses in the water.

 

If it runs up to temp and the fans cut in and out correctly when left to idle without overheating, then it's fine.

 

Do the cambelt, change the tensioner and waterpump and enjoy the car.

 

ahh fingers crossed for that then i dont think my dam fans work to be honest (another little niggle) they have never cut in but it has never really got that hot since iv owned it the fans are pretty much on the top of my to do list this list doesnt seem to be getting much shorter yet but its all still good, im not losing my good spirit about it just yet. since iv been passed my test iv seen the goings of 4 headgaskets and they really seem to be the only common problem on my cars its probably down to my driving which is due a few adjustments, i am determind not to let my 205 go sour and keep on top of all the issues most of them so far are just easy simple fixes apart from this. i have it sorted now iv decided against doing it myself just to be safe and im now just looking forward to gettin her back in top shape and ready for action.

 

thanks for all the help. seb

[Atari Boy 11]

You will be fine Seb, don't loose faith.

Sounds to me as though Carl will sort you out.

Stick with it.