Head Gasket can of worms??? - Now chasing Boost Leaks!!!

[johne]

Steve, there's no need to go into opening the tank or buying a pump. 20 Litres will fit nicely into a Jerry can and you can keep it for all those cleaning jobs you may have coming up.

To drain the tank, open up the feed line to the inlet manifold in the engine bay and use a piece of hose to direct it into your Jerry can. Pull the fuel pump fuse and feed 12 volts into the fuel pump circuit using a male lucar. The fuel pump will pump out your tank for you in a surprisingly quick time, just be ready to turn it off when the tank is empty so you don't run it dry.

[newsh]

Then dilute it with fresh stuff and use it in the lawn mower

[Tractor Dave]

Me doing mine last year.


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[Tractor Dave]

Bad news is that I still have running issues which I am convinced is some seriously stale fuel. Only option now seems to be drain the tank and refuel with clean petrol.

I have been quoted £190 + vat to drain the tank. Anyone have any good suggestions for draining 20 litres of crap fuel myself? (How do I dispose of it?)

cheers

Steve

Yes!
Pop to TKmax and buy the cheap fluid transfer pump they sell. It's orange in colour with two long pipes. Remove the fuel pump cap in the boot and pump out into suitable containers. Get right down into the pump pick up area and you will find substantial crud there. Wipe out dregs with clean cloths.
However, unless your petrol is over 3 years old or you filled with E10 in the last year, I doubt that's the issue. The Coupe I recently bought has three year old super in it and it's running ok, if a little lumpy.

[Fat Audi 80]

Bad news is that I still have running issues which I am convinced is some seriously stale fuel. Only option now seems to be drain the tank and refuel with clean petrol.

I have been quoted £190 + vat to drain the tank. Anyone have any good suggestions for draining 20 litres of crap fuel myself? (How do I dispose of it?)

cheers

Steve

[Fat Audi 80]

Yes - Rob Walker now Fiennes Engineering. Very happy with them. It wasn't cheap, but you get what you pay for!

[s2driveruk]

Great news. Did you use rob walker in the end Steve, any thoughts on recommending?

[newsh]

Good news!

[Fat Audi 80]

UPDATE!

The car is all back together now and started first time! It has a lumpy idle which is either the old petrol or possibly the coilpacks. I am going to do some more investigation this weekend and then take her for an MOT on Friday.

Fingers crossed we will be back on the road in a week....

Thanks to all for the help and advice along the way, it has been tough but very satisfying!

Cheers

Steve

[Fat Audi 80]

As far as I know the head has never been off. My car only has two previous owners, so I think I can be almost 100% certain this will be its first opening. I am going to take my time and probably send it here for evaluation and refurb:

http://www.robwalkerengineering.co.uk/

[steve briance]

The head on my car is at the minimum skimming thickness as per the book and probably doesn't have any skimming meat left on it. Ive no idea how many times it had been skimmed as it wasn't my original head.

When I rebuilt it, I was concerned about the valves getting close to the pistons in TDC and did a lot of testing to verify. I test installed a solid lifter to remove any doubt over valve lift with a partially filled hydraulic tappet and laid a plasticine snake over the valve area on my piston. Turning engine over twice to make sure I hit TDC with valve open and look at the squish in the plasticine... There was plenty of space left there so I pressed on and installed it.

What appears to be the issue with max head skimming is aligning the static timing marks in rebuild. I ended up getting a tommi's billet cam pulley and had to apply 4 degrees to get everything lined up. Can't remember if it was + or - degrees but it was definitely 4.

If your head isn't warped, think carefully about what ends up being taken off. There is no reason it would be warped unless it has been catastrophically overheated or not bolted down properly.

A smooth finish is best for sealing so seek more of a polish than skim. If there is such a thing.

[Fat Audi 80]

Here is what the AAN work shop manual says about distortion of the head.
45764-1cb2bf6b1728cd1285176ce2de9e50fa.jpg

Great thanks!

[s0_big]

Here is what the AAN work shop manual says about distortion of the head.
45764-1cb2bf6b1728cd1285176ce2de9e50fa.jpg

[Fat Audi 80]

I think I am in a similar situation. On the head doing a full re furb is really the only option IMO, valve guides, seats etc. You can also get it pressure tested prior to refitting. If it's never been off before then there is plenty of meat for a skim and its not expensive, especially if done as part of the re furb.

Thanks, I am saving up for a local (good) company to refurb the head while it is off. (Assuming it is not badly cracked or has any other serious issues.. )

Cheers,

Steve

[Fat Audi 80]

All of the above... i would get the injectors cleaned while they are out and flow tested too. Cheap and easy. New pcv pipe and clean the flame trap if you have it there still

Thanks David, already done a couple of years ago when I did the IM repaint. Flowed injectors courtesy of another member.

Cheers,

Steve