Help. Gubbed head gasket.

[Nuvo]

I've been chasing down a coolant leak which I found to be at the thermo switch. Car idles a little bit lumpy, pulls well enough though.

I topped up the coolant and ran the engine whith the expansion cap off,
I notice there is a lot white smoke coming from the tailpipe and that the pink coolant has turned murky very quickly.

*****, looks like this loss of coolant has caused my gasket failure. So the moral of the story is if you have a coolant leak fix it immediately.

The car is a 10v NA coupe, I want to replace the gasket myself. I've done a reasonable amount of work on the car to date and I know whats what in the engine bay.

Is this within the reach of a first timer, any helpful advice from the guys that have there heads off on a near weekly basis or anyone else with some previous experience?

Why do these things always happen when the days get shorter and colder?

[Doug_RS2]

It is is easy to do as a first timer - the first time is just very daunting - just remember to have everything clean, smooth and no dripping oil when you put the head on.

It is best to follow the manual for bolt sequences and torque settings.

[Nuvo]

Thanks Doug, that's the sort of encouragement I'm looking for. I've got the official repair guide for this block. I've browsed over it and it doesn't appear too bad, I won't know till I try it for real though.

It mentions that when removing the injectors they should be properly protected against contamination. Would wrapping them separately in clean cloths be okay or is there another preferred method?

Thanks.

[Greg_S]

yeah that should be fine, just to make sure they dont get covered in oil and crap really.

Greg