Rebuild...

[hibbsy21]

In regards to my Broke a bolt thread, i started to drill it out only to snap the cobalt drill bit and for it to fall straight into the hole for the injector...bad luck i say. So basically i have given up trying to drill it out and i am going to get the head off take it to a garage and get it done properly!

While i have to head off, i have decided to go for a rebuild to make sure my engine is in tiptop condition. it has 227978 miles on it so it needs doing i guess.

I have order the following from GSF

Cambelt kit
Head gasket
Cylinder gasket kit

Thinking of geting new valves and valve springs while i am at it. Any thing else that is required or anything i can upgrade as i am thinking of bringing the power up quite alot as this car has just turned into a project. i am also thinking of gettin the head ported too.

So any help and advice is greatly welcomed, and if you are in the lincoln area you are more than welcome to pop by and lend a hand

Cheers in advance

Rich

[hibbsy21]

Right then, I started getting the cylinder head off to day and this as far as i have got so far...





i am pretty stuck, i need the cam locking tools in order to be able to take the cam belt off and begin removing the head... Anyone in lincs got these?

Or where can i get them for, hopefully not too expensively"

Cheers

Rich

[Arrrr Jimlad]

Dunno if you have a Machine Mart or similar local to you, they normally do the cam locking kits at a fairly reasonalble cost.
You're a braver man than me btw, I wouldn't take a job like that on without someone to hold my hand!

[hibbsy21]

Trust me mate, i need someone to hold my hand. I am only doing it cos i dont have any money, and cos i hav the misses car to use for work. I was desparate to get it done asap, but now i think i will take my time, source a bigger turbo to put on at the same time, get a FMIC too as i have just won an RS4 body kit. So i might as well take my time and do a good job....but as for the cam, i think i will need that done in a garage as i pulled the belt off today and the injectors timing cog spun round so thats ****** now.

I need to sort out my air con at the same time as it has never worked. Also all the other belts have cracks in them so they all need doing at the same time. But as you said...i really do need a helping hand. I sat on the floor earlier and just thought 'oh ****, I'm in way over my head here rich' lol

But i am going crazy having to drive a crappy 1.3 hyundai accent. Thats a punishment if ever i saw one!

I will give a quick google for a machine mart! Thanks!

Rich

[hibbsy21]

Right then guys, I have just found a company in Lancashire called Alucast Automotive Engineering that specialise in reconditioning cylinder heads. It seems like a pretty good company, heres what they will do for a small fee of £185.

90 PSI PRESSURE TEST
ALL PARTS REMOVED & CLEANED
ANY BROKEN STUDS REMOVED (the main one for my problem)
HELICOILS DECARBONISED
ALL BROKEN OR WORN PARTS REPLACED
VALVES RECON'D
SEATS RECUT
VALVES GROUND TO SEATS
RESKIMMED LEAST AMOUNT
NEW STEMSEALS FITTED
REBUILT WITH CLEAN SPRING WASHERS, SPRINGS, CAPS, COLLETTS, BEARINGS, CAMSHAFT, CAMCAPS
RESHIMMED
WRAPPED IN BOX AN DELIVERED BACK TO YOU WITHIN 4 WORKING DAYS
BROKEN CAMSHAFTS REPLACED AT EXTRA COST

Now that seems like an ace deal to me! Only problem is, i will still need it refitted and the cambelt and all the timing redone properly. So the cost is racking up, but as i said, i can wait patiently!

So would it be advised to go for some new piston rings and/or new pistons?

I am also thinking of finding a bigger turbo for the rebuild! :P

Rich

[hibbsy21]

Right then, I have got the turbo and intake manifold off. All is left is to undo the head bolts which i dont have a big enough torx bit for, so i will pick one up tomorrow to continue on. Getting the cogs off proved slightly difficult, but they came off in the end. They need a good clean.

Here is the engine as it is now...



Looks quite sad for its self at the moment

The turbo needs a good clean, so i have cleaned it and then sprayed the manifold with some silver high temp paint to make it look better.

These are some before pics







And a few in the process...





The actuator was full of oil, and i mean full! To the point where i think it dropped out about 50ml of oil. It all poured out when i pulled the actuator rod. Didnt get a picture of it though, sorry!

I will get some pics of the finished manifold and turbo once i have completed it.

As for the cogs i am going to polish them up to a shine and then put some clear lacquer on them to keep them polished and shiney! :P

So i still have a hell of a lot of work to do, the head is being sent off on monday for recon. And while that is away i will be cleaning all the engine bay as i discovered that the head gasket is actually leaking quite alot of oil. So i am glad it is coming off!

I will update later hope you all like the pics and the thread so far!

Rich

[hibbsy21]

Ok then, here we have the finished turbo...



Well its not quite finished, i need to spray a few little bits that arent quite perfectly covered and the actuator needs anothe coat of clear lacquer!

Got the head off today also so we are nearly done, it is being sent off to Alucast tomorrow. But here are a few more pics of my work today...





Hmmm whats this i wonder? Any guesses?



Thats right, its a rib bone! Confused? I know i was! lol



One removed head







This is the bolt thats snapped in it. And a load of silicone i tried to hold it in with....completely stupid idea i know!



So yeah, getting there. As i said alucast is collecting tomorrow, i need to clean up the rest of the engine bay while thats away, probs be a few more bits that i will paint. The cam belt cover is black but i am feeling some gloss black on it.

Need to flush the coolant out as there is a bit of oil in it now due to the head removal! So i need some G12, correct?

Ummm and for now thats it. I will keep you posted on how its all going, and then once its finished I need to book another remap as I never managed to go to the one on FRIDAY the 13th!!!! Superstitious now!

Thanks for looking

Rich

[green A8]

That's the road I'm going down with our 1998 1.9 TDi in a couple of months time.
I bought up loads of new parts a couple of years ago, when the opportunity presented itself. Including a new crankshaft and a set of new con rods with bearings. Plus a new oil pump, and a new head.

One thing I am scratching my head over Rich. You're getting your head skimmed? I was told that there's no tolerance for skimming these TDi heads, which is why I went out and bought a brand new full head (inc Cam) Was I conned?

Kind Regards.

Paul.

[jjh-b5]

You can skim a tiny amount off however skimming will alter the compression slightly which is dodge on most turbo engines. To be honest if the heads and block is flat and the head passes a porosity(spelling?)/hardness test I wouldn't bother getting it skimmed at all. I'd spend your time cleaning that mating surface on the block - you will need to get it perfectly clean and flat for your new head gasket to mate correctly. I'd also replace all those head bolts you've removed, especially with the mileage that engine has done. Do you planning on replacing the waterpump/thermostat? It may be worth doing, the law of the sod say when you've put it all back together and timed everything up one of these two will start to leak and you'll need to take it all apart again.

[green A8]

You can skim a tiny amount off however skimming will alter the compression slightly which is dodge on most turbo engines.

As I'm going to do a pretty similar job in the near future I thought I'd ask a few questions, on this subject. The last engine I fully re-built was a Triumph 2500 last winter. I've not done a "modern" Audi engine on my own, helped out on a few though. Unless you count a 5 pot 2.2 dating back to around 1982.

I take it that skimming the head will increase the compression slightly? I would agree with you about replacing the other parts, only problem is that it increases the cost (at least in the short term). Removing the remains of the old gasket? I always used to use a "hand forged on the anvil" length of copper pipe (Iron/steel block only. NOT alloy). Is there any sort of spray on gasket remover on the market? The head bolts I always thought were use once only stretch type. Similar to the front subframe mounting bolts.

Kind Regards.

Paul.