Well, it's been a day --- got ready to put the head on, and out falls a
bolt. Not a bolt, actually, but a broken exhaust stud. Here we go --
back to the bench, pull the exhaust and turbo, run over to the shop,
drill it and use an EasyOut, which actually worked for once. Then off
to the auto parts store in search of a stud, finally found one in a
water pump assortment, of all things, and got the exhaust back on.
The head is bolted down (properly this time) and I'm ready for the
intake and assorted bits tomorrow.
Someone replaced the head, or did a valve job (at least removed the
head) before I got the car. PO bought in off eBay for $7000, supposed
to run fine, and it did, but only above 1500 rpm. I paid $5000 for it,
on the assumption that I would have to put a head on it, but the main
running problem was badly installed pressure valve holder seals causing
a serious miss on #3 and #4 with hard knock. Some traces of oil in the
coolant, but nothing major.
Over the last year, it has started to drip oil, I assumed from the
chain tensioner seal as that is the usual culprit, but in this case was
the head gasket in the right front.
When we got it off and started cleaning it (a chore, as the left rear
head bolt broke at the top of the threads and it took a while to get it
free), we discovered the following: Compression leak between #3 and
#4, from #6 go the head bolt hole (bolt was coated with combusion
residue), the gasket was coated with CopperHead gasket sealant
including the cylinder sealing surface, and there was silicate crap all
over two prechambers from coolant leaking into the combustion chamber.
No cracks, thank heavens. Cleaned up fine, and seems to be flat, etc.
I would guess someone blew a radiator nipple off, and overheated and
cracked the head. Someone did a crap repair to sell the car fast, and
both added sealant to the head gasket (ore re-used it) and didn't
torque the head down properly.
With any luck, I'll have it back up and running tomorrow. I swiped the
metal ends off my old 220D spare engine, so the link it back on, just
need to finish up the fuel lines, intake, cam, intake, and so forth.
Peter
