Astra Head Gasket

the merchant

Hi guys,

The sister's '00 1.4 Astra has blown the head gasket which had also been leaking oil for quite a while. Haven't done a HG in a few years so any pointers would be most welcome.

I'll change HG, belt & tensioner, thermostat. I'll have the head skimmed and tested.

Anything else?

Captain Slow IRL

Don't forget some fresh coolant!

They're pretty straight forward, you'll need some female torx sockets to undo a lot of the bolts (the majority, actually!) and some male sockets to undo a lot of the components in your way.

Make sure you loosen the head bolts gradually and evenly to ensure you don't damage the head or a cam - same with tightening when putting it back together.

There was a previous post on a zafira timing belt - here with some pointers.

the merchant

Thanks for that... Looks like a tricky enough job.

Last night I started to strip it down - removed the crankshaft pulley, airbox, fanbelt, rocker cover etc. Need to get the female torx sockets to go further though.

One question - should I try to unbolt the inlet manifold and leave in sitiu or disconnect everything and take it out with the head??

Captain Slow IRL

I couldn't tell you! It's been a while since I've seen into an Opel engine bay!

Would it be easier to take the head out with the manifold attached? Then remove it when you've better access to the nuts.

the merchant

So I removed the head on Friday...

I decided to leave the manifold in the car but I'm not sure if this was the right thing to do. Three of the lower four nuts were an absolute pig to get to and I'm not convinced that I'll manage to get them back on with my ham hands. Should I consider taking out the manifold now and attaching to the head prior to re installation? Then I'd be into disconnecting/connecting fuel lines etc so might just try going back as I came out.

Captain Slow IRL

Good going!

Personally, I'd take the manifold out and secure it outside the car - unless you can access the lower bolts easily from underneath.

Stoolbend

It's easier to remove the manifold. Theres only the petrol pipes, a vacuum pipe, an earth and the accelerator cable. And it makes cleaning off the old gasket easier.

the merchant

only getting back to this job now ... Left manifold in car for head reinstall.

Latest question, anyone know the torque settings?


Settings were actually in the gasket kit.

shamwari

Sorry I only saw this thread now. I'd try and get the settings specified with the gasket you bought because they might be slightly different from those specified by the manufacturer, particularly if the gasket is slighly thicker than the original one.

Cylinder Head Tightening torques indicated for the Astra X14XE engine are:

Stage1 Tighten 25Nm
Stage2 Tighten 90 degress
Stage3 Tighten 90 degress
Stage4 Tighten 90 degress
Stage5 Tighten 45 degrees

Note: New bolts are required

The bolt tightening sequence is as below:

the merchant

Update.

HG all done and running lovely. Timing belt tensioner is a bit weird but I got a loan of an Autodata timing belt book which explained how to set it up.

Car failed NCT on saturday for broken rear springs - apparently common and handy to fit.

the merchant

Update 2

Fitted springs yesterday, had headlights aligned and bingo, passed nct today. It's a type of job satisfaction I just don't get working in the computer industry.