Does an 87 S3 XJ6 motor have a dowel stud, or alignment feature, to align the head and block? I am familiar with the earlier motors that have two studs with a dowel for alignment. But the S3 motor I am working on now does not seem to have anything for alignment.
Thanks,
Dave Christensen
2012 XK Convertible
2013 XJ
1965 E Type OTS
David!
You can use 2 of the long studs that go through for aligning
after you drop the gasket .
I use some red silicone on both sides of the gasket, that really
seals it up for a long time.
Walter
As I understand it sometimes when head work has been done the special stud/s that are used to align the head have not been used. When I did my '72 a few years ago my supplier provided all plain studs of three different lengths. I went back and asked for the single dowel stud used on that engine only to be advised that “most blokes don’t bother”. I was insistent and he procured one for me. This stud on a '72 is fitted to the LHS of the engine adjacent to #6 cylinder. FWIW. Paul.
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Not specified for the xk engine, David. As Walter says; the head studs are adequate for alignment. There are to philosophies as to head fitting; one using two studs, front and rear - the other is seating all studs, then fit the head gasket and head. The advantage of the latter is that all studs can be verified as firmly seated - but a bit more tricky in actually aligning all the studs to their respective addresses. Both ways will likely work…
As an aside; the gasket is intended to be fitted dry, on carefully clean and smooth surfaces. The gasket is subject to high temps and pressures, so sealant is not recommended - and may have adverse effects…
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
I have never understood why you’d want studs firmly seated. You want them screwed all the way in, for sure, to make sure you have enough threads engaged, but beyond that my preference would be to leave them finger tight. Heck, if I thought they were too tight I might back 'em out a half turn to make good 'n sure they aren’t too tight.
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The point is that if the studs are not fully down; the acorn nuts will bottom before proper torque is applied to the head, Kirbert.
If the studs are fitted after the head is fitted and you discover ‘protruding’ studs - you may have to remove the head to find the cause and remedy. Of course, if you have made sure that the stud threads are clean, as you should - it’s no argument. But threads clean; the studs will likely turn to take up the slack anyway…
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
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