Always good for posters to update their info with their location, especially when recommending suppliers of parts and services or looking for a fellow poster locally for assistance. My plea to all to update their profiles.
Well guys , honesty is the best policy . I had almost decided on the head job anyway , when my destiny was decided for me . While testing the compression for the second time , that little gizmo on the guage , that you press to reset , fell off and disappeared down no4 cylinder . Yes , yes , always block off holes that are vulnerable I hear you scream ! Well , after the swearing , came the crying , and after that came , well ok s**t happens , let’s get on with it . So the head is almost ready to lift more on this saga soon.
How about a magnet or a stick with sticky tape on the end?
Can you see it with a borescope camera?
It’s brass , so no magnet . Tried lots of things , Rob , lots of sticky things , no luck ! Anyway , the head comes off tomorrow !
Ahh, reminds me of the time, when I just going to check valve clearances on a beautifully working (my first) V12, I dropped a few serrated steel washers from the LH side inlet manifold. (as the choke cable caught one of the manifold corners)
Clllirrr…and I was able to find most of them, I was already feeling bad when one of them was found in one of the inlet tracts of the cylinder head. One I could not find, the inlet valve of cylinder nr.5 on the LH side cylinder bank was open, and bingo! There it was, inside the combustion chamber.
I could see it with a borescope camera, I was able to touch and lift it with a magnet, but it would not fit through the spark plug hole! I tried to carefully turn the engine so the exhaus valve ewas open I I tried to blow it there with compressed air etc. No luck!
Trying to keep the story short I was also already thinking of pulling the head and as the exhaust manifold probably would not have come out easy pulling the entire engine!
But the I had a good nights sleep, and in the morning I figured out it should come out the same way it went in, I opened a coat hanger and made a small hook in the end, then I pushed it in from the inlet tract with the inlet valve fully open, used the borescope camera and magnet to put the washer on the hook and pulled it out! What a relief!
Cheers!
Ps. Lesson learned? I always pick up all fasteners and washers with a magnet or something before opening any manifolds or other cavities!
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It seems that a bore scope camera should be an essential part of every idiots toolbox , as well as those who are just careful .
Hi,
You’re right about that, and I was glad the one I have (bought from Lidl) had both a small magnet and a hook for non magnetic stuff, I am sure I could pick that brass washer or an alu washer with it. Except I lost the holder when I was doing some research inside my XJ6C*s LH side fuel tank, I had trouble with a fuel gauge sender, which BTW there are THREE different kinds in S2 XJ’s, mine being front entry with a twist
I was able to get the metal part back after emptying the rest and opening the tank sump (a good think to open and clean every 2-3 years on both sides anyways, it’s amazing how much crud they always collect!) but I could never find the small rubber/plastic ring that holds it to the camera. Maybe it dissolved. Yes, there is no idiot-proof tool nor technology!
Cheers!
get a vacuum cleaner and tape a length of fuel hose or similar, insert that down the hole, and you should be able to get it out that way.
one of those plug into phone borescopes is about $20
I would not be rushing to get that head off with the figures you gave, apart from the 90, they are ok
a diagnostic leakdown test would be beneficial, and should really be down before you take it apart anyway
I would change the oil, you dont even need a lift
others may disagree but I also think an airflow meter to tune to carbs is pretty much essential, I have an inexpensive Gunson
On my '55, the head sprung a hole from coolant gallery to exhaust port, freezing the rings on one piston. I took the head off, replaced it with an old one, pulled the piston out, freed the rings and put it back together, that was many years ago
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Who on earth quoted you that price for a head rebuild?
Pm me if you need a rebuild.
Yes, definitely. Count me in +1 idiot. Extremely useful. Paul.
I had a “service” done on my XJ6 in Sydney by a specialist. Clean, surface mill, check valve guides and tappets, two new exhaust valves, valve clearances. No welding required. AUD$780. I dropped it off and picked it up. FWIW. Paul.
Those $20 cell phone borescopes are useful, but a bit difficult to use because the wand is very long and it’s hard to direct the end of it. That said, it’s very worth a try. The one I have also came with a little clip for snagging lost objects, although I think the vacuum idea is better. Find it with the borescope and confirm that you sucked it out after. Unless pulling the head is just something you want to do. After you get the foreign body out, if you are convinced that the phut-phut sound is from a valve, you might adjust the valves before you condemn the head. Leakdown test if unsure. Better to know what is wrong to the best of your ability before taking it apart.
A vacuum gauge might be helpful with some of the diagnostic work on this engine/head. They’re old school and simple to use. I have one and I am a fan. Paul.
Within the last few years I paid about $5200 (£4000) for a complete cylinder head overhaul on my 3.8S here in Eugene Oregon. The car went to the shop with the head on. The work included all new valves (12) all new guides (12) new oversize tappets (12), new valve spring set, cam bearings, new valve seats (12), surfacing and tappet hold down kits for intake and exhaust. ( Intake side probably unnecessary but hard to argue with the shop). Plug wires and plugs and washers with built in O rings for the cam covers to prevent oil leaks.
Mike’s labor time guides make interesting reading and I have many on my shelves having worked in the factory warranty dept in the USA. Realistically, I would not expect any retail shop to follow these times today. These warranty times were arguably skinny even back in the day when the cars were new, clean and unrusty. The factory times were created in the UK with technicians who did the jobs three times in a row to arrive at an average time. Any anyone who has worked on cars knows doing the same job three times in a row results in improving times each time. On our old 50-60 year old grease and dirt encrusted cars with stuck and sheared bolts the times will be substantially greater. No shop wanting to make a fair profit (and do a thorough job) will be able to bill for these times and stay in business. Even in the new car warranty days labor billed to the factory was often “padded” in some un-auditable way to cover the technician’s actual time spent.
Well , hopefully the head comes off today , so the truth will be known .
Hi Ken
Are you taking it off yourself?
I don’t know how much you know so forgive me if I’m preaching something you already know, but it is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL that you slacken off the head retaining bolts in the correct (or at least a random) sequence, and each one just a little bit at a time until you have done the same to all the others, or you risk warping the cylinder head.
If you have to have it skimmed anyway this won’t matter so much unless it’s been done before but if it’s ok now it probably won’t be if you remove the bolts entirely one by one !!!
And remember to drain the water from the cooling system down as low as you can or it’ll get in the sump, and remember you will have to change to oil afterwards unless you are 100% certain it hasn’t.
As far as the lumpy running goes, I’d say this is more likely to be carburation as it’s almost impossible to get old carbs running smoothly unless they are completely reconditioned. My V8 is rough at tickover even though a PO had them ‘reconditioned’ 3000 miles ago, but pulls like a train and is smooth as silk at 3000 revs.
And if the engine hasn’t had much use it jight just loosen up if you use it - mine had only done about 500 miles in the 5 years before I bought it and knocked and smoked a bit but now, after 1500 miles in the last 12 months it’s mended itself !!
Do you have a Haynes Manual?
They are still available for the MK1 and 2 for about 25 quid. The engine stripdown details are the same for the mk7 and are probably more use for the DIY mechanic than the original factory manual.
When unbolting the head don’t forget the 4 X 5/16 nuts which retain the front of the head to the timing cover. !
Thanks for that Bob , yes I did know about the correct sequence . I hear what you are saying about the engine , by I was more or less forced into this by losing something down the plug hole . I’m sure it will be an improvement .
Bought a workshop manual for forty quid , covers mk7 + xk120 & 150 . Not that I will be affording one of those !!!