Cracked Head

Round

Hello all,

I'm after a bit of advice.

My cylinder head has cracked on plug port four. I'm looking for a replacement and it seems there could be many variants? is this true? what do i need to check? once a replacement is sourced what should I change whilst doing the work? the cam chain and nozzle etc was changed by Benny from here a few years back. am I safe to re-use.

I am open to all kinds of suggestions and tips etc.

Or anyone near northampton with the skills?? :thumbup:

Many thanks

vocky

all the z22se heads fit ok, there are three versions and it's only slight alterations in the casting anyway :thumbup:

the chain should be ok to reuse, just make sure the head you buy didn't come from a snapped chain engine or if it did that the valve guides were changed on the inlet valves

Round

Cool thanks vocky that makes the search a little easier now. Will look for one from a car being broken that's running in that case. Suspect vauxhall aren't cheap :?

Not sure whether to tackle this myself or not, seems a bit daunting??? Any ideas how long it would take so i can see if quotes are reasonable.

cheers..

vocky

you could always just use some rad weld for a temporary fix

Round

I did consider the possibily of some sort of temp fix but I rely on it bit too much. I'd drive round always expecting it to fail too.
:?

Round

Is it worth me attempting this job myself? Trying to follow haynes just sends you round the houses through it's chapters! :-/

MikeS

easy part is stripping it down - hard part is putting it back together

JohnnyN

What are the three differences Neil?

:think:

vocky

JohnnyN said:
What are the three differences Neil?

:think:

mainly the engine breather system, some heads have round holes, others oblong and some don't have the hole at all :wtf:

Round

Hello all,
I've removed all items and head is ready to be unbolted and lifted free. I will do it anyway but was just wondering, as I'm throwing head and using new bolts do i have to undo in sequence? does it also prevent damage to the bottom end?
I have cable tied the chain to the sprockets in the hope I can keep it taught and pass through the head so I don't loose the timing. I can't see any marks on the crank pulley!!! so no tdc.
one of the 4 torx bolts inside the head is fouled by a chain guide. how do I gain access to bolt? is the guide under tension so it will shift once I remove the sprockets?
any other tips?
thanks so far guys.

astra22bertoneauto

Personally I would redo the timing instead of hoping & praying. I wouldnt want to take a chance on something like that. TDC is on the inside of the crank pulley. Lines up with mark on chain/oil cover at approx 10-11 o clock.

IIRC you may need to remove the chain tensioner at rear of head to access bolt.

Round

Cheers mate that helped I found tdc. I'd have never have seen that from wheel arch but sorted from top.

Round

Well it's all on and running. First start sounded like a bag of nails and the so called recon head had knackered valve lifters so had to change them. That's ebay for you! Feedback, past and present sales suggested they were trustworthy so not alot else I could've done to question otherwise! Once lifters done it started and sounds perfect :-) 20 miles in all seems well. Will try and keep below 3000rpm for 200 miles give or take hopefully trouble free then I'll be happy!
Cheers guys

Matt

Excellent news, shame about the valve lifters, but at least it's all back together and running again. :thumbup: