Was out getting used to the new gearbox when all of a sudden the cockpit filled with steam and on looking over my shoulder I see I have completly filled the road with smoke.
Pulled over and at first thought the exhaust heat shield bracket had worn a hole in the water pipe, but on a bit more detailed look a fine mist of water was spraying out of the head onto the exhaust manifold, creating a serious smoke screen!!
Drove home on it (20 miles) and in that time it only just managed to empty the header tank and the water temp never went above 83 degrees, so i reckon i have caught it early and i reckon it is just the elastomer seal that has gone on the gasket.
I ordered another one today and will fit it tomorrow, so hopefully by tea time those sweet sweet sequential shifts will be filling my ears again.
All sorted. Not a bad job really, took me 5 hours which i didn’t think was bad for a first attempt, but my bloody back aches!!!
The worst bit was getting the exhaust manifold off the studs. Once the head was off though I cut down all of the exhaust studs, so that now with the nuts all done back up there are only about two threads showing. This meant I lost about 14mm from each stud!!! Needless to say once the head was back on, the manifold went on really easily.
It was the elastomer seal that had gone, but one of the fire rings wasn’t looking to great either, plus it had PLASTIC dowels!!! I thought the VHPD’s had steel ones as standard??? Well the new head gasket came with steel dowels, so they are now in.
Big thanks to Ian at Eliseparts who got the gasket and head bolts to me by nine o’clock this morning, and I only called him to order them at 1pm yesterday!!!
All sorted. Not a bad job really, took me 5 hours which i didn’t think was bad for a first attempt, but my bloody back aches!!!
The worst bit was getting the exhaust manifold off the studs. Once the head was off though I cut down all of the exhaust studs, so that now with the nuts all done back up there are only about two threads showing. This meant I lost about 14mm from each stud!!! Needless to say once the head was back on, the manifold went on really easily.
It was the elastomer seal that had gone, but one of the fire rings wasn’t looking to great either, plus it had PLASTIC dowels!!! I thought the VHPD’s had steel ones as standard??? Well the new head gasket came with steel dowels, so they are now in.
Big thanks to Ian at Eliseparts who got the gasket and head bolts to me by nine o’clock this morning, and I only called him to order them at 1pm yesterday!!!
Sean…
Mine had steel dowels and it also had HGF in the same place. I doubt it’s coinsidence.