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estateman

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  1. It's all sorted and now back on the road for not much more than the cost, quoted by the garage, of taking and engine out and putting it back after refurbishing. There was little sign of pitting on the valves. I have a question: The mechanic said to me, after some dicussion about my experience of the mixture always being slightly rich and slowly sooting the plugs, " You can adjust that, you have the book". Well, the book, the Hayes Manual, is all about engine speed and vacuum readings. Not having a vacuum gauge, I'm a bit stuck. All I need to know is which way to turn the adjuster. Advice, please.
  2. Much appreciated. However, it is in good hands. The head was taken of yesterday and the work required is minimal. The valve guide seals and the oil pump seals need replacement (cam seal OK) and a new water pump will be fitted as a pre-emptive move. The valves will be ground in and a new cam belt and head gasket (kit) fitted (don't yet know if skim required) and it should be back with me by the end of the week. Good to hear that Reading College still has such a department. My wife worked at The Henley College for many years, retiring last year, and they closed theirs down several years ago.
  3. You tell me! I don't have X-Ray vision but there are (since fitting a new rocker cover gasket) at least two according to the garage who service it, at least one I can see, oil leaks onto the exterior of the block where it get hots and smelly. The point is that while the head is off, it makes sense to do any reasonable work to stop the oil leaks and any pre-emptive work to avoid having to get in there again in the foreseeable future.
  4. At last: I have managed to look up a local, old-fashioned mechanic who does this kind of work. He will start from basics, opening up the engine and doing what is necessary. That is precisely what I asked the garage to do. He can get the head refurbished, if necessary by a firm who have tio part in stock.
  5. The saga continues. I have staked a claim on the head, however, "head is bare so comes with no valves or springs, let me work through the list and see if we can make up the head with all new parts ready to fit" is the latest from the stockist. When I put the prospect of building it and then fitting it to my neighbour he hesitated, as I expected. Neither he nor his mate have any experience of e.g. valve grinding. So, we are back in the realms of seeking help/recommendations from you guys, subject to an update on what kit is put together for me. I have to say that getting the head sorted, except perhaps for timing alignment, outside of the car before touching the engine has great appeal, leaving me with a drivable car until the final commitment! I am in Reading and available at most times. The car is drivable, if coolant is topped up every 100 miles or so. Back now to waiting for an email listing available parts.
  6. Thanks. It may no longer be an issue. This afternoon I was googling for info on the job when the search turned up a new head (fresh in, so not findable yesterday) which should fit, plus the head gasket and a cam seal. I have e-mailed the stockist with engine number and registration to see if they are OK. I don't know a price yet but it has got to be better than messing around with the old head. Andy's reply came in while I was typing this but I still think the new head is the best option.
  7. I've just had to restore function to the driver's door lock. When I got home from the garage yesterday I found that the lock would not function with the key. A mechanic had test driven the vehicle before handing it to me so unlocking it had not been an issue. I took the panelling off and investigated. It was not the key function, as the lock would not open from either the inside or the outside if I shut the latch with a screwdriver. To cut a long story short (or long) the linkage rod from the door handle was now too long, as though a gorilla had tried to open the door with the outer handle when it was locked. I make no accusation! :-X Anyway, I reconfigured the vertical and and horizontal axes of the rod. (I shoved it and bent it). This did the job. A tip about the inside locking knob/rod. That tends to get rather loose with age and then can drop down when you close the door, thus locking you out, invariably with the key still in the ignition. This can be stopped by inserting a quantity of soft foam rubber into the hole, preferably into the lower one in the door, just below the one in the panel, whence it emerges at the top of the door panel. This provides enough friction to stop it dropping without impairing normal function. I have to say that posting here is perfect practice for working on lock mechanisms in car doors, in that it what you are working on moves around and stays out of sight when you most need to see it.
  8. I'm in Reading. I've just had a long chat with my young neighbour and he has gone away with the Hayes manual. At the moment my preference is for him to replace the exhaust valves and guides as well as the head gasket. He's going to have a word with his mechanic buddy. They took an engine out and put it back today, a fairly typical activity for them. Thanks for the offer. I may well yet need such help. In my young and foolish days I did once take a head off (Ford Zephyr) but I have little enthusiasm now and am happy to pay, preferably not commercial rates. The car is in great shape otherwise and I should get at least another couple of years out of it, hopefully more, after this problem is sorted. As for clutches, I had an Audi 80 in the 1970s and the main dealer managed to break the clutch when they took the engine out. This was an insurance job but I can't remember who paid for the clutch. They also took weeks to get a genuine wheel bearing or something similar before they could complete the repair.
  9. I must say I was surprised at their reaction.
  10. Update: My local garage is nervous about what they might find if they open up the engine. It might need new valve guides (which they can't do) as well as valves and dealing with other seals might get them into the cylinder block anyway. It seems that Ivor Searle will refurbish the engine if it is taken out and sent to them. This would leave my car taking up space for weeks at the garage and they don't want that. They say that taking the engine out also implies a new clutch would be needed (kit now on Ebay). It may be that Searle will only deal with the trade. There is no way I would attempt the job. My neigbour is in some kind of partnership with a garage owner (?), working on Corsas, some of whichb he does on his drive. So I am going to see if they are interested. It could be done on my drive. Most important, is there anyone reading this who would be able, and keen to do the refurbishment for me? (I am in Reading and the car is drivable, behaving normally so far).
  11. Correct. That was me mis-remembering from when I was more directly interested in the mechanics of repairs. A short memory error! :-[
  12. I don't even know the cost of a straight replacement, let alone an upgrade. The cost, plus higher insurance, etc, is not waht I want on my pension. Also, I rarely venture out of town and the power has always been more than adequate on motorways.
  13. Yes 1600 8v. That's the most likely way to go, and my preference. They mention at least two valves needing work but I would want all, and their guides, replaced.
  14. The rocker gasket was replaced months ago, knowing that there were other leaks. There has never been much oil loss but it is messy and get hot on the front of the engine block and a bit smelly.
  15. It still hasn't done 50,000 so I don't know how that fits in with practice. A 'short engine' might be an option but availability might be an issue.
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