Water in cylinder 2

[bongovi]

Owing to the fact that the WLTD cylinder head gasket is "normally" of the multilayer type you should be able to check for blow at No 2 or whatever cylinder has signs of coolant. It is also advisable to remove the valves to check the head for cracks, don't forget to check the block also.

GL

Had planned to get the head off today, but slow progress. Ended up taking off the EGR pipe at the 'easy end', i.e. avoiding the mega-nut which I think I've pulled my back on.

Now can't release the top metal (oil/fuel line?) pipe from the turbo to get to the last turbo manifold bolt. No tool I have or have borrowed will get behind the metal turbo pipe, so it needs to come off, but it won't budge with the 17mm spanner I'm applying to it. Haven't heated it yet, but have sprayed generously.

Also stubborn is the pulley wheel nut, while holding the cam nut. I think they're reverse threaded, but I'm still not sure which way to turn it - do I turn the pulley wheel clockwise while the opposite on the cam shaft? Can only get a spanner on it at the moment, wrench on cam's 26mm nut, so not a lot of leverage.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be luckier and manage to finally get the head off.

[Bongolia]

You can leave the cam pulley on ,it will come off with the head I believe. Your engineers can whip that off when they crack test.
Normal thread is "turn right to screw tight , turn left to undo" so reverse for LH thread, doubt if pulley nut is LH though.
With regard to the crack testing it may be an idea to get them to fit the new stem seals,clean up and lap in the valves while its with them, they can also set up the valve clearances at the same time, that operation is bit tricky if you haven't done it before.
Good luck.

[Northern Bongolow]

ive got a spanner that fits, you can borrow it if you can carry it.

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... ey#p637393

[Bongolia]

If its the crank pulley nut you are referring too then a dirty trick is to get the right size socket and an extension bar, fit the socket on the nut and rest the extension bar,following the direction of rotation, against the chassis rail or the ground and crank the engine,head off of course or timing belt connected, this is normally sufficient to crack the nut. Dont be tempted to hold it with your hand though.The crank pulley will be a right hand thread.

[bongovi]

If its the crank pulley nut you are referring too then a dirty trick is to get the right size socket and an extension bar, fit the socket on the nut and rest the extension bar,following the direction of rotation, against the chassis rail or the ground and crank the engine,head off of course or timing belt connected, this is normally sufficient to crack the nut. Dont be tempted to hold it with your hand though.The crank pulley will be a right hand thread.

Progress made

Thanks again folks, all advice gratefully received. So around 4pm yesterday I managed to, with the expert help of my 'mech mentor', get the head off. Results in a second. First though a quick note that the cam pulley *was* counter-clockwise, done with two 12in spanners (17mm) hooked onto each other in a very smart but simple way (sure you've probably all seen it before) me holding the cam nut with a wrench, the other man pulling the locked spanners. To get behind the 'top metal tube' on the turbo I mentioned, an expensive socket set was produced and a small 12mm head managed to fit in behind. No need to wrestle with another stuck bolt.

I'm slightly dreading reassembly.

Results

So the results of the head release, the moment I've been waiting for... A clear and obvious crack in the head on 2. I'll post a pic perhaps in a summary post at the end as this thread can hopefully turn into something useful for future head hunters. Basically it's a crack between the narrow part of the surface between the valves. Thankfully it wasn't hidden, but shame it wasn't 'just' the gasket. Observed approx. 1in of coolant in the cylinder below, which I've mopped out.

Was getting a little surface rust in there after a week of non-work, probably due to damp conditions atm, so may crack a window to release moisture in there if it continues.

So I'll be putting in an order for a new head from http://mazdabongo.com/product-category/ ... tr-diesel/ - and may as well just ask this here, but does anyone know of a way to do this cheaper? I take it nobody would advise a breakers' yard? Just checking... due dilligence etc.

It looks like the £615 would be the quickest way forward, or the £550 if I wanted to do more of the assembly myself. Not exactly clear what is done in the higher priced model, but assume it's worth 2-3 hours of my time for the extra £65. Alternatively I could go the £450 route, as the camshaft seems true with no other apparent damage to valves etc. - it's a nearly £200 saving, but again I'm not sure what the manual work is involved. Advice welcome. I do have time enough to work on the rebuild, and cashflow isn't fantastic at the moment, so it's probably a question of false economies perhaps?

Final note and question

I'll just note that the factsheets on removing the head are very useful, but missing a few details that would help novices to save even more time. Namely a bit of illustration if uncertain about the terms used, a few tips on loosening seized tubes and nuts and the location of a few 'hidden' nuts. Then again, maybe novices shouldn't be doing too much of this... For me it's more of a needs-must situation, with some excellent assistance from yourselves and my trusted, benevolent mentor/leader Happy to provide more info in this thread in any case as I go along.

Also, does anyone know if the advised torque settings in the head removal factsheets are dry or wet?

[teenmal]

For the WLTD engine WET.

[bongovi]

For the WLTD engine WET.

Noted! And thanks.

Just been out to check and the slight surface rusting had started already on the block. Smoothed everything over with some engine oil, so will keep an eye on that.

Any thoughts on the head decision, from £450 to £615 - how much extra work would be involved in the cheaper one?

[Bongolia]

Oh well its bad luck but at least you know where your at now.
As to the choice of head, if I were you, I would go for the built option, It would save faffing about with shims etc and you know everything is checked and sorted, so just a matter of bolting it down!
You should still check valve clearances before and after you have run it though.
You should also check the piston heights across the cylinders too , they should all be the same any that are lower means potential con-rod damage.
I would be interested to know if your bores have a cross hatch at the top.
https://goo.gl/photos/cyPCm8TLJqeSdTY28
This was used by some GM motors to denote cylinder wear/re-bore on their blocks,so I understand,never seen it on a Ford block before so I was surprised to see it on mine, have you got them on yours?

Good luck.

[Bongolia]

If its the crank pulley nut you are referring too then a dirty trick is to get the right size socket and an extension bar, fit the socket on the nut and rest the extension bar,following the direction of rotation, against the chassis rail or the ground and crank the engine,head off of course or timing belt disconnected, this is normally sufficient to crack the nut. Dont be tempted to hold it with your hand though.The crank pulley will be a right hand thread.

CANNOT FIND HOW TO EDIT AN OLD POST.
READING THIS THROUGH AGAIN ITS WRONG,IT SHOULD READ WITH TIMING BELT CONNECTED.
CRANKING THE ENGINE WITH THE BELT DISCONNECTED WILL DAMAGE VALVES ON AN INTERFERENCE ENGINE.
DUNNO IF THE MODS CAN CHANGE THAT?

Edit: They can.

[Bob]

There is a tme out for editing your posts, there was a reason which I forget.

[Bongolia]

Thank for that
Can you delete the correcting post of mine too?
It may confuse.

[Bob]

Best bet is to click the symbol, top right of your post to report it, then just ask a moderator to tweak/remove/add smilie.

[Bongolia]

Thanks, still getting the hang of it.

[bongovi]

Oh well its bad luck but at least you know where your at now.
As to the choice of head, if I were you, I would go for the built option, It would save faffing about with shims etc and you know everything is checked and sorted, so just a matter of bolting it down!
You should still check valve clearances before and after you have run it though.
You should also check the piston heights across the cylinders too , they should all be the same any that are lower means potential con-rod damage.
I would be interested to know if your bores have a cross hatch at the top.
https://goo.gl/photos/cyPCm8TLJqeSdTY28
This was used by some GM motors to denote cylinder wear/re-bore on their blocks,so I understand,never seen it on a Ford block before so I was surprised to see it on mine, have you got them on yours?

Good luck.

Cheers for advice, just wondering if it's saving £200's-worth of faffing or not In an ideal world I'd love to grab the pre-built one, but just need to have a bit more of a think before pulling the trigger as that £200 could go a long way in Bongo renovation etc.

Didn't notice any crosshatching, but haven't had a real look for that yet. Did you reassemble and carry on driving with the hatching present?

As for piston height, I suppose I'd need to turn the engine a little for that and I was going to keep my pistons where they were before replacing the head... or did that just apply to me re-using the old head once I'd changed the gasket I hoped was the main problem?

[bongovi]

If its the crank pulley nut you are referring too then a dirty trick is to get the right size socket and an extension bar, fit the socket on the nut and rest the extension bar,following the direction of rotation, against the chassis rail or the ground and crank the engine,head off of course or timing belt connected, this is normally sufficient to crack the nut. Dont be tempted to hold it with your hand though.The crank pulley will be a right hand thread.

Correction noted - cheers (timing belt connected, not disconnected, if the correction post is deleted).

That was one of the first youtube hits when I was looking for 'remove cam pulley' - fortunately the double-spanner technique sorted it in the end. Not referring to the two people working on the Bongo.