Taking cylinder head off for inspection - any tips?

[Simon Jones]

I'm having problems with excess pressure in the coolant system at the moment. Despite bleeding as per the various methods, the problem still occurs, so I plan is to take the head off for a closer look. I will be using the info in the manual & relevant factsheets in the members section. Here's my list of items to get/change whilst doing this. Is there anything else you recommend & any pitfalls to be wary of?

* Headgasket set inc: Head Gasket, Rocker Cover Gasket, Cam Shaft Seals, Rocker Cover Seals, Valve Stem Seals & Manifold gaskets (inlet and exhaust). I won't bother changing valve stem seals
* Cambelt
* Cambelt tensioner spring
* Cambelt tensioner - is this necessary? It has supposedly been replaced before - do they wear out?
* Head bolts
* Thermostat
* Replace hoses with Flippa's silicon pipes

That little lot comes to a tad under £300 from the club shop, Flippa & Bongobits. Items that I might change:

* Water pump - if the impeller, bearings & seals are ok - is it worth it? What's the typical lifespan?
* Radiator - there are no leaks or obvious hotspots. The water goes in red hot & comes out practically cold. I'll give it another good flush, but I don't believe it will be contributing to current problems. Does anyone know the exact fluid capacity of the rad? I was going to measure how much liquid it holds which would tell me if the capacity was reduced by silt & gunge.

Any advice & comments welcomed. Thanks

[mikeonb4c]

Simon - have you tried the testing kit that should detect the presence of exhaust gas in the coolant mix as I understand this ought to confirm if it is a leaking head gasket. In which case you probably need look no further for clues as to what needs fixing?

[Simon Jones]

No - any idea where to get/borrow from?

[Veg_Ian]

Well I would say don't bother if you are intent on removing the cylinder head. A bit drastic but at least you will know for definite if a problem with the head. Check the gasket carefully for evidence of cross-contamination between coolant and gas and for cracks in the head. While the head is off clean out all the coolant pathways. Not the most technical method but laying the side of a steel rule across the head at various positions will give an idea if out of true.

[haydn callow]

You may not see any faults in the head. If you do fine but if not I would take it to be tested by them what knows these things.

[Aethelric]

Visual inspection sometimes does not reveal much. A few years ago I had to remove the head from a volvo as there was blowby between two cylinders. This was confirmed by the fact that on tick over or low throttle opens it was running on two cylinders, the defective ones were adjacent to each other.
I bought a new gasket, removed the head....and the old gasket looked fine! No marks, nothing on the cylinder head or anywhere. With a heavy heart I put the engine back together with the new gasket and after a "no fault found" I was sure there would be no improvement. It was fine!! and was still fine around 20,000 miles later when it was sold on.
My point is that tests had confirmed the problem, although a close visual inspection, even when I knew what I was looking for missed it.
Dave