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Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: bighed on 16 February 2009, 16:31:26

Title: Work on senator
Post by: bighed on 16 February 2009, 16:31:26
need timing chain etc doing and head gasket change. Would rather pay someone with the knowhow on here than a garage. Any takers  :-/
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 16 February 2009, 16:32:11
You need a weight lifter to do a Senator 6 cylinder head!
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Andy B on 16 February 2009, 17:14:00
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need timing chain etc doing and head gasket change. Would rather pay someone with the knowhow on here than a garage. Any takers  :-/

I've done a head on a straight 6. No real worries or anything particularly difficult apart from actually reaching the back of the engine. It's all quite straight forward.
Don't drop the Torx drive off your extension drive when you're doing the 2 rear most bolts ... it's a barsteward to get the bugger back out again and you have to remove the head & turn it upside down to retrieve it ..... apparently! ::)  ;)  ;)
If you're having the head skimmed, just check with the machine shop that their machine is big enough to take the size of the head.
Sorry, I didn't do the chain & the sump needs to be dropped to get it off the crank pulley IIRC.
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Andy B on 16 February 2009, 17:14:48
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You need a weight lifter to do a Senator 6 cylinder head!

They're not that bad.  ::)  ::)  ::)  :y
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: TheBoy on 16 February 2009, 17:50:18
dustpan and brush useful to sweep up the bits as it erodes in front of your eyes....
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Andy B on 16 February 2009, 17:54:32
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dustpan and brush useful to sweep up the bits as it erodes in front of your eyes....

It's the rear arches that rust, the engine is at the front!  :P
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: albitz on 16 February 2009, 17:56:55
The front is self rust proofing due to a few small "designed in" oil leaks. :y ;D
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Andy B on 16 February 2009, 17:59:19
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The front is self rust proofing due to a few small "designed in" oil leaks. :y ;D

Omegas will be OK then when cam covers leak.  ::)  :y
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: albitz on 16 February 2009, 18:00:25
 ;D ;D :y...........would prefer a rust free senator any day (if I could find one) :y
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: bighed on 16 February 2009, 18:00:55
HA HA. nah rear arches are mint. Its all mint to be fair to her. Will put some close up pics on tomorrow. The head gasket hasnt actually gone. (no oil water mix) its the oil gallery at the back of block thats leaking and from what have been told its gasket is part of the hg. Whats the rough lifespan of a timing chain? ie cam belt on mig is 4 years or 40,00 miles  :y
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Andy B on 16 February 2009, 18:08:06
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HA HA. nah rear arches are mint. Its all mint to be fair to her. Will put some close up pics on tomorrow. The head gasket hasnt actually gone. (no oil water mix) its the oil gallery at the back of block thats leaking and from what have been told its gasket is part of the hg. Whats the rough lifespan of a timing chain? ie cam belt on mig is 4 years or 40,00 miles  :y

There's an oil gallery about half way down the length of the block, I can't remember now which side, but that's where they tend to leak oil from. I lived with my leak till the head gasket finally let go on No6 cylinder, where they apparently tend to go, the gasket rots away around the coolant. They become a large cloud making machine, but you do end up with a really really clean No 6 piston crown.  ;D  ;D  ;D
That was at 150 000, and I put another 30k on it before I lost my sanity & sold it. :'(
A new gasket on its own will set you back about £60, Payen is OE

Why do I still have the old gasket hanging on my garage wall?  :-?  :-?
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: bighed on 16 February 2009, 18:34:31
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Quote
HA HA. nah rear arches are mint. Its all mint to be fair to her. Will put some close up pics on tomorrow. The head gasket hasnt actually gone. (no oil water mix) its the oil gallery at the back of block thats leaking and from what have been told its gasket is part of the hg. Whats the rough lifespan of a timing chain? ie cam belt on mig is 4 years or 40,00 miles  :y

There's an oil gallery about half way down the length of the block, I can't remember now which side, but that's where they tend to leak oil from. I lived with my leak till the head gasket finally let go on No6 cylinder, where they apparently tend to go, the gasket rots away around the coolant. They become a large cloud making machine, but you do end up with a really really clean No 6 piston crown.  ;D  ;D  ;D
That was at 150 000, and I put another 30k on it before I lost my sanity & sold it. :'(
A new gasket on its own will set you back about £60, Payen is OE

Why do I still have the old gasket hanging on my garage wall?  :-?  :-?

HeHe. Sentimental reasons!!! Well my senny has done 84 thou so not that much really. Just dont want camchain to go, and a local mechanic said I might as well change cam chain etc and HG at same time as it all needs to come apart to do both jobs.  :y
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: old git on 16 February 2009, 18:39:31
the oil gallery is underneath the exhaust monifold quite difficult to see even on a ramp due to fittings ect. had a look on auto data they say 12hrs to do cam chain but did not give how to, can't remember if the head has to come off to replace chains does the haines manual give a clue
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: old git on 16 February 2009, 18:58:26
the guy on the ABS site who sells the chains does a vid  on how to do ,says without removing the head. Taking head off not to bad a job just a lot of awkward gear to remove Did the K reg on the road outside house.
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Andy B on 16 February 2009, 19:05:11
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the oil gallery is underneath the exhaust monifold quite difficult to see even on a ramp due to fittings ect. had a look on auto data they say 12hrs to do cam chain but did not give how to, can't remember if the head has to come off to replace chains does the haines manual give a clue

I did the cam chain & sprockets on my CiH 2.2 Carlton with the head in place - 4 pot version of the 3.0 12 valve straight 6.
I think the head can stay put, but bighead has an oil leak he wants to sort.

At 84k miles I doubt your chains will need replacing, but more likely that the 'rubber' chain tensioners will need replacing, James W in the ABS I think is the man you want, as IIRC they are NLS (No Longer Stocked) at Vauxhall.

 ...... but of course it's up to you. It'll cost you a couple of hundred to do just the CHG by the time you've replaced manifold gaskets, head bolts, etc etc
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: bighed on 16 February 2009, 19:08:42
Yeah old git (dave) knows about oil leak as its him I bought senny off. Picked up my refurbed wheels today dave and bob said its head off for both jobs?

Thanks for advice andy!!!  :y
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: old git on 16 February 2009, 19:20:05
Hi Andy
Long time since i was on the senny forum saw your posts quite a lot .I did say to biged that it may be the oil gallery and what it would need to fix just hope the leek area can be found you can eye ball it as the block will show signs where the oil has run down sort of clean .I had this on another senny just a pain in the backside if you hate oil drips.
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: bighed on 16 February 2009, 19:26:05
Its not the oil drips that are bothering me really, I just keep thinking that if the seal round the oil gallery is going then the HG must be in the same way. As oil gallery seal is part of heag gasket is it not?????
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Andy B on 16 February 2009, 19:30:16
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Hi Andy
Long time since i was on the senny forum saw your posts quite a lot .I did say to biged that it may be the oil gallery and what it would need to fix just hope the leek area can be found you can eye ball it as the block will show signs where the oil has run down sort of clean .I had this on another senny just a pain in the backside if you hate oil drips.

The Yahoo forum?

As said I lived with it for a while till the water way failed & my hand was forced. :( Luckily at the time I had a garage I could get my car into, now I don't  ::). I did the Senator's head one January and just so I could keep my hand in, SWMBO's Hyundai decided to burn TWO valves out a couple of months later. Apparently they often did that! :-?
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: old git on 16 February 2009, 19:33:54
yes it is but this gallery molding is probably no biger than your finger and is proud from the main line of the head sort of out of the main clamping forces maybe best to as ABS thier opinion
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Andy B on 16 February 2009, 19:36:07
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.....
A new gasket on its own will set you back about £60, Payen is OE
 ......

I lied.
OE gasket is Reinz.  :y
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: bighed on 16 February 2009, 19:44:48
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yes it is but this gallery molding is probably no biger than your finger and is proud from the main line of the head sort of out of the main clamping forces maybe best to as ABS thier opinion


Already on that one  :y
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Andy B on 16 February 2009, 19:49:40
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yes it is but this gallery molding is probably no biger than your finger and is proud from the main line of the head sort of out of the main clamping forces maybe best to as ABS thier opinion

(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k17/Tiff4327/S73F0393.jpg)

(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k17/Tiff4327/S73F0394.jpg)


(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k17/Tiff4327/S73F0392.jpg)




Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: tunnie on 16 February 2009, 20:45:33
why not just buy a working Senator, lot cheaper!
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: old git on 16 February 2009, 20:50:54
Untill you can actualy eye ball that area don't jump in.
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Christian on 16 February 2009, 20:52:15
But then the Bodywork is Garenteed no where near as good as this one  ;)
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: bighed on 17 February 2009, 08:24:56
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But then the Bodywork is Garenteed no where near as good as this one  ;)

This is very true chris. Now the little rust on back door and the micro blistering on front door is done, once cut back and mopped all over and new pin stripes she will look the mutts nutts!!! :y :y :y :y

Looking at HG in above pic tho, I was expecting the oil gallery to be at the back not up the one side???  :-/
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: old git on 17 February 2009, 11:13:08
Maybe we can get it  to Bobs one day when the ramp is free and we can have a looksee.
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: Christian on 17 February 2009, 11:20:59
That Gasket pic sounds about right.

The Oil is halway across the block but i could'nt see due to the Manifold Heatshield.

Realistically the Head gasket itself is fine but its the damn Oil gallery thats leaking!

The Senny is gunna be a stunna at PVS tho  ;)
Title: Re: Work on senator
Post by: bighed on 17 February 2009, 11:32:49
sure is mate. Now got wheels. They have been sandblasted and are in the senny boot.  :y