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[Ken T]

I recently changed my head gasket, and ended up working at around midnight to finish it, so maybe wasn't paying enough attention. The result, the car started but died straight away. Further attempts to start produced that "no compression" sound. And the damage :



 

And this is what caused it. Somehow this got stuck to the camshaft sprocket, and caused the belt to jump 3 or 4 teeth.



This is going to cost a lot, A/ to get new valves fitted and B/ time off work. As I haven't transport I cant buy stuff.

Interesting enough it looks as if the exhaust valves which are further back in the head are undamaged, just the inlet ones.

Ken

[Andy B]

 :-/ what is it?  :-/

[zippo]

i share your pain mate, my belt let go today.

[Ken T]

I don't know, the big piece is about 10*8*3mm, of a black plastic, the type used in car electrical fittings, but none appear to be missing or broken. I can't work out how something fell down there, it would have to have been up at the front of the engine to drop down there. The  central mount on my cambelt cover has broken, but that plastic is too thin.

Ken

Ken

[Ken T]

i share your pain mate, my belt let go today.

Sorry to hear that. Its not terminal. Its a pain to get the head off, but it can be done, plus there is a guy on fleabay selling a 2.2 head for £150 or offers, offer him £100, then you only need to  get gaskets and bolts.

The worst thing for me is the loss of earnings. All in this will cost about £450 in total 

Ken

[Jimbob]

I know that sinking feeling, when after fitting new heads, and new belt, it let go after 2-3 miles destroying a weekends work 

[Lizzie_Zoom]

A very big ouch!!

Feel very sorry for you

[Dishevelled Den]

Very bad luck indeed Ken Hope you can get it sorted out in the most inexpensive way possible

[Matchless]

Valves are often on ebay quite cheaply, same size for all ecotec engines.
If you recon your head, check the nose of the valve guides very carefully, the guides can be cracked by the bent valve stem. If the broken bit drops out later it does lots of damage. Your valves dont look too badly bent so you might be OK.
Shine a bright light on the exhaust valve heads and look for signs of light in the ports.....a valve head bent by a few thou is not obvious to see but will cause poor running.

[Ken T]

Thanks for all your comments and help. I dropped the head off at a Wigan engine place, they have just called to say the guides need replacing as well, so hopefully that will be it, good as new. I had thought about doing it myself, but time is the enemy here. If I can just source new head bolts and gasket, I can get it fixed over the weekend. I will of course double check nothing near the cambelt !.

Ken

[Andy B]

.....
I dropped the head off at a Wigan engine place,  ......

That's a long way to go  :-?. Isn't there anywhere local? :-/

[Marks DTM Calib]

What state are the pistons in?

[Ken T]

.....
I dropped the head off at a Wigan engine place,  ......

That's a long way to go  :-?. Isn't there anywhere local? :-/

Thing is I drive past there in the morning, along the A580, so the plan was a quick detour on Fri morn, drop it off and a pickup after work, back home, get a few bits, like new stretch bolts, new head gasket and get it fitted.

Wrong !. it took an hour to get out of Wigan back onto the A580, got held up with holiday traffic so parts place was shut. Fortunately Autovaux was open on Sat morn, so managed to get most of the bits then. Got home to find that the original gasket set was for a different model of 2.2, and the gaskets for the wigit at the rear of the head doesn't fit. I'm going to try a Kellogs gasket to get moving, so I can get a new gasket on Tues.

Ken

[Ken T]

What state are the pistons in?

Small round marks about 100deg of the valve imprint. Not deep, would probably polish out.

Ken

[Andy B]

....
it took an hour to get out of Wigan  ....

I reckon Wigin must have half the country's sets of triffic lights which is why it takes sooooo long to get through the place. I work at Kitt Green and go the 'back roads' through Haigh & Aspull to get to the M61 for a junction to Bolton (jct 5)