Opel Frontera 2.8tdi Head Gasket

Generally people don't change/keep up inhibitors in coolant- this leads to electo-chemical corrosion- the alloy cyl head literally dissolves in coolant passages- this sediment blocks up radiator tubes- the engine overheats- the cyl head gasket fails- the head warps-the coolant holes in head are now so eroded that will not mate with block- all this could have been prevented by changing coolant & adding new inhibitor at no more than 2 years!. The old head MAY be reconditioned by welding ,planing,or pressing flat-if all else is ok- but if cam runs over head, & mountings too are warped, will need new or good head.As to coolant-use distilled or rain water(not tap water!). Add inhibitor in measured amount- inhibitor type- I use Tannin with alkalizer TSP to give pH 10- but di-ethyl glycol is recom by most makers at say 50/50 to dist water- but even the coolant sold in supermarkets as straight r/p is ok- do your own tests- in 4 cups of tap water, dist water, di-eth glyc,tannin add bove) ed- put a iron nail, strip of aluminium- watch- the extreme corrosion occurs in tap water 1st, then dist water- last indiscernable in inhibitor added cups.(add r to electo - the radiator will have to be cleaned or replaced- usually if cleaning top tank is removed & tubes rodded thru.

And the engine block is probobly rusted beyond use also. Might as well OH the transmission while you are there. No sence putting a goog engine back into an old set of frame rails, so while the engine is out......

Sounds like your going to the extremes neil.

I have changed many head gaskets and had them last for hundreds of thousands of miles. The main thing to watch out for is not over torquing the head-bolts and making sure the head is not twisted or warped. This is easily done by using a good straight edge and running a feeler gauge between it and the surface of the block. If you don't get any more the .002 - .003 difference then the head is fine.

Check all the journals and clean the head thoroughly.

Be sure and change the coolant and oil.

If the vehicle has not been overheated everything else should be fine.

Follow the directions in your Haynes manual and make sure you pay close attention to all the instructions involved. Haynes makes a good manual and have never failed me before. If your not good at remembering where something came from be sure an mark the pieces as you take them off so you know where they go back in.

One other thing. Be sure and pay close attention to the lengths of the bolts as you remove them. Some will be longer than others and if are put in the wrong hole can cause you more trouble that you want.

Hope this helps,

Jeff

Much more sensible answer.

Hie

Water blowing into the expansion tank possibly can be a crack within the head cylinder and its smart to have the head pressure tested. Consider 2.8 with turbo is of high CR and running on low coolant can have considerable effects since you have been driving until you notice the overheating.

Thanks Vavrom

The key question is why did the head gasket fail? If you don't answer that question correctly a new gasket will probably fail after a short interval. I strongly recommend that you take the head to a reputable machine shop and have them completely disassemble the head, inspect it and change any worn parts such as valve guides, valves etc. Overheating may have warped or damaged the head.

Haynes manuals are good for the main points but you should try to buy or borrow a factory shop manual for that model which will mention many important inspection and repair points.

What is a "skim"?

The head bolts must be changed if they are "torque to yield". Make certain you purchase OEM (original equipment manufacturer) or OES (original equipment supplier) parts not aftermarket parts. If the vendor does not know whether the parts he sells are OEM or OES assume they are aftermarket and go to another vendor. Most auto companies use multiple suppliers for the same part. On a 12 year old automobile you should be able to purchase OES/OEM parts without difficulty.

By the way, once you have the head off it is comparatively easy to change the rings and connecting rod bearings and thus perform an overhaul with relatively little additional work.

Hi Thanks for your replies so far. A skim is machine flattening a warped head. I'm still building motivation to start the job. The head bolts i've purchased are oem but the head gasket is a spannish pattern part and i'm really not liking the look of it so I guess it will have to go back. I realise there may be cracks etc when I remove the head. Ive already removed the thermostat and it is jammed and when placed in a boiling pan it only opens 1mm and snags, Ive run the car for a couple of short trips without it and the overflow and overheating has stopped but I will not rule out other causes just yet. I didn't think that changing the rings and bearings would be possible whilst the engine was still in place, I like the sound of that.

Thanks Andy

Let me suggest this test. Preform a standard compression test. If two adjasent cylinders are low, you can venture a guess that the head gasket between these two cylinders had been ruptured. If there is only one dead cylinder, you will have wasted your time, but no money.