Peugeot 505 Overheat

[Chris Pollard]

Hi!

OK Driving home last night my 1984 Peugeot 505 overheated. The mechanic who arrived filled it with water and said the head gasket had probably gone.

Its mis-firing and the water in the radiator was all frothy. Water / Steam coming out of the exhaust too.

Questions :-

Head Gasket Replacement - Big Job? Worth attmepting as a Complete amateur?

What parts am I likely to need?

I have the Haynes manual and it doesn't look too difficult.

Mechanic seemed to think it wouls cost between 300-700 to get done at a garage.

Many Thanks,

Chris

 

[sPoNiX]

Hi!

OK Driving home last night my 1984 Peugeot 505 overheated. The mechanic who arrived filled it with water and said the head gasket had probably gone.

Its mis-firing and the water in the radiator was all frothy. Water / Steam coming out of the exhaust too.

Questions :-

Head Gasket Replacement - Big Job? Worth attmepting as a Complete amateur?

I'd say worth attempting. Big job...yes, as in time consuming.

What parts am I likely to need?

Head gasket set. It's possible the head will need skimming/reworking once removed.

Does the 505 have a cam belt? If so I'd replace that at the same time along with the spark plugs.

I have the Haynes manual and it doesn't look too difficult.

Not difficult just time consuming and messy.

Mechanic seemed to think it wouls cost between 300-700 to get done at a garage.

Mostly labour.

sPoNiX

 

[Chris Pollard]

Head gasket set. It's possible the head will need skimming/reworking once removed.

People at work seem to think this isn't worth trying.

I'm assuming the Engine wont have to come out? After the heads off I could get someone else to do the required work on it?

What else can go wrong?

If there's any possibilty of having to remove the engine its a non starter. I'll have to get someone else to do it.

 

[Chris B]

(sPoNiX) wrote:

People at work seem to think this isn't worth trying.

I'm assuming the Engine wont have to come out? After the heads off I could get someone else to do the required work on it?

Once you've got the head off, replacing the head gasket is dead easy! Honestly, the procedure is pretty simple - it just takes time and can be a bit of a nightmare. It depends a lot on your engine, really. How much space do you have in the engine bay? If you're considering junking the car rather than pay a garage to do the work, then you might as well give it a go.

Things to consider:

1. Change the cambelt at the same time (as mentioned by someone else)
2. Will you have to remove an engine mount to get the head off? You might need to support the engine underneath with a jack.
3. Lock the crank and camshaft in position (usually with a drill bit or something similar through the top and bottom pulley wheels) so that the engine and head can't turn independantly whilst they are apart.
4. Cylinder head bolts. It's often recommended that you get new ones - this depends on your engine, so find out!
5. You'll need to tighten the bolts back up again to a specific torque and then you might need to tighten them further by a particular angle. So, make sure you have the required tools.

HTH,

Chris.

 

[Duncanwood]

Once you've got the head off, replacing the head gasket is dead easy! Honestly, the procedure is pretty simple - it just takes time and can be a bit of a nightmare. It depends a lot on your engine, really. How much space do you have in the engine bay? If you're considering junking the car rather than pay a garage to do the work, then you might as well give it a go.

Things to consider:

1. Change the cambelt at the same time (as mentioned by someone else)
2. Will you have to remove an engine mount to get the head off? You might need to support the engine underneath with a jack.
3. Lock the crank and camshaft in position (usually with a drill bit or something similar through the top and bottom pulley wheels) so that the engine and head can't turn independantly whilst they are apart.
4. Cylinder head bolts. It's often recommended that you get new ones - this depends on your engine, so find out!
5. You'll need to tighten the bolts back up again to a specific torque and then you might need to tighten them further by a particular angle. So, make sure you have the required tools.

HTH,

Chris.

It's not a massively complicated or difficult job, but you do have to follow all the instructions. It's also worth ringing round & finding out how much your local scrappys want for a head just in case it's dead when you remove it.

 

[Chris B]

It's not a massively complicated or difficult job, but you do have to follow all the instructions. It's also worth ringing round & finding out how much your local scrappys want for a head just in case it's dead when you remove it.

I agree, it's not complicated - but you do really need to know what you're doing beforehand. If you didn't have a clue, you could have the whole thing in bits and not enough tools/components to properly put it all back together again.

Chris.

 

[SteveH]

Hi!

OK Driving home last night my 1984 Peugeot 505 overheated. The mechanic who arrived filled it with water and said the head gasket had probably gone.

Its mis-firing and the water in the radiator was all frothy. Water / Steam coming out of the exhaust too.

Questions :-

Head Gasket Replacement - Big Job? Worth attmepting as a Complete amateur?

What parts am I likely to need?

I have the Haynes manual and it doesn't look too difficult.

Mechanic seemed to think it wouls cost between 300-700 to get done at a garage.

Jesus. That's a hell of a lot of money for a head gasket.

Last one I had done (Alfa 33) cost me £240 incl. skimming the head.