Missfire 960

[mjk164]

Dave, thanks for that info and I like your old spanner seal remover; I'll make one out of many of my old spanners.
As my car was a company one before I bought it, I think all the issues like inlet gasket had been resolved.
Just by the way;
The cylinder head bolts were tight and I have a set of quailty impact sockets including a 14mm for those bolts...essential to remove them with a good extension bar.
Also lifting the head off the gasket, I found that very, very gentle leverage under the thermostat housing, and the head lifted easily. As I work by myself, I jury rigged a simple pulley system to gently lift the head out; I shall need that again to replace it without damage to the gasket. I also found it easier, with the head lifted an inch up and moved forward towards the radiator, it is much easier to remove the screws and bolts holding various brackets etc from the back of the block. For the future, I'm going to change those Torx screws there for standard Hex...they only need to be nipped up.
Thanks for the advice.
Garth.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by mjk164

Dave, thanks for that info and I like your old spanner seal remover; I'll make one out of many of my old spanners.
As my car was a company one before I bought it, I think all the issues like inlet gasket had been resolved.
Just by the way;
The cylinder head bolts were tight and I have a set of quailty impact sockets including a 14mm for those bolts...essential to remove them with a good extension bar.
Also lifting the head off the gasket, I found that very, very gentle leverage under the thermostat housing, and the head lifted easily. As I work by myself, I jury rigged a simple pulley system to gently lift the head out; I shall need that again to replace it without damage to the gasket. I also found it easier, with the head lifted an inch up and moved forward towards the radiator, it is much easier to remove the screws and bolts holding various brackets etc from the back of the block. For the future, I'm going to change those Torx screws there for standard Hex...they only need to be nipped up.
Thanks for the advice.
Garth.

The beauty of using a spanner Garth is it can still be used as a spanner after! A piece of wood between the spanner and head not only makes a good levering point but protects the head from the spanner.

I suspect the head is a bit weighty so good thinking using the block & tackle/pulley system.

Don't forget to clean the threads in the head-bolts (and lightly oil them) and also the block where they screw in, some engines need new head bolts each time, i'm not sure on the B6304 if that is the case or not.

Torx or socket head doesn't make any difference as long as they do the job.

[mjk164]

Yes Dave, the 6304 head bolts are stretched to tighten in a very specific order, and so a new set is required; they are not that expensive.
G

[960kg]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Not an ideal way to do it IMHO - better to fill the system with plain water, run it up to temperature to ensure no leaks and the engine does what it should responding to temperature changes by altering mixture, idle speed etc then add a cooling system flushing agent when cool enough to do so safely.

Again, run it up to temperature as per the instructions on the flush (each seems to differ slightly) and allow to cool again.

Then remove the top hose and thermostat, refitting the 'stat housing without the 'stat inside. Refit the top hose to the 'stat housing but NOT to the radiator. Insert the garden hose into the "free" end of the top hose and turn the hose on, leave for at least half hour or until the water runs clear.

This will back-flush the system completely and is mainly just water at this point.

Once it runs clear, switch the hose off, remove it and refit the 'stat and top hose. Remove the bottom hose from the rad to drain the water from most of the system - some will remain. Refit the bottom hose and now add the correct amount of concentrated antifreeze to the cooling system, topping up with water as necessary.

Refit the cap on the expansion tank, run the engine to temperature and allow to cool. Check the level again once cool, topping up with water as needed - don't forget the right amount of antifreeze is already in there. Keep an eye on the coolant level for a few days, it shouldn't alter appreciably but may need a little more water once the air locks purge themselves completely.

For those about to scream that you can't put cooling system flush down the drain, most are based on caustic soda, the same stuff used for drain cleaner. Some modern ones use a more natural mix of other things that are safe to go down the drain. The rest should be just plain water.

Ha! Ha!.........you did get the wrong end of the stick??

The simple reason one doesn`t put the water in before starting is to make sure the engine starts and does not misfire due to water seeping past a faulty head gasket or if the mechanic has not torqued the bolts properly or in fact anything to do with head gasket replacement including didn't get the head skimmed???

Air in the coolant system is a completely different operation to take care of.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by 960kg

Ha! Ha!.........you did get the wrong end of the stick??

The simple reason one doesn`t put the water in before starting is to make sure the engine starts and does not misfire due to water seeping past a faulty head gasket or if the mechanic has not torqued the bolts properly or in fact anything to do with head gasket replacement including didn't get the head skimmed???

Air in the coolant system is a completely different operation to take care of.

A valid argument, i prefer to make sure everything is right as it goes back together in the first place then fill with plain water. Each to their own on this one i think, neither argument has better points than the other and each has enough good reasons for doing it that way and both have similar potential problems.

Swings and roundabouts i think!