Loose cylinder headbolts?

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packers1712
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Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by packers1712 » 30th September 2019 - 8:13pm

Good evening everyone, I'm looking for some advice regarding the above subject. My car has some symptoms of loose cylinder heads and is running like a bag of spanners, oil like deposits on top of the pushrod tubes, occasionally drops onto 3 cylinders and lack of power!
My question is should I check and tighten if needed the head bolts inside the rocker covers if i can't get the upper bolts without removing all the tin ware or if I find loose bolts inside the rocker covers do I really need to pull all the tin ware and do all of them?

Has anyone had any experience with this before and successfully fixed it without pulling the motor and doing a top end rebuild?

Really annoyed with myself as the engine was out earlier this year having oil leaks fixed and 2nd gear syncro repaired!

Thanks in advance Doug.

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broady_6
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by broady_6 » 30th September 2019 - 8:34pm

Not something I have ever heard before. But you need to do all 8 nuts in the correct sequence otherwise you end up stressing the head and it wont seat properly on the barrels.

To be honest it sounds like its worth having the rocker covers off and check the two nuts which hold the rocker shaft on. Ive seen them come loose as people havent used vibration proof washers. That would give rough running.
The sultan of swing

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Aaronslimvw
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by Aaronslimvw » 30th September 2019 - 10:34pm

Yea tin needs to come off in my experience.. did mine the other week.. most of them were loose around a quater turn. As said above.. they must be torqued in sequence

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packers1712
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by packers1712 » 1st October 2019 - 11:45am

Aaron, did you manage to remove the tin ware with the engine fitted? What car do you have mines a FI notchback not sure if different variants lend themselves to easier tin removal or not? Did you have any symptoms or was it just a routine check?

Thanks Doug.

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Aaronslimvw
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by Aaronslimvw » 3rd October 2019 - 11:07pm

Hey. Yes i did. Mine is a fastback on solex carbs. Its a bit of a ffaff but doable carbs etc needed to come off as well atms the altenator etc. Pain in the ass but doable.

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Aaronslimvw
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by Aaronslimvw » 3rd October 2019 - 11:08pm

Just checked them as i already had the tin off to change the oil cooler..

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packers1712
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by packers1712 » 4th October 2019 - 10:35am

Ok, good to know, hopefully i'll get chance to have a look at the weekend!
Hopefully if they are loose i haven't done any long term damage running the engine with loose heads, as last time that I used it I struggled to reach 70 mph in it!

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Aaronslimvw
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by Aaronslimvw » 4th October 2019 - 9:15pm

70! Lol thats good going anyway! 😂

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broady_6
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by broady_6 » 4th October 2019 - 11:05pm

You should be able to do 70 with out any trouble. I used to use my car as my daily and regularly communted from basildon to lincoln at 70mph on the A1. Even this past week ive been belting along at 70mph on the M180. Ill admit my car seems happier at 65. But 70 is well with in the reach of these cars. Mine has been well beyond 70 on a GPS indicated speed.

The cylinder top tins are removable insitue, but its bloody hard work im sure ive had the left hand one off to change the oil cooler seals at some point years ago.
The sultan of swing

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Aaronslimvw
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by Aaronslimvw » 5th October 2019 - 10:57pm

Oh yea broady she will do 70, just feels like your flogging it. Muuuch happier at 60-65

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packers1712
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by packers1712 » 7th October 2019 - 7:55am

I managed to do the left hand head at the weekend, that was all I had time for, it requires lots of components to be removed in order to get access to the upper four head nuts! Of the eight four were lower than the specified torque hopefully I’ll get chance to do the right hand bank next weekend!

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broady_6
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by broady_6 » 7th October 2019 - 8:01am

FIngers crossed for you, was the rocker arm nice and tight while you were in there?
The sultan of swing

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packers1712
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by packers1712 » 7th October 2019 - 9:47am

It was and it got re-torqued too! I’m not even sure if this is the cause of my rough running but one thing at a time so as not to confuse what may have fixed it in the end!
I removed the ignition coil to improve access and noticed it had begun to show signs of leaking some of its oil, so if the head re-torque doesn’t cure the rough running that will be next on the list as a potential cause!

Doug.

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broady_6
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by broady_6 » 7th October 2019 - 10:57am

I could well be a series of small issues that have lead to it. But as you say, fixing things one at a time often gives a clue as to the root of the issue. Finger crossed its "simple" in the end!
The sultan of swing

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Dave Summers
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Re: Loose cylinder headbolts?

Post by Dave Summers » 17th October 2019 - 9:47pm

Aaronslimvw wrote:
5th October 2019 - 10:57pm
Oh yea broady she will do 70, just feels like your flogging it. Muuuch happier at 60-65
Official maximum speed of 85 was generally reckoned to be a slight understatement, so a good engine should be happy at well over 70. Back in the mid 1980s a 1600 Variant was the first car I ever drove that managed to hold 70mph all the way up the Glenfarg bank on the M90. (My Dad's Maxi 1750 couldn't do it, although to its credit it was a good towing car.)
Dave
412 Variant
411 2-door saloon

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