Cylinder Head

[BiggestNizzy]

in which case he quoted another 1-2 thousand pounds. Presumably this extra cost would solely be for the new head, as all the other work would remain the same, therefore if I was to source a head myself they would not charge any more than the current quote - does that make sense?

That will be a Lotus sourced brand spanking new head and he is pretty vaugue about the price. If he is quoting you that you would be better sourcing a replacement head yourself.

[Rich H]

Interesting on the 10.9 spec bolts - presumably higher torque setting?

Any idea what the rationale for that is? I'm assuming the single-piece MLS still has the shim, just that it's part of the gasket? With higher torque settings and no shims, you would think the tendency for the firerings to muller the head face would be much higher.

Cheers,
Robin

With 10.9's I would hope the torque is lower as they won't stretch as much.

Thousands of quid for a new head seems a bit off - find a metro that drove tot he shops and back and has been chopped in under the scrappage scheme - steal the head (If it's a high port) and slap that on instead. My head is off a 1.4 metro and cost £20 the high port heads are exactly the same - IIRC you really want an early head, pre 2000 I think as the casting are allegedly better.

[BiggestNizzy]

With 10.9's I would hope the torque is lower as they won't stretch as much.

Thousands of quid for a new head seems a bit off - find a metro that drove tot he shops and back and has been chopped in under the scrappage scheme - steal the head (If it's a high port) and slap that on instead. My head is off a 1.4 metro and cost £20 the high port heads are exactly the same - IIRC you really want an early head, pre 2000 I think as the casting are allegedly better.

look for a metro gti or similar but it has to be the MPi model as that had the high port head.

[robin]

I agree with Rich that if you need a new head then don't buy a spankers one through Lotus.

_BUT_ the "new" second hand head might be f*cked unless you subject it to the same testing regime as your current head. But at <100 quid a pop for metro 1,4 high port heads from scrappers you can buy a couple and get them tested until you find a good one and still be nowhere near the 1-2K mark

Make sure the block/liner heights are OK too, else you'll be destroying the new head too.

There are some guys on ebay that sell refurb heads - if you want an ebay job I would buy from them and tell them that you expect to hardness & pressure test the head and that you want to be able to return it if it fails. You can then get them to deliver the head direct to whoever you get to hardness test it - I know Dave Andrews provides this service for not very much money and Dan (Roadboy on here) also posted recently that he had a place near him that can do appropriate hardness testing on these heads.

Unless it's very cheap and you are time-rich I would steer clear of private sale ex-MGF or ex-Lotus heads - they're often the victims of HGF.

Cheers,
Robin

[robin]

Rich, I agree the bolts will stretch less for a given load - hence you need higher torque to stretch the bolt to the point where the threads lock, no? Never was much cope with proper material science stuff though ...

Cheers,
Robin

[m.crawford]

Thanks Rich, Nizzy(?) and Robin. I will definitely be looking to source one myself if he comes back to say it is porous.

The liner/block heights issue - if I ask them to check this what response should I get?

MC

P.S. I really appreciate the advice from everyone .

[BiggestNizzy]

The liner/block heights issue - if I ask them to check this what response should I get?

anything Plus is good ideal is 0.004" or 0.1mm

been in your shoes so know how it all feels, by the end of it all you will be an expert.

[roadboy]

They are quoting silly money! And 12 hours labour! You could do 2 in that amont of time!

If they come back saying the head is fooked I have a good standard head here you could have. Will be up in edinburgh early next week if you do need it.

Make sure you ask what the liner heights were and ask if they do come back saying your head is scrap, ask them what tests were performed to come to this conclusion.

HTH

Dan

[BiggestNizzy]

Oh and another thing I have access to a rebound hardness tester if you can get it to me (down in ayrshire) I will do it FOC

[Rich H]

I thought the MLS was capable of coping with a bit of porosity if the liner heights are OK?

[roadboy]

I thought the MLS was capable of coping with a bit of porosity if the liner heights are OK?

Not if the porosity bridges the fire ring.

Dan

[m.crawford]

The latest news is that the current head is still good - it has been pressure tested and is fine. I asked about the liner heights and he said they were something 'thou' so I guess that's positive. He also said that the pressure test being fine was a good indication that the liner heights were okay - does that make sense? He said the new gasket kit comes with steel dowels and so I will be getting those - he is ordering some parts not from lotus so hopefully will save a little.

What are the chances of this happening again in the near future? My wife really wants me to sell but I am still reluctant - I just love that car! Is AA parts and labour reasonably priced and does it cover all these sort of things?

MC

[Shug]

If it's fixed properly, it really shouldn't do it again full stop.

Rarely that simple though. But you'd be extremely pissed off not to get at least another couple of years out of it...

[tut]

P&L is around £65 for one car, covers five claims a year upto £500 each, and covers everything as long as it is broken or not working, and not just worn, ie broken clutch but not worn plates, HGF but not worn rings etc.

tut

[Tom]

P&L is around £65 for one car, covers five claims a year upto £500 each, and covers everything as long as it is broken or not working, and not just worn, ie broken clutch but not worn plates, HGF but not worn rings etc.

tut

Or £120 for up to 3 cars. Well worth the money. This also now includes cars that are over 10 years old and have done more than 100k miles. Only thing is you need to have their breakdown cover in order to get P&L (but that makes sense anyway when you've got an Elise )