2009 Tigra B suspected head gasket - Worth a DIY?

[mrnorm]

Hello,

The other half has purchased another car and was poised and ready to sell her Vauxhall Tigra B with 40,000 on the clock... Until I got a phone call from her on the side of the road last Friday!

Suspected head gasket gone. Garage suspect the same after telling them symptoms. Coolant was spat out inside the bonnet with no coolant in the tank when I first lifted the hood. Filled up with coolant and set off up the road. Lots of steam coming out of the exhaust before eventually conking out on a roundabout 0.5mi up the road. Coolant was empty again.

Been quoted £1,000 to sort out which I suspect is a lot of labour and may not fix the issue entirely as the gasket may have taken something with it.

I'm toying in my head as to whether I should get hold of a workshop manual and spend a long weekend doing this myself. I'm not a mechanic and I don't live in the engine bay but I'm fairly competent and particular when taking stuff apart (bolts in labelled bags etc).

Going to get a workshop manual tonight but it looks like I need a:

- Timing chain kit (£90.00)
- Head gasket kit (£82.99)
- Water pump? (£47.99) Need to check manual for this but from what I've seen this is best practice
- Few cups of tea
- Swear jar

With a 30% off code I've got the total down to £155.38, which is a drop in the ocean with coolant and oil on top.

My big question is: Would any experts/enthusiasts recommend I do this? The car looks like it's still worth just over a £1,500 - 2,000 and it would be nice to sell working than dead.

Thanks,
Oli

Edited by mrnorm on Tuesday 28th February 08:41

[mrnorm]

voicey said:

Your max downside should you bugger it up is minimal but the satisfaction and additional experience you will gain should you get it right could be enormous. Do you have a workshop manual for the car and somewhere to take the head to be skimmed? If so, I would knock yourself out...

That's what I'm thinking. If I take the plunge and take my time I could learn a lot! I've found a 'software download' to one that covers her engine code, which hopefully covers off what I need. Not sure if I can link to it on here? I probably don't have all the tools myself but I know one or two people who may do.

I have a pretty good relationship with my garage so I'll ask if they can do the skim or know someone who can. Looks like a suspected £70-90 from what I found online. Edit: £35 from the workshop they use! Bargain!

Am I missing anything major from my post or have I pretty much covered it? I'll probably need a few seals and a sump (or two) but hopefully the workshop manual will help me with what I need for that.

Thanks,
Oli

Edited by mrnorm on Tuesday 28th February 10:09

[mrnorm]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I really appreciate it!

Having got hold of a GM/Vauxhall servicing application and diving into instructions, I'm finding it a little lacking in detail. The illustrations look like they've been potato-pressed into a scanner too. I'm also seeing difficulties with the timing chain replacement with limited access to the sides of the engine.

Taking very valid points on board with additional diagnosis too. Going to have a look around this weekend but she's now thinking to sell it 'as is' to save on the pain and just take the loss now. Shame..

Oli

[mrnorm]

Hello,

I'm afraid she sold it as is for £2k less than she wanted to a bloke who was going to sort out the head. He ran a garage so it was probably a quick job for him.

Last time I checked, it was still on the road and recently MOT'd so whoever purchased it must have done the job.

Funnily enough after sitting there dead for a bit, the guy managed to start it up and drive it onto the car transporter, albeit with lots of smoke.

Hope you get your problem sorted

Oli

[mrnorm]

No probs. It's a shame when cars just aren't worth the spend any more. I sold my last one for £300, after spending £300 on repairs/gambles that didn't fix the issue. That hurt!

Hopefully with the bump someone could give one or two pointers to see what's causing it

[mrnorm]

Typo, meant to say £1k but was on my phone and didn't notice. Thanks for noticing for me.

[mrnorm]

I'd like to be in a position where I could take on a project car and give stuff like that a go myself but I need a garage first.

The OH sorted out finance went for a lightly used Mk3.5 MX-5 in the end, which has been fantastic fun. She wanted something Jap that'll last a while so fingers crossed!