Well, unsurprisingly, I'm doing the head gasket this weekend.
Already made a start - broken the rocker oil pipe, broken a leak-off pipe, etc...
I have the inlet manifold off ( what a job getting at that pipe ! ), and now it's time for the exhaust manifold.
Being the extremely well planned person I am, the car is not on ramps or stands, and now the haynes manual says turbo off from underneath - yeah, right !
My question is..
Can I simply unbolt the exhaust manifold from the block, and leave it all in situ while removing the head, or does the manifold + turbo have to come out as per the Haynes book of long weekends.
PS. People keep telling me to get rid of the car, but my argument is that it will soon be brand new !
Regards
Mat.
My way or Haynes way ?
Moderator: RichardW
Mat -
Given the unfortunate start on the job, I think you should stick to someone (Haynes) who at least has tried to disassemble/reassemble the bits. Usually these guys go by the 100% safe, exactly to avoid the misshaps you've allready experienced.
As you may allready know from former DIY work, shortcuts are dangerous, unless you know ALL the pitfalls, which educated mechanics at least heard of in the classroom.
I'm not trying to turn you down, just trying to talk you from more experimenting. Go by the safe now, have a good sleep, and get all your patience to hands.
I'm talking from own experince since '75, where I got my first car. My best tools ever, has been patience, and time enough to do the jobs.
The rest is logic, common sense, tools bought when needed, and spacy environments.
Given the unfortunate start on the job, I think you should stick to someone (Haynes) who at least has tried to disassemble/reassemble the bits. Usually these guys go by the 100% safe, exactly to avoid the misshaps you've allready experienced.
As you may allready know from former DIY work, shortcuts are dangerous, unless you know ALL the pitfalls, which educated mechanics at least heard of in the classroom.
I'm not trying to turn you down, just trying to talk you from more experimenting. Go by the safe now, have a good sleep, and get all your patience to hands.
I'm talking from own experince since '75, where I got my first car. My best tools ever, has been patience, and time enough to do the jobs.
The rest is logic, common sense, tools bought when needed, and spacy environments.
Mat,
I agree with Anders; sometimes I look at Haynes along the lines of "I'll try what he says to pull it apart but with trepidation." By the time it comes to reassembly, the famous *refitting is the reversal of removal* means that the traps he found & couldn't sort out (the reason for the famous quote?[:0] I have already found & Haynes' is a good reference then back to what you did; almost like writing a record of a trip, so that you know where you've been.[:D]
Now, let me guess; you are trying to figure out how to get the car up in the air, particularly the front so you can get under it, right?
The ideal is a scissor jack that will squeeze under the rocker panels & sit under a sub frame stay or the jacking point. If that is not available, then at the rear (yes rear) of the car you'll find a couple of vertical stays near the spare wheel. Carefully slip a trolley jack under the edge of one of those & even though they have a slight upward angle towards the rear of the car, if handled with extreme care, will raise the car enough to pack something under the sub frame. Lower on to the packing & reposition the trolley jack further under the car & raise further until the Citroen jack will fit into position. Jack from the rear jacking position then fit the trolley jack under the front until raised high enough to fit the axle stand. Use the trolley jack on the opposite side of the car to raise it enough to fit the Citroen jack under the other front jacking position & fit the second axle stand; job done.
Now you can get under the car.
Found these tricks recently when we had need to raise a BX 16V that had been burnt out under the bonnet and had been left sitting for a few months. We had the car way up in the air (even though it was parked on grass and it had sunken into the ground) and axle stands and wheel blocks under it within 15 minutes.
Hope it's some help.
Alan S
I agree with Anders; sometimes I look at Haynes along the lines of "I'll try what he says to pull it apart but with trepidation." By the time it comes to reassembly, the famous *refitting is the reversal of removal* means that the traps he found & couldn't sort out (the reason for the famous quote?[:0] I have already found & Haynes' is a good reference then back to what you did; almost like writing a record of a trip, so that you know where you've been.[:D]
Now, let me guess; you are trying to figure out how to get the car up in the air, particularly the front so you can get under it, right?
The ideal is a scissor jack that will squeeze under the rocker panels & sit under a sub frame stay or the jacking point. If that is not available, then at the rear (yes rear) of the car you'll find a couple of vertical stays near the spare wheel. Carefully slip a trolley jack under the edge of one of those & even though they have a slight upward angle towards the rear of the car, if handled with extreme care, will raise the car enough to pack something under the sub frame. Lower on to the packing & reposition the trolley jack further under the car & raise further until the Citroen jack will fit into position. Jack from the rear jacking position then fit the trolley jack under the front until raised high enough to fit the axle stand. Use the trolley jack on the opposite side of the car to raise it enough to fit the Citroen jack under the other front jacking position & fit the second axle stand; job done.
Now you can get under the car.
Found these tricks recently when we had need to raise a BX 16V that had been burnt out under the bonnet and had been left sitting for a few months. We had the car way up in the air (even though it was parked on grass and it had sunken into the ground) and axle stands and wheel blocks under it within 15 minutes.
Hope it's some help.
Alan S
Mat -
Depending on actual situation -
it is often possible to get a jack under the front lower triangle arms attachment points, if wheels turned.
Never lift on mid-triangle arm, it may snap.
Even if only possible to lift 1-2 inches, you can then start pack under the front body lifting points.
I've tried this on my CX (heavy on front), once it was dead-flat.
But AlanS is right on BX'es. My own experiences on a flat BX, resembles Alan's description.
Depending on actual situation -
it is often possible to get a jack under the front lower triangle arms attachment points, if wheels turned.
Never lift on mid-triangle arm, it may snap.
Even if only possible to lift 1-2 inches, you can then start pack under the front body lifting points.
I've tried this on my CX (heavy on front), once it was dead-flat.
But AlanS is right on BX'es. My own experiences on a flat BX, resembles Alan's description.