At least with the head off I'll be able to see the exact state of the pistons and if needed I can tow it to a proper garage.

I have nothing to lose if I remove the head myself.

When I buy the engine support beam is a 2-point one going to be suitable or do I need a T-shaped one?

Since I'm going to remove the head I won't be able to use the 2 support eyelets on the engine and I'll have to use chains to support it.

Isn't is better to use a hydraulic jack under the engine rather than the beam?

Thats what I have done all my life, I finally bought an engine support bar last year to remove my transmission but would not use it to remove the cylinder head.

 

Whilst I would not recommend anyone else to do this but given what you have said the value of your car is in its broken state and that you do not rely on it having access to other vehicles then I would spend the absolute minimum of money on it to get it running after inspection to see if the broken piston holds up or burns through as I suspect it might.

 

If it ran OK for say 1K miles then I would probably do the job again properly.

 

That is to say first time round I would try to straighten the valves on my lathe using a hide mallet and clock guage then grind them in, I would remove the debris from the piston and take a view, I would probably reuse the head gasket if it came off intact, no point wasting money if the engine is going to grenade but if it holds up then do it again with new valves if required, gaskets, stretch bolts, camchain & tensioner etc.

 

It's not worth your time towing it to a garage, it is an uneconomic repair if you have to pay anyone to repair it, most would not take on the risk and I don't blame them.

Edited 12 July, 20223 yr by J.R.

Looking at the dealer manual you don't disturb the main engine mounts when just removing the cylinder head, there are a few specialist tools required mainly for the camchain tensioner and sprockets

Special tools and workshop equipment required

Assembly tool -T10352- or assembly tool -T10352/1-

Counterholder -T10355 -

Rig pin -T40011-

Support -T10014-

Socket insert -T10070-

Lifting device -MP 9-201 (2024A)-

Workshop crane, e.g. VAS 6100

Sealant remover gasket stripper (bearing code GST, part number R 34402), manufacturer Retech s.r.o.

 

Install the holder -T10014- with 2 small and large washers each on the cylinder head, as shown in the fig.

1 -M8 washer, small

2 -M8 washer, large The outside diameter of the washer must be larger than the hole in the holder.

3 -Screw M8 x 30

–Hang the lifting device - MP 9-201- in the holder -T10014- and in the front left lifting eye at the cylinder head.

 

Hook the lifting device - MP 9-201- in the workshop crane and slightly raise the cylinder head.

–Unscrew the last two cylinder head screws.

Caution

tCarefully lift the cylinder head upwards until the sliding rail of the camshaft timing chain is free.

tThe tensioning and sliding rail must on no account be damaged.

 

4 hours ago, nige8021 said:

Looking at the dealer manual you don't disturb the main engine mounts when just removing the cylinder head, there are a few specialist tools required mainly for the camchain tensioner and sprockets

Special tools and workshop equipment required

Assembly tool -T10352- or assembly tool -T10352/1-

Counterholder -T10355 -

Rig pin -T40011-

Support -T10014-

Socket insert -T10070-

Lifting device -MP 9-201 (2024A)-

Workshop crane, e.g. VAS 6100

Sealant remover gasket stripper (bearing code GST, part number R 34402), manufacturer Retech s.r.o.

 

Install the holder -T10014- with 2 small and large washers each on the cylinder head, as shown in the fig.

1 -M8 washer, small

2 -M8 washer, large The outside diameter of the washer must be larger than the hole in the holder.

3 -Screw M8 x 30

–Hang the lifting device - MP 9-201- in the holder -T10014- and in the front left lifting eye at the cylinder head.

 

Hook the lifting device - MP 9-201- in the workshop crane and slightly raise the cylinder head.

–Unscrew the last two cylinder head screws.

Caution

tCarefully lift the cylinder head upwards until the sliding rail of the camshaft timing chain is free.

tThe tensioning and sliding rail must on no account be damaged.

 

Useful but you can't remove the lower cover without removing the driver side engine mount. 

8 minutes ago, TheClient said:

Useful but you can't remove the lower cover without removing the driver side engine mount. 

It says to leave the lower cover in place to remove the cylinder head & the camchain tensioner can be reset without removing the cover by removing an access plug on the lower cover.

 

On an installed bottom cover for timing chain, the slackened chain “can”“not” skip the crankshaft.

–Remove camshaft timing chain from the chain sprockets and place downwards.

Caution

Risk of damage to the valve drive and the bottom cover for the timing chain!

tIf the camshaft timing chain was removed from the chain sprockets, the crankshaft must no longer be turned.

tPanels are attached to the bottom cover for timing chain, which prevent the chain from slipping off. If the crankshaft is turned while the chain is slackened, the panels may bend.

 

Tensioner reset

Lift the locking wedge of the chain tensioner. For this step, insert a scriber or a suitable screwdriver into the hole of the chain tensioner -direction of arrow 1-.

–Turn the crankshaft in opposite direction of rotation of engine -direction of arrow 2- while the locking wedge is raised and secure the chain tensioner with the rig pin -T40011 -.

–Turn the crankshaft back to “TDC for cylinder 1”.

8 hours ago, J.R. said:

That is to say first time round I would try to straighten the valves on my lathe using a hide mallet and clock guage then grind them in

That's too hard core for me. My plan is to remove first the injectors, air an fuel column, then support engine with beam and chains and remove the driver side bracket.

With the extra space I can then remove both timing chain covers, the tensioner and the oil and camshaft chains.

I will then put the engine bracket back and remove the support beam to have space above to separate the engine head.

I have found a complete timing chain kit and a full set of valves from a third party german company (Borsehung) for less than 500£ so I think that's a good deal.

Is the engine head very heavy? Can 2 persons lift it by hand? Also since I haven't yet purchased the support beam isn't it better to get an engine crane instead?

I've seen a lot of those on ebay for less than 200£.

I have never used an engine crane to remove a cylinder head unless it was stuck nor needed a second pair of hands although these days I would not be shy of asking for help especially for refitting if the chains have to be threaded through.

Two people will be able to remove and refit the head.

 

I've bought some borsehung components before, mainly suspension. Not timing chain or valves.

 

Almost everyone recommends using oem chains and tensioner because even the genuine ones have had so many revisions you don't necessarily know what you'll be getting with equivalent parts in aftermarket. 

 

Same with valves aren't they some sodium composite things. Maybe that's the exhaust valves.

 

But then again at the moment your engine is toast so if you can get it back running using whatever parts you can maybe you don't need to worry.

 

FYI the camshaft  timing chain parts using genuine parts is circa £350 and that includes a new lower cover as they're often damaged. That doesn't include second or tertiary plane chains or tensioner for oil pump or balance shafts.

 

Valves no idea, I'll see if I can see them listed separately but it maybe vw recommend exchange heads. I did read somewhere there were machine shops in the US of A having  difficulties getting the right composition valve guides to match the oem valves and in the end they stopped head rework in these engines as they couldn't guarantee longevity. 

 

Today I've managed to remove the intake manifold and it took me about 4 solid hours. The hardest was the triple square bolt from the lower bracket (very tight space).

I had a lot of carbon build up on the valves and separators. All injectors came off from the head and I'll need new seals/ring kit for them. They were also quite clogged.

Now I'm waiting for my engine support beam to remove the timing chains side covers.

Another unpleasant observation is that I'll have to take of both side wings to be able to seat the support beam.

On 16/07/2022 at 21:49, zelea2 said:

Today I've managed to remove the intake manifold and it took me about 4 solid hours. The hardest was the triple square bolt from the lower bracket (very tight space).

I had a lot of carbon build up on the valves and separators. All injectors came off from the head and I'll need new seals/ring kit for them. They were also quite clogged.

Now I'm waiting for my engine support beam to remove the timing chains side covers.

Another unpleasant observation is that I'll have to take of both side wings to be able to seat the support beam.

 

See some photos posted when I cleaned the intake ports.

 

I would avoid removing the two front guards if at all possible. Is there not some bolts it can rest on.

 

What have you decided to do about that piston crown damage? Did you look again. And at the others. A working theory i have is that may be caused by the oil burning causing local hotter spots as the oil burns seeping past the oil control rings.. 

 

 

 

I've been delayed a few weeks by the engine support beam which turned out to be theft at Evri transporter (a whole pallet including my bar).

I've decided not to purchase the bar again and I've used a big block of rubber and a hydraulic jack under the engine to support it and that worked great.

 

I've removed the right side engine mount but now I'm stuck  because I cannot remove the engine bracket which is hold in place by 3x M12 spline screws.

I had two sets of spline (triple-square) bits none of them good for these screws so now I've bought 2 more sets one low profile and one extra long.

I've removed one screw with the low profile, then I had to drill and access hole through the engine bay (2 walls) and I've managed to unscrew another one

with the extra long bit.

 

There is not enough space to get to the middle M12 spline screw and I cannot drill access hole because it's right in front of the mount support.

With the engine held by just one mount I can move it about 2cm both up-down and front-back but it's not enough to insert any of the bits (and

worse when you unscrew the tread the space becomes even smaller).

 

Without this bracket removed I cannot open the timing chain covers. How do people change their timing chains without dropping the engine from the car?

Is there a clever spline adapter that I can use for this screw? I'm tempted to buy another long M12 bit, cut it to length and then use a spanner to turn it.

 

 

 

From what i can see, the workshop manual just says use tool vw t10099. Is there really no room for a low profile bit? 

3 hours ago, TheClient said:

From what i can see, the workshop manual just says use tool vw t10099. Is there really no room for a low profile bit? 

It's the low profile bit + racket and when you unscrew it the space gets smaller. I'll try today to remove the other engine mount to see if I can move the engine more to the left

and make more space, if not I'll have to order that tool and wait another week.

Can you move the engine up or down to make it any better clearance wise? 

Success. I've loosened the two mount screws from the left side (about two threads) and that allowed me to move the engine more in all directions.

I was worried that if I remove the left mount completely the engine could fall off the jack so I left the two screws in place.

 

After lifting the engine up some 4cm and pushing it back I was able to align the third screw with the hole in the right mount

and slide a low profile M12 spline bit with some adapters through and remove that pesky screw and the engine bracket.

After that I've removed the jack under the engine and made a semi-permanent support for it.

 

I've took the upper cover and the crack belt and tensioner off and now I can see the timing chains. The upper plastic guide was broken in

half but still in place and the chain is quite loose and I can wiggle it by hand.

 

Now I have the tools to remove the upper bridge but I don't have a tool to keep the crank pulley fixed while I unscrew the bolt.

Is it safe to use and air-compressed impact wrench with a M24 socket on that bolt to unscrew it without keeping the pulley fixed

or I should buy that tool first?

Edited 15 August, 20223 yr by zelea2

The conventional advice is always use a locking hold tool. I doubt you will get it off with a impact wrench. The engine has no compression. 

 

I suppose it is not normally advised because 1) you'll be rotating the engine and potentially causing more damage and 2) the rotation is in the reverse direction which can cause the chain to slacken and jump further as the opposite sides unloads.

 

In your case, I suppose the damage has been done so if desperate you could try. Maybe with the aux belt rigged somehow to try and stop rotation. 

 

 

Remove the starter motor and jam a big screwdriver against the ring gear 

I've bought this kit because it seems to have everything I'll need and I'll have it in a day or two.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07Q3G94ML

I've managed to remove the chain covers, timing chain and shafts. I took the head cover off and removed the 10x M10 Ribe bolts from the head (in the proper order).

I've removed the little firewall from behind the engine and was able to remove 5 out of the 8 nuts securing the exhaust manifold to the head.

I've later seen that the exhaust manifold should come off together with the cylinder head so I've separated the manifold from the exhaust (lambda sensor side - 4 nuts).

 

The head still doesn't come off and I'm not sure what is still keeping it in place. Should I try to remove the exhaust turbo or are there any more screws holding it down the engine block?

To release the head and exhaust manifold I had to raise the car and engine even more so I could slide under. After removing a plastic round shield I've gained access to a bracket (3 screws)

holding the turbo exhaust and 2 oil pipes and one coolant pipe all accessible from under the car. The head was not heavy at all and I could lift it by myself.

Finally I've got access to cylinders. The pistons are in very good shape not even a scratch. I think I've been lucky and the chain didn't slip too much.

The valves have horrible carbon build up but the exhaust valves were not bent at all. Now I'm waiting for a tool to remove the valves.

Is it better to just clean the exhaust valves and reuse them or should I change them together with the intake ones?

 

The faulty timing chain tensioner had no wedge at all under the metal clip (probably it was so worn that it fell through the little hole. I hope that little piece of metal

has been flushed with the oil. Also the camshaft bridge had the metal mesh torn apart (but not loose). I've read there is a new bridge model with better filter so I'll buy

the new version.

 

As I've mentioned earlier the engine had an increased oil consumption in the last 3 months prior to this fault (oil sensor lit every three weeks or so after oil top up).

Do you have any suggestion for what else should I check while the engine is opened to find why it was all of the sudden burning more oil.

15 hours ago, zelea2 said:

As I've mentioned earlier the engine had an increased oil consumption in the last 3 months prior to this fault (oil sensor lit every three weeks or so after oil top up).

Do you have any suggestion for what else should I check while the engine is opened to find why it was all of the sudden burning more oil.

I've read that the PCV valve could be stuck open and make the oil consumption increase. Is there a way to check if mine is still working properly or should I just replace it

for good measure?

On 24/08/2022 at 02:40, zelea2 said:

To release the head and exhaust manifold I had to raise the car and engine even more so I could slide under. After removing a plastic round shield I've gained access to a bracket (3 screws)

holding the turbo exhaust and 2 oil pipes and one coolant pipe all accessible from under the car. The head was not heavy at all and I could lift it by myself.

Finally I've got access to cylinders. The pistons are in very good shape not even a scratch. I think I've been lucky and the chain didn't slip too much.

The valves have horrible carbon build up but the exhaust valves were not bent at all. Now I'm waiting for a tool to remove the valves.

Is it better to just clean the exhaust valves and reuse them or should I change them together with the intake ones?

 

 

Good work. You'll be putting a sign out for vw work soon!

 

The intake ports will need cleaning out even with with new valves. Are you getting a machine shop to do the valves or doing yourself? 

 

I'd leave the exhaust valves if they seem OK. 

 

You should replace the fine oil separator. I really can't imagine it would cause that much oil but it has been known to cause a noticeable amount of oil.

 

You need to use a genuine part and there are two current part sequences. I.e. 2 current versions. Even tps / vw don't often notice this.

 

I'm still concerned you've got clogging is the oil scraper rings. Which is the oil usage underlying issue. But the tpi fix fir the 1.8 was new pistons, controds, rings. Its very expensive. 

 

 

On 24/08/2022 at 02:49, zelea2 said:

The faulty timing chain tensioner had no wedge at all under the metal clip (probably it was so worn that it fell through the little hole. I hope that little piece of metal

has been flushed with the oil. Also the camshaft bridge had the metal mesh torn apart (but not loose). I've read there is a new bridge model with better filter so I'll buy

the new version.

 

As I've mentioned earlier the engine had an increased oil consumption in the last 3 months prior to this fault (oil sensor lit every three weeks or so after oil top up).

Do you have any suggestion for what else should I check while the engine is opened to find why it was all of the sudden burning more oil.

 

Yep. All common stuff. Lucky the gauze hasn't been taken into the camshaft variator. You can run the original bridge with gauze removed.

 

The tensioner was a terrible design on old versions. Which is why I tell anyone who asks it is just a question of when.  The early chains were also prone to stretch or wear. 

PS. have you considered trying to source a genuine exchange head?