If I remember correctly, the head gasket for that
engine was almost perfectly symetrical; and therefore
was quite easy to put on upside down. But, that
was a disaster because one hole was different and
would block a water passage. I've seen that give
professional Peugeot techs big headaches. There's a
kit you can buy that puts a chemical in the coolant
system and with an included glass bulb that sits in
the radiator neck, it turns a certain color if there
is exhaust gas in the system. The best way is to go
somewhere that has an exhaust gas analyser because
they can "sniff" the tailpipe, the radiator neck
(don't put the "sniffer" in the coolant), or
anywhere
else; and immediately detect the tiniest amount of
ehaust gas. A better way to check that discoloration
at the back of the head is to put flourescent dye
for
coolant in the cooling system, and then put an
ultra-
violet light on it and you will see bright yellow
wherever coolant is leaking. Another thing to consider
is whether you're leaking coolant into the
oil,
or if you're leaking oil into the coolant because
a bad headgasket doesn't always mean a leak to
exhaust. And if you're leaking coolant into the oil,
there's a good possibility you have a leak at the
gasket for the cylinder liner as this is a wet
sleeve
engine with paper gaskets; and even if that wasn't
your original problem, that could have been easily
been disrupted during the head gasket job. Usually
if there's a head gasket problem not involving
exhaust gas getting in the coolant, then you'll
usually get oil in the coolant as oil pressure is
significantly higher than coolant pressure.
I hope this gives you some ideas, but the XN6 engine
is usually very tough and isn't prone to head gasket
problems. BMW's also blow head gaskets when they're
overheated and you'll have regular timing belt
changes. And the Peugeot suspension is much tougher
and the comfort is much better.
Good luck!
Gary Freeman
- kenneth parker <elkeni@mac.com> wrote:
> Some months ago billows of white smoke caused me to
> pressurize my
> cooling system (Stant ST-255) and discover a lot of
> coolant leaking
> into cylinder #2. The head was removed and the head
> gasket was
> carefully scrutinized for any holes/defects, etc.
> Nothing apparent was
> found. I had the head pressure tested and a crack
> -I believe it was
> internal, not in a firing chamber- was found. I
> bought a used head,
> with enough meat on it, that passed the pressure
> test and had it
> resurfaced and had the valves and seats done.
> I did a surgical reassembly, though I used a
> Snap-on click stop wrench
> for torquing the head instead of the manual
> recommended torque angle
> gauge. The head bolts were wire brushed prior to
> assembly and their
> respective holes in the block were chased (not
> chaste) and, again,
> surgically cleaned out with compressed air. The
> bolts were torqued at
> 60 ft. lbs., and the head re-torqued at 600 miles.
> For some days everything seemed problem free and
> then I began to
> detect the smell of cooked antifreeze. I looked
> and looked but could
> not find an apparent leak, though I needed to add .5
> quart of coolant
> to the system every couple of days. No smoke from
> the tail pipe, but
> the smell was there. I did not detect the smell at
> the tail pipe, but
> in the engine compartment.
> A Peugeot guy in Alameda, Sam from SK Auto, put it
> up in the air and
> looked at the rear of the head (by the manifold down
> pipe). He noticed
> some discoloration on the block just below the rear
> of the head and
> said that he thought it was a bad head gasket. He
> told me to clean it
> off (the block under the head), and spray paint it
> and then run it and
> look at it again. Sam told me that it was probably
> not the right brand
> head gasket (It was a Curty Payen) and said that he
> bought his from a
> guy in Texas (I assumed Madhu from Disortex). He
> suggested that I
> re-torque the head at least five additional lbs. to
> 65.
> I think Brian Holm suggested that I drain the block
> before retorquing
> the head. I drained the block and retorqued the
> head to 65 ft. lbs. I
> re-adjusted the valves and put a couple of GM
> cooling system tabs in
> the radiator. Everything seemed fine and the
> coolant level seemed
> pretty stable. After a month of driving I, again,
> started to smell
> cooked coolant. The smell was apparent only
> sometimes after driving.
> The coolant loss is very slight, like a cup or two
> every four or five
> days.
> This problem has been driving me nuts. There are
> times that I think I
> can detect the smell of antifreeze at the tail pipe
> and times when I
> can't.
> I was wondering if anyone out there had any
> suggestions -other than
> seeing a therapist- that they might be kind enough
> to send my way.
> Again, the coolant loss is minimal and the smell is
> apparent after I
> drive my daughter to school (20 minutes non-freeway)
> or am idling after
> a brisk freeway run. The smell seems to be present
> at the tail pipe
> only some of the time. I put a lot of work into
> this car and am
> thoroughly demoralized with it and looking for a BMW
> 325is to elevate
> my spirits.
> Desperate in California,
> Ken
>
>
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Received on Sun Jul 10 09:23:07 2005
