Renewing camshaft cover gasket.

JustAnotherSaver

Now from what i've read online ... rocker cover gasket, camshaft cover gasket, engine cover gasket, valve cover gasket, plus whatever you may call it. Looking at getting my old car back on the road and there's one or two jobs on it that could be doing with getting done. One is sorting the oil leak which seems to be weeping from this spot:

Now i did some Googling on it, trying to find someone who's changed the gasket on this engine (Z18XE - MK4 Astra. Not the X18XE or Z18XER. Yes, am aware this engine was also used in the Zafira & Corsa). Most of the videos i was seeing were on the 1.4 or 1.6 or the 2.0 turbo. I imagine the process is pretty much the same but I wanted to see it done on my engine in case there was anything slightly different or whatever.

Saw a guy do the 2.0 turbo and he got absolutely panned in the comments for being clueless & using just high temp silicone.

More searching and i found that you renew the rubber gasket on mine and you're supposed to / can put some silicone in a certain area as well as. I then found my old Haynes:

which made no mention of silicone. Just the gasket itself, nothing else.

When looking to see what bolts are used (because i would renew) i read that the bolts are part of the cover with the 1.8. Not sure how accurate that is.

So what i'm left wondering is -

Is it fine with just the rubber gasket being replaced for new or are you actually supposed to use some high temp silicone in addition to on this engine?

Are the bolts part of the cover or can they be renewed (without renewing the cover)?

Providing the bolts don't snap, it didn't seem too bad of a job even for me which is why i thought i'd have a go rather than paying someone else to do it.

AdrianC

If everything's clean, then just a new rubber seal should be more than enough. A tube of bodge-goop should not be needed, unless there's some blodges of previous bodge-goop that you haven't cleaned, or something's damaged - a scratch, or the cover's bent, or...

It should be a straightforward job - bolts out, cover off, clean up, new seal in, torque up. Don't over-tighten...

oh_really

In addition you may want to recheck the tightness of the fixings once the gasket has settled, they may need nipping up.

The screws should be ok for reuse, they're not under stress.

colino

Because of the nature of the seal, some manufacturers kits even come with a tube of sealant that you put a blob on at the stress points that should be used. The cam cover area isn't a high pressure area so fixings don't need to get replaced. In fact, if it is only a weep, hardly worth the bother, especially if more important tasks need attended to. 

JustAnotherSaver

AdrianC said:

If everything's clean, then just a new rubber seal should be more than enough. A tube of bodge-goop should not be needed, unless there's some blodges of previous bodge-goop that you haven't cleaned, or something's damaged - a scratch, or the cover's bent, or...

It should be a straightforward job - bolts out, cover off, clean up, new seal in, torque up. Don't over-tighten...

Danke.

And i have a tendency to do that so I've checked it out. IF I've understood it properly then the bolts are to be set at 8Nm so for sure i would've ended up overtightening. I say would've...i haven't even got the bloody thing off yet. I think on the 1.6 it's a straight undo and lift but on mine there's a coolant pipe running over it that you're 'supposed' to remove.

I did find one video of the Z18XE being done in the end. The 'miniskirt mechanic' on YouTube. You couldn't make this stuff up. She doesn't seem to remove the coolant pipe. She does get a gobfull of oil though. Lovely.

oh_really said:

In addition you may want to recheck the tightness of the fixings once the gasket has settled, they may need nipping up.

The screws should be ok for reuse, they're not under stress.

You mean after a few drives?

And yeah they should be ok. IIRC one looks a bit mushy. I would've just changed them all anyway because they're not dear things but if they're part of the cover then fingers crossed they don't end up snapping as i try to undo.

colino said:

Because of the nature of the seal, some manufacturers kits even come with a tube of sealant that you put a blob on at the stress points that should be used. The cam cover area isn't a high pressure area so fixings don't need to get replaced. In fact, if it is only a weep, hardly worth the bother, especially if more important tasks need attended to. 

Well to get that car back on the road there's this job that could do with being done, although it's a very slow leak. I changed oil every 6 months and in that time it'd only be approaching the 6 month marker that i'd be needing to put any oil in. Owned the car for 12yrs from 111k to about 183k & oil changes were done every 6 months.

Beyond that, the radiator needs doing which i'll get someone else to do. I'll have the guy check out the brake and fuel lines for any corrosion.

Cambelt & water pump were due around November but i didn't bother as the plan was to replace it, so that'll need doing now.

Coolant renewal is due.

And all things being well i may get the compressor replaced so i can have some A/C in summer. Depends on the funds.

* Where would the stress points be?

Looks like the gasket isn't that dear: https://www.autovaux.co.uk/010-370-elring-valve-cover-gasket-set-rocker-cover-gasket-010-370

The bolts would be dearer: https://www.autovaux.co.uk/90412701-cylinder-head-bolt-set-el90412701

oh_really

JustAnotherSaver said:

The bolts would be dearer: https://www.autovaux.co.uk/90412701-cylinder-head-bolt-set-el90412701

That's a completely different item, cylinder head bolts.

tedted

wrong bolts thats head bolts not cam cover

oh_really

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JustAnotherSaver

Cheers for the heads up. Badum Tssss I'll not be buying them then.

colino

How overdue is the cam belt?  How bad is the rad?  Prioritise those or you won't have a slight oil leak to worry about. 

JustAnotherSaver

colino said:

How overdue is the cam belt?  How bad is the rad?  Prioritise those or you won't have a slight oil leak to worry about. 

Cam belt intervals are 40k or 4yrs whichever comes 1st. As i do 7k per year it will have been 4yrs since the last one in either October or November 2020 (November if i had to pick, without looking at my invoices).

The rad i don't actually know. It didn't have a leak when i was driving it daily. It's only come about since it's been parked off road and occasionally started, left running for a few minutes and moved about from spot to spot (spot to spot could literally mean turning it round 180 degrees or moving it a few car spaces down, we're not talking hitting 3rd gear. Probably not even 2nd).

I noticed the coolant was sitting low, which it never did. I started it up and left it running a good while myself (where it's located i have a family member just move it around from time to time) while i blasted all the greenery off it. I noticed it steaming from the front. Popped the bonnet and saw wet in the top corner of the rad. It wasn't gushing or anything but it's leaking for sure and leaks only go 1 way and that isn't smaller.

How it'd act under proper load, i couldn't honestly tell you. It'll be going straight to the garage about 2 mile away though once it's time.