The head is off.... almost

[jameslxdt]

What a horrible job, I mean, just how do you get to some of the bolts around the exhaust manifold etc?

simple sollution: dont take it off
i left the turbo, both manifolds, egr valve, egr butterfly, thermostat housing, injectors and the rail attached, it would have been faaaaaaaaaaar to much work otherwise

[steve_earwig]

So that's why you dropped it!

[jameslxdt]

yeah
twas a wee bit on the heavy side

[steve_earwig]

Im on my 4th 406, i MUST be crazy

To be honest, every time I've bought a different car it's been a new experience in what can go wrong with it, so buying the same one again makes kind of sense as you're not starting again from scratch. I had 5 Avengers (plus looking after 3 mate's ones) so I ended up knowing what was wrong with them without trying too hard (track control arms, void bushes, handbrake adjusters, prop shaft UJs, rust rust and more rust) and it was a shame when they all got too old and rusty to be any use any more.

I think if I'd dropped a cylinder head on the way to the bench I'd have been too embarrassed to tell anyone! As they say, sh!t happens, I'm glad you and it weren't too badly damaged.

[jameslxdt]

WOOHOOO

its done
and is running like a dream, only driven it for 8 miles but its going perfect.... execpt, there is no power
i know why though, i can hear the turbo spool, and i also am getting a nasty distinct wooooooooossssssssssshhhhhhhh when on boost, and i can only assume its comming from the crack in the inlet manifold
it only took me 5 hours to reasemble and get it running, im well chuffed, ive just got real nasty back ache, but pain is only temporary, HDi is forever (i hope)

[jameslxdt]

ooo i forgot to mention the remote central locking doesnt work, does anyone know how to program the key, i cant be arsed looking in my owners manual

[old codger]

406 PLIP PROGRAMMING
The 406 deadlocking remote control has specific button controls, and if the vehicle has two controls, one is set as primary and the other as secondary.
When replacing the Plip, a Primary or Secondary Plip are different part numbers and must be ordered as required. The white label inside the Plip is labelled PRIM or SEC.
1. Turn the Ignition switch ON.
2. Press the large Plip key button (Primary Plip)
3. Within 10 seconds press the large Plip key button (Secondary Plip)
4. If there is one remote, press the Primary plip button twice.
5. Turn ignition OFF.
6. Test Plip’s for correct operation.
NOTE : On some 406 models, Plips cannot be re-synchronised unless the battery has been disconnected for 1 minute.

[Welly]

So what was the problem in the end? the head gasket? did it go through over-heating at sometime and did you get the head skimmed?

So many questions.........

[jameslxdt]

no need for skimming, your allowed a distortion tollerance of 0.03mm madness
so i just gave it a good clean, along with the pistons and block, and its fine,
me and my dad came to the conclusion the gasket went due to old age, not due to overheating, i have checked the fan and it does work
a quick look in the service book revealed that the car was averaging 15k miles every 5 months
so im not supprised its gone,
i got underneath and had a look and the power loss is because of the crack in the manifold
not quite sure how im going to fix it though
oh and the key is still dead

[Welly]

So what were the symptoms again? was it losing water?

I thinks it's rare for the HDi gasket to go?

[jameslxdt]

unfortunatley it is quite a common problem, though not as common as the fuel pumps, the symptoms i had were cooling system waaaaay over pressurising, leading too the rad hoses blowing off, though while i had it running before doing the gasket, the pressure took out the water pump big time, so all the pressure escaped through that leak, i didnt notice any loss of water, but only got about 10 miles use before the water pump gave out so i cant really say, there was no usuall symptoms, i.e. excess exhaust steam, water in oil and vice-versa,
just got to hope it passes the MOT tommorow

[steve_earwig]

i got underneath and had a look and the power loss is because of the crack in the manifold

Bugger. How hot does it get? Any chance you could fix it with e-poxy or chemical metal?

oh and the key is still dead

Mine was too, new fob with internals was about £40 "fitted"

[jameslxdt]

i got underneath and had a look and the power loss is because of the crack in the manifold

Bugger. How hot does it get? Any chance you could fix it with e-poxy or chemical metal?

chemical metal is amazing stuff, i fixed turbo that had a crack in it which is still going, so im sure it would do the job, but it would require the removal of the manifold and if im going to that much effort i may as well change it, and modify all the egr inlets
but this all costs £££ and im now skint, untill thursday
on a slightly different note, looking on ebay at other similar 406 estates, ive made about £2k on the car already (if i sold it) from just an evenings welding and 2 days fixing the head

[jameslxdt]

wooohooo

MOT passed with just an advisory on the rear tyres and an oil leak from the rocker cover, a quick look reveals i pinched the gasket when fitting it
the power loss may also be down to low vacuum to the turbo solenoid not the manifold so im gonna have a look tonight

[jameslxdt]

just noticed one other thing, the multifunction display is showing the date in month/day/year format, the owners manual lists no way to change this is there a secret i dont know