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Engine stripped and good crank ,pistons .liners etc but evidence of water/rust on the pots .

Tunnel out for main loom swap .

[BIG_MVS]

That bit of plastic was your test young Luke and you have passed, go forwards and may the force be with you!

[The Saint]

Thats strange.... I see there is only one knob on the heater control panel.. I always assumed that cars with A/C have two knobs there???
Sorry I am getting a little greek like with this A/C stuff...
* goes back into corner *

P.S.
I will have a look at my A610 and see if I can find that plastic thing, for you Martin..

No ...A/C is two push buttons RHS dash ,one fires up the comp the other opens a flap from the A/C fan 'box' + the temp control dial ...which is in the bonnet area

Ah ha. You've read the Renault A/C manual. Bin it! It bares absolutely no relation to the UK install as its was designed and manufactured by Reader Air in Woking.

As Lee says you can adjust the system coldness from the boot. From inside the car it's just on or off. You can blend in hot air from the car if too much. It really does make a big difference though as all that black trim and heat soak from the engine makes for a furnace in even semi decent weather....

[stephendell]

Thats strange.... I see there is only one knob on the heater control panel.. I always assumed that cars with A/C have two knobs there???

There were a couple of different variations on the install. I have seen both extra switches and extra knobs on UK cars.

Been a bit busy so not many updates from me of late .4 cars in the queue but I've got a head of steam with re-furbing loads of running gear and subframes so I can start production line style assembly in the next month .
Slumdog's engine all built and the rear is more or less repaired .New loom installed ,just need to pop the tunnel back in once it's all been tested running .

I spent the afternoon yesterday cleaning the scale off of my cylinder liners. Overall my engine is looking good. A few questions,

1) What sealant are you using between the block and "crank case"?
2) Why don't you run the sealant to the oil lpump hole (I assume that is what it is with the "O" ring)?
3) Do you use thread locker etc for the cam gear bolt?
4) Do you use any type of sealant on the bottom cylinder liner gasket?

Headgaskets, I have seen several comments on different brands etc so I have a couple of questions on that:

1) I have Reinz gaskets are they on the good, bad, or OK list (stock rebuild but possible I may change to a sport cam)?
2) Any special tricks or considerations when assemblying the gasket, head etc?

I would appreciate the help.

I spent the afternoon yesterday cleaning the scale off of my cylinder liners. Overall my engine is looking good. A few questions,

1) What sealant are you using between the block and "crank case"?Threebond 1215
2) Why don't you run the sealant to the oil lpump hole (I assume that is what it is with the "O" ring)? Yes,pump feed tube and within timing cover so no need to seal
3) Do you use thread locker etc for the cam gear bolt? Yes 80nm + thread lock
4) Do you use any type of sealant on the bottom cylinder liner gasket? No ,the Renault seals work well if all is nice and clean/intact

Headgaskets, I have seen several comments on different brands etc so I have a couple of questions on that:

1) I have Reinz gaskets are they on the good, bad, or OK list (stock rebuild but possible I may change to a sport cam)? Limited choice but most of my stuff is Turbo and the Glaser spec from Meca parts are usually up to the job .I think that Reinz are similar quality
2) Any special tricks or considerations when assemblying the gasket, head etc? Pop some 3mm rivet stems under the head dowels to stop them going to far in .I set the gaskets to 60nm then relax then whack them up to 120 .No angle set,no re torque after heat cycle

I would appreciate the help.

[johnb]

On the subject of head gaskets, what's the expert opinion on Payen Curty gaskets?

I needed new rocker cover gaskets for the A310 and found a Payen Volvo top end gasket set on Ebay which I bought a couple of days ago. I was thinking of trying the Glaser gaskets shown in Clee's thread before I'd received the Volvo set but the head gaskets in the set have the similar raised red banding on the top surface to the Glaser gasket. On the underside, they don't have the red banding but the profile is raised as shown in the photos. The gaskets underneath are from Simon Auto, for comparison, which are plain on both sides.

Any opinions about the Payen gaskets?

.
I think they will do just fine in your application. They will certainly seal the block and many members have used these gaskets in turbo duty to OE spec over-pressure. Those SA gaskets seem to be lacking in quality and detail - not looking like a good move on SA's part, bit surprised, even the punch holes look quite ragged. I know he gets his stuff manufactured in Israel, but their quality is normally very good... ummm..

Regards,
Martin

[johnb]

Thanks for that Martin. Gives me a bit more confidence.

I must admit I've not been happy with some of the things I've had from SA. The head gaskets do seem to be lacking in detail design compared with other gaskets. Another example has been the rocker and timing cover gaskets which, in my opinion, looked primitive compared with the gaskets from Payen. They looked as if they'd been made out of egg box material. They may have done their primary job in stopping oil leaks but they just didn't look right to me. Maybe I'm just used to the way gaskets used to be made and may not be up to date with modern methods of manufacture.

I've had problems with some other items but then I've also had good quality items. Overall, some patchy experience.

I've had some dodgy gaskets but only from this sort of kit .All very poor quality .
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLVO-260-760 ... 1c0bcce1ce

[johnb]

The rocker cover and especially the timing cover gasket look exactly what I meant by 'egg box' material.
Compare the timing cover gasket with the Payen gasket I bought a couple of days ago.

[stephendell]

The Payen stuff is good. OEM quality.