Peugeot 505 Overheat

I'd say worth attempting. Big job...yes, as in time consuming.

Head gasket set. It's possible the head will need skimming/reworking once removed.

Does the 505 have a cam belt? If so I'd replace that at the same time along with the spark plugs.

Not difficult just time consuming and messy.

Mostly labour.

sPoNiX

People at work seem to think this isn't worth trying.

I'm assuming the Engine wont have to come out? After the heads off I could get someone else to do the required work on it?

What else can go wrong?

If there's any possibilty of having to remove the engine its a non starter. I'll have to get someone else to do it.

Engine doesn't need to come out for a top- end overhaul.

Aren't some Peugeots wet-liner engines? I know the French [Renault in particular] seem to have a liking for wet-liner engines. If the Peugeot is a wet-liner engine you will need to put a clamp-plate on the top of the block when you remove the head, in order to stop the liners shifting and coming unsealed at the bottom; get this wrong and the coolant will soon find itself making friends with the engine-oil.

Once you've got the head off, replacing the head gasket is dead easy! Honestly, the procedure is pretty simple - it just takes time and can be a bit of a nightmare. It depends a lot on your engine, really. How much space do you have in the engine bay? If you're considering junking the car rather than pay a garage to do the work, then you might as well give it a go.

Things to consider:

1. Change the cambelt at the same time (as mentioned by someone else)
2. Will you have to remove an engine mount to get the head off? You might need to support the engine underneath with a jack.
3. Lock the crank and camshaft in position (usually with a drill bit or something similar through the top and bottom pulley wheels) so that the engine and head can't turn independantly whilst they are apart.
4. Cylinder head bolts. It's often recommended that you get new ones - this depends on your engine, so find out!
5. You'll need to tighten the bolts back up again to a specific torque and then you might need to tighten them further by a particular angle. So, make sure you have the required tools.

HTH,

Chris.

It's not a massively complicated or difficult job, but you do have to follow all the instructions. It's also worth ringing round & finding out how much your local scrappys want for a head just in case it's dead when you remove it.

I agree, it's not complicated - but you do really need to know what you're doing beforehand. If you didn't have a clue, you could have the whole thing in bits and not enough tools/components to properly put it all back together again.

Chris.

If it is the same as the 504 then it will have wet liners, and paper gaskets at the bottom, next to impossible not to disturb them IME, but then I am hamfisted.

AJH

Yeah the Haynes talks about liner clamps.

Also talks about removing the cylinder head from the block by sliding rather than lifting to avoid moving the liners.

Jesus. That's a hell of a lot of money for a head gasket.

Last one I had done (Alfa 33) cost me £240 incl. skimming the head.