Chaps,
My S2 has just clocked over 190,000 miles. She runs as well as ever, pulls like a train and never fails to put a smile on my face. (That's not true, actually; whenever she throws up a bill she puts a frown on my face, but you know what I mean!) Bar a very large stone chip on the bonnet, there is nothing at all wrong with her.
However there are occasionally mutterings on here about the long-term life of S2 headgaskets. And some have a general view that the inner valve springs aren't to be relied upon at high mileages - several people seem to have had one break. Given that I will happily drive my car for another 190,000 miles I'd like her to remain the paragon of reliability that she has been to date, and plan to fit a refreshed cylinder head. I have bought Ed Hodgson's old head from his S2 (thanks Ed!) which has a similar mileage on it and am wondering what to do to refresh it before swapping it over.
A new head gasket is clearly a good idea. And apparently Ed's old hydraulic lifters are noisy, so something needs doing about them. My OPC quoted me a cool £36.30p each for replacements (yes, each, plus VAT, total cost just under £700!) but it seems that VW part number 050 109 309 J is a direct replacement and will be around £100 for a set from the likes of ECP/GSF. The alternative would be to try rebuilding them (like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySf0r8GGMOY), but it looks like a prize faff.
Next up would be the valve springs. My OPC quoted me £21.25 per set (inner and outer), so this would be a mere £408. I haven't tried any other suppliers for these - Max at Frazerpart will be my first port of call - but are there any alternatives? Failing that, is there any way of identifying which springs (if any) are on the way out and which ones are still going strong? I can see the logic of replacing them all and doing the job properly, but £400 is a big chunk of cash for a few small springs.
What about the valves? I'll be taking the head to a machine shop to have the work done but is it likely that it will need new valves? What about the guides? How do you tell what needs replacing? I'll certainly ask to have them lapped-in again, and possibly re-cut.
And, while it's all apart, is there anything else that I would do well to think about? 20 years ago I would be going hugger-mugger about having the whole lot gas-flowed but I suspect that Porsche probably did a pretty good job when they made the head and hence there isn't much to gain here. The chain was changed less than a year ago and the cams are in excellent condition, so no need to swap anything there. Belts ditto.
Also, does any one know of a good machine shop to tackle this sort of work somewhere within striking distance of East London? There was a good one out in Redbridge but I think they have closed down.
Thanks for your input.
Oli.
My S2 has just clocked over 190,000 miles. She runs as well as ever, pulls like a train and never fails to put a smile on my face. (That's not true, actually; whenever she throws up a bill she puts a frown on my face, but you know what I mean!) Bar a very large stone chip on the bonnet, there is nothing at all wrong with her.
However there are occasionally mutterings on here about the long-term life of S2 headgaskets. And some have a general view that the inner valve springs aren't to be relied upon at high mileages - several people seem to have had one break. Given that I will happily drive my car for another 190,000 miles I'd like her to remain the paragon of reliability that she has been to date, and plan to fit a refreshed cylinder head. I have bought Ed Hodgson's old head from his S2 (thanks Ed!) which has a similar mileage on it and am wondering what to do to refresh it before swapping it over.
A new head gasket is clearly a good idea. And apparently Ed's old hydraulic lifters are noisy, so something needs doing about them. My OPC quoted me a cool £36.30p each for replacements (yes, each, plus VAT, total cost just under £700!) but it seems that VW part number 050 109 309 J is a direct replacement and will be around £100 for a set from the likes of ECP/GSF. The alternative would be to try rebuilding them (like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySf0r8GGMOY), but it looks like a prize faff.
Next up would be the valve springs. My OPC quoted me £21.25 per set (inner and outer), so this would be a mere £408. I haven't tried any other suppliers for these - Max at Frazerpart will be my first port of call - but are there any alternatives? Failing that, is there any way of identifying which springs (if any) are on the way out and which ones are still going strong? I can see the logic of replacing them all and doing the job properly, but £400 is a big chunk of cash for a few small springs.
What about the valves? I'll be taking the head to a machine shop to have the work done but is it likely that it will need new valves? What about the guides? How do you tell what needs replacing? I'll certainly ask to have them lapped-in again, and possibly re-cut.
And, while it's all apart, is there anything else that I would do well to think about? 20 years ago I would be going hugger-mugger about having the whole lot gas-flowed but I suspect that Porsche probably did a pretty good job when they made the head and hence there isn't much to gain here. The chain was changed less than a year ago and the cams are in excellent condition, so no need to swap anything there. Belts ditto.
Also, does any one know of a good machine shop to tackle this sort of work somewhere within striking distance of East London? There was a good one out in Redbridge but I think they have closed down.
Thanks for your input.
Oli.
].Thank you for my inclusion in the PCGBFPC-I love acronyms.
