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x16xe snapped cam sprocket :(

4K views 44 replies 12 participants last post by  lee303 
#1 ·
hello,

im looking for some advice regarding my corsa b , 1.6 16v.



so here is the damage :eek:






basically i fitted this ^^ new engine' and when i started it up, it was running ok'ish for a few minutes and then there was some strange noises.

(i was sitting in the drivers seat at the time so i turned it off straight away)

not realizing what had happened i tried to start it up again later on.. :doh:

obviously it didnt start, i tried a couple of times and then left, (it was late)




the following day i started to have a look around the engine bay, try and figure out what was wrong, and thats when i found the snapped sprocket !






so a summary

the car was running when it snapped
it was turned off pretty much as soon as it happened
tried to start it after a couple of times (not realizing what had happened)

other info..
ive got another x16xe (damage inside them engine due to the end of the spark plug snapping off)

so my question..

1.how much damage is likely to have been caused ? (possible bent valves?)

2.if the valves arent bent, can i take the sprocket from the other engine and stick it on this one and see if it works?

3.if i do number 2' and the valves are bent how much more damage am i going to do?

4.what are my options if any?

5.somebody was saying that if you can turn it over by hand then that would mean that the valves were ok, so just swapping the sprocket over and getting it timed should be ok, is that true?






i have invested a little bit of money into this now.. so want to get it up and running again really asap, but with out spending to much.

thanks very much b3



edit:
in the picture it looks like 3 spokes? are stil intact but they arent.. they are all snapped and the timing notch is pretty much in the opposite position to the other sprocket.

thanks
 
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#28 ·
im in bristol, well just outside.. about 5 min from jnc 19 on the m5 :D

i can get my head looked at on monday, get a quote for work. by then i should of got price and all the details on the second hand one.

i can decide on what to go for and then its just a case of putting it back together which shouldnt be to bad. im aiming to have the car back on the road by the end of jan.
 
#29 ·
To be fair you sound like a chap who learns quick, id get the second hand head and do the works yourself. When it comes to timing the engine read the Haynes manual and ask on here for help if you need it. 1.6 16v engine is fairly stright forward to work on.

That is if you have all the right tools. You will need a Torque rench and Angular Torque Gauge to do the head bolts though.
 
#30 ·
thanks ;)

i got one of halfords pro tool kits last week, so far everything i have need has been in there :D apart from the torque wrench but picked one of those up from argos :( seems to do the job though..

ive got a couple of neighbours who are really good as well, old guys but know there stuff, always eager to help.

how much would i be looking at paying to get a garage to time it up? just out of interest dont want to do it wrong and then muck up the new head aswell lol.

thanks
 
#31 ·
Would expect them to charge you about £200. This is the reason why I did mine myself. If your really not confidant dont try it as you may end up with another damaged head if you get the timing wrong.

However, if you follow the haynes manual and turn the engine over by hand a couple of times it will be clear if you have the timing wrong.

Personaly id go for it, then ask kindly if your experianced nabours would double check it for you.
 
#32 ·
you've managed to get the head off, i dont see any reason why you cant dismantle the head too. remove cams, label followers and tappets, shims or whatevers there so it goes back in the exact same place.
i think its seriously easy, ive done it enough times, cambelt snapped twice. 3 new valves and 1 guide one time and just a new valve the next time.

trust me its cheaper than a new head or a new engine and you get one you know is sorted. just lube the new stem seals with oil when reasembling.
 
#34 ·
Would expect them to charge you about £200.
just to get it timed up?! how much work is involved?

erm nobody has mentioned the cam MAY be seized causing the problem in the first place?? in which case the head is now a paperweight anyway
can you turn the cam/did it try to turn when you removed the bolt from the pulley?
erm i had mole grips on it so not sure :/

you've managed to get the head off, i dont see any reason why you cant dismantle the head too. remove cams, label followers and tappets, shims or whatevers there so it goes back in the exact same place.
i think its seriously easy, ive done it enough times, cambelt snapped twice. 3 new valves and 1 guide one time and just a new valve the next time.

trust me its cheaper than a new head or a new engine and you get one you know is sorted. just lube the new stem seals with oil when reasembling.
ah right that sounds promising.
 
#36 ·
ok got a call..

2 bent valves.

chap on the phone ran through a long list of things that they could replace. then added water pump on cam belt bolts gaskets and lots of other stuff..

anyway 480 for the full works + vat. so thats not going to happen!



my other option is to get the second hand head.
its been ported and polished (what exactly does that mean?)
its had the valves lifters stem seals etc replaced

what else do i need to get to fit it, obviously i need head gasket kit (50quid?), cam belt, head bolts is there anything else?

also can you give me an idea on how much for all the bits and pieces need to price it all up see if its worth it or not.

also because i dont have much time on my hands and dont want to balls it up, im looking at getting a garage to time it up.

Peo said that this would be around 200 quid... is that correct :(

thanks :D
 
#38 ·
200 pounds to finish it after you fit the head? if i was a garage i would want to charge more as an insurance incase something goes wrong with the rest of it...
but tbh i'd stil be trying to find the cause of the cam snapping the sprocket tbh, think i would have the cams out, remove the lifters then refit the cam without them to see if it turns smoothly on its own without it trying to open any valves, be difficult to tell otherwise

but if you're going for the second hand head, just buy a headgasket set from a motorfactors, will have all the gaskets etc you need then, and some new head bolts, should be all you need really,and a new cambelt, and from experience do the water pump too as theyre cheap but expensive if it goes wrong(more bent valves usually) and as for the timing, have a go yourself, its not that hard if you can follow a haynes, maybe get some pics up with the belt on so people on here can give you a hand
 
#39 ·
cheers thanks, yea at the moment im planning on going for the second hand head..

if i try and time it but cant for what ever reason. i would have to take the car to the garage, this would mean that the wheels would be going around, does this mean because its not timed up it could cause damage or am i missing something here and it would be ok??

thankyou :D
 
#40 ·
if you leave it out of gear it'll be fine, there's a small chance of bending some valves if you drag it around in gear though, as the bottom end could be spinning over but not the top

oh and one thing you will need to rebuild it is a torque wrench
 
#41 ·
cheers lee. just wanted to check.. lol!

yea ive got a torque wrench so thats ok. is it much work to do the water pump aswell? thinking i may as well do it to be safe (again no idea when it was last done)

i would look in my copy of the haynes but it is covered in dirt oil and grease (it stinks) and is in the garage and im not to well at the moment.

thanks for all your help. the chap should have the second hand head off on the weekend. so should be able to get things rolling very soon :D
 
#42 ·
the water pump is dead easy, especially mid head swap, remove the cambelt cover backplate then its three bolts to remove it, just be sure to line up the notch on the block with the line on the pump so the ca,belt will be correctly tensioned when refitted, as the water pump pulley is eccentrically mounted in the body of the pump and it needs to be in the right place so the auto tensioner has the correct amount of belt slack to play with
 
#45 ·
i'm thinking the belt would have just stripped with a seized cam though, rubber teeth vs cam sprocket, maybe something got caught up in the cambelt run and jammed in the pulley spokes, be interesting to find out but it seems like that wont happen now...
 
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