Astra Mk5 Head Gasket Replacement! (Part #1)

[@CarlMCL]

The British ChrisFix.

[@user-dt5ro]

The better chrisfix*

[@strangeperson700]

Chrixfix and tea. ;)

[@WesKaine]

@@user-dt5ro not dissing this guy, but he's no Chris fix

[@nickh7040]

@@WesKaine ye you right chrisfix is buns lol

[@WesKaine]

@@nickh7040 no Idea what that means haha

[@RedEyedJedi]

I had the go pro idea ages ago for these mechanic videos. I'm glad someone is finally doing it.

[@chrisyoung5573]

The go-pro worked a treat, love the content

[@reyanshdillon6143]

i know im randomly asking but does anybody know a way to get back into an Instagram account..? I stupidly lost my account password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me

[@hayeslorenzo8624]

@Reyansh Dillon Instablaster ;)

[@reyanshdillon6143]

@Hayes Lorenzo thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm in the hacking process atm. Takes a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@reyanshdillon6143]

@Hayes Lorenzo It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy! Thanks so much you really help me out!

[@hayeslorenzo8624]

@Reyansh Dillon glad I could help =)

[@boosteddiesel1834]

I would advise anyone who is going to rebuild a cylinder head or do a head gasket to run a compression test first. The reason being it’s not worth finding half way through the job that the engine is fuc*ed. The test will show compression levels. Any cylinders with low compression you can pour engine oil down the plug hole and re run the test. This will tell you whether the top end or bottom end has the compression leak. If it’s bottom end the engines finished because the rings are fooked. If it’s top end then full rebuild or a new/used head is required. It’s easy enough to see what’s happening where you can’t acutally see into.

[@jasonjuggler3457]

How does pouring oil in the cylinders tell you weather its the top or bottom end? thanks

[@Megalocade]

@@jasonjuggler3457 because if you pour oil into the cylinder it will act as a sealer for the rings if the compression figures don't change after a second test then your know the problem is higher up, head gasket, burn valve, bent valve or just not sealing right. Now If you pour oil in the cylinder and the compression is a lot higher then the problem is with either the cylinder walls or the rings, personally I don't do anything until I shove a bore scope down to see the general condition of the cylinder, just done this job and bore scope revealed I had a burnt valve which was caused by a leaky injector.

[@jordanrose3211]

Can't beat a nice long savage garage video

[@evieemaya88]

I'll keep saying it, getting withdrawal symptoms, just watching your old videos. Need you back , KZbin just not the same .

[@computerpro5341]

Honestly your videos are the brilliant to watch, always look forward to them. You're a legend!

[@davidhaygarth4763]

There is definitely a niche on KZbin for people like you working on ordinary cars. Really enjoy these involved vids.

[@PhilandGina]

15:16 what every guy says when the painter's are in 🤣🤣

[@thetiger6717]

Tough times ain’t it 😂😝😂

[@Dinckelburg]

25:29 too

[@robertgoodman3783]

If thats the 1.6 engine it has an issue where it pushes oil out through the breather on the rocker cover, vauxhall never admitted to it, but I have seen it myself. When you take the manifold off at the back of the engine if its full of oil it might not be worth fixing it at all.

[@Freakybeaky21]

yup, it not the headcasket.

[@aquariumhobbyist2778]

I have the 1.6 currently 130k petrol but runs sweet is there any other common faults etc or preventatives?

[@robertgoodman3783]

@@aquariumhobbyist2778 It really does depend some of them are shocking some of them will do 200k so long as they are serviced

[@pastytit]

Anyone having problems with that breather you can by pass it just plug intake side and vent cover to atmosphere with a long pipe under car. Mine was consuming loads of oil.

[@donslackz1450]

@@pastytit did that fix the issue? My oil needs topping up 3l/4l every 3-4 weeks and not even doing 300miles

[@therealchayd]

Nice job! Those Irwin bolt removers are probably the most indispensable tool for any mechanic, I've lost count of how many times they've saved me from rounded bolt misery.

[@dylanwalsh195]

Please do more astra things! Like draining the coolent and how to changed wheel bearings etc. This video is incredible!

[@brookesenfrance3852]

I really miss this channel!

[@brummiescot]

Why did you not think piston ring was bad if oil in the cylinder?

[@anthonyg4671]

there is water also, i would have thought.

[@andyhoare4644]

Clearly oil and water in cylinder 1 with the milky mixture,Piston rings usually create a lot of blue smoke and piston rings wouldn’t use coolant I don’t think

[@micjubba709]

Yeah head gasket be blown or loose or split with water in cylinder could have done a compression check as well

[@adrianmassey6673]

Does the oil in the cylinder not suggest the piston rings are shot? I thought head gasket failure would just result in water getting into the cylinder from the water passages

[@Ryanb20496]

Adrian Massey it could also be passing through oil passages too on the head gasket. Or could be stem seals leaking.

[@boosteddiesel1834]

Head gasket failure can happen all different ways. It can lead to just coolant disappearing, or coolant and oil. Sometimes both will come out the exhaust without contaminating each other’s systems. On other occasions you may find water in the oil or oil in the water or both. Sometimes it all comes out the exhaust and sometimes nothing does but it all mixes internally. Literally luck of the draw and what motor it is.

[@aciddiver1978]

Can i ask is the refilling of coolant on astra h just to start engine and let it idle and wait for air bubbles to stop?

[@strangeperson700]

Yay! Go pro! Also, my MK4 Astra's 1.4 petrol engine just blew it's head gasket as well. I noticed the early signs and suspected the gasket but my Uncle told me that my coolant could have been evaporating through a loose coolant line so I kept running her until one day the engine started to run very roughly and I got an error code for one cylinder misfire, the engine didn't over heat and I managed to get home to find out that the gasket blew and there was a little bit of coolant in my oil which made it look like watery chocolate milk or milky tea. I'm hoping that my cylinder head is not warped and needs too much shaving since the gasket blew gradually and the engine didn't overheat, the night it started to misfire was just the straw that broke the Astra's boot. *Edit: I'm really excited to see you set those cams back into place. Please consider joining the Facebook group "VauxAddicts".

[@paulmc9314]

had this exact issue on my z18xe turned out to be the oil control ring on piston 1 (pretty common) before you rebuild it put some petrol in each cylinder and check cylinder one does not drain away, mines was drained to the sump in bout 5 mins the rest held the fuel for a few hours, its not ideal and a bit back street mechanic but only easy way to check once you have the head off, an oil change when its rebuilt is a lot better than rebuilding everything to have the same issue, great video though looking foward to more keep it up.

[@OTwinSnakesO]

My missus has a 1.5 Astra H with similar mileage, the Z16XEP has a habit of burning oil due to failed piston rings but also the channels in the intake manifold get clogged so would definitely benefit from cleaning as it’ll come up with a running lean fault code

[@padraigomadain6681]

Subscribed mate. Excellent video and the emphasis on eye protection with humor was a good way of conveying how important it is to use personal protective equipment. Keep it up

[@peterbooth2804]

Excellent video, well presented and made the job look so easy. Thank you too for the tool tips it was greatly appreciated. And yes, the go pro made a lot of difference.

[@guyhorner8165]

As the mk5 Astra has no temp gauge (its hidden in the infotainment menu) its possible that it has been overheating for some time hence the gasket problem. Check the block as well as the head for straightness as they are known to warp, its a common problem.

[@golfmk2]

This is the first video of yours that I've watched and I really enjoyed it. Nice to show the real side of being a driveway mechanic. Informative and kept me entertained throughout. Thanks. Liked and subscribed as a result. 👍

[@vespamorelli7090]

Love the go-pro view James. Thanks for taking the time & effort to use both cameras & also edit it all !! Def went above & beyond with this vid ! Well done fella 👍🏼

[@daveys]

Someone marked up my DOHC’s like yours, despite it being really clear that the timing is set by the two notches pointing to each other! Also, the engine doesn’t need supporting when you remove the engine mount from the timing belt end of the engine. The main engine mounts are front and back at the bottom, assuming it’s same as the Zafira.

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

Good work. Its neat to have a story behind all of the cars I thought the footage came out well. Putty about the missed rusted bolts.

[@ignissportchannel7671]

Tough work this time of year. Well done

[@johnhunt2388]

I've done my MKll Zephyr head gasket a few times but it is no were as involved as that so I hope you can remember were every thing goes, I admire you.

[@MrAmorti]

Why were you even considering not draining the coolant? If the head gasket is bad and both the coolant and the oil have been going down, then they've been having a party and absolutely should both be changed.

[@yeti200sx]

I hope he changes it as the oil would of been contaminated regardless if it had been drained or not.

[@brummiescot]

Agree I would have drained oil and coolant and replaced both

[@arthurbaldwin1804]

Enjoyed your post well done. Could not help thinking what a pain cars now are re DIY. Back in mists of time I had the head off my Mk1 GT cortina several times and full strip and rebuild and rebore once at back of our house.Cars may be better but oh how i miss those simple times when with a torque wrench and socket set you could do almost anything.

[@hansv.d.p.8679]

Thank you for the time showing .greetings from Rotterdam

[@TheShinyShow]

Honestly the exhaust sounded kinda cool chuffing away.

[@jordenblackey946]

Mate. The GoPro POV is brilliant. Loving the content I get really excited when you upload a video big big fan. Keep it up.

[@davidbates247]

How do you know that the head isn't cracked ? Should you not pressure test ?

[@predater5017]

you dont need to worry about timing when dismantling the engine. only when you reassemble. sometimes it a good idea to put your own convenient markings but this had already been done. also good idea to drain the oil and water before you start.

[@andyhoare4644]

Great video James,same z16xep engine in my astra g sport 04 plate which the Astra g is what brought me here originally, those rocker gaskets are bad for letting oil into cylinders when they get old,not saying that’s your problem as there’s clearly water in cylinder before the haters comment back to me,also Seen a few comments on how bad the 1.6 and 1.8 xe engines are for head gasket failure, I’ve got an 04 astra g z16xep with 160k on and to my knowledge never had a head gasket and 100k of its miles have been done from me and family in last 14 years uses no coolant and very minimal oil and never skips a beat same with my z18xer vectra with 155k both cars regularly serviced and kept upto so I think many people are wrong on this front,maybe it’s a general lack of maintenance,anyway keep up the good work James

[@twig3288]

This job would be hard work for a professional mechanic in a fully equipped workshop. You managed it outside on a hardstand while filming it, that's an achievement in itself. Plaudits.

[@miksedk]

Maan, I was thinking that same thing. He does amazing works here. Thumbs-up from here. Got a 1.6 z16xep too. twinport. in a 04' wagon limited edition. 1250Kg. It's a good engine/motor for what it is.

[@1smiciklas1]

I just bought my Opel H 2005 1,4 16v and had to do a headgasket job,my mechanic told me i should get rid of it cause on the 1,4 motor the headgasket is a big flaw.But talking with alot of other people everyone praises that engine and the 1,6 from the H series

[@xBabyLukex]

The go pro footage is brilliant, as well as everything else, I love your content, been following you since your first corsa c project, I also own a corsa c and you have inspired me to have a try on the head gasket and timing chain myself, I just need to pluck up the courage now, Thank you so much James! Keep up all the fantastic hard work that you do ❤️

[@Annatar0]

I have a 2014 Corsa D and I have the same oil/water mixture issue with the valve cover which I'm starting to think has to do with the gasket there because it usually turns brick solid pretty quickly from factory when it should be just a shoft rubber gasket, that can cause seams for moisture to leak through. The engine doesn't leak any coolant or oil though. I wonder if this is a common issue with these type of engines. Just be very careful when timing the valve gears since its an "interference" type of engine and will destroy the valves (and pistons) if not done properly (happend to me once).

[@BIKEVIDS-11]

You must drain the coolant next time it's just wrong not to

[@Triicks111]

doesnt really matter if you drain coolant or not, there will always be residual in the thermostat and head/engine block. Pointless really unless doing a flush.

[@BIKEVIDS-11]

@@Triicks111 Ask any mechanic anywere and you will get the same answer mate also read the fuckin manual.

[@almostoemdiy3071]

I'm currently doing same job on my astra exectly same engine, but got stuck on placing the camshaft sprockets back because can't find the tightening torques parameters anywhere ...

[@MOMO-si2vg]

Bro 11:02 in PART 2 I think

[@ryry4956]

Keep using the headcam, allows viewers to really keep engaged. Great content.

[@Marks-Garage]

They do a 4ah version of the battery for the sealey 12v range now. Available on amazon and the tool seems to have abit more grunt with the additional battery capacity

[@joecaires5735]

2004 Mini Cooper S supercharger my water boils inside the reservoir change thermostat water pump radiator I had the gasket what do you think you might be the problem

[@eessleader7849]

Hi I have the same engine z16xep and also have the same problems and same codes but mine is cylinder 3 I also have oil in cylinder 3 not sure about coolant I need to check but my coolant does lower over time same as oil on these engines the compression should be between 12-14 bar cylinder 1 2 4 are all 12-14 bar but cylinder 3 is 3 bar does this also sound like a head gasket problem ? Just curious as done want to waste time and money before going a head and doing this job on mine. Also thanks for you're videos they help alot and very interesting keep it up.

[@qabalah78]

OMG, you make it look easy! Should have paid attention too when you said "you need a T40 torx" up until today I didn't have any torx. lol

[@bob900868]

Great video James, I always enjoy them. Good camera work mate.

[@keithknight1107]

Hi James not wanting to tell you how to do things but if I was you you check all four valves seats number one will be a lot of contamination around the valve seats which could cause you a lot of issues when you rebuild it

[@anoushkab3619]

Been to the garage said the head gasket has gone on my astra , sounds perfect , runs perfect . Only warning light is the oil pressure. Checked the cap and yes bit of milky white round the cap. Quoted £1000 is this about right??

[@barrygunning9316]

Great video, awesome driveway fix which many mechanics would not attempt! A little tip grab some bungee cords from the local pound store to wrap around pipes,wiring fuel rails etc to hook out of the way. I’ve had that sealy wrench in my amazon basket for weeks & I wasn’t sure if it would be any good but after watching this it’s on its way 👍

[@paulgray2387]

That seems an odd way to diagnose hgf. Is there oil in the coolant, Mayo on the oil lid, water escaping from the exhaust, heater not working etc??? Or perhaps you’d already done that?

[@nikolil1031]

Texas fan back to say Great vid! glad to see your back at the mechanic aspect of your content! Always greatly informative. Keep up the awesome work! Although I'm done successfully working on my mini thanks to you, I'm constantly working on my jeep wj because you often motivate me tremendously to have fun doing it!

[@themoss]

Well done. very impressive.. you must be a professional mechanic...

[@StarlitCharlotte]

Just a heads up. If there is still a misfire these astras do not play well with spurious coil packs. You need the oem ones. Bosch i think for that one. But I'm not sure. Same with sparks. They like the bosch ones. I had a 1.4 and was on the forums about a misfire!

[@o0SK1PPY0o]

How do you insure multiple cars to drive without trade insurance? Are you covered to drive others as 3rd party under you own?

[@darkbyte2005]

Brilliant video.. Really great to be with you in gopro extracting bolts, tugging, zooming on parts.

[@TheMaccatakker69]

Go Pro made me sea sick sadly as your heads jerks about. Better as was imo. Great channel though.

[@timgovier7884]

Great video to take in. Very informative. Unfortunately my wife's 2009 Astra SXI is loosing coolant but no obvious leaks and have a milky white oil filler cap , the signs that the Head gasket is on its way out

[@richardnorman1158]

Oil on plugs is normally the rocker cover gasket centre rings worn If bad enough it will cause blue smoke from exhaust and misfire

[@SnGrg]

I wonder if your friend's car had white smoke coming out of exhaust, that indicates a head gasket issue as well they say.

[@goranmilic2449]

Greeting I have Astra H 1.6 16v twinport gasoline! Has uneven work on the back of both gasoline and gas! When the engine is cold, a fault occurs P 300,301,302,303,304, ignition of the cylinders! I erase the fault with the diagnostics, the car goes normally! When the engine warms up, it no longer fires! Ignition module replaced, spark plug replaced, problem still exists! I read that this engine has valve problems (XEP engine)! Do you have an idea what the problem is? Thank you

[@monkey5459]

Clogged egr channels (carbon build up) in the intake manifold cause misfires in these engines.

[@andynorris3537]

Where did you get those sealey sockets from with the teeth? Fancy a set myself

[@wilkas159]

I like this first person format

[@marksmith4340]

Why did u remove the cam pulles? Are they not single use bolts?

[@lewisabbott39]

The vauxhall timing tool is metal and fits exactly spot on for z16/18 a16/18 engines

[@VSTV1993]

Is Tom the one that had the Vectra?

[@jordanjjn]

GoPro was a nice touch. Really made the difference mate. 👍

[@TheFunkhouser]

POV is always best when guys are working on stuff, I dont like POV when theyre driving so much. Cool vid mate.

[@atmosphericfunfairs1371]

I like the go pro its good to be able to see what you see and will help others do similar jobs. By the way how did you vacuum/suck the coolant out of those cylinders?

[@MadNath]

Did you change out the pcv valve too ? Can that cause head gasket to blow?

[@adrianwormald5652]

Good job hope it turns out ok, the name of the key way on the sprocket is a Woodruff Key....

[@zzhughesd]

Firing order is different to Spark 1,2,3,4 from left to right no?? I’m a car trader not a mechanic

[@ash38618]

Could the misfire be 02 sensor circuits? my sensors is f****d and its sluggish,,,

[@piersmorgansdog9034]

gopro footage is spot on mate... just a quick question if it was the head gasket would it not produce smoke from the exhaust?

[@coppermine64]

The GoPro will be a great addition to your already excellent videos.

[@HMC_LTD]

Irwin are the bees knees used on rear primera rear shocks

[@graemestrong3727]

Same engine in the wife's Zafira, Just replaced the exhaust manifold last month as the cat was goosed... I was lucky, all the nuts took pity on me and didn't put up a fight :-) Looking forward to part 2 :-)👍

[@PedroBackard]

so you did not do any work from under the car ???

[@MrAmorti]

I'm not too keen on the GoPro head mount. Feels like a Bourne movie with shaky camera work. Can you stabilise the image by software in the edit? I'm thinking the gimbal won't be practical for this type of job. Maybe just clip the camera to the bonnet?

[@thebiker2655]

Did you remove the head and intake manifold together

[@jamespn]

We have head gasket failures on Chevrolet Cruise vehicles less than 3 years old in the states.

[@robertmedina6875]

Awesome video! You can also use a paint marker and mark the sprocket and timing belt before you remove. If u use a new belt you can use old belt and put mark's in the same spot by matching up the belts .

[@AngryAndyToth]

The information in this video is priceless. Just found your channel as I’m looking at buying a friends Astra with a blown head gasket. Mainly because I want something to wrench on again. Think I’m gonna stick around here for a while though. Subbed!

[@matthewwade4215]

Always like learning new things and you always give a good detail of what your doing and what can go wrong with also good advice on how to get around it, the go pro footage was great and also the whole video thanks for another great video keep up the good work and definitely use the go pro again bud

[@CasSpell]

I think my 1.3 CDTI needs a new head gasket aswell, because i've filled up my coolant resevoir to max alot of times in a year and it goes down to minimum or below that. My engine uses a timing chain and not a belt, i wonder how much of a nightmare it will be 🤔

[@VeyronBD]

Could just be a slow leak, headset should have other signs like oil and coolant mixing

[@dylan6679]

Got an astra 06 1.6 petrol, it keep loosing coolant all the time no leaks no puddles no smoke or anything and the car starts and drives ok, been told it’s the head gasket any idea of how much I should be paying for it to get fixed? Thanks

[@SexyGuv77]

What ended up happening mate? What was the actual issue?

[@ilfordino-fordfiestatutori8725]

I really enjoyed the POV, it brings more quality and enjoyability!

[@53gsiturbo20]

Enjoyed that and good see a Vauxhall on channel again 👍 can't wait for part 2

[@gwl78]

Good idea to change the belt why your at it.

[@michaelw2104]

hi i know its a shortcut or a cheat, also a lot cheaper but have you ever thought of trying steel seal ??

[@neilhibbert5201]

Hi James please do not take this the wrong way,but why have you not checked compression I know you have a tester?

[@godwinogunbor4532]

I’m having a similar issue with my car….i live here in the uk can you help me sort it out please

[@AdeReeves]

Always tricky tying to get all the content with good angles and not drag it out too much...but still a good video...keep them coming 😀

[@elahntupai3075]

Awesome video man can you do a head gasket on 3.2 v6 ?

[@geoffharrison6945]

There's 2 on that engine mate

[@arjanvanbezooijen4978]

Hello.....you make beautiful video’s,enjoy watching them....Question where did you get the e.l ratchet(90 degrees) from"?Do you like it? Greetings from Holland

[@adnanjusic4890]

is that a common problem of mk5 Astra?? how much miles that car have.. to get big isue like that?

[@Kysen10]

I used to own this car and its cool to see the engine stripped down like this. No wonder getting a belt replaced costs so damn much, its buried in there.

[@williams8891]

I want to change my head gasket, on an opel vectra c 2009. which is the best head gasket for the car

[@wearelivinginthematrix5367]

can someone answer me this asap: what does it mean when your engine coolant is gushing out and overheating while driving? I had a new thermostat put in and coolant flush and it's still gushing out and over heating? and also my oil dipstick is empty after only re filling the oil 2 days ago? wtf?