[ Also posted at www.classicsaab.net ... ]
Ok well I finally have the cylinder head + intake and exhaust manifolds, and the turbo, removed from the engine in the 8V turbo car.
To keep the timing chain from de-registering with the camshaft drive gear I used cable ties to clamp the chain to the gear:
Big version
The head gasket did not have a leak between any of the coolant passages and the cylinder bores, but what it did show me is that the coolant passages are badly corroded in the cylinder head itself, and the coolant holes in the head gasket were very badly blocked with what I can only call 'rusty gunk'. Here are the pics:
Big version
Big version
Big version
Big version
Note that I did soak up the coolant that ended up in the two middle cylinders to reduce the chance of the bores getting rusty. I'll wipe a light coat of engine oil on them tomorrow as the engine will be dismantled for a week and bit until I receive an exhaust manifold repair kit (new studs, nuts, spacers, etc.) from a Saab parts seller (!) in the UK.
I removed the intake manifold a few days ago and it's gasket did show problems. Pics coming of that below showing possible leakage evidence:
Big version
Big version
The main coolant port from the water pump is quite corroded but should be ok once it's cleaned up to remove the build-up of dried out coolant chemicals.
I have not found any evidence of cracks in the head, so that's a Good Thing. The turbo has also been removed and it has two serious defects - the wastegate is totally stuffed. The vacuum actuator is fine, but the wastegate itself is frozen in position and will not move, not even with gentle hammer taps on it's actuating lever (where the arm from the actuator joins on). Also, the wastegate and exhaust elbow are VERY loose where the assembly formed by those two items join to the main turbine housing. One of the five studs isn't there (broken off), and the four remaining ones are all loose. It looks like someone used nylock nuts, and either they've not been tightened properly, or the studs have just stretched over time.
The actual turbine has no play at all, so I will get the parts I need to repair the turbo and keep it for a spare when the one I've got coming from the USA already arrives and gets installed into the car. Here's the turbo before I started work on dismantling the engine (the location of the exhaust leak is fairly obvious from the discolouration!):
Big version
I've noticed that the right side rear engine mount is dead too - the rubber part inside the outer metal 'bean' is broken. Should not be difficult to replace while I have the rear of the engine jacked up so that the rear engine bracket could be removed yesterday before I lifted the cylinder head out of the car.
The other thing I've seen is that one of the two engine oil cooler lines has a leak where it joins to the top of the oil filter mount. I don't have the means to fix that myself but the hoses look fairly standard items so maybe they can be replaced with something generic that's sourced from a normal auto parts shop. I might even go 'whole-hog' with those lines (and those for the auto trans cooler - it's an 'in-line' type) and have replacements made up with Aero-quip fittings and braided stainless steel hose. Anyone does that sort of thing with oil lines on c900 8V engines before?
Here's my 3 y/o son Quinn at the wheel:
Big version
Craig.