Headgasket

[Rynrack]

So turns out, the head gasket has definitely on our thunder.


We have a few questions:

Should we have the head gasket done and head skimmed etc, or just replace the engine?

The car is too good to scrap and I know having the head gasket done in a garage wouldn't be worth it for the low value of the car.

If we were to replace the engine, what year/ecu is the best to go for. I'm guessing there would be problems if we tried to fit a 98 engine into a 02 car? Different looms ecus etc?
If it was a straight swap that would be handy, but I don't completely understand if the engines from different years are all interchangeable.

Any form of feedback is greatly appreciated!

We desperately want to keep this car on the road!

 

[DOH]

Speak to Ian G , he breaks these cars and will have a good replacement engine for you. It's best to email your enquiry directly to [email protected].

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

The late cars are different to the early ones. The loom is different (as is the instrument cluster) and they use two lambda probes (before and after the cat). Having said that, I think the bare engines are the same and even if you sourced an early engine (MHA, yours is MHB) you could rebolt everything on it and operate it normally with your existing loom and ECU (you are having DIVE unit, if it is twin lambda) just as you were with your original engine

 

[red]

^I was on this understanding. The bare blocks should be interchangeable.

 

[Smudge]

The physical engine is the same if you exclude the electrical architecture.

If it is just the engine you want to swap then any engine will be fine Ryan.

Matt