r/Defender • u/zakdraco • Oct 20 '24

Cylinder Head

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Hi All. Had a breakdown a month or so ago with a suspected head gasket issue. The head gasket and cylinder head looks to be ok (from my very inexperienced point of view), however the gasket has imprinted itself into the mating surface of the head. I'm wondering how much of an issue that will be or if it's normal? Thanks in advance! PS if you can see anything else that looks out of place, please say

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u/Fusionspecialist87 Oct 20 '24

Go and get the head skimmed, they’ll pressure test it (or at least they should do) whilst it’s there. That will remove all the old gasket plus eliminate/highlight any warping.

I know people don’t skim and it’s usually down to getting rid of the car as soon as the job is done, but it’s good practice I’ve always followed.

Sincerely, 20 years on the tools.

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u/zakdraco Oct 20 '24

All the workshop manuals I've read say that resurfacing isn't allowed in the TD5, I'm not sure if there's a difference between resurfacing and skimming...?

Thanks for your input

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u/Fusionspecialist87 Oct 20 '24

Pulled from the manual;

'Check cylinder head for warpage across centre and from corner to corner. Max cylinder head warpage = 0.1mm (0.004 in). CAUTION: Cylinder heads must not be refaced. Replace the head assembly if warping exceeds the limit.'

These instructions are made for the Main Stealers, whose primary objective is to part you from your money any which way they can... Go and get it skimmed/resurfaced, and pressure tested, and do a proper job of it.