When you replace the head gasket on a 2.2 do you remove the complete engine and gear from the car, or is it a job you do with the engine inside the car?
You do not need to remove the engine to do the cylinder head gasket, but there are things that make the job easier. The ease also depends on whether you have a single down-draught carb. or the twin side-draught carbs.
There are things you must not forget, and if you have the workshop manual for the 2.2 engine (came with the Tagora NOT the Murena manual) it has some mistakes so do not follow it implicitly.
First thing to remember is to back off and lock out the tensioner before you start stripping (and obviously release and set it at the end). If you skim the head you must have the top timing case bolted on at the time as that must be skimmed too. When you torque the head down, the timing case must already be on and torqued up so that it is pulled down on the gasket at the same time. The timing case is dowelled to the head, so if you torque the head up before fitting the timing case, you won't get it on!
To give yourself some room to get at the timing case and camshaft gear bolts, support the gearbox and remove the gearbox mounting cross bolt. Then you can lower the gearbox end a little and this will move the engine timing case end away from the inner wing and give you extra room.
These are quite easy engines to work on, and any one who thinks otherwise has never worked on modern cars which are so tightly packed in there is little room to do anything, particularly changing timing belts, and water pumps! :-)
Roy
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