Hi all, my head gasket went this week on my Shogun and just wanted to ask where do I take the head to get it checked out i've got it off the car but don't know if it needs skimming or not. Also do I need to take the cams and valves off to get it checked and what sort of price am I looking at here if it does need work?

Cheers Ade

always get it skimmed, its good practise, normally you wont have to take the cam and valves out as they do it for you in the machine shop, although if your engine requires manual tappet adjusting you'll prob have to set it up or ask them to do it for you

i take mine to merseyside engines on cleveland street by the ARC car wash.

yeh ditto tony at merseyside engines is the man

yes me to take it M.E.P to see Tony

Whats the cost on a head skim? as its a V6 it has two head.

£20-£30 a head. inbetween there. top lads, good job

Cheers for the info guys, it's taken me a day to strip it down both heads are off just need the cash now to get thm both skimmed. Bought a total top end rebuild kit plus a new water pump and belts along with plugs, air filter, oil filter and themostat. Was going to regrind the valves and put new valve seals in while its off as its in the kit. Might just ask what they charge to do the valves as I know it will take me a couple of days to do them, with work and that.

Do the seals and grind them, it's very DIY and cheap, and v satisfying!

It takes hours to do them yourself by hand and wanted it back on the road as quick as poss with this weather. I've got all the tools to do them but might just see what they charge to do them, saves time as I know I would have to take a day or two off work to finish the car off as i'm working on it outside, no garage to work in you see.

Got the heads skimmed at M.E.P £25 a head which isn't that bad but they told me I really need new heads as the cam journals where badly scored. Can't afford the price of two new heads so will just have to put them back on and see how they go. Fingers crossed it will be ok, cheers for the heads up on M.E.P I've only ever used Bikenhead Engines before but that was a good few years ago.

was the original engine knocking? just keep that engine full of oil!

Should be too much of an issue with cam journals - unlike mains and big ends there is no real load on them, just rotation

Don't know the history of the car only had it two weeks but it was running fine no noise or anything from the engine. Just thing it didn't have enough anti freeze in it when it blew the head. It hydro locked on me when the head went, the sixth cylinder was the only one that lost compression and filled with water. So don't know if it had been leaking like this slowly over time and weekend the oil maybe.

Ade

Was there any sign of det on the pistons / valves / head?

If it had been going for a while youd expect to see that before it hydrolocked.