Thread: Holden Astra 1.8 ltr head gasket

I have never heard the 60 000km head gasket story about these. The timing belts do have a limited life span.

It is pretty straight forward unbolting / bolting, the hardest part is probably the timing belt tensioner, which isn't hard if you follow the instructions.
You will need a selection of torx bits because Opel didn't believe in ordinary nuts and bolts.

the head gaskets are a service item with these engines.
In australia you drive it till it needed it then you trade it in.


cant say it has to last 60 000Km but ive replaced broken timing belts with less. common for panel shops to come around to get the air conditioners fixed on bargans they got at repo auctions.


Falcon had headgasket and bolts listed on 4.1 engine for 80 000Km.

Is it the badge engineered Nissan Pulsar???
If so should be an easy fix motor.
The mother in law had a Nissan version,it broke a timing belt down here.We trailered it to Perth,less than $300 to fix as it was a non interferance motor,no internal damage.My brothers mate(mechanic) did the work and said they are very easy motors to repair/work on.
Andrew

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Is it the badge engineered Nissan Pulsar???

Nope, 2000 will be a TS. Shockingly bad cars.

If you do a DIY job, you need a special tool to wedge the cogged wheels on the camshafts in position for when you set the valve timing, plus a good selection of torx sockets and bits. The camshaft wheel wedges are normally made of a heavy duty plastic and can be bought online from the UK with postage included for less than A$20. I've seen local suppliers charging 3 times that over the counter... Worth perusing the Vauxhall owners / Opel owners websites.

The Astra engines can be operated on quite easily with a set of 3/8" drive sockets... The Haynes manual is pretty informative ... make sure the engine in your vehicle is covered. I did the timing belt and water pump on SWMBO's 2005 AH as a time expired/distance exercise (8 yrs/50,000km). I remember thinking that if I ever needed to do the heads gaskets, it would not be all that much more difficult.

Like all marques you get good and bad. A couple of my kids' uni mates bought TS Astras about 200/2001. One recently told me she had over 270,000 km on the clock with no major issues ...just regular servicing

Originally Posted by Hoges

If you do a DIY job, you need a special tool to wedge the cogged wheels on the camshafts in position for when you set the valve timing,

No you don't.

I have done more of these than I care to remember and I haven't needed wedges yet.

Originally Posted by BigJon

No you don't.

I have done more of these than I care to remember and I haven't needed wedges yet.

I haven't had a close look but can't you use a spanner on the cam to hold whist undoing the gear?

Cheers Ean

I have a tool that engages with the holes in the cam gears to hold it while undoing the retaining bolts so I can remove the gears and replace the oil seals (don't skip this part).
The only problem is when fitting the new timing belt the rearward cam (intake) won't sit in the right spot. The tension of the valve springs rotates it slightly clockwise. Using either a cable tie to hold the torx socket / bar rearwards or a couple of wooden blocks on the radiator support panel overcomes this problem without having to resort to cam sprocket chocks.