Just got a 1.8 JN code from a scrapyard. Everything looks well preserved, except the head which looks really porous andshould need around 2mm taken off its bottom side. Also found a head from a 1.6 Mk2 Golf which is in much better shape. Any differences between 1.6 and 1.8 heads? Because it would be easier just to swap heads than to try fixing a head in a bad shape.
I'm pretty far from the UK though. Plenty of diesel spares here in Croatia, the petrols, not so much. Just got that JN out of the donor car a couple of days ago, and it might be a good replacement for the PP/SF/SD cocktail that's currently in the car. The head looks like it's beyond repair, but the cam seems much better than the one currently in the car. So I got a couple more questions: Is there any valve clearance? (looks like there isn't because it raised the head around 1,5mm at tdc and valve fully opened) which leads to the second question Does that mean the head had already been resurfaced?
looks like a lot of corrosion inside the waterways of the block also. The heads with 4 cam bearings have hydraulic tappets, the ones with 5 have mechanical tappets Jon
We'll try to get the block cleaned up. People here think they can put water instead of antifreeze just because the outer temperature is above zero. They don't realize what it does to the cooling system.
