check with a quality ruler as said should save a few quid.

the only time this method did not work was on the rover 16v heads.

but thats a different engine with a very different head gasket.

just the fact that some mentioned copper grease on the bolts and it being the centre two cylinders which (get most of the heat) have blown which might indicate possible previous major overheat.

tbh. the only cracked head to be returned from the engineers as scrap had clear small cracks between the valves in the head.

Just come upon this post Griff so apologies for a late reply
I was in the act of typing a reply yesterday about this, but then you posted to say you had misread the vernier scale & the measurement was ok! Yes, Vauxhall say you can't skim the head on omegas!!! but as anyone who has ever had to do it will tell you, it doesn't hold water (no pun intended! )
Most skims, even on a warped head will only need a few thou of an inch removing so no problems inherent there, but it would become a problem if the head had been skimmed previously & either too much had been removed then or the new skim combined with the last one meant too much metal being removed.

griff2494 wrote on 13. Jan 2011 at 06:58:


It's a bit late to help you on this, but might be useful for future reference - a dab of grease on either the inner surface of the collet or the collet groove on the valve stem would help 'stick' them in place. 

BAD BAD BAD BAD DAY!!!!!!!
IM STARTING TO HATE MY OMEGA !!!!! (sure i will love her once sorted)

right went out at lunch time with a list i wanted to do today before dark

1. fit and tighten head
2. refit cams and rocker cover
3. refit inlet
4. refit exhaust manifold
and if i got time refit the cam belt (well if my cam tool turns up today!!!!)

BUT when i got out there i popped the bonnet and
its been raining here now for 3 days and some how water from the scuttle has dripped onto the block and totaly filled up pot 3&4 with water!!! and my nioce clean block was all rusty again (at least seeing the water was just sat in the pots i no my rings must be doing there job lol)


anyway sorted that and on with the head refitting
started to tighten in the order stated on tis2000 and to the settings 25nm +90deg+90deg+90deg+15deg

anyway when i got to the last tightening of 15deg the worst thing ever happened

first !!!!my hex socket snapped!!!! (halfords pro range)
second !!!!! THE GOOD DAME FUC>ING BOLT SNAPPED!!!!!!

brand new bolts and there shit!!!!!!!!

so after 2hrs of drilling,3 snapped drill bits (which when snapped shot off deep in the engine !!!!!!(got them back when bolt was out)
i finaly managed to get the bolt out!!!!!(luckly ive got a very good bolt excracter)but ive had to use one of the old bolts in its place (i no there strech bolts but they measured the same still so hopefully just the one will be ok )

anyway got that finished but getting dark so i just refitted the cams ,but there to round about the correct timming postion ready for the next stage

quick question,seeing the oil thats in the car is no good am i best to drop that out,put some cheap shit in and let it run for a few mins till warm ,drop that out then refill with good stuff

will that get all the crap out? or would i be better using some kind of engine flush?

yep all clear and dry before i started !(got cotton buds in there and rag
i assummed if they where full of water they would pure out during tighting and wet/break the new gasket

i did not no that thank god i removed it all before starting!!!! i thought if not it would break the new gasket

but luckly im ok seeing they where dry,esp after today as its def been a bad day working on the car

the bolts where from a ebay shop called THE GASKET SHOP

TPS on throttle body????? Any pics?