Am helping a friend with his '90 Loyale ea82; we managed to put the driver's side head on the passenger side and vice a versa in the course of replacing the head gaskets. Now the tapped coolant port is on the wrong side to connect with the 90 degree tube from the intake manifold.

 

Any problem in cutting the angled tube and running a hose to the port that is now on the front of the driver's side? (Don't want to drill and tap the head on the passenger side and don't want to redo the head gaskets - engine in car.)

That's not a coolant port - that's the EGR exhaust port - hose will not work here. Would have to be steel tubing. Remember that it's going to be about 600* F in that tube.... thus it's heat sheild...

 

I would drill and tap the port and plug the open one.

 

GD

Yes, the heat shield - makes sense now. Thanks for the quick response!

Dude, I for got that piece when I did my head gasket job too! (Even though I managed to get my heads on the right side.) I thought of doing the same thing, but it was too short of a distance. I really don't understand the function of the tube enough to give advise, but it seems reasonable. I would just be sure to use some sort of PCV hose that wont melt at high temps and wont collapse under any sort of vacuum.

Will do the drill and tap - is the best thing to do.

I have seen an engine with backwards heads, and a copper tube run across for the egr. it will work. the heads are cast the same with the exception of the egr port being tapped on the one. You can tap an egr port on the other head if you have the machining tools.

The tap required is a metric M16-1.5.

Edited January 25, 201214 yr by kayakertom
corect info

How could it possibly work with the head on the wrong side? wouldn't it be upside down...?

No, it is right-side up; the only difference besides the port problem, is that the exhaust manifold studs have to be moved.

 

How could it possibly work with the head on the wrong side? wouldn't it be upside down...?

I wasn't paying attention when reassembling the engine and got the heads reversed. Not wanting to redo it, I made a plug piece on the lathe to block the EGR hole, using the existing flare nut. I just ran the car with heads reversed and no EGR and there was no apparent problem. Got 30+ mpg on hiway.

cnc

How could it possibly work with the head on the wrong side? wouldn't it be upside down...?

 

 

 

No, it is right-side up; the only difference besides the port problem, is that the exhaust manifold studs have to be moved.

 

 

So is the EGR pipe up front on the drivers side?Or is it down below drivers side?What about the cams? they sit pulleys forward but backward in the heads?

Correct, the egr pipe is then up front on the driver's side.

 

Don't understand your second question.

 

 

So is the EGR pipe up front on the drivers side?Or is it down below drivers side?What about the cams? they sit pulleys forward but backward in the heads?

I think he's confused about the same thing that I'm confused about. If you take a head for the right side of the engine, and put it on the left side of the engine. Obviously you need to keep it right side up. Intake on top, exhaust on bottom.

Now to do that, the cam sprocket would be on the wrong end.

Cam cases are not part of the head.

They are separate entities.

Cam cases are not part of the head.

They are separate entities.

 

OK. Now it makes sense... A lot more sense.

Had I realized it wasn't like an EJ head I wouldn't be confused there.

Wow, I'd most definitely re-do the heads - even if they fit 'the wrong way'. I didn't realise that the cam carriers could be fitted either way around but surely re-doing the heads is not expensive or particularly time consuming?

Wow, I'd most definitely re-do the heads - even if they fit 'the wrong way'. I didn't realise that the cam carriers could be fitted either way around but surely re-doing the heads is not expensive or particularly time consuming?

have to buy new gaskets, so costs about $50 and time. to each his own on what that's worth to an individual and time could depend how far you went...if cam carriers were installed and motor installed, if it was pulled to begin with, etc.

If they're not too old, it's quite possible to re-use head gaskets - especially if you've just fitted them. Just re-torque plus 10% and use a quality head gasket sealant. Mind you, I'd probably have bought new gaskets!

NO NO NO NO NO don't re-use headgaskets.

NO NO NO NO NO don't re-use headgaskets.

 

 

What he said, thats just asking for trouble.

Goodness! What a strong reaction! clearly it's never ideal but over the years I've had to make do when times were hard (in reference to not doing what one can't afford to do) and have re-used with success - putting 70,000 miles on one of my L-series (on top of 130,000) before it succomed to excess crank-case compression. But I was not recommending it, just saying it's not at all impractical if you have to do it. In the case of this thread, the OP was happy to leave them be - so clearly I was just chatting... I've also made my own head gasket for an alluminium Imp engine (similar to Coventry Climax) but that only lasted about 20,000 miles; not bad for virtually no money.

So what if you plan to not use the EGR or any emissions crap at all can someone just plug that hole and be done??

So what if you plan to not use the EGR or any emissions crap at all can someone just plug that hole and be done??

 

Yes

 

Its better for your engine to run without an egr anyway. I usually take the threaded end off the metal tube and weld a bolt in the center hole, then throw it back in. The last motor I did I didn't have a welder nearby so I cut the tube, but I left a piece of the tube with the flared fitting. Then I dropped a screw upside down in the egr hole and put the threaded end/pipe piece back in the egr hole, worked great.

 

Josh

Wow, I'd most definitely re-do the heads - even if they fit 'the wrong way'. I didn't realise that the cam carriers could be fitted either way around but surely re-doing the heads is not expensive or particularly time consuming?

as long as you have not started the motor you can ree use the head gaskets 

 

OK. Now it makes sense... A lot more sense.

Had I realized it wasn't like an EJ head I wouldn't be confused there.

 

EJ22 heads can be swapped side ot side also......you just have to swap the cams to the correct side and swap the end cap and Cam Retainer.

 

EJ25 heads are not reversible.