Head skimming

I've just had my 300tdi head skimmed but had to have 15 thou taken off to make it flat again. Is that too much even with the thickest head gasket. Have any readers had similar amounts taken off ?

Sorry to tell you this but I have been told by a specialist that skimming the head will not last very long and is not recommended. I decided to buy a new one cost about £400.00 . What do you all think.

they have been skimming heads ever since heads was invented and now a 'specialist' says its not a good idea?????????????????????????????
if you take too much off you will make the metal too thin and that leads to problems, check yer workshop manual for the max. skim allowable and you should be ok. i do think that 15 thou may be a tad too much. i did my jag just over a year ago and the max on that was 10 thou.

Some food for thought here. I'm going to try the skimmed head but turn over the engine manually first to ensure nothing fouls and then do some local runs in it. I'll keep readers posted.

i'd check what the max allowable is first before spending yer dosh!

15 thou should be fine.

I think the reason the specialist said that it is not recommended is that the head warping is a well known weak point on the 200/300 tdi eng. The guy is not a friend as such, but he has never given me bad advise before. I am quite happy to believe that most heads can be skimmed but as in all things there are exceptions to the rule.

sam said:

I think the reason the specialist said that it is not recommended is that the head warping is a well known weak point on the 200/300 tdi eng. .

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eh! headwarping is why you get them skimmed in the first place. if its not warped there ain't much point in skimming it, unless you want to up the compression ratio.

you would not have to get them skimmed if they did not warp in the first place.

yes and you wouldn't have to change your tyres if they didn't wear out...
warped heads happen so you machine them level again but you can only go so far before it causes problems. and alloy heads warp more than cast iron ones.

Ta very much for the info and pros & cons of skimming. I had nothing to lose in the end but a £30 gamble on taking 15 thou off and sticking the max thickness gasket on with new head bolts. The not so old dear should be running again soon so I will keep everyone posted as to progress and problems.

my final words on this subject.
1 As stated before 200/300 heads are prone to warping
2. If your head has warped the chances are you have overheated it, and there for damaged it (it warped)
3. if you then remove 15 thou from the head you will weaken it even more thus making it more likely to warp again.
4 At the end of the day you pays your money and you make your choice. If you want to keep your disco for the long term I would buy a new head, as I in fact did. This is only my opinion and oviously others disagree.

if they are prone to warping then what do you have to gain by buying a new one? you might as well take the cheaper option skim it this time and renew the head the next time..
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so what makes them prone to warping??its usually over heating that does it, so you find out what made it over heat and fix it, problem solved!! unless the heads are too thin in the first place..