How our engines keep going....

[mole42]

I've almost finished putting my car back together after a fraught few weeks. It started with a probable head gasket failure back in November - bear in mind that my Stag is my only car and I use it most days.

I decided to renew the head gaskets and stripped the top end down until I had a pile of bits including a couple of cylinder heads. Examining the parts revealed a number of issues:

1. The carbs were shot. The spindle seals were like granulated carbon and didn't seal anything, the temperature compensators were siezed up, the damper seals didn't. I rebuilt them with a kit from Burlen's.
2. The inlet manifold was held onto the RH head with silicone. The bolt holes in the head were all bugg, er. stripped and the bolts would go roundy roundy. The ones in the LH head had been Helicoiled but at least one was the wrong thread. (Have you ever tried to get a Helicoil out?)
3. The LH head wasn't torqued to anything like the correct specification. And when I took out the studs, it slipped off the gasket.

Apart from that, I rebuilt the alternator (much easier to get to when the heads are off), rebuilt the windscreen washer bottle & pump (seems a shame not to) and changed the timing chains for JWIS ones with new sprockets, guides and tensioners (much easier to do when you've got the heads off).

I am amazed that it went as well as it did. I've done some 8,000 miles in it recently and returned 32MPG. I can't wait to see what improvement I get when it's back on the road. Tuesday next, I hope!

Richard

[Gresley]

Good luck with getting it all back together, Stags make a great everyday car don't they?

Brian.

[Guest]

What did you do in the afternoon?

[Stagdad]

I've almost finished putting my car back together after a fraught few weeks. It started with a probable head gasket failure back in November - bear in mind that my Stag is my only car and I use it most days.

I decided to renew the head gaskets and stripped the top end down until I had a pile of bits including a couple of cylinder heads. Examining the parts revealed a number of issues:

1. The carbs were shot. The spindle seals were like granulated carbon and didn't seal anything, the temperature compensators were siezed up, the damper seals didn't. I rebuilt them with a kit from Burlen's.
2. The inlet manifold was held onto the RH head with silicone. The bolt holes in the head were all bugg, er. stripped and the bolts would go roundy roundy. The ones in the LH head had been Helicoiled but at least one was the wrong thread. (Have you ever tried to get a Helicoil out?)
3. The LH head wasn't torqued to anything like the correct specification. And when I took out the studs, it slipped off the gasket.

Apart from that, I rebuilt the alternator (much easier to get to when the heads are off), rebuilt the windscreen washer bottle & pump (seems a shame not to) and changed the timing chains for JWIS ones with new sprockets, guides and tensioners (much easier to do when you've got the heads off).

I am amazed that it went as well as it did. I've done some 8,000 miles in it recently and returned 32MPG. I can't wait to see what improvement I get when it's back on the road. Tuesday next, I hope!

Richard

That will be all the extra air getting past the spindle seals

[tractorjames]

Any chance I could have your old perished seals? They must be good, I could do with getting my mpg up.

James

[Staggard]

Any chance I could have your old perished seals? They must be good, I could do with getting my mpg up.

James

Seals Seals I would have a couple of Penguins sitting on the roof if I could get 32 MPG

[mole42]

Any chance I could have your old perished seals? They must be good, I could do with getting my mpg up.

James

Put a ZF gearbox in.

Richard

[richardthestag]

I've almost finished putting my car back together after a fraught few weeks. It started with a probable head gasket failure back in November - bear in mind that my Stag is my only car and I use it most days.

I decided to renew the head gaskets and stripped the top end down until I had a pile of bits including a couple of cylinder heads. Examining the parts revealed a number of issues:

1. The carbs were shot. The spindle seals were like granulated carbon and didn't seal anything, the temperature compensators were siezed up, the damper seals didn't. I rebuilt them with a kit from Burlen's.
2. The inlet manifold was held onto the RH head with silicone. The bolt holes in the head were all bugg, er. stripped and the bolts would go roundy roundy. The ones in the LH head had been Helicoiled but at least one was the wrong thread. (Have you ever tried to get a Helicoil out?)
3. The LH head wasn't torqued to anything like the correct specification. And when I took out the studs, it slipped off the gasket.

Apart from that, I rebuilt the alternator (much easier to get to when the heads are off), rebuilt the windscreen washer bottle & pump (seems a shame not to) and changed the timing chains for JWIS ones with new sprockets, guides and tensioners (much easier to do when you've got the heads off).

I am amazed that it went as well as it did. I've done some 8,000 miles in it recently and returned 32MPG. I can't wait to see what improvement I get when it's back on the road. Tuesday next, I hope!

Richard

good job it is fixed

Mine with a Man o/d nearly hits 30mpg on a good run at reasonable'ish speeds

anyway my first engine was running with this bottom end

ruperti1.jpg

[mole42]

[QUOTE=richardthestag;340701

anyway my first engine was running with this bottom end[/QUOTE]

Ouch! Did it rattle at all?

[richardthestag]

not really, oil pressure was terminal, it knocked once on a cold start and that was the last time I used it.

[mole42]

To add to the first list of woes, I also had to helicoil the bolt holes in the carburetter bodies that the elbows bolt to, and helicoil the holes in the elbows that the air cleaner bolts to. As well as replacing a quantity of bolts with threads that were "not to original specification".

I think a PO must have used an incorrectly set torque wrench. Several times.