• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

TR2/3/3A Blown Exhaust Manifold Gaskets

Share this page

M

mastaphixa

Jedi Trainee
Bronze
Country flag
Offline
I have about 1200 miles on my engine rebuild. I have blown 2 exhaust manifold gaskets, one stock, one the improved offering from Moss. It keeps blowing out at the #4 exhaust port although the first one was starting to go at #1 as well. I ran a straight edge across the manifold as best I could after the first time and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I installed the upgraded set and ran the engine thru a heat cycle and snugged the nuts up again and repeated that several times. Does anyone make a dead soft copper exhaust/intake gasket? I have another exhaust manifold and I may try that on my next attempt. Any thoughts? I have posted this question on another Triumph forum as well. Thank you for your time.
Steve Baker
 
Dead soft graphite by Remflex:
Remflex TR2/TR3 Exhaust Gasket

I've recommended them on another thread. Super-thick, super-soft graphite that can fill up to (IIRC) 1/16" of warpage. I used to blow out header gaskets on the FF1600 engine at least 2-3x a season (badly warped header flanges) but I never blew out a Remflex. Can't recommend them highly enough.

They also offer bulk sheets if you had a desire to cut your own, but since they have the TR2/3 pattern there's not much need.
 
The only thought I have is the 2 studs that are supposed to hold the exhaust and intake together might be holding the 2 manifolds out of line. The metal gasket looks like a quality fix.

Steve
 
If you are having gasket blow-outs, there is something wrong with the studs and/or nuts clamping the manifolds. You are not getting full clamping force on the manifolds. I would run the nuts down the studs fully without the manifolds, and if there is any resistance at all, either chase the stud with a die, or replace the stud. Once you are certain the threads are in good shape, then be sure to check the manifold and head mating surfaces (as it sounds like you have), and look over the manifold assembly to ensure there are no issues preventing both manifolds from seating fully. This include making sure the hold-downs are able to rock easily.

I would not tighten the bolts holding the manifolds together until after installation, to be sure the intake is not holding the exhaust manifold up.

If you check all this, and use a decent gasket with a little high-temp gasket goo, you will be good.
 
If you have a leak at one of the two center exhaust ports, you might double-check to make sure that you do not have a TR2 exhaust manifold. They're interchangeable with TR3/3A and TR4 manifolds, but have less metal on the manifold where it meets the center two exhaust ports on the cylinder head - which results in the gasket blowing out more easily. This applies to both high-port and low-port heads. The TR2 exhaust manifold part number is 301144. Exhaust manifold part # 304164 is the later (better) TR3/3A type, which continued into the TR4 era. The TR4A exhaust manifold was, of course, different, but can be retrofitted to an earlier car.
 
Thank you all for your responses. I swapped to my spare manifold in case there was some deformity I couldn't pick up with my eye. The exhaust down pipe was misaligned at the box section of the frame causing a twisting moment on the exhaust manifold so I relieved the three holes in the down pipe a bit allowing the exhaust to fit better. John, I checked and I am not bottoming out on any of the studs. I did order the above mentioned upgraded gaskets. I've driven it once and tightened the nuts. I keep doing that for a while and see where I get. I'll report back.
 
mastaphixa said:
Thank you all for your responses. I swapped to my spare manifold in case there was some deformity I couldn't pick up with my eye. The exhaust down pipe was misaligned at the box section of the frame causing a twisting moment on the exhaust manifold so I relieved the three holes in the down pipe a bit allowing the exhaust to fit better. John, I checked and I am not bottoming out on any of the studs. I did order the above mentioned upgraded gaskets. I've driven it once and tightened the nuts. I keep doing that for a while and see where I get. I'll report back.
Click to expand...
Is it possible for loose manifold bolts or a poor gasket seal to carbon up the plugs and intake manifold ie. exhaust gases being sucked into the intake?
 
I am going to call this one fixed. I guess there was something amiss with my original exhaust manifold.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
K TR2/3/3A Blown head gasket Blues....probably time for a rebuild? Triumph 14
Doug Sabbag TR6 Ammeter blown.. bypass? Triumph 10
K TR2/3/3A Update on the blown head gasket Triumph 33
K TR2/3/3A Bad news...blown head gasket??? Triumph 15
S Wanted TR8 with blown motor or no motor Triumph Classifieds 0
KVH TR4/4A Blown Head Gasket? Triumph 12
T TR6 Blown Fuses Triumph 1
RickB May have blown motor - A15 in Midget Spridgets 9
KVH TR4/4A Blown Water Hose--Why? Triumph 14
J Blown head gasket in 3 min. a new record! Triumph 14
S TR2/3/3A TR3A Blown Fuse Triumph 12
Lukens TR2/3/3A TR3 blown head gasket? Triumph 39
S TR6 TR6 Blown Head Gasket Symptoms Triumph 14
Y Engine blown on the Autoroute Austin Healey 8
mikecyc72usa I'm actually laughing even with a blown head gaske Triumph 23
texas_bugeye Blown head gasket that cant be good! Spridgets 10
newmexTR3 blown head gasket? Triumph 15
newmexTR3 emergency advice needed! Blown pushrod Triumph 17
Got_All_4 TR2/3/3A Blown head gasket TR3 what to do next? Triumph 16
ronzet Blown head gasket.. MG 26
Morris ARP studs torque and blown headgasket Spridgets 17
Morris Blown head gasket!!!!! Spridgets 2
T Blown head gasket?? Triumph 21
A Head Gasket blown twice Other British Cars 60
B Really blown it now Austin Healey 0
S THIRD BLOWN HEAD GASKET! please HELP!!!!! Spridgets 43
S THIRD BLOWN HEAD GASKET! please HELP!!!!! MG 9
S Second blown head gasket in my Midget! Help? MG 21
N Possible Head Gasket Blown - Say it ain't so MG 5
C BLOWN 3000 HEALEY ? Austin Healey 25
G No More Blown Heater Fuses!!!! Triumph 3
M How to fix a blown head gasket...?? Triumph 14
M Blown headgasket??!! Triumph 8
trboost Moss Blown Spridgets Spridgets 6
E white smoke [blown head gasket] Spridgets 15
J is my head gasket blown Triumph 3
Steve P. MGB MGB;blown head gasket...where? MG 1
W Pretty sure their blown Triumph 8
waltesefalcon blown head gasket Triumph 9
cguild TR2/3/3A TR3 1991cc engine emits black soot from exhaust Triumph 13
J TR4/4A Exhaust a tad too loud... Triumph 6
F BJ8 Exhaust Hanger Pictures Wanted Austin Healey 12
K TR2/3/3A Exhaust bracket rubber "top hat" bushings? Triumph 3
K TR2/3/3A Thick flat washers for exhaust manifold studs? Triumph 0
CARSINC Please Identify this Exhaust Header Spridgets 2
Patrick67BJ8 Traced down that elusive exhaust leak! Austin Healey 5
Walter74 AH Spares Side Exhaust Austin Healey 2
TomMull GT6 "Sports" Exhaust Triumph 2
Tim Tucker TR4/4A Phoenix Stainless Steel Sports Full Exhaust System Inc Manifold experience Triumph 3
B Thread Type and Size of BN2 Intake/Exhaust Studs Austin Healey 0

Similar threads

Back
Top