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Head Question.

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Baz

Baz

Yoda
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What do I need to look for in terms of condition of a head, cylinders, valves etc.
There were inconsistencies in the combustion chambers, 3 were very sooty (consistent with why my plugs were sooty after 5 miles) and #3 chamber was, well sooty and crusty.
Some studs were easy to remove, oil. Some were very dry.

The head is at the shop getting cleaned right now but are those symptoms significant of any major damage, or will my motor thank me when it's back together?
 
Ps. I love your signature.

"Once more into the garage, dear friends! Once more into the garage!"

- Henry V
 
[ QUOTE ]
Did you do a compression check before pulling the head?

[/ QUOTE ]

180 all cylinders, +/- 5 wet.
The wierd thing is, the top of the pistons look great, can see plenty of metal.
My exhaust header had an average of 4mm of plaque inside, up to about 8mm inside the corners. Never see so much carbon before.
Maybe it had been driven far too long with a super-rich mixture.
 
Take her to the machine shop & tell them to clean it up & do a 3-angle valve job....bolt her back on & have fun!
 
It's at the shop now, I didn't say anything about a "3-angle valve job"
Whatever that is!!

Still stuggling with a stubborn stud that won't come off with two nuts.
 
They're not grinding the valves, but an interesting article anyway. Actually, when my new valves arrive, I'll ask them.
Cheers Tony.
 
They'll have to grind your new valves Barry....that's how they'll mate them to the seats...3-angle is what you want, IMHO...but ask Doc Entropy over on the MG Forum..
 
[ QUOTE ]
They'll have to grind your new valves

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks, they were waiting for them, I thought they were just going to seat them.
Related question....
The pistons are in whatever order they are in, 1 & 4 are down, 2 & 3 are somewhere in between. What order to the valves go in at, or will the pushrods sort them out?
 
NO assembly order on valves or valve train.
 
Roll the engine over to TDC on the comprssion stroke (at least thats what I do anytime I open one)...drop the pushrods back down in the same hole they came out of...when you get your head back...back off the valves so they're real loose...set the head, align the pushrods with their appropriate rocker & follwo the instructions in your Bentley....
 
I have this friend of mine that isn't quite sure how to roll the engine over to the compression stroke.
Bear in mind his car has no carbs, battery or any other external energy. He isn't quite sure where TDC is, or how to get there from where's he's at right now.
If I get the piston position sorted, I think I'll be on easy street.
 
You can roll the engine over by a) putting a socket on the big pulley bolt at the front of the engine or b) putting the car in 4th, jacking up one rear wheels and turning said wheel (the other wheel must be firmly on the groung). Turn the engine until #1 piston is at the top of it's cycle. Look at the dizzy rotor. If it is pointing to the tower that goes to #1 piston, bingo. If not, turn the engine over until #1 is at top again. Check the dizzy and you should be there.
 
Thanks Morris, I'll get to that this morning, after my third gallon of coffee.
I have a stud that refuses to budge. I was going to replace all the studs, but if it's welded in there real good, I guess it's in for good and I don't have to worry about its integrity. All the other studs came out with no problem.
I'll just clean up the surface of the block and I'm golden!
She gonna purr....
 
Jeff, the bugger is welded solid. No amount of PB, torque wrench or double nut is moving him.
I don't want to break it by getting medieval with a blowtorch and a pair of pliers or anything drastic.
There must be some way to loosen him up?
 
Barry, heat may be your only option, other than cutting it off and drilling it out. Just trying to remove it may have already overstressed and weakened the little bugger. Remember, they should only be installed roughly finger tight to start with. I actually torque mine at 50 inch pounds.
Another approach would be to buy a roller type stud puller socket and try that. Mine have wrench flats on the end, so you can slide the puller all the way to the base of the stud and grip it there. When using the double nut method, a lot of the applied torque is being taken up by the twist in the long body of the stud. Have you tried vise grips down at the base?
Another trick is to try to tighten it slightly before removing it.
Jeff
 
If you had wings Jeff, you'd be an angel.
All the 'double nut' did was make a nice new shiny thread, so I'll grab me one of those roller type grip stud puller socket thingies and go at it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
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