Argh!

Forum for general car talk, upcoming events, posting photos, etc.
Post Reply
User avatar
Steve Simmons
Site Admin
Posts: 4106
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:45 pm
Vehicles Owned: .
1937 MG SA Saloon
1946 John Deere AN
1949 MG TC
1953 MG TD
1958 MGA Roadster
1959 Morris Minor 1000
1965 MGB
1967 MGB GT (UK-Spec)
1967 Austin Healey 3000 BJ8
1969 MGC GTS
Location: Co-Nay-Ho Valley
Contact:

Argh!

Post by Steve Simmons »

Blew a head gasket today. Second one since the engine was rebuilt. No spare gasket, and I was just at Moss yesterday. Sometimes you're the windscreen, but today I'm the bug.

At least it didn't happen yesterday when I was driving to Moss and back. That would have been a long, stinky ride. And still on the bright side it appears there was no water / oil intrusion. Just a lot of burning oil out the tail pipe. Then again on the downside I have to drive up Angeles Crest Highway tomorrow with some large items so I may have to take a freaking SUV instead of the BGT. :(
Stewart
Core Member
Posts: 687
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:56 pm
Vehicles Owned: 1966 2cv
1967 mgb gt sc
1975 mgb sc
1973 1800es
1972 Citroen ID21 wagon
Location: Santa Barbara CA

Re: Argh!

Post by Stewart »

You've got the model T and if you start now you should make it up there in time. Just remember to use the turn outs to let the cyclists by :jester
User avatar
gorms68
Core Member
Posts: 678
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:10 pm
Vehicles Owned: 1914 Chandler model 15
1929 Chandler model 65
1966 MGB roadster
1968 Mustang Dlx coupe
Location: Monrovia

Re: Argh!

Post by gorms68 »

That sucks Steve! And durning the time of year when it's best to be out driving our cars too!
Chris Gorman
DaveC
Active Member
Posts: 70
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2012 3:38 am
Vehicles Owned: 59 Peerless GT
63 Morgan Plus4
Location: Santa Monica, CA

Re: Argh!

Post by DaveC »

Sorry to hear that Steve.
User avatar
Larry Kluss
Veteran Member
Posts: 1087
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2007 12:28 pm
Vehicles Owned: -
1967 MGB (Works tribute)
1968 E-type Jaguar FHC
1974 Chevy Nova SS (faux)
2000 Ford Ranger XLT
2008 Jaguar XJ L
Location: Conejo Valley

Re: Argh!

Post by Larry Kluss »

I feel your pain, Steve. I just replaced a head gasket in the Nova.
So it's the BGT head gasket? Twice? What's the issue?
User avatar
Steve Simmons
Site Admin
Posts: 4106
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:45 pm
Vehicles Owned: .
1937 MG SA Saloon
1946 John Deere AN
1949 MG TC
1953 MG TD
1958 MGA Roadster
1959 Morris Minor 1000
1965 MGB
1967 MGB GT (UK-Spec)
1967 Austin Healey 3000 BJ8
1969 MGC GTS
Location: Co-Nay-Ho Valley
Contact:

Re: Argh!

Post by Steve Simmons »

I don't know why it's blown two gaskets. It didn't even blow while driving hard. I just made a left turn and there was a huge cloud of smoke. I drove the 20 miles home with no issues other than gagging on fumes. It skipped a few beats but the gauges were fine and the oil looks clean on the dipstick and rockers. I guess I was lucky.

In the most extreme head gasket repair ever, the engine and gearbox are now being removed from the car. :roll: First one (except for Dean and Malcolm) to guess why the engine and gearbox have come out gets 100 bonus points.
Stewart
Core Member
Posts: 687
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:56 pm
Vehicles Owned: 1966 2cv
1967 mgb gt sc
1975 mgb sc
1973 1800es
1972 Citroen ID21 wagon
Location: Santa Barbara CA

Re: Argh!

Post by Stewart »

You're sticking in your other engine while you send this one off to get the head and block checked for flatness.
User avatar
Steve Simmons
Site Admin
Posts: 4106
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:45 pm
Vehicles Owned: .
1937 MG SA Saloon
1946 John Deere AN
1949 MG TC
1953 MG TD
1958 MGA Roadster
1959 Morris Minor 1000
1965 MGB
1967 MGB GT (UK-Spec)
1967 Austin Healey 3000 BJ8
1969 MGC GTS
Location: Co-Nay-Ho Valley
Contact:

Re: Argh!

Post by Steve Simmons »

Blast! That contest didn't last long. :x

Yeah, I'm putting the supercharger into the GT. Problem is, once I get used to having the blower in my daily driver, I won't ever want to take it out again. That's precisely why it didn't go in last time I had the engine out. This time I'm weak, and Dean talked me into it so this is all his fault.

Anyone have an extra MGB drive shaft laying around? I'm prolly gonna need one.
User avatar
malcolmr18zoy
Core Member
Posts: 719
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:18 pm
Vehicles Owned: 1959 MGA 1600 Coupe
1949 MG TC
1965 Jaguar 3.8S
1966 MGB GT
1964 MG Midget
1985 BMW 528i
1990 Jaguar XJS V12 convertible
1995 Landrover Discovery
2003 BMW 325i wagon.(wife's car)
Location: Big Bear City, CA

Re: Argh!

Post by malcolmr18zoy »

Hey Steve,
Are you sure it's the head gasket? Is there, or was there last time, signs of a bad gasket? I had a similar problem with my MG, and it turned out to be the disc PCV valve. I did away with the valve, and cured the problem.
Malcolm
User avatar
HealeyBN7
Core Member
Posts: 856
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:33 pm
Vehicles Owned: 1959 Peerless GT
1960 Austin Healey 3000
1961 Warwick GT
1971 Lotus Europa
1995 Range Rover
Location: Not Thousand Oaks CA

Re: Argh!

Post by HealeyBN7 »

Steve Simmons wrote: This time I'm weak, and Dean talked me into it so this is all his fault.
So, I stop by in the Healey on my way home from lunch on what is probably one of the nicest days this year and what do I find?

A gray BGT parked in the shade of the garage, leak down results, and a spare dyno'ed supercharged engine on a dolly. Oh wait, less than six feet away, a fully assembled engine hoist with load leveler.

John Delorean had a better entrapment defense.

Dean

PS: It was ready to pull when I left, so pictures would be good about now.
User avatar
Steve Simmons
Site Admin
Posts: 4106
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:45 pm
Vehicles Owned: .
1937 MG SA Saloon
1946 John Deere AN
1949 MG TC
1953 MG TD
1958 MGA Roadster
1959 Morris Minor 1000
1965 MGB
1967 MGB GT (UK-Spec)
1967 Austin Healey 3000 BJ8
1969 MGC GTS
Location: Co-Nay-Ho Valley
Contact:

Re: Argh!

Post by Steve Simmons »

Malcolm, there is a definite leak between cylinders 2 and 3, and I can hear the leak through the dipstick tube as well. Pressure is not escaping through the cooling passages so I assume the gasket has failed only over an oil passage. Lucky I suppose. The only thing I found strange is that all four plugs seemed a bit oily but perhaps that's because I drove it home 15-20 miles, so maybe a bit of oil was sucked into the others. Or maybe something else going on.

I too had a PCV go funny once, and also a clogged up tappet vent cover. Both resulted in oily smoke. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the case unless I've missed something.

Dean, the engine is still in the car but I plan to pull it today. My afternoon meeting has been cancelled so I'm going to pull the engine, take the clutch in to get re-lined and put in a Moss order for some needed parts. I haven't decided about having the header ceramic coated yet. I'd love to have it done but I'll be delayed a week if I do. I'm thinking I'll just run it bare metal and do it later. Easy enough to take the blower off, probably easier than carburetors.
Stewart
Core Member
Posts: 687
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:56 pm
Vehicles Owned: 1966 2cv
1967 mgb gt sc
1975 mgb sc
1973 1800es
1972 Citroen ID21 wagon
Location: Santa Barbara CA

Re: Argh!

Post by Stewart »

Good luck on the install Steve. Word of warning the lower radiator hose can be tough to get right. When you find the right angle so it will clear everything the hose will then kink a bit when the radiator is bolted up.
User avatar
gorms68
Core Member
Posts: 678
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:10 pm
Vehicles Owned: 1914 Chandler model 15
1929 Chandler model 65
1966 MGB roadster
1968 Mustang Dlx coupe
Location: Monrovia

Re: Argh!

Post by gorms68 »

I have the drive shaft I pulled out of the '66 when I added O/D, probably needs U joints. BTW do you need an engine hoist? or do you have that covered? :thumbs:

BTW I have a seat for a '65 B that you will need some day.
Chris Gorman
User avatar
Steve Simmons
Site Admin
Posts: 4106
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:45 pm
Vehicles Owned: .
1937 MG SA Saloon
1946 John Deere AN
1949 MG TC
1953 MG TD
1958 MGA Roadster
1959 Morris Minor 1000
1965 MGB
1967 MGB GT (UK-Spec)
1967 Austin Healey 3000 BJ8
1969 MGC GTS
Location: Co-Nay-Ho Valley
Contact:

Re: Argh!

Post by Steve Simmons »

Hey Chris, can I borrow your engine hoist? Oh wait, I already did. :devil:
Attachments
Engine Pull
Engine Pull
pull.jpg (82.8 KiB) Viewed 12530 times
Martin Keller
Core Member
Posts: 952
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:04 pm
Location: Ventura, Ca.

Re: Argh!

Post by Martin Keller »

Hi Steve,

Looks like you should have the other engine in tommorow now that that one is out.

Those furniture blankets (looks famular) sure do work well for protecting all that new paint and grill.... :thumbs: .
Martin Keller
Ventura, Ca.
User avatar
Steve Simmons
Site Admin
Posts: 4106
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:45 pm
Vehicles Owned: .
1937 MG SA Saloon
1946 John Deere AN
1949 MG TC
1953 MG TD
1958 MGA Roadster
1959 Morris Minor 1000
1965 MGB
1967 MGB GT (UK-Spec)
1967 Austin Healey 3000 BJ8
1969 MGC GTS
Location: Co-Nay-Ho Valley
Contact:

Re: Argh!

Post by Steve Simmons »

That blanket has seen many engine pulls (and a garage move) over the years. When I retire it, I may hang it on the wall to admire the grease marks. Kind of a shade tree mechanic's tapestry. :)

The engine won't be in tomorrow because I forgot to place a Moss order today for a few needed parts. Namely gearbox mounts and a couple of associated pieces. I also need to either source a 32" drive shaft or have one made, and modify the wiring for a D-Type overdrive unit and an early style starter motor. I plan to blank off the heater circuit for the Summer while I engineer a better solution than what is out there and hopefully a new and improved water valve that looks mostly original. On top of all that I also need a boost gauge which will probably have to use a custom face to match the others.

Once this all done I'm planning to do a bit of metal work and create a custom dash panel to hold my extra gauges in a better arrangement than I have now. I already have the design in my head, just need to mock it up and start bending.

Anyone hear that? Sounds like a snowball rolling down a hill...
Martin Keller
Core Member
Posts: 952
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:04 pm
Location: Ventura, Ca.

Re: Argh!

Post by Martin Keller »

Hi Steve,

Since you now have to place an order to Moss you might consider a free flow exhaust system to let the beast it is going to become breath better with the supercharger.
I can see it now on the next road tour, no one will be able to keep up with you and Stewart and will wondering just where you diapered down the road..... :devil: ..... :drive .
Yes I am jealous but I always figure I can get a ride in your car with you every once in a while when I want that feeling of no control due to not having a steering wheel on the left side while going down the road at a high rate of speed :D :lol: .
Martin Keller
Ventura, Ca.
User avatar
Steve Simmons
Site Admin
Posts: 4106
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:45 pm
Vehicles Owned: .
1937 MG SA Saloon
1946 John Deere AN
1949 MG TC
1953 MG TD
1958 MGA Roadster
1959 Morris Minor 1000
1965 MGB
1967 MGB GT (UK-Spec)
1967 Austin Healey 3000 BJ8
1969 MGC GTS
Location: Co-Nay-Ho Valley
Contact:

Re: Argh!

Post by Steve Simmons »

The car already has a Peco HDR 2" exhaust which is more than upto the task. The old engine used the stock (and rather good) head and down pipe but the new engine has the HDR header to match the rest of the system. It should flow even better.

Funny what you said about sitting on the left. I've been driving RHD cars for many years and I'm still incapable of being a passenger in a RHD car without feeling uncomfortable! Driving from the right side is absolutely natural to me, but sitting on the left unnerves me to this day. :)

Raining here this morning so no outside work until later. :(

(continued in this thread)
Post Reply