My Engine...

[Jimbob-Squarepants ©]

Looks like it's gone bang

 

I have just 'run it in', dropped the oil on Sunday and gave it a new filter & all was going good. I took it out on Sunday and went to see Neil (Nettles), drove home and parked it up. Yesterday morning I go out to start it up with the aim of having another tinker with the carbs and timing, and what do I hear... a knock/clonk from somewhere and a rattle on over run. The cooling system is also over pressurising and the second carb is over flooding and spraying fuel over the exhaust manifold.

 

So, I either have a blown head gasket or dodgy thermostat which is causing the cooling system to over pressurize, and possibly a cam/follower problem.

 

The worst case scenario is a ruptured bore and waterway due to the +0.90 overbore.

 

CHOICE!

[davreeve]

Thats not good,lets hope its not the cylinder bore

Good luck with getting it sorted

[Mr Sam]

hope its nothing serious

[Toby]

I doubt it will be the bore.

 

Check your tappet clearances to see if you have a follower / lobe issue. you end up with a big gap if you have.

 

Cant explain the water system unless you have got a head gasket problem.

 

[johnny_h]

Hope it's not too serious Jim. If you need anything giz a shout.

[Nettles]

Hope it's not to serious fella and that you get it fixed soon

Does this mean I can stop working on this poxy side valve lump now?

[antz]

oh no

[Vista]

Bad news mate, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you

[Jimbob-Squarepants ©]

Toby, I will be checking my clearances tomorrow mate... got as far as a compression test and a couple of other bits today, but I had to do calipers and pads on the Turbo Tractor whilst dodging rain, so didn't get time.

 

Neil... Nope, you don't get off lightly mate, I will be down at some point to put that sidevalve together. Oh shit, I was meant to text you wasn't I? I will text you tomorrow mate.

 

Thanks guys, I hope it's something that is easily remedied, but I have a saying... 'Fail to prepare - Prepare to fail'. So, I have just bought this:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130218815544&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=003

 

So if the worst comes to the worst, I will have a block I will keep you posted.

[Jimbob-Squarepants ©]

Well today I checked my valve clearances and all was fine. So, I took the head off and found the headgasket to be fine. I think it's time to hoik the block out now and take a delve inside. In my book, when I have to totally strip an engine to find a problem... it's serious

[Toby]

That is odd mate!

 

Sounds like you parked it up fine, and then it went wrong??

 

At least it's not an enormous job to get it out and appart. Better to be safe than sorry. Did you do a compression test? Could it be that the oil pick up pipe has come loose? Did you have oil pressure? Are all the valve springs in-tact?

[BIGKEV]

Have you got a sort of mayonaise thing in the oil cap.

 

If you have stop putting Mayonaise in it. !

 

Hope you get it sorted for less dosh than a new lump.

[Jimbob-Squarepants ©]

Toby... That is exactly what happened, parked up and all was fine. My compression tests were:

 

1 - 169 psi

2 - 159 psi

3 - 155 psi

4 - 158 psi

 

I have checked the springs and they are all fine... really odd. There really isn't anything that I have cut corners on or might not have done. There were only 2 jobs I couldn't do; These were the over bore and the cam bearings. Oh yeah, the last time I took it apart (before the final build) part of the oil pick up assembly had come off and was sitting in the sump, so I made doubly sure that this was fitted properly before I rebuilt it. Oil pressure has been fine as well... as Toyah Wilcox once said "It's A Mystery"

 

Big Kev... LOL Nope, no mayonaise or Harry Munk in the oil... squeaky clean.

[Toby]

 

Could it be an ancillery? I had a bolt come loose on an alternator once, it jiggled in the fan of the alternator and sounded terminal....but it wasn't!!

[Jimbob-Squarepants ©]

That is not a bad idea Toby... I have just popped out there to have a look. The water pump spins with no noise as does the dynamo. The fuel pump isn't that old, the oil pump is new and all nuts and bolts are tight

 

The only other thing it could be is a case hardening problem on the cam or one of the followers... not sure if I would pick that up whilst checking tappets

 

Oh and all pistons are tight in there bores with no movement.

[Toby]

 

The only other thing it could be is a case hardening problem on the cam or one of the followers... not sure if I would pick that up whilst checking tappets

 

 

In my experience the lobe takes a fair amount of metal of the follower as it breaks down so you see an unusually big tappet gap....plus your compression isn't "all over the place" so it makes me think there's not much a drift.

 

The oil pressure question?

 

 

Still thinking...

[pelvins]

hope you get it sorted m8

[frenchy]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ me to mate