50 miles and an engine rebuild!!!
Discussion
After clocking up all of 50 miles in my Vixen the rather noisy tappet I thought I had suddenly sounded a lot worse! My oil pressure was still good but there was nothing for it but to get the bomb hoist out and haul out the engine.
I'm sure those of you who have experienced the sinister sound of a rather unpleasant tap in the bowels of your engine will know the feeling that was in the pit of my stomach. I wasn't particularly worried about the work - it was the expense that I was more concerned with and why had it run a bearing after only a few miles?
The one good thing about the little crossflow is that there really isn't much to it so it wasn't long before I had it upside down on the garage floor. Sure enough the white metal on the number three big end had picked up.I whizzed the crank down to my local engineers (XRN at Milford) with my fingers crossed and luckily the very slight marks on the journal polished out without the need for any re-grind. I had the crank crack tested and checked for straightness - all ok.
As I hadn't replaced the cam from the original strip down (the engine had "allegedly" covered less than 1000 miles, I decided to buy a new Kent 234 cam with followers and new springs as well as a new adjustable timing sprocket. even bought myself a nice new measuring clock to help me get the cam timing spot-on. All the time however I was wondering why this bearing failed.
Having got the bottom half all buttoned up and spending an age getting the cam just right and checking and re-checking I finally got round to putting the head back on. This is when I noticed that the old head gasket I had originally fitted was quite different to the new gasket with two of the water jacket ways blanked off. I can't for the life of me remember where I bought the original head gasket from but I'm wondering if this was the source of my problem. I thought that all crossflow head gaskets would be the same but it would appear not. I guess this still might not account for my problem and perhaps I took too long to get all the air out of the cooling system. It is a b*gger for air-locking but this time I took ages pumping the bottom hose to blow out all the air bubbles before firing her up.
Anyway - up and running again now and all looking good.
I'm sure those of you who have experienced the sinister sound of a rather unpleasant tap in the bowels of your engine will know the feeling that was in the pit of my stomach. I wasn't particularly worried about the work - it was the expense that I was more concerned with and why had it run a bearing after only a few miles?
The one good thing about the little crossflow is that there really isn't much to it so it wasn't long before I had it upside down on the garage floor. Sure enough the white metal on the number three big end had picked up.I whizzed the crank down to my local engineers (XRN at Milford) with my fingers crossed and luckily the very slight marks on the journal polished out without the need for any re-grind. I had the crank crack tested and checked for straightness - all ok.
As I hadn't replaced the cam from the original strip down (the engine had "allegedly" covered less than 1000 miles, I decided to buy a new Kent 234 cam with followers and new springs as well as a new adjustable timing sprocket. even bought myself a nice new measuring clock to help me get the cam timing spot-on. All the time however I was wondering why this bearing failed.
Having got the bottom half all buttoned up and spending an age getting the cam just right and checking and re-checking I finally got round to putting the head back on. This is when I noticed that the old head gasket I had originally fitted was quite different to the new gasket with two of the water jacket ways blanked off. I can't for the life of me remember where I bought the original head gasket from but I'm wondering if this was the source of my problem. I thought that all crossflow head gaskets would be the same but it would appear not. I guess this still might not account for my problem and perhaps I took too long to get all the air out of the cooling system. It is a b*gger for air-locking but this time I took ages pumping the bottom hose to blow out all the air bubbles before firing her up.
Anyway - up and running again now and all looking good.
When I went to purchase my 2500m, I was told the engine was seized. The previous owner had spent some time getting the interior redone, painted the car and had recently completed some minor engine work.
The engine wouldn't turn by hand. I bought it anyway. When the oil pan was dropped you could see where the bolts holding the con rod end cap had come loose and the cap was securely wedged between a crank lobe and the block wall.
Must have been quite a sudden engine stop.
Arthur
The engine wouldn't turn by hand. I bought it anyway. When the oil pan was dropped you could see where the bolts holding the con rod end cap had come loose and the cap was securely wedged between a crank lobe and the block wall.
Must have been quite a sudden engine stop.
Arthur
Hi Andy.
You wrote """ This is when I noticed that the old head gasket I had originally fitted was quite different to the new gasket with two of the water jacket ways blanked off.""
It is interesting and good for the learning curve to know what wrong type of gasket you have used.
Have you find out what went wrong?
Possibly gasket for a pre X-flow engine ??
I do not know, just guessing.
Hans
You wrote """ This is when I noticed that the old head gasket I had originally fitted was quite different to the new gasket with two of the water jacket ways blanked off.""
It is interesting and good for the learning curve to know what wrong type of gasket you have used.
Have you find out what went wrong?
Possibly gasket for a pre X-flow engine ??
I do not know, just guessing.
Hans
Hansoplast said:
Hi Andy.
You wrote """ This is when I noticed that the old head gasket I had originally fitted was quite different to the new gasket with two of the water jacket ways blanked off.""
It is interesting and good for the learning curve to know what wrong type of gasket you have used.
Have you find out what went wrong?
Possibly gasket for a pre X-flow engine ??
I do not know, just guessing.
Hans
Not sure Hans i found the same when i did my engine last year i had a complete gasket set in the spares cupboard for emergency and when i pulled it out the water holes where wrong etc in the end i got a far better one from Burtons that was spot on still no idea why or what the other one was forYou wrote """ This is when I noticed that the old head gasket I had originally fitted was quite different to the new gasket with two of the water jacket ways blanked off.""
It is interesting and good for the learning curve to know what wrong type of gasket you have used.
Have you find out what went wrong?
Possibly gasket for a pre X-flow engine ??
I do not know, just guessing.
Hans
Andrew
I'm guessing too Hans but it either got too hot or it was starved of oil. It certainly didn't wear out!
It wasn't low oil pressure or a lack of oil so I can only assume it got too hot in those vital early minutes of running. I can't really see why a cooling way in the head would necessarily result in big end failure unless the free flow of water around the whole system is compromised by having some pathways blocked. I'm sure it wasn't a pre xflow gasket because even I'm not that much of a plonker! The more expensive competition gaskets all seem to have these water ways open with additional holes in the gasket. Perhaps the standard 1300 or 1600 xflow head doesn't require the same level of cooling as the old GT or tuned versions?
It might have been a function of my header tank being quite low so with very little head it is difficult to get rid of all of air locks. I remember the first time i ran it that it seemed to take for ever for the bottom hose to warm up. In hindsight I now assume it was full of air and had no chance of circulating.This time, with hands numb with squeezing the bottom hose it warmed up very quickly.
It's looking more like an over heating issue caused by me. I take it back - I am a plonker!
It wasn't low oil pressure or a lack of oil so I can only assume it got too hot in those vital early minutes of running. I can't really see why a cooling way in the head would necessarily result in big end failure unless the free flow of water around the whole system is compromised by having some pathways blocked. I'm sure it wasn't a pre xflow gasket because even I'm not that much of a plonker! The more expensive competition gaskets all seem to have these water ways open with additional holes in the gasket. Perhaps the standard 1300 or 1600 xflow head doesn't require the same level of cooling as the old GT or tuned versions?
It might have been a function of my header tank being quite low so with very little head it is difficult to get rid of all of air locks. I remember the first time i ran it that it seemed to take for ever for the bottom hose to warm up. In hindsight I now assume it was full of air and had no chance of circulating.This time, with hands numb with squeezing the bottom hose it warmed up very quickly.
It's looking more like an over heating issue caused by me. I take it back - I am a plonker!
last week i purchased a gasket set for a crossflow engine at fleebay...the headgasekt set looks like this:
3 waterways on the gasket had been closed. by luck exactly the same gasket was fitted already to my engine, where the former owner punched 3 additional 8mm holes into the gasket --> marked yellow.
i did the same with the new gasket..and fingers crossed that the holes are big enough.
reading now your posting, i should have opened them completely, as the gasket is pre-punched in that area.
so mmight be an universal gasket...x/flow, pre x/flow, lotus...and the "user" needs to keep it original or open the according holes when necessary.
3 waterways on the gasket had been closed. by luck exactly the same gasket was fitted already to my engine, where the former owner punched 3 additional 8mm holes into the gasket --> marked yellow.
i did the same with the new gasket..and fingers crossed that the holes are big enough.
reading now your posting, i should have opened them completely, as the gasket is pre-punched in that area.
so mmight be an universal gasket...x/flow, pre x/flow, lotus...and the "user" needs to keep it original or open the according holes when necessary.
LLantrisant said:
last week i purchased a gasket set for a crossflow engine at fleebay...the headgasekt set looks like this:
3 waterways on the gasket had been closed. by luck exactly the same gasket was fitted already to my engine, where the former owner punched 3 additional 8mm holes into the gasket --> marked yellow.
i did the same with the new gasket..and fingers crossed that the holes are big enough.
reading now your posting, i should have opened them completely, as the gasket is pre-punched in that area.
so mmight be an universal gasket...x/flow, pre x/flow, lotus...and the "user" needs to keep it original or open the according holes when necessary.
I had the same set and when I compared the quality of the Gasket against the one I had from Burtons there was a massive difference its not a part worth scrimping on mine is bored out to 1700 so I guess needed a different one from memory but quality parts are always worth the piece of mind knowing you have fitted the best you can 3 waterways on the gasket had been closed. by luck exactly the same gasket was fitted already to my engine, where the former owner punched 3 additional 8mm holes into the gasket --> marked yellow.
i did the same with the new gasket..and fingers crossed that the holes are big enough.
reading now your posting, i should have opened them completely, as the gasket is pre-punched in that area.
so mmight be an universal gasket...x/flow, pre x/flow, lotus...and the "user" needs to keep it original or open the according holes when necessary.
A
Edited by prideaux on Saturday 7th June 07:22
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