Hello just after abit of advice really, i changed the head gasket when i first got the car been driving it around for a couple of months, i competed init on sunday and came second overall in the pct, the car started smoking burning oil, the oil in the sump was being pressurized and sucked in thru the breathers, thers now water in the oil, i was ill as i was changing the gasket so cant remember to much, but it did have a straight egde, just wondering what the best gasket would be to use and is it worth trying a sealer as wheel?
sorry for rambling,
Steven
Hi Steven,
ReplyDeleteRe you MGB you mention that the engine is – burning oil, sucking oil into the breather, pressurizing the sump and you have water in the oil. Not all these are symptoms of a blown head gasket. It could be something more serious than a head gasket. Try not to damage the gasket when removing it so you can inspect it for a problem. That said it is easy to believe all sorts of things are going on when really its just one problem. The fact that you have changed the head gasket and it has gone again, suggests the problem was not sorted and you missed a trick. The MGB heads tend to twist as well as bow. Check the diagonals or have it lightly faced prior to replacing the gasket. As for the gasket or adding a sealer – a standard gasket should be just fine.
It is important to try to find out what is wrong before you take the head off.
ReplyDeleteA compression test is a must - to find out how to do it see http://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/showthread.php?71683-How-to-compression-test-a-petrol-engine.
When you have the results of this you should be able to tell if its just the head gasket leaking, or if you have piston blow by problems
Thanks it seems just the head gasket has gone again, had a mechanic mate check the block and head, i was reccomended to use a payen head gasket this time, seem to be spending money on other bits an bobs in the engine, well it dose want to be perfect for trialing, dose anyone have any experience with payen head gaskets?
ReplyDeleteGaskets don't just go! There must have been a reason:
ReplyDeleteblock/head not flat
gasket not correctly fitted
head not torqued down correctly initially
head not torqued down after a few hours of running (this is important - a friend with a Riley didn't do this and we found the nuts finger tight)
I'm sure a Payen gasket would be fine, make sure that its the right way round (probably marked 'front' and 'top'), I normally wipe clean engine oil over both gasket faces to help it slide into place.
You can find an MGB workshop manual for download at www.bmcno.org/manuals/MGB%20Workshop%20Manual.pdf
thanks iv just bought a recon head which is unleaded, gonna get a better torqwrench even tho the nuts were tight, i had started to clean the old head up and noticed a crack, must of been ther from the first time when it went, strange my mate didnt see it tho, thanks for the advice guys still got a couple of weeks before the exmoor clouds,
ReplyDeletea modern head gasket is coated with a film of sealant
ReplyDeletethis should not be cleaned off , nor should oil , or anything else be applied to the gasket.
the head and block mating faces need to be spotlessly clean and free from oil or grease
payen gaskets are good quality
I left the gasket as it was and really cleaned the block up, thanks for your help guys
ReplyDeletesteven