ok, so second trip out (first was amazing) second trip speeding up in 3rd gear it develops a missfire and cuts out, will restart but very weak running. Inital checks before i could get home show, huge pressure in rad and expansion bottle full, 3 spark plugs black and sooty and one grey ish and the dreaded milky residue in the rocker cover... head gasket second trip out how annoying!
My query is do people use jointing compund ie stag wellseal on their haedgaskets or just go in dry?
also i think it a coincidence but just before it happened i fille dup with super unleaded as i heard it has 0 ethanol in it and better for classics and opinions on this theory?
cheers
joe
spitfire 1500 head gasket .
-
outdoorjoe
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:49 pm
- Location: bristol
Re: spitfire 1500 head gasket .
My local specialist swears by blue hylomar on head gaskets (even though it says not to on the tube) but i fit them dry. I have never done one of those engines but haven't had problems with the rover v8 / a series / ford dohc or zetec engines i have done in the past.
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.
Re: spitfire 1500 head gasket .
Yeah, most folk will say "dry" but on old iron engines like these I like to use a bit of goo - I can't resist the temptation, and it's always worked very well for me. You need something that's pretty heat resistant, so I use Hermatite "red" - but sparingly!
Make sure the mating surfaces are scrupulously clean - I scrub mine up with a wire brush on a drill so long as it's all cast iron.
Cheers
Make sure the mating surfaces are scrupulously clean - I scrub mine up with a wire brush on a drill so long as it's all cast iron.
Cheers
Some people are like Slinkies - they serve no useful purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them downstairs.
-
outdoorjoe
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:49 pm
- Location: bristol
Re: spitfire 1500 head gasket .
thanks guys, ive done plenty of mini/metro's A series engines but never a 1500 before although very similar something that works for one doesnt always work for another!
I rekon ill try a bit of the wellseal red a very thin smearing, strange to say but im looking foward to seeing the old gasket to see what the issue is! just annoying the new oil is now wasted but oh well spilt milk and all that!
I rekon ill try a bit of the wellseal red a very thin smearing, strange to say but im looking foward to seeing the old gasket to see what the issue is! just annoying the new oil is now wasted but oh well spilt milk and all that!
Re: spitfire 1500 head gasket .
From the symptoms that's almost certainly a breach between a combustion chamber and a waterway. If that's all it is, and it hasn't contaminated the oil, you might well get away with leaving the oil as-is, I've done that before when I had a straightforward blow between combustion chambers on 2 and 3 with no ill effects. If you drain the coolant first, and none has gone into the cylinder, past the rings and into the sump, you may well be OK. That's a big "if" though.outdoorjoe wrote:im looking foward to seeing the old gasket to see what the issue is! just annoying the new oil is now wasted but oh well spilt milk and all that!
All the best - post some pics of the blown gasket eh?
Cheers
Some people are like Slinkies - they serve no useful purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them downstairs.
Re: spitfire 1500 head gasket .
As we are talking about goop on head gaskets I'll put my thoughts in too.
Hylomar blue or Hermatite red (or similar non setting sealent) on copper, copper faced, steel type gaskets. Some swear by grease or even tacky aluminium paint, and there is also a type of copper spray available.
On the modern composite types...I go for nothing at all.
Always make sure to retorque once it has got hot. I Then retorque a further two or three times over the next few hundred miles just to play it safe.
Hylomar blue or Hermatite red (or similar non setting sealent) on copper, copper faced, steel type gaskets. Some swear by grease or even tacky aluminium paint, and there is also a type of copper spray available.
On the modern composite types...I go for nothing at all.
Always make sure to retorque once it has got hot. I Then retorque a further two or three times over the next few hundred miles just to play it safe.
Re: spitfire 1500 head gasket .
^^^WHS^^^ spot on.
Some people are like Slinkies - they serve no useful purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them downstairs.
-
outdoorjoe
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:49 pm
- Location: bristol
Re: spitfire 1500 head gasket .
oh great to hear re the oil, looking at it on the dpistick it still looks fine and honey like and yes i will drain the coolant first so fingers x-ed i can use the existing oil (only done 40 miles with it).
Yeah sure ill update tomorrow and try to add a picture of the blown gasket! im going to use the oppotunity to paint the block/head nice enamel gloss black so strip down tonight and paint then hope to get it nailed back together ready for bristol classic car day sunday! (pending head skim if required of course)
cheers guys appreciate the advice and help! the mrs aint to pleased took ages to pursuade her a spitfire was a good idea breaking down when taking her out for the first time wasnt great
! redmeption may come if i can get it sorted quickly and shrug it off as no big deal!
Yeah sure ill update tomorrow and try to add a picture of the blown gasket! im going to use the oppotunity to paint the block/head nice enamel gloss black so strip down tonight and paint then hope to get it nailed back together ready for bristol classic car day sunday! (pending head skim if required of course)
cheers guys appreciate the advice and help! the mrs aint to pleased took ages to pursuade her a spitfire was a good idea breaking down when taking her out for the first time wasnt great
! redmeption may come if i can get it sorted quickly and shrug it off as no big deal!
Re: spitfire 1500 head gasket .
Most of the current HGs that are available for the OHVs are fairly rubbish, aim for a Payen or O/E Unipart one if you can find such a thing.
If you do use a new HG from Fisters (other, far better suppliers such as James Paddock are available), make sure that you run the engine for a couple of minutes without the coolant present as that's the only way to get the epoxy paste to set properly. Once you've done that, allow it to cool overnight then fill the coolant the next day and retorque to the correct figure but only do that once as the resin in most of these new gaskets will fail if it's torqued down subsequently.
The idea of this is to allow the HG to take up any slight surface damage on the block face or the underside of the head, but run it up wet and the gasket won't last a week.
I'd hold out for Payen, they're out there, and bear in mind that there are several HGs available for the large journal OHVs, not all of them retro-compatible with later or earlier head castings.
If you do use a new HG from Fisters (other, far better suppliers such as James Paddock are available), make sure that you run the engine for a couple of minutes without the coolant present as that's the only way to get the epoxy paste to set properly. Once you've done that, allow it to cool overnight then fill the coolant the next day and retorque to the correct figure but only do that once as the resin in most of these new gaskets will fail if it's torqued down subsequently.
The idea of this is to allow the HG to take up any slight surface damage on the block face or the underside of the head, but run it up wet and the gasket won't last a week.
I'd hold out for Payen, they're out there, and bear in mind that there are several HGs available for the large journal OHVs, not all of them retro-compatible with later or earlier head castings.
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true..
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true..
-
outdoorjoe
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:49 pm
- Location: bristol
Re: spitfire 1500 head gasket .
UPDATE.....
unbolted the carb to inlet manifold bolts to allow access to the manifold bolts and there was a big chunck of the old cork gasket missing with a clearly fresh break in it! new gaskets in jobs a goodun, took the rocker cover off and the 'mayonaisse' was very very minor just a little round the filler so may just be moisture from a poor rocker cover gasket so renewed that also.
went to start the car... NOTHING plenty of fuel but absolutely no spark, investigated to find burnt out/melted foot on the points ahhha stroke of luck the accuspark ignition i ordered arrived this week so fitted that but was b this time too dark (no garage) to wire it up safely so that will have to wait til tomorrow.
questions:
1. why may the points melt? coil at fault?
2. could the break down/poor running and limping home cause the melty points?
as a reward for everyones help a joke:
whats the fastest thing on land? stevie wonders speedboat!
unbolted the carb to inlet manifold bolts to allow access to the manifold bolts and there was a big chunck of the old cork gasket missing with a clearly fresh break in it! new gaskets in jobs a goodun, took the rocker cover off and the 'mayonaisse' was very very minor just a little round the filler so may just be moisture from a poor rocker cover gasket so renewed that also.
went to start the car... NOTHING plenty of fuel but absolutely no spark, investigated to find burnt out/melted foot on the points ahhha stroke of luck the accuspark ignition i ordered arrived this week so fitted that but was b this time too dark (no garage) to wire it up safely so that will have to wait til tomorrow.
questions:
1. why may the points melt? coil at fault?
2. could the break down/poor running and limping home cause the melty points?
as a reward for everyones help a joke:
whats the fastest thing on land? stevie wonders speedboat!