MAIN
Cylinder Head
Previous Page | Next Page
Some guy with a 76 midget wrote me and asked... I have a 1976 Midget. The car has something on it I can't figure out. There is a cable from the speedometer head to a white box and from the white box to the transmission (for the speedometer gear). My question is the white box. On the back it says "percent of life used" and on my car it is 32. Does this correspond to the mileage on the speedometer? What is the box for? Anybody have an idea? Percent of WHAT life, or WHOSE? Steve "my1978mgmidget" 32337... MORE
Ah! I see now. The ones on mine are different - inverted cup-type seals that actually fit over the guide, that the valve stem slides through, so they do provide a modicum of sealing. David "David Jacobs" 32336... MORE
David, The seals stop oil draining down the stem of the valve, deflecting it from the edge of the guide. Fairly primitive as they don't actually create a seal as such because they are pushed up the valve stem a bit (by the amount of valve lift) So if the head is awash, the oil floods onto the exposed valve stem below the seals and they no longer work. (sorry if that sounds patronising - not intended) Guy "Guy Weller" 32334... MORE
Guy, so what are the valve stem seals for? decoration? ;-) Seriously, I get your point. David "David Jacobs" 32333... MORE
David, On an engine with a badly worn rocker shaft it will pump oil under pressure from under the rocker bushes faster than it will drain by gravity down the push-rod holes. Once the level builds up above the ends of the valve guides - which may take a mile or two at medium to high revs, the stem seals on the valves no longer control the entry of oil down the valve guides. Then the blue smoke starts. Guy "Guy Weller" 32331... MORE
Brad, my rebuilt 1275 smoked blue and I followed all sorts of advice from list members to get it right before I finally fixed it. Of many "cures" attemted, the two that made the most difference in my case were: 1. Replacement of the rocker shaft. Too much oil was leaking out of the rocker bushes. It was apparent by running the engine with the rocker cover off. I left the cork gasket seated on the head and let the engine run at fast tickover. It leaked so fast that it soon created a lake on the top of... MORE
Worn rocker gear by itself should not make a huge difference to the amount of oil burnt, except for the fact that there would be more of the stuff sloshing about up there to get sucked down (worn) valve guides. To see if it is worn, you can get a reasonable idea by pushing the rockers against their springs along the shaft from their normal positions - if the shaft itself is worn, you will see/feel a ridge on the underneath (thrust side) and the rockers will have less side-play on the un-worn section of shaft. If you want... MORE
Brad, You can see if your rocker shaft is okay or not by removing the valve cover after the engine is warmed up and restart the engine. If oil is thrown all over the place or runs out of one or more rocker arms in streams then it is worn. If oil isn't thrown all over the place and only a small amount can be seen dribbling down the rockers then it's probably okay. 'Usually' if they are really worn the oil will be coming out fast enough that the drain holes can't keep up with it and you... MORE
The 68 STILL burns oil. From cold, the first 5 miles are just little puffs, then it goes into James Bond mode. Not full time, it comes and goes. I tried our shop mechanics idea to determine if the rings are seated. I have the head off, so I put 1" of oil on top of each piston. The oil has not dropped hardly at all in 1 1/2 hours. I can tell from the head, which chambers were burning oil, and the one that was not, has the most significant amount of seepage, almost 1/8", the others are... MORE
Hi Rob could you please pass on any information on fitting fibreglass front , rear and doors as i'am thinking of converting my 1968 mk 4 sprite . Regards Bob Hi Bob My first recomendation is dont! Unless you are a masochist with unlimited time buckets of money and infinite patience don't do it. Now if you are stupid enough to still be reading this the front end is a doodle just take off the wings move the wiper motor (it hangs over the edge of the bulkhead and will foul the bonnet when it is lifted) move the... MORE
My '59 Bug eye is orig. and best I can measure without moving a lot of stuff, just in front of the rear wheel from the flat floor to the lowest part of the lip is about 6 1/8 inch clearance. How does that measure up? Bill French Hilton Head frenchww@... 32300... MORE
Rob Batley.... You know....years ago I owned a '67 Sprite and had purchased a Bugeye rear glass clip to "match" the Bugeye bonnet which came on this car when I acquired it. Figured the BE front and rear end with the '67 wind up windows, and fold down top, etc. would be about the perfect Spridget. Before I could get to mounting the rear clip, the car was destroyed in an accident wherin the other guy was at fault, resulting in the aquisition of my current BE. Considering your description of what it took to properly fit the BE... MORE
Listers, I need to sell off some of my spare parts. I have several 948, 1098 and 1275 engine or partial engines to sell. One 1275 is a complete low mileage, clean and running engine. others are rebuildable cores, but pretty much everything I have is degreased and ready for whatever you'd like to use it for (table base?) I also have several MD 266 cams, mostly the narrow lobe variety for use in 948 or 1098 engines. I also have several used headers. all are the 3 into one type. I also have a complete rear clip from... MORE
Correcto, Jens... I've never seen a kind word about Fram oil filters on any oil and oil filter articles I've read thus far...as you say, quite the opposite. well...let's give Fram a chance to reply to your email and see what they have to say. Understand your comments re: the bypass valve and that you are waiting for a replacement filter for your "Marina" type. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 32230... MORE
Hi Cap'n and Jens, I guess I've got to be a lone noise in the wind here. I've always used Fram or Pennzoil filters for as long as I can remember. I've got a 1275 in my van that has almost 300,000 miles on it since a major rebuild. Did 105,000 mile on a quickie rebuild before that, on an engine that came out of a burned MG Midget wreck. Admittedly this engine is now pretty tired, but it still goes OK. I changed the oil and filter religiously at 5k miles, with nary a peep out of this... MORE
My 2 cents worth. I don't think there is a exact reading, but I think 120-160 is normal. A compression test is more of a overall test and should be done twice. The first time, just pull the plugs and do it. The second time, squirt some oil in each cylinder and do the test again. The results will show condition and any problems, then there are leakdown test, etc. The readings should be within 10 percent for high and low. If there are any problems, like yours of cylinder 3 & 4 being low, the oil test will... MORE
Hi Everyone I did a compression test on my 1500 motor can anyone tell me the compression reading in lbs for the 1500 motor Here are my readings I think they are low ?? Can any one tell me if have a problem or going to have problems with the diff readings between cylinders in the future CYL 1 - 130 2 - 130 3 - 115 4 - 100 Thanks again every one for all the help you have gave me Ed "nastyboy089" 32184... MORE
G'day all Steve's tale of the welded tappet nut reminded me of this event. A few years ago I received a phone call from a Sprite owner who lived in the bush and couldn't find a local source of parts. He was after some rear wheel bearings and seals. No problem, we sent a set up to him. About a week later, he phoned to ask for a rear hub nut. He needed it as he had to cut the old one off, since the nut had been welded to the axle housing. me: "I bet it's the left... MORE
When I got home tonight I thought that I'd introduce my daughter to a ride in an MG, after all she's been waiting for 10+ years for her Midget. This was to be in the B-GT that I recently acquired. The valves were a little noisey so we'll just take a few minutes and adjust them then go for a ride,RIGHT. After removing the valve cover I discovered that the DPO (Dear used instead other words) had WELDED the adjustment screws with no nuts inplace for the #3 cylinder. HOW CAN PEOPLE DO THAT? Frustrated with no ride. Sorry... MORE
Jens, Maybe..... Condensation is collecting in your silencer (muffler). Only when you have run the engine for a little while does this warm up enough for the condensed water to evaporate and produce the white cloud. Still possible that it is originating from a fault with the head gasket, allowing water to leak through into the cylinders, but not causing an obvious leak to the outside or mixing of oil and water. Have you tried a compression test? Guy "Guy Weller" 32108... MORE
"Maybe condensation...." Absolutely!! As previously mentioned... a normal part of start up from cold in the morning, most definitely with a car left outside overnight, and most definitely in cool, damp weather. Problem is, I'm "over here", Guy Weller is "over there" and Jens is somewhere else! So we can't see what Jens is looking at under these circumstances in terms of "extent". Is it normal, or "abe normal" (courtesy, "Young Frankenstein":) It sounds abnormal considering it happens every morning to a great extent, whether the ambient air is "dry" or "wet". The engine warms up after a couple... MORE
"I think it's time for a thorough check-up here" Good for you, Jens. Exactly right my friend. There is something called a "chain" (of events) which leads sailors/boats & pilots/airplanes, drivers/cars to disaster. Wise men "move" on the "second event", drop back and take an objective "look" and go to Plan B when Plan A starts going to hell for whatever reasons. You have to be aware of a "chain" developing so you can "change the plan" to break that "chain" and "avoid" a major problem. Event #1... While a PITA, the not fully sealing head gasket can be... MORE
Well... I'll tell you Jens. It sounds like the head gasket hasn't taken completely. And obviously, you have a coolant leak in engine compartment in any event. This must be found and fixed. It may be leaking from between the head and block (which you already expect) when the cooling system is fully pressurized, further indicating head gasket sealing problems. Sounds to me that once you warm it up, the head gasket seals more fully as parts swell due to heat. So the whitish/gray smoke disappears accordingly. Head Gasket: I don't think it's fully taken. Nothing to lose by... MORE
Hey all. Yes, it's Graziano. Frankenstein@... is my "dummy" address for yahoo groups. Please respond directly as I'm on the digest. Midget 1500 with twin HS4s, 285 cam, .30 over, head work, 13 row oil cooler, and headers.. As I mentioned a while back, I'm having trouble with the car getting hot here in Tx, which is causing vapor lock. I'm re-installing the original 3 row staggered radiator, and standard water pump with an electric fan. 1) should I wire the fan straight to the ignition so that it runs when the key is in the "on" position whether... MORE
Blackish/Grey you say? Well ALLRIGHTY THEN, Jens...it's not oil!! :):) Oil is bluish in color and "stays" in the air. and....the exhaust definitely smells of burning oil (and not unburnt gasoline). Whitish/grey (or gray) is water which is a byproduct of combustion and along with condensation within the exhaust system is produced most abundantly when a "cold" motor (overnight sit, fr'instance) is initially fired up, most definitely on those cool, humid mornings when it tends to stay in the air rather than more immediately evaporate as it does in "drier" air. Black is definitely unburnt gasoline which we get... MORE
