Steve P Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I have a herald with an FH (Spit MK4 1300) engine in,its been off the road since 1979.I removed the head last year and reseated the valves and cleaned it up,refitted using an old stock gasket set.when i first ran it it was sweet and quiet.Now after the winter i have resumed work on it and when run today it was chucking water out of the overflow and bubbling constantly,the gauge was reading normal in the middle but on inspection of the rocker cover there is emulsion all over the underside and quite a lot of white smoke started coming from the exhaust,it also seemed difficult to turn over after a while so i stopped.Head off again or not?It lives outside under a cover by the way.Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Cureton Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Sounds like you might be comprssing water so don't turn it over again until it's sorted!! Try removing the plugs to see if you can see water. If you can then head gasket has gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSter Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 did it have anti freeze put in it when you refitted head?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve P Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 It did have anti freeze in it but may not have circulated properly.Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimW Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 My GT6 had antifreeze in and was in a heated garage over the winter but with the temps we had it still poped the radiator!!You problem sounds like head gasket failure. Whip the head off and have a look before trying to start it again. Water in the bores may bend a rod if you try and start it again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Take the spark plugs out and crank it over... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve P Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Bores have water in them,cant see any blow on the gasket,why do i have such crap luck with triumph engines.Does that mean possible cracked head or block?I have a 13/60 head in the garage,is that compatible?Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSter Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I had same problem with my dare i say it ford fiesta less than 1000 miles between the head gasket going all because i didnt put antifreeze in the 2nd time! was slow to turn over but did eventually start and sounded like a subaru shame it didnt go like one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted User Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I only ever use Payen gaskets, the best and only gasket to use.Also sounds like the head gasket to me, might be a channel between a water channel and cylinder? worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dar Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 has the car been in a lot of use since you done the head, try retorquein the head boults you may have a slack one,if not head of againe :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve P Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Head is off now, there was an inch of water in each bore,it was an old stock Payen headset from last years Stoneleigh.The car is off the road and has been standing outside under cover for the whole winter,hasn`t run apart from the first fire up after 30 years off the road which was for about 15 minutes and it looked fine then with no pressurising and smooth running.The engine was unknown(came as a spare with the car)the original Herald engine was seized so as i said i removed the head and cleaned it all and fitted the Spitfire engine.Bores look fine but i suppose i`ll have to get the head checked.I have a Herald 13/60 head so i will compare those and use it if its the same.Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Not sure if it's applicable to these engines, but some have recessed blocks (a counterbore round the top of the bores) that need the appropriate gasket. You can't mix and match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkuser Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 "Head is off now, there was an inch of water in each bore,"Did you ascertain which bores had water in them prior to lifting the head (via the plug holes)?That amount of water in each bore would prevent an engine turning over so was not there "when run today it was chucking water out of the overflow" so assume most of it came from the cooling system as the head was lifted so not much help diagnosing where the problem lies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Cureton Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Did you drain the cooling system before lifting the head?Don't forget to replace the engine oil and filter before you fire it up again as they will be contaminated too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 clean all the stud threads so no drbris restircts the nuts , if the nuts and washers are showing distress only use high tensile nuts and hard washers or you wont acheive the 42/46lbft on the 3/8"unf studs Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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