[Healeys] Four cylinder woes, part two!

Michael MacLean rrengineer.mike at att.net
Thu Mar 12 17:32:48 MDT 2020


 Not honing the cylinders?  While it's apart, how old is the clutch?  Rocker assembly?  Thrust rings?  Seals. front and rear, etc., etc.

Mike MacLean

    On Thursday, March 12, 2020, 4:29:26 PM PDT, Steven Kingsbury via Healeys <healeys at autox.team.net> wrote:  
 
 Latest update, took the head to a friend's machine shop and took the valves out. All the intake vales had build up of soft carbon, a sign of burning oil I was told and I'm going to have to also pull the pistons to redo the rings. Fun, but I'm here, so why not? I'm also going to get new valve guides pressed in and replace the ones in the head as the valves seem to rock a bit going up and down. The head though is not warped and is straight, but I will get it checked out for cracks and resurface the head to make it super smooth.   I'm also going to drop the pan, and push the pistons out of the block and replace the rings. And yes, I will plastiguage the crank to make sure it's in good shape and install new rod bearings when in there.    I am also going to remove the tappet cover and take a good, hard, close up look at all the lifters to make sure that's not a problem. Right now, in for a penny, in for a pound. Sterling that is.   Basically, I'm making sure everything is correct this time and then I will have no one but me to blame if it doesn't work. But all in all, it seems pretty simple. So stay tuned for further updates as they happen.   Thanks for all the input, suggestions and guesses. This is actually quite the fun project.Steven Kingsbury    
On March 12, 2020 at 12:38 PM, John Harper <ah100register at gmail.com> wrote:


Hank
The fact that number 2 exhaust valve is not the same colour as the others might be a clue. Maybe it is not closing fully? It would be worth checking for a stuck valve guide, broken spring or just lost  clearance. A partially seized rocker is possible but not likely. This may not be the problem but it would not take much effort to pull the valve out and check for any burning on the working face.
Best regards
On Thu, 12 Mar 2020 at 18:18, <gradea1 at charter.net> wrote:

Hi Steven-good to hear from you!
That's a nice test, but I would magnaflux the head for cracks between 2-3 and have it shaved flat..could be a head gasket leak due to warped head...especially if valves and rings checked good.

Also, I don't recommend  NGK plugs- use Champion N-5...maybe cause of carbon on valves. Unless cam is flat, valve spring broken or tappet rods bent/broken, problem is in head-block fit.

Regards, Hank Leach




-----------------------------------------
From: "Steven Kingsbury via Healeys" 
To: healeys at autox.teamnet
Cc: 
Sent: Thursday March 12 2020 9:40:25AM
Subject: [Healeys] Four cylinder woes, part two!

Okay, here's the latest! I finally got to pull my head If you remember, I had 155 lbs of pressure in cylinders 1, 3, and 4 and only 25 lbs in cylinder number two. So with the head off, I was prepared to find a problem with I flipped it over to expose the valves, no such luck. Other than number two exhaust valve being a bit black, no cracks, nothing stuck and it looked fine. So then I went to look into the cylinders themselves, walls smooth, flat high compression pistons smooth, number three a bit rough on the top, but other than that and good.   So then I went back to the head, put the spark plugs back in and filled the combustion chambers with paint thinner to see where it would leak out. Filled each chamber evenly and waited. Twelve hours later, and other than evaporation, no leaks! All chambers still even in their fluid retention.    So then I rotated the crank to get all the pistons to an almost even position and put paint thinner in the cylinders at the same depth. No quick leak, not one cylinder faster than the others and all the fluid finally drained out smoothly and evenly in each cylinder.    I'm a bit stumped. My next step is taking the head to a guy in town, an old machinist who builds his own engines and runs his car at Bonneville in the 300 mph range. He knows what he's doing and I'm sure he will give me some sage advice and help. Also as a side note, I went over the head with a magnifying glass and can see now cracks, but that doesn't mean they are not there I know. I was just thinking with a 100 pound plus difference, something would be obvious.    I am also going to be taking off the tappet cover on the side, inspect all the lifters and see what I can find there. Like I said, I'm a bit perplexed, but I'm not done. I will find something wrong! Here are some photos for you, maybe you can see something I can't.
Here's the head, upside down and you can see the exhaust valve on number two is blacker than the others, but no cracks, chips, or visible damage.And here's the fluid I placed in the combustion chambers. It didn't drain out and just sat there.


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-- 
Best wishes
John Harper
AHC UK 100 Register Secretary
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