[Mgs] Time for a head clean and tidy

[Eric Erickson]

Guys,

After some particularly vigorous competition I first noticed a loss  
of water and excessive blowby (from top and sidecovers) with more oil  
than I am used to ending up in my catch tank.  There was also a  
distinctive gasping from what I feared was a burnt valve.

Compression was 150, 150, 120, 155

So off comes the head and... here are the pictures

http://picasaweb.google.com/MGB68MkII/Engine1

Valves are fine (OK, grubby but fine) but they are not seating as  
well as they could.  It appears as though the gasket has crept a  
little and there has definitely been water across the head.  Valve  
seats are in my crosshairs!

I am concerned that the head has warped ever so slightly and there  
looks to be one or two tiny fractures but I can't tell if they are  
just surface abnormalities or if they go deeper - so off the head  
goes for facing and cleaning and some further expert analysis.

I will clean everything else and see how it all goes back together  
(unless those fractures turn out to be the real deal)!

At this time I haven't got the time or money to pull everything out  
from below to check the rings so it will go back together in a "suck  
it and see" effort to hope that my issues were in the head (the  
engine's not mine).  I have competition stuff to do real soon and I  
have already missed a championship event (when I had the engine out  
to do the clutch).  If all is not well, this will be the time I think  
about a bigger project for under the bonnet.

Any thoughts?

http://picasaweb.google.com/MGB68MkII/Engine1



Eric
'68MGB MkII
Adelaide, South Australia