[Tigers] Engine Woes - The Last Word

[Shaun Laughy]

Well, after missing a good part of the summer, I'm happy to report that
my Tiger is back on the road and running very well.  Although it seems
like ancient history now, hopefully many of you will remember the
poor-running issues that surfaced after I went off the road while
avoiding a head-on with a bunch of drunk teens.  It's taken quite a
while to reach a resolution, mostly as a result of my crazy work
schedule, but I am happy to be able to put the problem behind me.
 
When I last reported, I had decided to replace the distributor as there
definitely seemed to be some issues with it (play, no spring action),
and I am very happy with the result.  Starting is much better now, and
the car runs noticeably better overall.  However, that wasn't the only
problem I found, nor the most serious.  The first sign of major issues
was found using an infrared thermometer, which quickly isolated the
problem to cylinders 2 and 3. While all the others had temps measuring
about 500 degrees (measured at the head pipes), 2 & 3 measured only
about 200 degrees.  A compression test confirmed the problem, with these
two being WELL below the others.
 
At this point, I was short on time to work on it, and quickly running
out of summer, so I decided to enlist some professional assistance, and
took it to a local shop that came highly recommended.  They quickly
repeated the diagnostic steps, checked the valve train (fine) and then
pulled the heads.  As I had suspected, the head gasket was essentially
gone between 2 & 3.  So, the other head came off, both were magafluxed
without issue, and then resurfaced.  Everything was then reassembled and
tuned, and I'm happy to report that it runs VERY well.
 
I would like to thank everyone who offered advice when I was trying to
diagnose the problem.  There were a tremendous number of helpful
suggestions, and I'm sure it would have taken me much longer to find the
problem on my own.  Considering I was initially looking at something
that occurred as a result of my (mild) off-road excursion, it's
interesting that it was likely completely coincidental that the gasket
let go at that exact moment.
 
Somewhat wiser, definitely broker, and Tigering once again,
Shaun