Hi Chaps,

Well firstly I wanted to give a big thanks for Ian (Ian49) on here. Ian Came round and looked at my mini and worked out what was wrong with it and then came back last weekend and changed the head gasket over for me while I did the important job of keeping him fed, watered and providing stimulating conversation
Thanks Ian, I couldn't have done it (properly) without your assistance.

It seems that the rad pressurisation problem is sorted but I have only tested it for a short time as another weird problem has appeared.

I thought that I had a squeaky fan belt so I pulled the belt off to make sure it was this but the squeaking continues. I have tried to work out where it is coming from and it seems to be coming from the rocker on the closest to the driver side. I am not 100% sure as it is hard to tell. It could be coming from the clutch. I have used a screwdriver stethescope to listen

the noise is extremely loud.

Any idea why this would be squeaky and what I can do to test out this type of thing?

The oil in the car is maybe at the very oldest 1 year old and it has been run for maybe 30 minutes over this whole time. What is the shelf (engine) time for oil? Should I change this now along with the filter? Oil level is at max.
It can't hurt I guess

the rockers look a bit drier than I remember them looking but that could be because it has only been tested for 10 - 15 minutes and switched off. I am hoping it isn't that the rockers are not getting oiled enough. Maybe I will top up the oil a bit and see if that helps (or do as above)

Cheers
David

oil does have an in engine life...

did you run the engine with the rocker cover off? if you're careful, you can sit the end of the stethoscope on the shoulders of the rockers - my #1 exhaust rocker makes a hell of a racket

Hi Simon,

Thats what i did and it sounds like it is in time with the squeak but everything will be roughly in time I guess.

Will change the oil and make sure that end gets a double good pour and see what happens.

Might do that tonight.

David

I'd pour some oil onto the rocker while it's running and see if it shuts up. Old oil wouldn't cause something like that, and probably wouldn't make it worse either.

The rockers are oiled through the rocker shaft, oil gets in there through one of the posts. You ought to be getting oil coming out of the holes in the shaft and puddling in the top of the head, give it a rev with the rocker cover off and oil will flick around - should be obvious if none is coming through.

You can undo the adjusters and slide them across to inspect the shaft, if it's squeaky I'd expect to see some brass on the shaft. The outside rockers can be taken off by taking the split pin out

While your running it with the rocker cover off, be sure oil is actually flowing up there.

_________________

interesting.

I have just had the head off so maybe it isn't getting oil. I was running it yesterday with no rocker cover on and saw no oil flicking around. usually these have a nice coating on them but they looked really dry the other day. Hrmmm... interesting.

D

yeah - Ian49 wouldn't have had the rockers apart, so if the posts are in the wrong order, they would have been that way for a while. Has the motor done a lot of work?

I mixed up the posts on dad's car when I put it together and it took a while for the bushes to destroy themselves

Use an oil can to put some oil in each of the cups on the ends of the push rods. If this wasn't done on reassembly then it will cause such a squeak. It can take some time to get oil into there if it hasn't been oiled. Happened to me once when I forgot to oil on assembly. A drop of oil cured it immediately.

Didn't put the head gasket on back to front?

_________________

I was thinking upside down but same difference

rockers never got taken apart.

I am pretty sure it is on the right way. It all lined up with the holes and we looked for the top mark.

I will take willy's advice and report back.

Roger, Roger, over and out.

David

Hey Guys,

So I went out and oiled up the rockers a bit. I don't want to take them off now as I don't have a good torque wrench t put them back on. I did a screwdriver stethoscope again and when you put the screwdriver tip on the rocker shaft at the passenger side you can hear the tap tap tap but at the other end near the drivers you can hear the squeaking sound so much more. You can actually feel it in the screw driver.

Rockers weren't dismantled, Head Gasket was put on correctly.

_________________
1970 MkII Cooper S
1971 Clubman GT (Replica)
71 Clubbie being worked on (1275 + lots of stuff)
Moke (1275) Awaiting restoration - Currently sheets of rust holding some mechanical bits together!

Hi 'Floss', have a good set of rockers here (spare set - another thing in the garage!), will bring them on Saturday and we can swap them over.

_________________
1970 MkII Cooper S
1971 Clubman GT (Replica)
71 Clubbie being worked on (1275 + lots of stuff)
Moke (1275) Awaiting restoration - Currently sheets of rust holding some mechanical bits together!

Hey Ian,

That would be great. I am going to have to pay you or give you something for them though. You are my hero.

David