ok so heres the deal, armageddon has been a little smokey lately, using a bit of oil, had milky crap in oil filler cap, and was having a couple of overheating issues. all symptoms of a blown head gasket right? (also had a bit of trouble starting)

so i pulled out my plugs and cleaned them up and reset the gap, i also did the points gap. the plugs were not wet at all, just the usual black carbonny crap all over them. since i did the plugs and points it has been fine????? oul all this just have been timing issues??????

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

i guess if the plugs werent firing great, the unburnt petrol could wash your bores and that could be why it was smoking a bit.

but you're right those symptoms have BHG written all over them

A well tuned motor is always going to be more efficient in all respects than a motors thats struggling with a couple of other issues.

Something thats been a reoccurring thread all winter is this business of mayo under the filler cap. Its appearing to be that is just a product of this winter particularly with engines that dont suck the crankcase pressure waste into the inlet manifold.

My own engine has a breather in two places and has a KN filter as the outlet. Breathes great but as the hot engines cools it sucks cool moist air back into the engine (expansion and contraction principles) and then when I start it again the samll amout of moisture mixes with oil vapors and hence mayo under the oil cap.

Yes it is a symptom of a leaking head gasket but there are also a number of other symtoms as well. Mostly you will have creamy oil and water loss from the radiator. A mini doesn't have to be too advanced or too far retarded in the ignition timing to give some overheating signs. The total cooling capacity of a mini is only just adequate at best. Doesn't need much of a problem for overheating to then be an issue.

yep i agree with that, the slight changes in advance/retard can affect temp

i've blown head gaskets before though, and both times ithas stopped the minif rom working, the forst time i filled the combustion chambers up with water, it was the most puzzling thing, my mini wouldnt turn so i pulled a spark plug out and a whole bunch of water went with it....

the second time it just stopped dead. but now its running alright? i'm losing a little water though...

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

Hi Dyl can you afford to whip the head off and give it a bit of attention ?
Won't be a waste of time especially as you will be puttin it in your new shell
Which by the way looked very nice when I saw it

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'98 Mpi Sportspack + 7 port alloy head

cheers mate, i like it too.

at the moment it will be a big PITA to whip the head off, but i want to have a peek inside the motor when it goes into the new shell, in december

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

If you have blown two head gaskets, are they on the same engine ????
You may find that the head is warped. Mostly they are over time and you are going to continue blowing had gaskets until it is skimmed by a machine shop.

But before we get that far - there are a couple of things to try. Do (or have done) a compression test. We are not worried particularly what the values are but we do want to know if two ajoining cylinders (or a single cylinder) is markedly lower than the rest.

Another good test is to have the coolant system pressure tested. Most garages and any radiator specialist can do this. It will tell you if the system is losing water and they will make educated guesses as to where. Eg ; into the engine or out at some perishing hose.

If you take your head off and to an engine reconditioner, you are up for at least $25 for a head gasket kit and once the reco people get their hands on it they will say it needs valve guides, unleaded seats and the valve seats refaced. They should also hot dip it to clean out all the crub in the water ways. All up this should cost about $250. But its money well spent.

Mayo in the oil cap says you're doing short trips... short enough trips that the condensation in the engine hasn't evaporated. But if you oil (oil on the dip stick) is milk coffee coloured, then you have a BHG.

You got any spare heads at home? Preferably 12G202 ones. Go get one of them recoed (get it ported nicely, too, bigger valves aswell) and wack it on. Let me know if ya need a 12G202.

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if your losing water, thats a pretty good sign you got a BHG

i had milk on the cap but nowhere else, the water wasnt oily but i was losing water, and then on the racetrack i could feel the loss of power

but at low rpms it felt fine..
it wasnt blown bad, but my point is that they can sneak up on ya