So i recently bought a little wheeler moke expecting to rego it today after fixing the 2 problems i was told about which needed to be fixed.
I brought the car to the mechanics to get blue slipped and we noticed a puddle of oil below the car.
To cut a long story short i drove it back home and ended up losing 2 ltrs of oil in 20km.
After having a good long poke i found the source of the leaks.
1) Mechanical fuel pump blanking plate was loose
2) tappet cover leaking slightly
3) Head gasket leaking oil....
I decided to unbolt the head to have a further poke.
Can anyone tell me if the head is in good condition or not?

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http://www.flickr.com/by_dan
Current: 1970 Mini K 2014 Focus ST
Past: 93 Rover, 64 850, 97 Rover, 66 Deluxe, 66 Moke
81 Austin Estate, 2006 R53MCS, 66 Deluxe, 1978 Clubbie
2014 Land Rover Defender 90

Can't be too bad, the plugs are burning well. Exhaust valves look good.
Lot of oil on the inlets and in the chambers, it might need new valve guides & some valve stem seals..
I'd pull all the valves out and give the head a decoke, fit new guides + seals and reface valves & seats. But that's me...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Roughly how much would that cost? It has leaded valves in it at the moment so it might be a good excuse to change them over.

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http://www.flickr.com/by_dan
Current: 1970 Mini K 2014 Focus ST
Past: 93 Rover, 64 850, 97 Rover, 66 Deluxe, 66 Moke
81 Austin Estate, 2006 R53MCS, 66 Deluxe, 1978 Clubbie
2014 Land Rover Defender 90

Danny, every A Series leaks oil. Some more than others.

It also sounds like you took it to the wrong blue slipper.

1) is a bullshit little thing that - if it was leaking before you saw Mr Blue Slip - you should have noticed beforehand and fixed. It's a nothing problem.

2) Every rocker cover leaks a little bit. The exception to this rule are ones with a new $5 gasket.

3) Again, this would have been obvious from the get-go.

Most of this could have been solved with $8 of engine degreaser and some proactivity.

Unless you know your blue slipper isn't a twat, you should never take it in with oil leaks. Either degrease it or find someone who isn't a twat.

Easy.

PM sent.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

I dont think a can of degreaser is a good way to solve a leak that squirts 2L of oil out over 20km.

The blueslipper was correct in pulling that up if its as bad as you say it was.

Not every A-series leaks oil.

Danny, go and get it looked at and fixed properly. Will be cheaper in the long run.

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A couple of gaskets and your all good as for as I can see (or am I missing something)

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WD40'll fix it!
If it don't, use a big hammer!

I think if you read my response a little more closely Volks, you'll see that I said the blanking cover should have been obvious and tightened and the rocker cover was a $5 part that could also have been replaced quickly and easily.

Since the head gasket was known from the outset to be problematic, it too shouldn't have come as a surprise that it might need replacing before a blue slip.

Danny sounds like he feels he was ripped off. All I'm saying is that 2 of 3 issues could have been fixed with a completely run of the mill level of Mini maintenance and the other was known to be an issue and should have also displayed visual cues as well.

My point stands - tighten blanking plate, replace $5 cork gasket, degrease engine, take to a mechanic who is not a knob. Then, as they say in the classics, profit.

The car arrived yesterday and i took it to get its blue slip done today and i have had no time to de grease it.. I have never had to do a blue slip my self so i did not know it had to be cleaned. At the time of buying it it did not look like there were any oil leaks it was just a grubby engine.
On the way back from the mechanics the first time round i bought some de greaser and noticed it was the fuel pump blanking plate so i put a new gasket in and sealed it up...
The engine looked presentable after that and i then let it idle to see if there were any other leaks and i couldn't see anything.
I then head off for blue slip mk2 and by the time i get to the mechanic the whole engine bay is covered in oil. So i drive it back and let the oil drip off and thats how i found out the head gasket was leaking and the tappet cover.
Saying that all bolts were done up tight.

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http://www.flickr.com/by_dan
Current: 1970 Mini K 2014 Focus ST
Past: 93 Rover, 64 850, 97 Rover, 66 Deluxe, 66 Moke
81 Austin Estate, 2006 R53MCS, 66 Deluxe, 1978 Clubbie
2014 Land Rover Defender 90

Hopefully it's just that.
I am trying to gauge if its worth doing anything to the head while i am waiting for my new gaskets.

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http://www.flickr.com/by_dan
Current: 1970 Mini K 2014 Focus ST
Past: 93 Rover, 64 850, 97 Rover, 66 Deluxe, 66 Moke
81 Austin Estate, 2006 R53MCS, 66 Deluxe, 1978 Clubbie
2014 Land Rover Defender 90

Ye, drop it off to GR with a bag stuffed full of $50's and ask him to give it his special treatment.

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WD40'll fix it!
If it don't, use a big hammer!

Sorry Danny, I just assumed it was common knowledge amongst owners of 40 year old cars that the only mechanics who bother to jump through the blue slip accreditation hoops are the ones predisposed to anal retentive bastardry. There isn't actually a rule about oil leaks in their brief. In fact, the only difference as far as the RTA is concerned between a pink and a blue is that the blue incorporates an identity check for the body and engine numbers. All the other stuff is just jobsworths trying to generate work for themselves.

I once had a blue slipper tell me the horn had to work constantly from full lock left to full lock right. Through all 360 degrees. Mine stopped momentarily at 1.5 turns. I told him to jog on. I still think he just wasn't pressing the button properly since he was holding the wheel at an awkward angle.

The point is, find a sensible blue slipper who isn't a twat or go through the bullshit of cleaning the engine around the corner and standing strategically in front of the one bit of rust you never bothered bogging up.

Fancy that, someone gets knocked back on rego for having a major oil leak. What's the world coming to hey thomas_hb! Next thing you know they will want your car to stop and turn as well!

Why are you giving danny such a hard time for getting knocked back on an inspection?

Wilfully obtuse.

I am not saying it should pass with a major oil leak.

I am saying 3 things.

1) The issues that have been described should have been obvious from the outset and are not very significant issues. Danny knew before he bought it that it needed attention on the head gasket. Indeed, he has been so quick and efficient at taking the head off since the failed blue slip that it seems even more peculiar that this wasn't done beforehand since it's clearly a job he is comfortable with.

2) If you go to get a blue slip done, you should always clean the engine first. There are "normal" oil leaks which the average inspector is better off not noticing than being expected to be able to have them "explained" to him.

3) There are some blue slippers who are not either idiotic or fascist who will inspect a 45 year old car and give it the latitude it deserves and requires.

Some low level maintenance and a reasonable blue slipper would have seen Danny driving around in his Moke by now.

Matt, did you even read the whole thread? I am now repeating myself a third time. If you stopped hyperventilating for a moment you might realise what I'm trying to say.

If the Moke you got was Adam's old one, check the build thread on here... will give you more information about the engine and car etc etc...

Hope to see you at SWOM on the 13th with it...