hey all, decided to have a look at a few things on my 998 and im wondering if i can get some opinions on what i found.

firstly sparkplugs

these are lined up as they came out of the engine, as you look at it from the front, i havnt cleaned them up in anyway, it looks like the left cylinder (clutch end) is burning oil and it burns less oil as you go from left to right, is this normal?

Oil cap

i changed the oil and wiped this cap out about a month or 2 ago, does anyone know what the white stuff is? im using valvoline 20w-40 (the 10L drums you can get from supercheap or repco, cant remember which one) also the oil turned black pretty quickly, which makes me think the piston rings might be a bit worn.

dizzy


i havnt looked at a dizzy before but i gave the points a bit of a sand up and it seemed to idle and rev a bit better, do these look worn out or just a bit worn?

thanks in advance for the help
Paddy

white stuff in cap is water? could be head gasket time

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65 panel van Sprog
73 panel van Iggy

White stuff on the oil cap is mayonaise - a mixture of oil and water.

Is the car used regularly ?
If not used - this may just be a clearing out of moisture that has accumulated while it has sat. - and may stop after a good run.
If used - then could indicate Head Gasket issues.

thanks for the quick replys, the mini is used everyday, could it be from the humidity, im up in townsville, it doesnt appear to be using up coolant and temp stays perfect since replacing the radiator and flushing the cooling system

White stuff in the cap is what happens when you leave a mini guy alone with his mini in the garage for too long.

Maybe that's why the other guys are suggesting your engine's FU(K3D

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1970 Cooper S ex-Bathurst & ATCC
1964 Austin Cooper S ex-Group C race car
1967 Morris Cooper S ex-Group B
1962 Mini Speed sports sedan
1968-71 ex-Peter Manton Shell car

Plugs show engine wear. Not unusual.
There will be more blow-by from the rings, resulting in more moisture in the crankcase (hence the mayo under the cap).

To extend the life of the engine you could try improving the ventilation (breathers). You need a new dizzy cap & points - make sure they are set right and you will probably find the plugs will last longer without fouling too.

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Too many cars, and too little time.

Did those plugs come out in that order? They look ordered from rich to normal. It's common for the centre two plugs to be slightly more rich than the outer two, due to the siamesed inlet ports.

The mayo on the rocker gear might be an issue if you drive daily. Take the whole rocker cover off and have a look. If it's all through the rocker gear you have a problem. The words 'head gasket replacement' usually invoke fears of expensive repairs, but if you have a torque wrench and an hour or so, it's easy to do yourself. Expect about $30 for the gasket, $80 for machining (if the head is warped) and replacement coolant.

First things first though, I'd suggest getting or borrowing a compression tester, to check the problem there. This will also give you an idea on how worn the engine is, the lower the compression, the more blow-by from the rings.

i was thinking the same thing, but yes that is how they came out of the engine

The mayonnaise in the rocker cover is most likely condensation. There are a couple of things that can promote it, does your motor have the breathers hooked up the way the factory intended? Or does it have the silly little K&N type of filters or a catch tank?

The mayonnaise can also be caused by the brand and type of oil
You could try a different brand and see if it makes a difference.
I have found Valvoline and GTX cause this issue, plus yes your rings are probably on the way out. Easy check for rings is to coast down a hill with no accelerator and then at the bottom press the accelerator to the floor. If a big puff of smoke then rings are worn

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1969 Cooper "S"
1967 Mini Deluxe
1973 Clubman Van (the fleet spare)
1978 ex 1275 LS ("Wizard" Eaton Supercharged)
2015 HSV GenF GTS(occasional drive & tow car)
2019 MINI F55 Cooper S

Be warey about replacing a head gasket on an engine that is showing signs of that amount of wear, otherwise you will really know what blow by is when the reco'd head goes on. You will look like the Red Bull Plane going down the street

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"Investing my Super in a Cooper" &
"Re-living my Surfing Past in a Woody"

by the sounds of it i should start looking a bit harder for the 1275 that i want then