Morris Minor Owners Club

As long as the gasket is for the 1098 - not for the 1275 engine ? If so - crack on - you've got an hour to get it changed .......

It is - it was incorrectly ordered "just in case" for my other car in the days before I realised it was a 1275!
Sadly the kaput car is 13 miles away on my Mum's driveway or I'd be sitting here lapping away now.

Took the head off today - The head gasket had blown between 3 and 4 and had a broken exhaust valve spring on 4.
Would one have caused the other to occur do you think?
For what it's worth, I've attached a pic of the cylinders in case anyone can see anything odd.
Is there anything else I should do whilst the head is off? It has a new bypass hose with shiny jubilee clips already.[frame][/frame]

Pistons 2 and 3 look remarkably clean! You need to clean all the block top - ideally unscrew all the studs - countersink the stud holes slightly - and clean the whole surface but without rubbing it locally if you see what I mean ! I use the square end of a 12" steel rule - something like that - no rubbing with emery! Then refit the studs - make sure the bypass is NOT a corrugated one. On the head -same as block for the head face - best to examine the valves closely after cleaning them (spin in electric drill) - and grind in ALL the valves very carefully. And no - the broken spring wouldn't cause this.
This is where a spare head is really handy - you could be back on the road right away - and sort out the original head at your leisure!

Right you are. A spare head would indeed be handy.
Thanks for all the help. I'd be lost without this forum.

The pipe from the vacuum advance on the distributor is missing, or did you take it off with the carb?

Well spotted! That was me - it was a copper one and was in the way rather.

Minispares sell a silicone by-pass hose which is supposed to be fit and forget. I fitted it on mine and have had no problems with it.
http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx? ... 313&title=
Regards
Declan

A picture of the old head gasket would be interesting.

You obviously haven't 'forgotten ' the bypass hose then Declan............after fitting it.

I will remember it for a long time and especially taking out the old short bypass stub and fitting a longer stainless steel one.

Declan_Burns wrote:Minispares sell a silicone by-pass hose which is supposed to be fit and forget. I fitted it on mine and have had no problems with it.
http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx? ... 313&title=
Regards
Declan

Much cheaper and almost as long lasting is a small piece of the correct heater hose.

Photos![frame]Blown gasket:[/frame][frame][/frame][frame]Overly Pitted? [/frame][frame]Broken spring:[/frame]

Amazing the compression test was so balanced with that chunk missing from the gasket!

I do think you need a new exhaust valve - and a spring........

It is odd isn't it? That's why I thought that perhaps the broken spring could have had something to do with it. But I don't see how. Either that or I did the something horribly wrong with the test but I don't think I did.

I've got a whole new set of exhaust valves and a spring on order.

Is it best to clear out all the oil ways with something before I put it back together?

Just squirt some oil through from an oil can. The broken spring may have contributed to that bad valve - if it allowed it to 'float'. It likely be quite a job to grind in the valves - I assume you don't have a spare head ? And - if one spring broke like that - the rest are likely to be the same age and have had the same service life....... I would have fitted all new........ When the new spring arrives - line up all the springs on a flat surface - side by side - and compare their length with the new one.. I don't think you will like what you see.

Bah! After buying new valves and springs I've just noticed that the head has a crack between 3 and 4!! It's just visible in the photo above. That'll teach me.
I'm on the look out for a replacement head if anyone has one?

Oooh yes - I see the mark - most unusual........It must have seriously overheated at some time ? Good chance to fit an upgraded head! But there are some 12G202 heads on ebay - although a 295 is an improvement - the real way forward is a 940........
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/A30-A35-A40-Minor ... 19bd9d1aeb
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :MEBIDX:IT
4 x 940 heads! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIni-1275-Austin- ... 3f015dc70d

Big ends are a lot more of a rattle than mains and you can "play" them by varying the engine load at fairly constant revs. The latter is/are a deep distressing thump and are worse a low revs. and the rear can be felt in the clutch when bad. Small ends are a lighter tap and are worse at light load as the revs rise.
Hope that makes sense, one has to experience them to recognize them and I have had known them all, to my sadness and expense at times.