Morris Minor Owners Club

I tried to replace the head gasket, put everything back together and now the engine sounds like it's firing on one or two pistons. Do I need to adjust the tappets? Is anyone in the kingston area that could help? I'm a novice and thought it was a good idea to try and learn.

yes you would have to adjust the tappets and re torgue the head after an engine warm up

and the engine needs to be stone cold when you torque down the head and adjust tappetts

Time for healthy discussion: There are arguments that the head should be torqued when hot, whilst others say cold. Similarly, valve clearances should be set cold except by those who say hot, and at 12 thou except those that say 15.

To help you: Did you torque the head in the correct sequence as shown in the workshop manual? Did you change anything else? Have you run a compression test - what are the results? Have you put the plug leads back in the correct order? Whatever it is, it's unlikely to be terminal, and experience is the best way to learn.

Yes I torqued the head in the right sequence and have now adjusted the tappets, sounds nearly normal again! Problem is I have stupidly left the brace off the last head nut. Can I undo it slip it on and tighten up or will this break something? The other problem I have which is why I originally changed the head gasket, is overheating. It still seems to be getting much hotter than it was and when I put the heater on I get only cold air. I originally changed the thermostat but could it be the water pump?

you can just put back the engine steady bracket
is the thermostat working , a good idea to check it, in boiling water
or maybe a blockage somewhere flush out the rad as well

Thanks, so I can undo the head bolt safely and put the steady bracket back on without having to undo the other 8? I will try flushing out the radiator, I bought the thermostat a couple of days ago are new ones often faulty?

It's not a 'head bolt' - it should be a stud - slightly longer than the others. You torque the head down (warm is fine) and the steady bar goes on top of the head nut - with another nut (+washer) on top. DO NOT loosen just one head nut - unless you want to risk a blown gasket ..

just loosened the one many times no problems
my original engine had a short stud where the steady is and that was as came from the factory

Ok I dealt with the steady bracket. Do I need to change the oil after the head gasket? As the dipstick is still very creamy, more than before I would say

Definitely - if you allowed any water to enter the oilways....... Have to say - changing the head gasket was a shot in the dark for 'overheating'.... If the heater is cold...have you checked/cleared the heater tap - and made sure there are no kinks in the hoses? If all that is clear then the water pump must be suspect. Could also explain general 'overheating' although more likely is blocked up radiator passages.

If the heater runs cold it may have air in it, you may need to prime it with water.

I've never ever had to do that Les!

I've had to pour water down the hoses before now, to purge it of air.

if you have creamy water, that means oil in the water, blown head gasket again, possible water intrusion from another source?
creamy oil also means water in the oil, you have many things to check.

I changed the oil tonight and flushed out the radiator until the water was clean. Drove the car round the block , the heater is working again but the engine still getting very hot! It looks like there is oil on the manifold now, not sure from where and I rechecked the dipstick which is creamy again. Should I change the head gasket again? Is there anywhere else water and oil can mix?

Not really - but there may still be residual water in the oil. Oil on manifold - not just from oily hands/spilled oil when filling ? Or is the rocker cover gasket leaking ? Getting 'hot' was unlikely to be the gasket in the first place - and even less unlikely now. Was there any sign of a 'blow' on the old gasket? I would reverse flush the rad - take it out to do this effectively - and probably take the water pump out to see how it looks internally. Also have a look at the thermostat - to see if a 'winter' stat (88 or even 92) has been fitted. A 74 stat is better for summer use.