67 Wolseley MkI 18/85

I don't like to be the harbinger of doom Chris, but this sounds like a head gasket issue to me.
It's unlikely to be a crack or anything as it's a new engine.

You could try to tourque the head up to its max and see what happens.

If it's losing coolant, I'd also say it's pointing to the head gasket. However, I remember the blue one had an issue with fouling one plug when idling. It would also start fouling after idling for a while and have white smoke. I never found the cause and believed it was oil because the carbon ring on top of the cylinder wall was gone after a head change. Not sure, but it never lost coolant. After having it back on the road again, it's not had a single issue of trouble. Not sure why, but valves, ignition and mixture now seems spot on.

Is there any sign of coolant in the oil? You could also take a long flat screwdriver and scrape gently the top of the troubled piston. You should be able to smell and feel if it's oil or petrol. Oil would mst likely give some black, sludgy, sticky carbon like stuff rather than a thin layer of soot. Also, double check valve clearance.

You say 13 degrees static. Isn't that too far advanced? That means around 16-17 at idle.

Is there sign of condensed water in the white exhaust when the car is hot and just driven? I suppose this would indicate coolant in the combustion chamber = head gasket.

Good luck:-)

Tommy

And back on again!

Definitely head gasket.



Just visible mark between 2 + 3 on the top of the block.







Head gasket. Damaged between 2 + 3. I think you can make it out......

Cleaned all surfaces, drained and dried pistons. Wiped off a lot of the carbon deposits - as predicted, 3 was a bit "gooey" and wiped clean very easily. No discernible step on any bore after around 7,000 miles, so she's wearing well.



Shiny, shiny! New copper and steel gasket. It had better last.....



And a little peek up into the head - biscuit, blackish, blackish, biscuit - just like the plugs.

The head is now back on and torqued up. I will re-check in the morning before I do the rest of the re-assembly.

Special thanks to Ady, who innocently wandered down the hill going for a pint, just as I broke the seal on the head and discovered that I couldn't lift it with the exhaust manifold and carbs still on. He grabbed a pair of work gloves and we got the thing off. He then said "You've got two pints worth of time before I come back and we'll put it back on." Which we did.
He's a bit of a superstar, is Ady.


I'll get her running tomorrow and see where I've got to.

Chris.

Well done Chris. I know it's a bit late but John Twist apparently inserts a thin piece of copper wire between 2/3 to help prevent leaks. I think every 1800 head I have taken off showed some degree of blowing between these two cylinders but not a water leak.

Now the question is - did this cause the overheating (most probably I suspect) or did the overheating cause the gasket failure. Check your carb setting and as Tommy has pointed out timing of 13 degrees BTDC is probably a little too much especially as you have twin carbs I recall. Over advanced ignition timing can cause premature head gasket failure as it raises the in cylinder pressures. See what it runs like backed off to 10 degrees. You may lose a little at the low end but better at higher rpm.


Regards

David

Timing set, valves set. Had her idling for a few minutes before setting off for a run. Soon as I moved off, white smoke again. It cleared after a minute or two and hasn't done it since. I did the park-and-re-start routine a couple of times and no recurrence, so fingers crossed. Temperature never went over half way and the fluid levels appear to have stayed up. Very slight brief judder under acceleration, but I think I'll live with it just for the moment.

Chris.

Done about 40 miles today. No smoke, no water loss. I think we're good to go.

Chris.