Welding studs
After suffering gas in the water system and increasing water loss during the summer, I eventually decided to bite the bullet and do the cylinder head gaskets. When I got the inlet manifold off, that was the real point of no return!
I will publish more snaps as I go along, and may put out a call for help, from time to time!
Hopefully, the picture quality will improve now I have a nice new digital camera.
The story unfolds in reverse order - go to the bottom of the page if
you want to start from the beginning.
Major breakthrough today when Alan assisted with arc-welding and we successfully removed the remaining 2 studs
that had been cut in order to get the RH head off.
Welding studs
Not much done in the run-up to Christmas, but started with renewed vigour after the turkey!
Do you agree with the alignment of water passage holes in the head gaskets?
23rd Nov: After the 8th stud came free, it was relatively straightforward to lift off the LH cylinder head. But prior to that, I had to release the fuel pipe from the nut that secures the shock-absorber so that the head could just be manouvered over the timing chain sprocket wheel, complete with exhaust manifold attached.
LH cylinder head with exhaust manifold attached
The head gasket didn't seem too bad. No obvious signs of leaks from the cylinders.
Closer inspection of the waterway beneath No4 cylinder revealed a stray piece of wire which turned out to be about 5" long!
The RH cylinder head proved to be a bit more tricky due to the two sheared off studs still in place. I was able to tap the head up a bit with a block of wood and 2-lb hammer until the housing fouled the timing chain & sprocket. At that point I was able to cut the nearest stud with a hacksaw, leaving about 1/4" proud of the block. Then I was able to rotate the head and lift it further off the block so I could cut the remaining stud leaving about 1/2" proud. Then the head could be lifted off! Note the remaining studs.
The head gasket seemed OK but maybe a water leak from cylinder No7? (nearest the driver) Also, there is some staining between cylinders 4&6, especially on the block side of the gasket. It looks like the RH cylinder head was not tightened down adequately?
Rust between cylinder 7 and waterway
By comparison, cylinder 8 is very clean:
No rust between cylinder 8 and waterway
Now the remaining problem is the pair of cut-off studs in the block. They seemed quite tight when I tried the longer one with Mole-grips, so I've applied a liberal dosing of Freeway and left it until another day!
I'd be grateful for any advice on dealing with the studs!
Waterways generally seemed to be in good order with the exception of some significant erosion where the outlet from the water pump joins the cylinder heads. It can be seen that the thin section of cast iron separating the pump outlet from the return to the main block is almost disappeared in the RH side of the block:
I'm not sure if this has any real effect since the two waterways are combined inside the cylinder head anyway.
17th Nov: Another disaster even though I was using the torque wrench. I now have two sheared studs on the RH cylinder head! Last stud is at rear of LH head so I will leave that one to soak a while longer! Does anyone have any ideas for coaxing the head off two studs?
16th Nov: I eventually used the torque-wrench to make sure I wasn't over-torqueing the studs. Two more came free when I was able to apply more torque than I dared with the long tommy-bar. Now I have only the rear studs on each cylinder head to free up. Then I will try to rock the right-hand head around the sheared stud. One stud produced some rusty water so may indicate where a gasket was leaking? (between cylinders 5 & 7)
12th Nov: After working the remaining studs hard for a couple of days, on the third day, my first attempt on one stud resulted in disaster with very little torque applied. It seems that I must have work-hardened the stud somehow and it twisted off at the base of the threaded section, flush with the cylinder head surface.
So take it easy with the big spanners and let the WD40 have time to work its way down. I have purchased a tommy bar for the socket wrench with a 60cm handle which makes it easy to work the studs, but it is also very tempting to be too heavy handed. However, it wasn't long before a 5th stud worked loose.
9th Nov: After removing the inlet manifold, I was ready for the heads proper. I found I had to remove the bottom hose and radiator to get access to the two small bolts on each head at the front of the engine. I think I will need a 1/2" spanner ground down to fit the small gap to tighten them on reassembly.
The cylinder head bolts all released without problems - then came the dreaded studs!
At first, none would budge at all, so after going into a cold sweat, I applied WD40 and went to watch TV. The next day, two came free, and the day after, another.
After a week of soaking, and trying Freeway, as well, a 4th stud released today. So far I have removed the centre stud and the one at the front of the engine on each cylinder head.
3rd Nov: After suffering gas in the water system and increasing water loss during the summer, I eventually decided to bite the bullet and do the heads. When I got the inlet manifold off, that was the real point of no return!
After gaining access to the water pump, I am wondering if this is leaking as well.
Note one inlet manifold bolt already replaced with heli-coiled stud!
