The NEXT saga! Today I attempted (between showers - this is an outdoor project ) to remove the liners using the below contraption with a couple of side blocks to assist. Absolutely zero movement with significant withdrawal pressure, zilch! SO...I’m not even desperate to remove these things...what’s the thoughts? I’m tempted to leave them be, they are still perfectly flat and aligned, and will need some serious forces to remove them simply for re-sealing. I’m sure I could put them under significant withdrawal pressure again and likely ‘pop’ them with a gentle sideward ‘wiggle,’ what do you think? Equally I’m thinking (if I get them out) that it could be an absolute ‘mare of a job to clean the seals without further removing the pistons...avoiding getting gasket and gunk into the main body of the engine must be a nigh-impossible task, rags or not? Anyone out there had a go at this, I’d certainly appreciate your insights and experiences?
Someone else did this using that method , here on this forum. I think they were stripping the engine completely down. Would be really difficult to do from a partial strip and refurbish without some contamination of the lower workings I'd say...
I guess to the letter of the law they are pulled for every head gasket change carried out with the engine insitu...but, like you, I wonder how on earth the practical aspect of preparing the seals is carried out?
In case I go for it, does anyone know the thread size/pitch of the head bolts so I can buy some short bolts for clamping the cylinders down afterwards? Wish I’d kept the old head bolts now...could’ve wound a nut onto the end threads!
Wow Stuart T595, I didn't think you were going down that route, the tool you show in my view will not remove the liner, don't forget that in all probability the original Three Bond 1207B or 1360 used by the Triumph Factory in assembly will be the one in place. It will take a fair bit of pressure to break the seal, this may be further aggravated if water had leaked from the liner sealant (rust), this is especially true if a liner has been disturbed previously. Your reply (some time back now) indicated water had not contaminated the oil, hence members had mentioned they wouldn't lift the liners, I guess you just wanted a "belt and braces check". From memory I recall posting a list of currently available parts, those on back order, and those no longer available (discontinued), depending on what you find further in the strip down may impact on availability of replacement parts. I know hindsight is wonderful, given what you have been through already it would have been easier to remove the engine altogether. I have made tools in the past for just such jobs i.e. Stainless round bar to fit internally in a liner, then machined flats in the centre to take a spanner, threaded the ends with a right and left thread, valve lapping rubbers for each end, machined a hole in the flats centre, then a threaded bar with a C shaped flat bar on top (it sits on the block) then just wind it out and out pops the liner. The tool sounds complicated to make, it's not, it only took an hour on the lathe to make. I know you don't have these facilities, however a similar tool may be available to buy. As mentioned some liners take a huge amount of ft lbs pressure to lift, others just pop out very easy, one never knows it's a little bit of a lottery to be honest. Good luck with it though.
When I mentioned the water/oil contamination it was in reference to the extent (or not) of the head gasket failure. My understanding of the liner seals was that removing the head risks dislodging the liners themselves and that, according to the manuals, you must always remove and reseal the liners? I can’t tell you how much I would prefer to leave them well alone...it’s just that I was under the impression it was a must do job but, as I mention, they appear rock solid! I guess the very worse thing that could happen is I discover that they leak after putting the engine back together. To be honest I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to clean the area up around the seals without contaminating the crank etc, but I was prepared to give it a go because it seemed the proper way forward. Maybe I should leave them be? It’s a shame there isn’t something you could pour into the jacket to check for leaks? I guess in reality you could never replicate the stresses of a hot, pressured, water system? These types of decisions are the most difficult bit about the entire process. Thanks for the time you’ve taken to write the post...always appreciated, Iceman
Hi StuarT595, I take it all the water had been drained prior to lifting the head, you'd have nothing to lose by filling the block with water and (some anti freeze) to the top of the block, leave it a couple of days and monitor if the level drops, the same with the oil level as this will obviously increase as well, given water will have found its way in and contaminated it. I know it would not be under pressure, however if the seal has been disturbed the water will find its way out. If you think of a joint in a copper pipe in a central heating system that leaks, it may be minuscule when the boiler is off, once pressurised it will leak a lot worse, the analogy is the same, if a leak is present it will leak no matter what, be it drop by drop or more pronounced, but sure as day follows night it will leak, you could always use crack detection fluid instead of anti freeze, you'd soon see the tell tale colour in the oil, the anti freeze does the same job in essence. Good luck with whatever you decide.
