Head gasket gets wet makes me very very angry

AlanBartlett · Post by **AlanBartlett** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:27 pm

Yesterday i took off the cylinderhead to adjust the tappets and re seat the valves on the drivers side, drained the water took the cylinder head off left the gasket on, adjusted and re seated the valves all fine put it all back again tightened up job done money due. I go out there this evening went to start it up to to get it out of the small garage to replace the pads on one more drum brake then they are all complete. Connect the battery turned the iginition on, pulled on the choke went to turn the handle like usual, Oh its not turning why is it not turning :S, undo a plug and find the cyclinder head filled up to the plug with water SHIT(Ive had this happen before when I first put the radiotor on and was checking for leaks) (it was the inlet manifold that time), checked the inlet manifold all fine and sealed nicely. So took the cylinder head apart from the pot and with it came gradually splitting head gasket, turns out I hadnt seal it properly yesterday and it got wet. So now I'm bashing the keyboard with my anger typing this post. Now I'm waiting till monday to ring up jowett spares. So its back to pushing and pulling it out of the garage DAMN to put it politely.

Which puts me back to stage 1 without a working engine (bangs head against keyboard)

Alastair Gregg · Post by **Alastair Gregg** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 8:48 pm

1. Remove head from keyboard

2. Deep breath, count to 10 slowly

3. Exhale

4. Retire to local hostelry, or kitchen

5. Consider deeply the amber nectar

6. Review the situation.
a) You know what the problem is
b) You only have to wait till the middle of next week to fix it
c) The costs are not out of this world
d) You know how to fix it

7. Empty and refill the glass as required.

8. As per a recent post remember that 12 months ago you would have said "What is a head gasket"

9. Sigh, put it all down to experience

10. Don't ever, ever, rush a headgasket again!!!!!!!!

Hopefully this will help

Keith Andrews · Post by **Keith Andrews** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:13 pm

You are doing fine...well from what I see doing far better than most when 1st starting out tinkering with old engines....AND like Allen says, you have learnt and done far more than in a short time than most ppl do in many yrs.
The main Credit goes to you abilty to keep at at when things get tough, very unusual in someone of your age m8...

Sure u pick up the bigger stuff very quick, the smaller stuff is often learnt by experiance and stuff ups....
There is an old Builders saying "measure twice, cut once"
Something that good experianced restores/mechanics do even with yrs of experiance..
Another "A Stitch in time, saves nine" This is very true..
Industrial analyists have found that those who hurry make more mistakes, 1 mistake on the ave costs at least 9 times to fix this includes time of inconvience to others and other sundry related issues.
To double or even tripple check generally increases a job by only around 10%..so it is cost effective to do so.

Regardles of mistakes...you are doing very well, and far better than most.

TedAllen · Post by **TedAllen** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 11:50 pm

I agree with Al and KA entirely, You have had your first experience of a hydraulic lock...the water in the pot won't compress and has nowhere to go. Not uncommon with the Javelin.
When things go wrong and you start cocking things up, dropping spanners etc, leave the job and go and watch the Simpsons.
A good maxim when doing your bodywork....take it slow. Another good idea for the body is to get an old wing or a sheet of metal and have a good practice on that of all the procedures you want to do
A good specialist tool for the workshop is one of those white plastic chairs. In fact get a couple then friends can come round and give your project a really good coat of looking at while you work out the next move. Don't worry about the tappets too much, remember...a noisy tappet is a happy tappet

Ted

Alastair Gregg · Post by **Alastair Gregg** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 5:55 pm

Alan,

Its a bank holiday and Jowett Car Spares don't open on bank holidays!

Its a bit of a beggar for me too as I wanted to check something had been despatched!!

Sorry

Please don't hate me.

AlanBartlett · Post by **AlanBartlett** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 5:59 pm

(Banging head against desk)

Ah crap

Tony Fearn · Post by **Tony Fearn** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:06 am

Alan.

S***. D*** and C*** don't seem to appear in the pre-war instruction book, so I don't really know what you mean. Perhaps all the rest of the world might know better.

Nevertheless, if it's only one head gasket that you need, reply through the Private mail and I will go into the loft and find one to send to you gratis.

We can't have you looking like the Elephant man with all those bumps and bruises.

I'll have to post it on Tuesday unless you reply before 11.30am today (Sat.)

Regards,

Tony.

Tony Fearn · Post by **Tony Fearn** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 6:30 pm

Alan, it's on its way.

Posted it this morning (Sat 25/8)

Tony.

AlanBartlett · Post by **AlanBartlett** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 6:33 pm

Cheers Tony,

So it wasnt your 2 seater I saw then it must have been my imagination. The doctors said the bumps and bruises and imprints of letters on my head should heal soon

JowettTalk

Head gasket gets wet makes me very very angry

Head gasket gets wet makes me very very angry

Steps to take

At risk of being hated for the rest of my natural life