Dear Listers:
My 1977 MGB was overheating recently, and when I checked the coolant, it had
little drops of oil in it. I had a blown head gasket about a month ago, with
no problems with it before that. I had the head machined, and installed a new
gasket with no dressing (as I had before), I checked the studs for tightness
in the block, and made sure the stud threads were not stretched. I retorqued
the head about two weeks later to 50lb/ft.
Everything was OK until last week I had a long drive pulling a relatively
steep grade, and the temp started to rise. I pulled off the side of the road,
a CAREFULLY removed the radiator cap to reveal a thin floating layer of oil.
After the engine cooled, the system accepted almost a half gallon of coolant!
Since that day, I have noticed slight bubbling of oil between the head and the
gasket, and also between one of the head bolts and its nut.
My questions are:
1) What is the maximum torque I can take the studs up to, considering they are
stock?
2) Should I replace the head gasket and use some sort of gasket sealant?
3) Could my block or head be warped/cracked?
Thanks for all your help!
Sincerely,
Steve Sanchez
"Still sweating under the bonnet of a '77 'B!"
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