I finally got to start the car today! It took a little while, and I was
concerned that the oil wasn't showing any pressure after cranking for a while,
but after I connected the pressure gauge (duh!), the pressure built, and after
a couple of minutes of cranking, it came to life! It idled a bit high, but
given all of the new/rebuilt parts that I put on, I'm not surprised. I tried
driving the car a few feet, which worked well, but the brakes are still
inoperative, and the handbrake wasn't doing anything. Still, it was a minor
success.
On the downside, I now have very milky oil. The oil had looked OK; a little
dirty maybe, but still in the normal range. After running the engine for a few
minutes, oil started seeping down under the valve cover gasket. I removed the
cover and replaced the gasket, but the oil looked like coffee with milk - not
something I wanted to see. I drained the oil and replaced the filter (with one
that seems much smaller than the one I removed), but I haven't had a chance to
try it out yet. I'm hoping that it's just some leftover water that got into
the cylinders from the fire hoses, and that it's gone now with the old oil.
The engine seemed to run pretty well after it warmed up, but I'll have to play
a bit to see if there was more damage that needs to be fixed.
It's looking better. Maybe I can fix the brakes and then actually drive the
car before summer is over.
--Steve (1980 MGB)
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