My understanding was that all Spitfire and Herald engines were delivered
with specially 'Factory Blown Head Gaskets' just so you didn't have to
worry about when it was going to go ;-)
Very slightly more seriously though - they seem to run quite happily in
this condition for many years - the guy parked behind you just gets black
crap all over his bumper when you start up in the morning and clear out the
system. If you don't have water in the oil or vice versa and your engine
performance/oil consumption is OK then no need to panic and take it of the
road. Deal with it when it suits you but keep your AAA paid up!
Just my 2c worth.
Mark Sinclair
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Kelly [SMTP:kelly@dss.com]
Sent: Friday, October 23, 1998 8:21 AM
To: spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Spitfire compression
Ray Bryant wrote:
> Here are the results:
> #1 - 118 pounds
> #2 - 90 pounds
> #3 - 78 pounds
> #4 - 117 pounds
> This was done with the distributor center wire disconected so that it
would
> not start.
> Was this the correct way to test?
Yes, though it's probably better to disconnect the wire from the coil to
the distributor. Same effect, though.
> Are these pressures OK or should they be different?
They should be different. The 2 middle cylinders are definitely LOW. My
Herald periodically (every 25K or so) lapses into this pattern - #2 down
a bit, #3 down a lot. The cause in my case is burnt exhaust valves.
There's something about the cooling in the 1147...
What motor do you have?
Bill Kelly
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