In a message dated 4/13/2003 11:57:39 AM Eastern Standard Time,
lstein6@earthlink.net writes:
> the leak appears toward the front of
> the engine but possibly the middle of the engine. is this a common problem
> ?
> head gasket ? freeze plug ?
Larry,
We're on our 6th attempt at fixing the same leak on an '80 TR7 we have in the
shop. Assuming that your cylinder head hasn't warped, there are two primary
culprits: the water pump housing gasket and the intake manifold "O" Ring.
Both of these fixes require some thought. As you've seen from replies, the
water pump gasket has it's own set of options (3 gasket choices from Moss - I
think they're .010" thick; .020" and .030").
The "O" Ring; however, is an even nastier animal. Intake manifold gaskets
for the TR7 can be ordered individually or as part of a head gasket set. We
found out the hard way that the a-la-carte (individual) gaskets are not the
same composition or style as the same gasket which comes in a complete gasket
set. The a-la-carte gaskets appear to be too thick and won't allow enough
compression to properly seat the intake manifold O Ring to the head. We
tried different O Rings with an assortment of usually reliable sealants - all
to no avail. There just doesn't appear to be enough "squish" with the
a-la-carte gasket to allow the standard O Ring to compress. The result is a
small stream that starts under the O Ring and winds its way down and across
the top of the engine to fill the first freeze plug then it gently flows over
the block.
If you'd like, I'll let you know how successful we were using the intake
manifold gasket which came in the head gasket kit....after a long run
tomorrow!
Chip Krout
Triumph Rescue
Barto, PA USA
610-845-8217
1976 TR6 #CF57822U - one of the last 500 built!
1970 Spitfire Mk3 #FDU78512L - ready for the driving season
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