Woil

[davidwheeler]

Latest problem with Old Boot is woil - not just the emulsion of oil and water but actual liquid water in the sump.    There is no sign that my newly installed head gasket is leaking so I presume a block leak.   I vaguely remember tales of corrosion between the cylinder sleeve and the black at the bottom.   Rather than taking the engine out (again!) I am thinking of using a sealant.   I read that Holts Sealit or K-Seal permanent are best.   Does anybody have experience of this?    I suppose I had best run some radflush through first as well.

[Dikappa]

Maybe loctite vacuum impregnation is an option?

[davidwheeler]

Probably not in situ but a backup if the Holts stuff fails.

[chriswgawne]

In desperation for a quick short term fix I used K seal a few years ago ( didnt dare tell anyone!)  and its still OK.
Not saying its better than the other alternatives but it stopped what was a fairly large migration of water into my oil sump.
Chris

[davidwheeler]

I have just ordered some KSeal Professional.     I am encouraged by your report!

[donw]

I used Kseal as a fix for this problem on a previuoe engine and it work for years

[Tony Stephens]

A friend of mine, no names, no pack drill, was machining plug threads in a Riley 9 engine, when due to a stupid miscalculation, he milled straight through the cylinder head around the spark plug well. He thought he hadn't gone right through, and reassembled the engine just in time for an event. Upon filling with water and starting up, a steady stream of water was spouting into the plug well. With no immediate prospect of proper repair., KSeal was used, and WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND WATER FLOWING, the hole sealed itself up before his eyes.
Things being as they are, it was resolved to see how long the repair lasted.
8 years so far, with continuous use! Clearly it works.

[davidwheeler]

Kseal professional installed and seems OK so far but have only done a couple of trips around the block.  Fingers crossed.

[lancialulu]

Hope is doesnt block the rad.

[davidwheeler]

Alas, water still creeping into the sump though perhaps less.  Time to consider the second option - the water pump.
In 1976, rounding Torino on the way home from the meeting, with Geraldine and the children on board, we ran out of water.   I escaped from the Autostrada to a convenient car park and looked - water pouring out of the pump drain holes.    I took off the radiator and the pump and sat disconsolate on the tarmac looking at it.    A flash car drew up and I understood from the inhabitants that they would be back after lunch.
An hour or so they returned and took me to an immaculate Lancia workshop where ther was a Man with a Lathe.    I do not speak Italian and he did not speak English but we got by in French.    We took the pump apart and it looked disintigrous.   There are only metal on metal bearings and yards of packing between the impellor and disaster and all was worn out.     The Man proposed and we (well, he) acted.   The pump was cored out and a cylindrical block of bronze prepared.  In this were mounted two ball bearings and a modern water pump seal.   It was re-assembled and I was taken back to the car park and waiting family.  All this on a Saturday afternoon and for remarkeably few liri!
I fitted the pump, filled up from a convenient tap and off we went.
So, 48 years later, I took off the pump.  Woil in the pump housing.   There are no drain holes in the modified pump.   The impellor shaft rattled around.   The anterior bearing is very rough and slack, the posterior not so much.    I just happen to have a pair of suitable bearings in my shed.    The seal looks OK but I have found a new one in Ali Baba's cave and will get the bearing surface at the back of the impellor professionaly dressed as I do not think my lathe is good enough.
To be continued...

[davidwheeler]

I carefully re-rebuilt the water pump.   I borrowed some old sump oil from a friendly garage and filled the sump up (fresh oil is expensive!).     Even though the empty engine had drained a little water and oil I lived in hope and put it all back together again yesterday (back from 3 weeks' touring France in the 2CV) and ran it for 15 minutes.   Ran it again this morning.   The oil float level had not increased.    Opened the sump drain valve - black oil!!!   I have just taken her for a run around the block and, again, black oil.    I shall go into Town tomorrow for petrol and see if she still behaves.   She is running very well too.

[davidwheeler]

"Curioser and curioser" said Alice.    More oil in the sump.   I took off the water pump, sealed the lower water pipe and filled the engine with water.  Over a couple of days a large amount of water found its way into the sump.      Repeat test, same effect.   I drained off the water from under the oil, filled the engine water jacket again and ran her round and into the workshop.   Engine running sweetly.
"Off with her head!" said the Red Queen.      It came off easily but the gasket looked good and no water in the cylinders.     I filled up the block to the brim and waited for several days - no leak.   I inverted the head, sealed the water pipes and filled it to the brim.   A very small leak from one of the hoses but nothing from the head (the only possible leak from the head to the sump not via the cylinders is through the oil drain pipe).
Where to go next?    There is a lot of sediment in the bottom of the block so I shall clean all that out and blow around with the air gun and fill it up again.
Watch this space.   

[davidwheeler]

Cleaned it all out, there are several deep erosions in the floor of the water jacket and other areas of lesser erosions plus perfect flat floor.   If only there were a liquid I could pour in to cover the floor that would set and not detatch from the aluminium.   Anybody any ideas?   I have my dooubts that fibreglass resin would last very long.   Otherwise I could use plastic aluminium applied with difficulty through the water holes in the face of the block.

[simonandjuliet]

The problem is 100 yrs of water, antifreeze and oil that have penetrated the surface making a non-grippy surface - following detergent soak and pressure washer, could you try some kind of acid etching before applying a 2-pack paint ?

We have a version of it on the floor in the winery, it's very thick and self levelling, filling in any gaps and holes

[davidwheeler]

Thanks, Simon, that looks a good idea.    I have packed a surprising amount of plastic metal into the large hole at the other end of this screwdriver - so much so that I shall drop the sump tomorrow to see if any has squeezed through.
I was actually wondering about pouring in some fibreglass resin to make a flat floor but I take your point about detergent soak first.