why wont my series 3 run??

[fuzzy]

hi, just before new year, my series 3 suffered head gasket failure, i started the engine to put the motor in the workshop there was an almighty bang. the fan and pulley pulled off the front of the water pump causing the fan to beat the bottom tank off of the rad. i stripped the head and replaced the head gasket and the water pump. The replacement water pump was awful, the bearings and fan were shot but the engine did start and run. I finally got round to putting a brand new water pump and fan today, but the engine wouldn't start. It seemed to run for a few seconds on a couple of cylinders but this was accompanied by fire from the exhaust manifold. It now won't run at all. I have checked that the HT leads are in the correct positions, which they are, and checked for a spark which is strong and blue, please help i really want to get the motor out on the road so i can enjoy it while the sun is shining!

[Lucy1978]

when you say fire, do you mean flames or a backfire?

[fuzzy]

Both!! 

[Saffy]

have you had the dizzy out ? is the static timing 180 deg out (set with no.1 cylinder TDC on exhaust stroke by mistake)?

[fuzzy]

No, distributor hasn't been moved, checked this earlier today, but still just cant figure it out, i understand where you are coming from, i thought the same thing, its really getting me down now  ](*,)

[Amma]

 :-.

Certainly sounds like it's ignition related to me. But if the order of the leads is correct and the position of the distributor is also correct and there is a good bright spark then there is really not a lot more that can cause a problem!

I can understand why it is getting to you. All I can suggest is that you methodically check everything again and then double-check it all. I once thought I had it all set up right but when I checked it after it not firing up properly I realised that I had the leads for numbers 3 and 2 cylinders the wrong way round.

 :oops: :doh:

[carbore]

Hi, did you do a compression test after the head was re fitted. Maybe you have cracked a ring (I assume stripped head mens done/checked valves as opposed to removed just removed head for gasket fitting?

[fuzzy]

yeah, i did the compression test after lapping in the valves, new stem oil seals etc etc. compression was all good, head gasket had failed between cylinders 2 and 3, it had completely blown the gasket away between the bores. :doh:

[carbore]

It sort of sounds like you have fixed the result (HGF) but not the cause, maybe the thing that caused the initial explosion is still around.

As suggested, timing is a suspect, I know that some owners report ware in the drive to the dizzy on high mileage vehicles meaning that it moves out of alignment in relation to crank (No needs a timing light check as opposed to static/turn-by-hand check). Also hows the fuel looking, is it over/under fuelling. is the carb flooding for example and leaking pools into the manifold/cyls etc ?

I cant remember if there is an auto advance/retard on those beasts, but is the vacuum hose to it leaking?

[cjcarlos1977]

yeah, i did the compression test after lapping in the valves, new stem oil seals etc etc. compression was all good, head gasket had failed between cylinders 2 and 3, it had completely blown the gasket away between the bores. :doh:

My Series 3 109 did this. I did the head gasket etc and 2 days later it was not running. So I took it all apart and it had blown the head gasket away again. Turned out the head was warped. Sent it away to be skimmed and all was good.