15 replies to this topic

[Jonesy7]

~~~~~Please delete this text before posting the topic~~~~~~
Please give your topic a title that quickly describes your problem. Just putting 'Help my Mini doesn't work' is useless to anyone trying to help.
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austin mini 1000 city e
1983
My head gasket went the other day and im hopefully getitng it done tomorrow, but does it need skimming? or would i get away with not doing that?
if its a must how much does it usually cost?
Cheers Scott

[Cooperman]

~~~~~Please delete this text before posting the topic~~~~~~
Please give your topic a title that quickly describes your problem. Just putting 'Help my Mini doesn't work' is useless to anyone trying to help.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

austin mini 1000 city e
1983
My head gasket went the other day and im hopefully getitng it done tomorrow, but does it need skimming? or would i get away with not doing that?
if its a must how much does it usually cost?
Cheers Scott



If the gasket went and trhe engine did not get too hot and/or run completely oiut of water then you should be OK.
Just get some abrasive material, aluminium oxide paper is goot with about 240 grit, and place a strip of it on a piece of flat wood about 3" x 6". Clean back the head with this, then wash the head thoroughly in paraffin and re-fit with a good quality gasket. Clean back the face of the block before re-assembly making sure all the old bits of gasket are off and the face is clean and grease-free.

[Jonesy7]

okay thanks cooperman

its still pretty much full with water so fingers crossed when i take the head off tomorrow it doesn't need skimming as thats just another pain, and longer wait till i can drive her again =D

[Cooperman]

okay thanks cooperman

its still pretty much full with water so fingers crossed when i take the head off tomorrow it doesn't need skimming as thats just another pain, and longer wait till i can drive her again =D

I'm 99% sure it will be fine without a skim. A Mini head needs to be seriously overheated before it warps. If it was an alloy head that would be different, but those old cast-iron ones are very tolerant. Just make sure you torque it up correctly when re-fitting. Also buy a top quality gasket, not one of those cheap grey-coloured rubbish ones some of the general motor factors sell. Get one from Mini Spares or Mini Sport or one of the other major Mini parts suppliers.
It'll be back on the road in no time.

[Dan]

No, not usually. People will tell you that you must skim the head if the gasket fails, but most people have limited experience with a cast iron engine. The head and block are very rugged, iron is pretty hard to warp with a little heat. Not that you even know that the gasket failed due to heating. Gaskets do just fail because they are old. Every time you skim it you raise the compression ratio and change the valve geometry so anyone who tells you to skim it just to be on the safe side has not considered the full implications. You can only tell if it needs to be skimmed by measuring it, and should do the same to the block. Don't skim it as a matter of course though.

[Cooperman]

No, not usually. People will tell you that you must skim the head if the gasket fails, but most people have limited experience with a cast iron engine. The head and block are very rugged, iron is pretty hard to warp with a little heat. Not that you even know that the gasket failed due to heating. Gaskets do just fail because they are old. Every time you skim it you raise the compression ratio and change the valve geometry so anyone who tells you to skim it just to be on the safe side has not considered the full implications. You can only tell if it needs to be skimmed by measuring it, and should do the same to the block. Don't skim it as a matter of course though.

"SNAP"

[Big_Adam]

Thank you BMC, for making engines out of MANLY IRON, rather than prissy alloys.

[MRA]

To measure you would need to use a straight edge, I don't mean something that looks "kind of straight" I mean a calibrated straight edge, which is a very precise peice of equipment, reserved for special occasions.

No a ruler is not a straight edge

[Jonesy7]

No, not usually. People will tell you that you must skim the head if the gasket fails, but most people have limited experience with a cast iron engine. The head and block are very rugged, iron is pretty hard to warp with a little heat. Not that you even know that the gasket failed due to heating. Gaskets do just fail because they are old. Every time you skim it you raise the compression ratio and change the valve geometry so anyone who tells you to skim it just to be on the safe side has not considered the full implications. You can only tell if it needs to be skimmed by measuring it, and should do the same to the block. Don't skim it as a matter of course though.

"SNAP"

Thanks guys that a huge relief so i can just hopefully change the gasket tomorrow, got it off mini sport llus the timing chain

[oli]

Mine cost £30 today for a skim.

[Jonesy7]

Oh and do i need and special tools :s

Or will my standard toolbox do the job?

[Scallywag630]

You must have a torque wrench.

[MiniLandy]

I managed for years and years without a torque wrench - but I have had one for many years now, and ideally it should be used.

Didn't this come up in a thread recently?

Get a torque wrench, it's a worthwhile investment.

If you've got the time, get a valve spring compressor and valve lapping kit, and relap the valves. Not strictly necessary, but worth doing if you have the time

[Jonesy7]

Oh and another question, where are the timing marks to line it all up?

[Dan]

You don't need to worry about that if you've only had the head off, the cam is in the block remember and you haven't had the timing apart.