The problems never end

[12jslater]

Had the cylinder head off today, no.2 cylinder wall has two gouges about .5mm deep and 1mm across...

Yet runs fine, burns no oil and even stranger the compression is absolutely spot on.

I pressume leaving it can't hurt anything?

[Zetomagneto]

I wouldn’t leave it, sounds like loose gudgeon pin.

[12jslater]

Ah... Not good, nothing with the bloody car has been, every thing that I find is more a reason for me to sell the damned thing, this car is cursed, constant coolant leaks that should be easy to fix seem incurable without hours of sanding and checking surfaces are flat over and over, charging issues, issues with the gearbox, oil pressure and now this.

I think I'll sell the car and cut my losses, I know old cars require maintenance but this is absolutely ridiculous, spent in excess of 6k now on the old girl and I'd be lucky to get back 4, thanks for the help but I think this is the straw that broke the camels back haha

[Bob Culver]

Have heard many tales of cars of various makes run with damaged cylinders. The ring gap can be .030 forming a leakage path say .030x .010" so engines tolerate considerable leakage. Some claim scores can be filled with solder!
Old cars which have been extensively worked on by all and sundry over the decades are usually riddled with troubles, and Sevens were worked on far more than most. It often takes much more than an experienced modern general mechahic to sort. A major reason moderns are so reliable is mechanics have no cause to work on them.

[Ladybird]

I guess all owners of vintage cars, especially those who do their own work can understand your frustration. We’re quite new to Sevens and have gone through our own series of problems from the outset, many of them caused by poor work done by previous owners. This forum has been a great support. We have tried to fix as we go and use the car as much as possible, they seem to deteriorate quickly if not used regularly. At the end of the day we run our car for fun. If overcoming the challenges to enjoy using the car doesn’t give you pleasure I think you’re wise to cut your losses and move on to something that does....

[Howard Wright]

Hi

I feel your pain.

Before doing anything drastic check if the grooves line up with the gudgeon pin, ie are in line with the engine. If they are not then it’s more likely a ring broken.

 Also check to see if the grooves are new or old.  If they appear old they may have been present before the last engine rebuild.

It’s probably not the best time to sell.  Coronavirus has probably hit the market as buyers are not travelling to view and redundancies have had an impact.  Check out the number of people quoting “circumstances have changed” as a reason to sell.

I for one will be sorry to lose you from the forum. You’ve been a good contributor.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Cheers

Howard

[David Stepney]

Jake,

I feel for you! Since I bought my RP saloon two years ago, I have spent a substantial amount of money chasing all sorts of problems that have occurred as a result of (a) the car standing for 25 years before I bought it and (b) the poor standard of maintenance it received over the years. It wasn't that it hadn't been maintained, just that it had been done by people with more enthusiasm than skill. However, each job done improves the car's condition and makes it more reliable. Hang onto that thought and don't despair!

[Tony Griffiths]

Old cars which have been extensively worked on by all and sundry over the decades are usually riddled with troubles, and Sevens were worked on far more than most.

Happily, while the chassis and engine all appear solid, my new acquisition of an old flame has brought to light some horrific short-cuts. We should start a thread on "Desperate Bodges". Here's one, the starting handle with a superbly-crafted replacement for the brass sleeve - two bits of wood lashed together with insulating tape. OK, I'll hand it to the previous owner, he did use a vintage style of tape, not the modern stuff.

[Stuart Giles]

I think almost everyone who has done work on a Seven will have discovered some hideous bodges. Here's a couple from motors I've had cause to work on.

From the state of the flywheel and crank tapers, it was obvious that the flywheel had come loose on this one. Do you lap the two together and keep an eye on the gap between the flywheel and thrower? no, you splurge Araldite all over the taper, tighten the nut and hope for the best.



Front bearing retaining flange missing? replace with a durable steel version? why do this when you can replace the rear main with a stepped roller bearing -of course now the crank can float backwards and forwards  because there's nothing positively locating it, but hey! Not so visible in this crankcase is the crack (just above the web between 2 and 3 cylinders) where a Lumiweld/ snake oil low temp ali rod repair made to the centre cam bearing housing has failed again.



One I don't have a photo of as it pre dates digital photography, is when I stripped a motor to find that someone had made a copper foil patch for a blown head gasket. This had been let in over the fire ring area of the gasket and also  had what seemed like half a tube of red Hermatite  spread around/over  it, which as it had gone up the stud holes, made removing the cylinder head an interesting experience.

Getting back to the original post, I would have to investigate that scoring, if it is caused by the gudgeon pin, the small end locating bolt may have snapped or dropped out, Which will cause a rod failure before too long. If it is a broken ring(s) problem it is likely to result in a piston failure as the lands collapse caused by the loose bits of piston ring.

[Steve kay]

Good lord, Stuart, there was me calling down curses and imprecations on the idiot who I won't name even thuogh he has never come anywhere near this site, who seemed to think that as long as the outside diameter of  a bolt was similar to what came out, there was no real difference between imperial and metric thread when graunching back into aluminium. Also seemed to beleive that washers were the spawn of the devil and should not be in jars or boxes in the workshop, let alone applied to defenceless motor cars. I will not enter the photographic competition, you're pretty close to winning, unless......


As to scored bores, I have also just discovered a no. 2 cylinder displaying a perfect symetrical pair of tramlines. I might just have put on a clean and tight block lurking under the stairs but for the fact that the scraped block is correctly early with screw in core plugs, so off it has gone for liners.