Replacing cylinder liner gaskets

I finally got around to attempting to fix a long-term problem with my 1951 TED20 - that of the cylinder liners sitting too low in the block. This (I have been led to believe) has caused the head gasket to blow several times.

Once I got the liners out, this is what I found:








:-} A big mess of dirt and sludge, and virtually no sign of the gaskets that must have once been there!

Having cleaned it out, placed the new gaskets, replaced the liners, replaced the cylinders and put it all back together again - she started right up. After running for a short time I noticed a small amount of water seeping out from the corners of the head gasket. I was worried that perhaps this time I had left the cylinder liners sitting too high in the block. I retensioned the head to the maximum in the torque range and that seemed to fix the problem.

I worked the tractor hard for about half an hour and it seemed fine... certainly the cooling system was working better than ever before. In fact the temperature never rose much above the low end of the operating range. If anything, I would have preferred that it got a bit hotter. The oil pressure also sat towards the bottom of the operating range - not ideal, but it seems to be normal for this tractor.

Overall I'm happy with the results so far. I will check the head tension and valve clearances again next time I get a chance - and hope that this time I have a working tractor for more than a few hours!

- TS

The oil pressure for this engine should be between 40 - 60psi at 1000rpm (half throttle) It is quite possible that the oil pump is worn and that is the cause of the low pressure, you can fit a Rotor Pack quite easily. That mess in the Block could have been avoided if the engine had been filled with anti-freeze in winter and an inhibitor in summer from new, to stop all that corrosion, but most people just fill it with water which is really no good at all. Water seeping out of the Head gasket dos seem like the liners maybe too high (did you check them?) but it could also be that the head is slightly warped and could have done with resurfacing. The temperature problem would be due to the cooling system not being pressurised due to leak at gaskets so it could not get as hot as it should do. The thermostat should open at 56 - 64 deg C and be fully open at 77 deg C, maybe you should check if it does have the correct one fitted right now, it will be marked. Look for rusty water marks on the hoses and block generally, this will indicate a leak and if there is a leak it will mean that there isn't as much pressure in the cooling system as there should be and if that is the case it will not get as hot as it should do and boil sooner than it should. The Radiator cap should be checked to see if the correct one is fitted, it should be marked 4psi....John

When I did the top end of my TEA and first started it up there was a slight water leak from the corner of the head too. I let it idle to get it up to temperature and then shut it off and let it cool for the night after retorquing the head. This sealed the head gasket nicely (I used a copper one)

Thanks for the responses. John (UK), I am beginning to understand all those things and I'll keep them in mind. I do not have a thermostat installed... it seems to be common practice here in Australia to remove them - Summer is coming up and it should be OK.

My gauge just has coloured ranges - no numbers, so it is hard to know what the actual pressure is. Should I get a new gauge? I will consider a new oil pump. I have a new radiator cap (the old one just let water straight through!) so I don't understand why the water pressure would be low. I'll keep an eye on it.

Thanks again - I'm just happy to have a working machine again.

- TS