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The only place for a coil spring is up Zebedee's arse
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Thought I'd share my musings on the new car, as I work my way through all of its issues. and there are many!
Firstly, dealing with missfires reported on #5 and #8. I'm guessing these are related to the oil leak/ gush from somewhere at the top of the engine. Everything under the bonnet is oily and old looking anyway:
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So... into the top end.
What a pain in the @rse getting the upper inlet and rocker covers off. So much plumbing and wiring in the way, as well as having to clean everything before exposing the innards
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Major moan- I have a huge amount of sockets that I've amassed over the years, of all shapes and sizes and drive sizes, but did I have a bi-hex 8mm 1/4 drive socket to get the rocker covers off? I did not, and they're not easy to get hold of at short notice. Ended up paying £7 on Amazon Prime, for 1 tiny socket.Most I've ever paid for a socket of any size!
Anyway, rocker covers off. Rocker gaskets had deteriorated into inflexible bakelite like material, so there's the top end leak! What is surprising is the pristine state of the heads and valve gear. After 100 000 ish miles since Turner tophat engine went in, I was expecting a blackened mess, but instead found this:
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So, today, leak-down test all cylinders then back together with new leads and plugs
Onwards...

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Machinemart sell a set of 1/4" sockets that are neither hex nor 12 point, but some odd arrangement that fit just about anything - I bought them specifically for the 8mm, that fits the rocker cover bolts. Now use them all the time for just about any small bolt.

Quite a lot more faffing with a Thor inlet isn't there! Espicially with LPG... mine will be coming off on the weekend to do a leaking rocker cover gasket too. Will definitely be using RTV this time!

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Enjoy that. All those crunchy electrical cables and connectors just waiting to fracture!
I'm probably going to recable my LPG while I'm in there. Get rid of all the extraneous cable in the standard length loom and make a neat tidy sub loom for the LPG, nicely bound in heat resistant braiding/ screening.
Far too much insulation tape, random single wires and cable ties for my liking!

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The way the rockers look is a good sign of what to expect further inside the engine OB, it says it has had it's intervals of fresh oil and not running hot, given the fact it runs on LPG.
The fact it is filthy outside does not automatically imply it is not taken care for. Looks good!

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I'm surprised you didn't already have the bi-hex socket as even my 93 Classic had those same bolts on the rocker covers so I would have assumed you would have had one for your 95. I must admit, when I needed one I went into a local Toolstation and told the guy I was looking for a 12 point, 8mm socket, so he gave me a 13mm and said it should be close enough.

If they are the slightest bit hardened, it might be worth getting some 4mm gas hose from Tinley Tech and replacing the injector to manifold LPG hoses too while you are in there.

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You'd think so, but I've never had the rocker covers off the '95 and every other RV8 I've ever dug into had cheese head screws!
May well do all the hoses in the medium term as a preventative measure, but LPG hoses are all still soft (ish) and flexible.
Love the 12.8mm socket story :)

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I bought a set of stainless steel Allen screws on eBay when I did my rocker cover gaskets.

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Satisfyingly, the leak-down test was passed with flying colours. Plugs and HT leads next...

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Reflecting this morning about how unpleasant it is to do a 3 stage clean of the RR's underparts, or at least the front ones. Ultimately satisfying to see exactly what's hidden under all the oily muck, but the fact that all of the muck transfers to self indicates that the job is best done by... someone else.
I'll put off removing/ replacing what's left of the baked/ flaking Waxoil until some indeterminate time in the future though, and get on with putting it back together now...

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Well, at least it has been loved in the past. I suspect you're right though, the guys who do the whole job for £500 make a good case

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Awww cr@p. Just went to clean upper inlet manifold. Tipped it and a few of tablespoons of engine oil poured out down my leg!
If I had to pin down which cylinder intakes I'd say 7 or 8, but hard to tell cos when I moved it the oil washed around everywhere.
So...
No breather hoses collapsed. Oil separator tree thingy cleanish. Negligible leak-down on all cylinders. Where the feck is it coming from?
Thoughts on a postcard??!!

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I don't think it's that uncommon to have some vapour condense and sit in the manifold, though mine hasn't done that to me before. Probably because most of the oil escapes through other still undetermined means. Had some buildup in other cars though, and its usually worse when a turbo is involved.

Not sure I've had enough to pour out rather than drip though. Hmmmm

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Right- I've slammed the workshop door on it and walked away to ponder.
So, massive oil leak from top end, which I put down to crunchy rocker gaskets. Oil in inlet which could have come through breather pipes (nowhere else for it to have come from really), so likely pressurising crankcase.
Good result on leak-down test so compression rings must be OK.
Conclusion- one or more oil control rings stuck. A possible scenario as June 2013 to July 2014 it did 13 miles and then only 2667 miles to MOT in Nov 16 when I bought it.
The fix- heads off, sump off, pistons out.
That's a large lump of cash I don't want to spend.
ARP studs- £130
Big end shells (stupid not to while I've got it down) - £33.00
Bottom end gaskets- £15.00
Ring set £76.50
Conrod bolts- £37.60
Top gasket set £99.00
Bloody £400 :(
Or I could pour a generous shot of Mystery Oil down each pot, leave to marinade for a few days, put it all back together again, then take it all to bits again.
Hmmmm

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Marinade it, put it back together then thrash the goolies off it. That'll clear it out. Only pull it apart if it starts drinking oil.

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Goolies?! I'll have you know it's a she (named Patience by the kids) and she certainly doesn't have goolies.

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OK, thrash the tits off it then......

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:)
Just remembered, threw the last of my Mystery Oil in a lawn tractor a couple of weeks ago. ATF/ Acetone mix a suitable alternative?

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Probably, I usually use diesel.

The sex of a car can be a problem. I always referred to mine as a she but Dina has this habit of giving character to a car. When she first saw the Innocenti Mini I bought a few months ago in France she said it was a small boy. She said she could imagine it running around kicking a football and climbing trees. So I asked her what the ex-plod was and she said it's a big, strong dependable man and always refers to it as big white man. So what is it now?

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OK- plan for today. Good soak for all cylinders and continue putting top end back together. Hopefully get it back to the stage where running and driveable by Tuesday, giving me enough time to road test and get the parts I'd need to pull the heads/ sump/ pistons ordered and here before Christmas if I need to go there.
I was wondering how to fill the gap between Queens speech and Jools Holland. Now have a feeling I'll have plenty to do!

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Found a bottle of Redex injector cleaner. Mostly Naptha so that'll do nicely for marinating the pistons!