Hi all,

Been overseas for 6 weeks and drove (tried to) the magna for the first time this morning.
It started like a dog as always but once warm it felt ok. I think it always starts rough beacuse the auto choke is on too much maybe but thats not what i'm writing for today.

I got about 5 minutes from the house and it started make a weird noise over about 1500rpm. Kind of a tapping noise but it didnt sound metalic, more like a thud i could feel. Drove it home under 1500 rpm, didnt notice it overheating but i cant say i was looking at the gauge much. Opened the bonnet and got the old man to listen while i revved it but he couldnt really hear it. Could only really hear and feel it from inside the car. Noticed a small amount of white foamy stuff leaking from the radiator cap which i though was from when i opened it the day before to check the water but when i took it off water exploded everywhere! Not burnt luckily, haha. I played around with the heater switch on the dash which stopped the noise but now there is white foam coming out of the open radiator while its running. Theres no foam or water on the dip stick and theres no foam or water under the oil cap.

I did a search on here and found similar sounding things that people said was air in the heater core and this would maybe have something to do with why the noise went away after i played with the dials. How does this then link to the foam in the radiator?

Everything else i find in the searches says gasket or cracket head for white foam so i'm assuming the worst at this stage.

What else should i check and test before i throw this thing away?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks guys,

Aaron

Most likely just the head gasket, does it blow steam??

well u could change all ur engine gaskets and see if that worked and if it hasn't u might need to get the head resurfaced of get another second one from the wreckers.
eabay has the full vrs engine gasket kit for our first gens, it's about $55 + postage.


just in case . this is a bargin +a second hand head(in good nick)+ the vrs kit and everything else from the old engine and u can't go wrong.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/MAGNA-TP-ENGINE-BLOCK-AND-PISTONS-BRAND-NEW_W0QQitemZ330023677789QQihZ014QQcategoryZ10400Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

don't give up on her just yet cause she might need another head or engine gaskets. threre not hard job just time consuming

Thanks for the replies guys.

Yeah it blows white smoke or steam but used to go away after a while so i figured it was water in the exhaust as it stays outside. Didnt drive it long enough today to see if it went away or not and also today is freezing in melb so every car looks like its blowing steam.

Is head gasket change a hard job? Ive got basic tools but no garage.
Ive worked on cars before as i used to drive a ford xb coupe, the magna was just something to get me buy untill i get something else but now i spent all the money from selling the coupe on the OS trip so i'm stuck with a useless magna and no cash.

If all it takes is the gasket and a torque wrench then i could give it a go.

Does the cam and head all come of in one go or would i need to reinstall everything seperatly?

main thing ull need to do the gaskets is a socket set, torque wrench ,vrs gaskets(might as well get the kit and do them all),rtv sealant incase , manual is a good idea or i can scan what u need out of my manual.
now i think the kit comes with the valve stem seal as well. u metioned the white smoke, so there worth doing at the same time.
now with that being said if ur gonna take off ur head and do the gaskets ,valve stem seals u might want to think for the future and look and the condition of ur timing chain and oil pump. just saying cos u can get a kit for the timing chain for $99 + postage and theres also a balance shaft elimination kit for $30 + postage.
it's just that there common things to wear on the astronII , so in summary if i was going to take off or replace the head id spend the extra $130 for the other kits i mentioned and that way u know the engine is good for a for another 100 000klms without to many hassles apart from maintaining it.

but thats only a suggestion , if u need any info just ask and im sure we can walk u through the jobs u need doing. doing the gaskets might take u all day seeing as u haven't worked on it before. but as long as uve got time, common sense and patient im surwe u can do it. ive done all the work on my tp execpt for the ball joints ( need a specialist). but before the magna ive only worked on old fords before 1975, so i recon u'd be fine.

Thanks guys.

If i was going to keep the car longer term i would definately take your advice and do the other things while the head is off but as its just a temporary car i dont think i will. Also the bottom end has done about 420,000 as i think its original and thats what the dash reads so if i look at replacing other little things i'm sure everything will need replacing.

If i was to pay someone to do it how much would i be looking at provided it is just the gasket and the head isnt damaged?

Is it hard to do the stem seals? Do i need specialised tools for any of this? I have spanners but i will need to buy a torque wrench, whats a suitable one worth?

Thanks for the help,

Aaron

Thanks guys.

If i was going to keep the car longer term i would definately take your advice and do the other things while the head is off but as its just a temporary car i dont think i will. Also the bottom end has done about 420,000 as i think its original and thats what the dash reads so if i look at replacing other little things i'm sure everything will need replacing.

If i was to pay someone to do it how much would i be looking at provided it is just the gasket and the head isnt damaged?

Is it hard to do the stem seals? Do i need specialised tools for any of this? I have spanners but i will need to buy a torque wrench, whats a suitable one worth?

Thanks for the help,

Aaron

I got quoted for two hours labor to get it off then two to get it back on, I ended up doing it my self and the hardest part was cracking the bolt holding the timing sprocket to the cam shaft.

What else should i check and test before i throw this thing away?

before you jump to conclusions, easiest way to check for a blown head gasket is while the car is running (and is at operating temperature) check the radiator for bubbles. dont open the cap while the car is hot, have the cap open and get the car to the right temperature.

this will also give you a chance to top up the radiator with the thermostat open so the water pump is able to pump the air out of the system. make sure your heater is on all the way to hot.

also, get your hands on a compression tester and test the cylinders. that can show problems with the gasket or head as well.


white smoke is not always steam anyways. in these cold months my car has been making lots of steam until the car gets to at least operating temp. blue smoke indicates burning of oil.

as for the colour of coolant, if it's milky white, then it's usually mixed with oil. foam doesn't always mean oil is mixed with the coolant however. additives like clemiweld or other horrible stuff can foam up.

edit:oopsy... left the window open and not pressed submit till now. lol

Is it hard to do the stem seals? Do i need specialised tools for any of this? I have spanners but i will need to buy a torque wrench, whats a suitable one worth?

you'll need a set of sockets more so than spanners but sometimes spanners are useful. rocker cover bolts are 12mm, head bolts are 17mm (two are 12mm from memory into the timing cover, but need an small extension). need a 22mm for the camshaft sprocket. the rockers need a 12mm to take off. 12mm or 14mm will get your exhaust manifold off the head.

torque wrench worth about no less than $40 would be ideal. I personally dont trust cheaper ones.

Valve seals dont need a special tool as such. you will need to get the valves out of the head to do them. that needs set of valve spring compressors. and for what it's worth, get some valve regrind paste and the regrinding tool and clean up the valve seats. you are going to the trouble of taking the head and valve off, may as well do it.

good luck, and post more questions if you get stuck. :)

Hey guys,

put the car into the mechanic yesterday and he sent the radiator off to be checked for blockages first. Thermostat is ok.

Radiator tester said that its been stretched, like the pressure has blown it up a bit like a baloon but it hasnt cracked yet. Does this sound normal? Never heard of this before. I would have thought that if there was that much pressure then a hose or something would go before the radiator stretched. He said that it needs a new radiator and the head checked. I havent dealt with this guy before as he took over the business of my old mechanic so i'm not sure what to do. The cars worth nothing and done 420,000 so i think i will do it all myself, if at all.

What will it cost to have the head crack tested etc if i take it off myself? I'm in the western suburbs of melbourne (essendon) where would i take it?

Anymore input would be good guys,

Thanks

Aaron

The stretching radiator sounds like total bull**** to me.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/MITSUBISHI-MAGNA-TM-TN-TP-TR-TS-VRS-GASKET-SET-NEW_W0QQitemZ270022630315QQihZ017QQcategoryZ31251Q QssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Would this be ok?

Is it hard to change those valve stem seals?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/MITSUBISHI-MAGNA-TM-TN-TP-TR-TS-VRS-GASKET-SET-NEW_W0QQitemZ270022630315QQihZ017QQcategoryZ31251Q QssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Would this be ok?

Is it hard to change those valve stem seals?

if u read futher down the page it states that the kit is a gasket kit for a head thats had the head re-ground and no it dosen't tell u if it comes with the valuve seals.

i have seen vrs full gasket kits with the valve seals included for a normal head so im sure if u look hard enough u'll find it.

I thought it says for valve regrind so it comes with the seals?

Thanks for the heads up mate.

Wheres the best place to get a gasket and what are they worth?

Thanks for the heads up mate.

Wheres the best place to get a gasket and what are they worth?

repco are pretty good or auto barn. most auto stores can order them in if there not in stock.

HEy guys,

I went to get a manual today and they only had the TN one, is this the same as TP for changing the head gasket?

Also its says to turn the motor in the normal direction to find top dead centre. Ive never though about which way it spins? If i'm looking at the motor from the passenger side in front of the crank pulley which way do i turn it? Any tips on getting it in the perfect spot to help with getting the dissy etc back in right later?

ok well i got the head off. How do i tell if it was actually the gasket? The metal rings in the gasket around each cylinder are still intact.

I took pics of the gasket and head and each cylinder, do you guys think you would be able to see anything from them? If so i can send them to someone to host.

Hey thanks for that mate.

How much does it cost to have the head shaved? Does that mean i will have to pay them to take the valves and cam etc off then put them back on again or can they do it with the head all together?

How do i clean the water passages etc out?

Ah why can't you disturb the carbon build up? I scraped/wiped mine of with a rag covered in petrol.

that was a silly thing to do

who ever taught you to do that was not trained very well

I just thought it could do with a clean :P

So now I ask, why?