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MG TD TF 1500 - Stuck cylinder head

I'm in the process of cylinder head removal and it was a tough son of a gun!! I had a bit of help via a local club member and also found out something else based on what finaly freed the head and I wanted to share it for others who might be having a similar problem.

Once all the head nuts were removed, I put all the plugs back in the head and turned the engine over to pop the head loose in a few places (do so with the ignition off to avoid having the fuel pump go, or make sure it's disconnected). This got the head loose enought that I was able to fit a VERY small putty knife under the head and start to work it loose. Be careful not to damage the head or deck.

I had finally been able to slip the putty knife under the entire surface of the head, but it still wouldn't release. after a more careful inspection, I found that the head was loose on all the studs except the aft most stud on the manifold side. This led me to start letting penetrating oil down the stud sleve.

I then put a nut back on the stud and used multiple light hammer blows on the nut (nut surface was held above the stud). Then, a lever was slipped between the head and the block and was worked back and forth until it freed up.

Once removed, a large amount of rust was found on the stud's surface confirming my conclusion. A long time was spent thinking I had not freed the head from the gasket, and I wanted to share this with the group so that perhaps in the future, someone may search here for a soulution to their stuck head and find the same problem I had.

Good luck to all you MGers.

Alex
ABW Waugh

Alex.
I find the using a length of tope fed through the spark plug hole will help push the cylinder head up without any damage. just keep lowering the piston and add more rope. It will wok.
Sandy
SANDY SANDERS

Sandy... that's a dandy idea. Thanks for the tip.

Alex
ABW Waugh

Where would you go to buy all the wisdom that is free on this board?
Love it!

Cheers,
Matthew.
Matthew Magilton

Alex,

Corrosion on the center studs is very, very common. Since I was replacing my manifold studs anyway, I simply put a block of wood under them (with the manifolds removed) and whacked away with a sledge until the head inched up and off the corrosion. The manifold studs were a lot stronger than I thought... they didn't even deform or bend!

I like Sandy's tip of using a rope.

warmly,
Dave
Dave Braun

This thread was discussed between 23/05/2010 and 24/05/2010

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