Engine coolant leak

[Sparkrite]

I have just noticed some coolant leaking from the joint between the block and the gearbox on my tcs.the drips trickle part way down the sump. And this is on an engine that has not run in 3 months. I have wiped them and they reappear the next day.

[jbcollier]

From the head gasket?

[BDA]

I’m not sure but I THINK there is a freeze plug on the back of the block behind the flywheel.

If that’s where the leak is coming from, you will probably have to take the flywheel off to replace it. If so, remember to put it back on in the same position relative to TDC since it has your ignition timing marks.

[Sparkrite]

The head gasket is clearly visible and I cant see it from there. I have copied this pic from the net and BDA may be right.

[EuropaTC]

I think he might be right as well. I had a look in the Miles Wilkins book this morning, the images are poor quality on that aspect but it does look as if he's showing drifting a plug into the rear of the block.

I can't remember myself, it's just so long since I've been there. It might be worth getting the cover plate off at the rear of the engine/clutch bellhousing and poking a fibre optic borescope up there to see if you can find streaks of rust.

If so, it won't be a fun job. You can get the gearbox out without moving the engine but it's a heck of a lot of dismantling.

Brian

[Sparkrite]

I am discovering one problem after another. I may well have to put the whole thing on hold as It is increasingly clear that this car needs a body off, full restoration and I jusf dont have the space now.

[BDA]

Bummer! Care to share some pictures and descriptions? It might not be as bad as you think.

[Sparkrite]

This is a run down since I bought it 3 months ago.
The windscreen was broken by the transporter and they still haven't paid.
Most of the work has been removing the world's largest amount of rodent crap,which has corroded the cam cover, cylinder head, and carburettor bodies. I have filled two Hoover bags with what was just in the central chassis section.
What I could see of the engine internals after removing the cam cover needed a thorough clean so its a guess as to the state of the rest of the engine.
The distributor body has been ruined by over clamping at the base and needs replacing .
The fuel tanks were very rusty but only externally.
The rodents have destroyed quite a bit of the wiring which needs sorting.
The oil pressure nylon pipe is only half there after being severed.
All the joints on the gearlink need doing.
The firewall sound deadening needs replacing.
Fibreglass repairs needed to under fuel tank openings, and under the battery area.
It needs a new exhaust,wheels refurbed,new tyres,all brakes redoing,probably master cylinder as well, pedals de rusting and sorting, the recent freeze plug issue ,the seats need part recovering. The dash varnish is all cracked and would benefit from redoing.
And the body needs a new paint job.
And Ive yet to start or drive the car, or even inspect the front suspension/steering etc as I cant squeeze in the tight space around where it is now.
On the plus side it is low mileage, very original, and has a rust free original chassis.

[BDA]

Well, with all those rodents setting up housekeeping in your frame, there might be some serious rust which would mean a new (or repaired) frame but if not, a lot of that can be made nice when you take the motor and tranny out and rebuild the motor.

Check carefully for heavy rust and any creases in the sheet metal of the frame.

Taking the frame out is a big job but it's not as big as it might sound and you get a chance to de-rust it, improve access to the steering u-joint if you want, and paint it nice and pretty!

[Dilkris]

Welcome to the joys of rebuilding a TCS.  Please post pictures.

[Sparkrite]

In response to Brian/europa tc, will it work if I unbolt the gearbox at the front and rear but still leave the drive shafts attached,then remove the rear shocks and lower bolt on the rear hub carrier and unbolt the forward fixing on the trailing arms,still leaving the brake lines attached.
I figure that should enable me to pull the gearbox back just enough to clear the clutch cover.

[Dilkris]

In response to Brian/europa tc, will it work if I unbolt the gearbox at the front and rear but still leave the drive shafts attached,then remove the rear shocks and lower bolt on the rear hub carrier and unbolt the forward fixing on the trailing arms,still leaving the brake lines attached.
I figure that should enable me to pull the gearbox back just enough to clear the clutch cover.

You could.....  :-\but personally I think you would be generating a whole world of pain. Pull the engine and transaxle as one unit. Remove roll pins from the drive shafts, lower radius arms and all ancillaries and lift the complete drive train out. (Sadly I believe you will end up rebuilding the engine anyway.   )     

[Grumblebuns]

If the leak is not coming from the head gasket from the rear of the head, the only coolant related bit at the rear of the block is the 2" core plug. Be careful when you try to punch it out since there is only about a 1/4" or so clearance between the rear of the plug and #4 cylinder wall.

Will the engine turn over by hand?

[EuropaTC]

In response to Brian/europa tc, will it work if I unbolt the gearbox at the front and rear but still leave the drive shafts attached,then remove the rear shocks and lower bolt on the rear hub carrier and unbolt the forward fixing on the trailing arms,still leaving the brake lines attached.
I figure that should enable me to pull the gearbox back just enough to clear the clutch cover.

The honest answer is "I don't know". If you've measured the distances then the theory might look possible but I would imagine the physical weight involved, the pushing and forcing components into angles they aren't designed for, coupled with the poor mechanical advantage you will have is going to make that even harder work.

I changed the clutch a few years back. What I did was to undo the clutch bellhousing from the engine, knock out the drive pins in the inner driveshaft UJs (easy) and remove the speedo cable, clutch & gear linkage. Then I had to remove the rear part of the exhaust system, the box & transfer pipe (manifold stays in place). With tall axle stands supporting the chassis legs mid way between the spring/damper and rear hoop you can remove the lower links attached to the gearbox and the rear plate fixed to the back chassis hoop and then with plenty of wiggling, let the gearbox drop to the floor.

That took me a full day on a car that's fairly clean to work on with no rusted bolts/nuts. So as I said in an earlier post it's not a fun job but it is do-able by an amateur guy with some patience.  The option of removing the engine & gearbox as one unit means you'll also need to sort out the carbs/fuel, cooling & heater hoses and probably the full exhaust system as well.

Just thinking about replacing the core plug from the rear of the block then I think you will need the clutch housing well out of the way if only to get proper access. Core
 plugs need to go in and be driven squarely in place, I can't see how you'd do that with the bellhousing only a few inches away.  And of course you'll need to get the flywheel off as well so in truth it's more work than I did for my clutch.

Because it's such a big job I'd try to make sure the leak is coming from the block with a fibre borescope plugged into either your phone/tablet or a laptop. Although I can't think it's from anywhere else because you can see the head/block interface, but at least I'd be sure that the work was necessary.

Brian