60mph on 3 Cylinders?

[onecross]

So my 1960 series II 109 was not running right on the way back to Texas from California but i had to make it home by a certain time to make a flight. I ended up taking it to the shop(specializes in British sports cars) that helped me to the Tune up when i got stumped about 6000 miles ago and they did a compression test and leak-down test test which revealed the following: #1-110 #2-0 #3-110 #4-20 so i basically drove from CA to Texas on two Cylinders going ridiculously slow and praying that i would not get hit by a 18 wheeler....

Next they adjust it to get #2-30 and #4-130 now i can do 60mph but the shop said when doing the leak-down test it revealed that #2 had a burnt exhaust valve.

Now i just drove it back to my place and was hitting 60 mph on my GPS so im a little confused as why i can do 60 MPH on 3 Cylinders

I am thinking i will remove the head and have it rebuilt. if anyone has experience this or has any advice it would be much appreciated

-Mat

[woodman1]

60 mph on 3 cyls.

My 1963 series IIa was running a little rough but it never slowed down. Took it to a british repair shop. They took a compression test. It had 40 40 40 70. My valve seats had dropped down. Had a valve job and it runs fine now.

[SafeAirOne]

Hmm. I'd recommend that you check out the procedure on setting the tappet clearance. It sounds as if they were too tight and were keeping the valves open slightly, allowing them to get burned. I can't really imagine any other way to go from 20psi to 130psi on that #4 cylinder except by fully closing the valves (or doing machine-shop / rebuild stuff on the bottom end).

[Nium]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that DFW is relatively flat (looking at topo info for the area seems to support that) so 60 mph wouldn't be unreasonable on 3 cylinders but I'd be willing to bet any sort of uphill grade would really reveal that burnt vale in #2 by slowing the rig down to a crawl. Well more a crawl then is usual for a Series that is

When I use to live in Tempe, AZ never really noticed my burnt #3 exhaust valve till I tried to head up to Sunrise, AZ during a blizzard. Soon as I got out of the valley and started going up I wasn't able to do anything more then ~ 20 mph in 4x4 and had to turn around. Pulled the head when got back to Tempe and found the bad valve. Installed hardened valve seats and no worries since.

[LaneRover]

Recently I found out that my 65 was basically running on 3 cylinders (and had been for some time) I could cruise at 60 and even hit 65 or 70 on a flat stretch of road. When I did a pressure check I found that the first 2 cylinders were at 130 or so and the back two were at 25.

[onecross]

So i pulled the head and sure enough exhaust valve #2 has been burnt and #1 & 2 look like they have been warn down some. I guess that explains the 120 compression vs 130 on #4.
I did just do a 5000 mile trip and going through the mountains in Colorado was a bear on what im guessing was 3 cylinders.

hope to have it to the machine shop monday. any idea of what it will cost to get the work done?
#1

#2

#3

#4

[mongoswede]

local machine shop to me used to charge $180 for a 3 angle valve job with new valve seals on an 8v head. You might just buy all new valves if they are not too pricey and have new hardened seats put in while you are in there.

[Alaskan Rover]

Recently I found out that my 65 was basically running on 3 cylinders (and had been for some time) I could cruise at 60 and even hit 65 or 70 on a flat stretch of road. When I did a pressure check I found that the first 2 cylinders were at 130 or so and the back two were at 25.

65 to 70 MPH in a 1965 Series rover????? What the...???

The first and LAST time I did over 70 mph in my rover, a large logging truck featured significantly into the picture.

Moose Pass, Alaska: I was merrily rovering down a long downhill portion of 2-lane highway outside of Moose Pass, when I look in the mirror and notice a uniquely LARGE grill of a Peterbilt logging truck on my tail and fully loaded with large logs. The driver seemed as if he had a notion to drive right through my vehicle rather than use his brakes...or maybe he didn't have any brakes by then. I figured I had two choices and only one was even slightly tenable: 1)pull over at speed and risk going off the 400 foot drop on my right or 2)speed up as fast as I could go to keep myself from becoming a Peterbilt hood ornament. I chose option 2).

The end result: I ended up staying ahead of the logging truck until the next uphill when he slowed to a crawl and I pulled over to let the damn thing pass.

Ended up blowing the only exhaust valve I've ever blown in my life during that little episode.

Later that month I had another, but FAR scarier episoder on that same road: Was driving downhill in potential black ice conditions and ended up doing a 180 at a hairpin turn IN FRONT of another logging truck that was going the opposite way. Luckily he had already slowed down for the hairpin turn, or I most certainly would have become part of his bumper that time. I swerved, missed his bumper, but close enough that I could see the nameplate "WHITE" looming largely in my mind, and skidded to a stop...he in turn skidded to a stop also and got on his CB, which i always monitor when driving at night in Alaska, and said that was the craziest close-call/near miss he's ever seen in 20 years of hauling logs and asked me if I was alright. "No problem", I lied.

Learned two important lessons that month on the Kenai:

1) Never drive a Series IIA over 70mph unless you are being followed closely on a mountain road downhill by a logging truck that may or may not have brakes.

2) Stay the hell away from Moose Pass logging trucks.

[cousindave]

Alaskan Rover: JEEZUS!!!!!! and 8 thought drivingin new york as bad!!

[Jim-ME]

One should never have to experience being in front of a logging truck especially when you can't maintain their speed and find a safe place to pull over. BTDT plus bought the T-shirt never, ever want to do it again!
Jim