Head Gasket Replacement

[Tiger Tony]

Hi Guys - Never posted here before, but I recently blew the head gasket out of my '03 Tiger and I'd really appreciate some input. I haven't had a chance to check whether the head is warped or not, But I'm concerned about replacing the liners. There wasn't any coolant in my engine oil and the dealer quoted me $250 for the tool to pull the liners, not to mention the cost of the liners themselves. I've read all the posts and some recommend doing the liners and pistons while I'm in there, but I'd like to hear some discussion on this point. So far, I'm getting away with only $100 to the dealer for gaskets, sealing washers and o-rings, which I am ecstatic about. Your input please.

[Sin_Tiger]

I looked at your location and thought, great another Scottish Tiger  :oops: as usual I didn't read the whole thing - numpty.

You shouldn't need a special tool to pull the liners. Can you turn the engine over with the head still on? If so then at least they're not seized, have you done a compression test?

Personally I wouldn't go jumping in ordering parts till you've got it opened up, you might be pleasantly surprised about the cylinder condition, they are pretty robust beasts. $100 for gaskets sounds suspiciously cheap  :icon_scratch

[Tiger Tony]

I could turn the engine over just fine. I've pulled the head already. After adding a liter or so of coolant and finding it dribbling into my exhaust, I figured I could skip the compression test.  :) Here are a few pics. I appreciate your response. (Wish I was in Dundee, Scotland, I hear there is very good riding in the Highlands)

[Mustang]

Here are a few pics.

[Sin_Tiger]

I think Mustang is trying to hint at reducing the pic size a bit   please.

I think you may be lucky and have gotten away without serious damage, difficult to say from a few pics. Certainly the liners are good, honing marks still evident and no signs of seizure.

[Tiger Tony]

I re-sized the pics, hope that works better. I wanted to keep them large so you could see the details. I'm very relieved to hear you think I avoided serious damage. I take advanced motorcycle training classes at the local community college and I arrange with my instructor to bring my head in today. They have a complete tool shop and the first step will be to place it on a surface plate. If it's not warped, then I'll start a full valve job. I'll post pics as I make progress. Question, is there anything else I should look at replacing while I'm in there? I'll certainly inspect whatever I can get my hands on and make sure it's within service limits, but appreciate an experienced point of view. The school is excellent, but they don't know Triumph's. Thanks again.

[Sin_Tiger]

That's better I can sit a bit nearer the screen now  :lol:

Anything with rubber or gasket material in it, I'd be tempted to replace the rings but not rebore, the liners should come out for inspection to be on the safe side and you're going to have to clean up and redo the liner to block sealing at the base. There is an excellent thread with pics on that subject. That will also give you an opportunity to feel for wear or roughness on the con rod top and bottom ends.

It would be worth getting the head pressure tested even if it doesn't show up warped, might even be worth doing the inlet valves depending on teh clearance, again there is heaps here on that subject.

Now for the resident guru on this and many other subjects may I introduce Mustang ..... take it away  :D