Saving Old Seagulls

phil wrote:You have had the head off then and seen that they are clear?

Sorry about that as you said it was a model 102 AD.

So when you say it's pumping enough water, are you going by the telltale where the cooling water enters the exhaust tube?
Is it possible that the only exit water is that coming out the telltale, with none exiting inside the exhaust tube?

I took the pipe off and the water "pisses" out,like I said the water jacket is clear

Stelios_Rjk wrote:So the screws on the con rod cap was tight right?

Any coke deposits in the area near the little end? I had an occasion with a piston that had a small hole and let the combustion reach the little end, but this won't be the reason to get your engine run hot..

In addition, do I see a discoloration on the big end?

Yes the cap is tight,the discolouration is not heat related I've stripped hundreds of motors in 27 years and can't see what the problem is with this one! Maybe it's time to quit?

Charles uk wrote:I think David is right, it urgently needs a full strip down!

If the crankcase is running hotter than the cylinder base next to it, ignoring the insulating paper gasket between them & the fact that there is about 400 litres of cooling petrol/air mix passing through it every minute, there is a major source of heat creation where there should be none!

It shoud be very obvious on inspection, where the problem lies, if it will stop the motor.

Charlie,I think I'll stick to the Anzanis...

I understand that we may are boring insisting on the water jacket but there are few things that could go wrong on these motors.

So about this matter. Have you also undone the fitting that screws on the cylinder? Not just the pipe from the fitting.

And no, certainly it's not time to quit. In my short experience I have realized that some things don't want to get fixed one day. On this day you have to have a break and do something else. The next day after the brake, usually, the problem will be fixed.

Stelios_Rjk wrote:I understand that we may are boring insisting on the water jacket but there are few things that could go wrong on these motors.

So about this matter. Have you also undone the fitting that screws on the cylinder? Not just the pipe from the fitting.

And no, certainly it's not time to quit. In my short experience I have realized that some things don't want to get fixed one day. On this day you have to have a break and do something else. The next day after the brake, usually, the problem will be fixed.

You are certainly not boring me,quite the contrary,I enjoy the "banter" online! It's just that I've checked EVERYTHING and there is no apparent reason for the overheating I think I'll just build the motor up again and try it once more,then it can retire to a quiet corner of my shed...a place where Seagulls go to die! It will have a 1928 ELTO Ruddertwin for company

If it is to retire maybe it's time this engine to go south

Stelios_Rjk wrote:If it is to retire maybe it's time this engine to go south

Hmm,I doubt if it would survive a tour of the Greek Islands... I could always take it as far as the Algarve,I have friends in Budens... Just imagine the trail of blue smoke across the Med...

The SD needs another 102 model. She told me that she feels uncomfortable with so many square blocks around

Do you have another 102 cylinder around that you could swap with the one that is on there to see if that makes a difference?

Is it possible that there may be some problem with the lower unit that shows up after some running time.
Perhaps you have had it apart and confirmed that there is no possibility of a problem there?

The main bearing journals on your crank do look very polished, I can't see the bearing faces in your picture to see if there is any signs of out of line wear.

Is there a motorcycle tune up workshop near you that you could ask to have a look at your crank & crankcase?
Seagull built these crankcases in matched pairs, if someone has replaced one side & the main bearings don't line up perfectly when tightened up against the cylinder, could account for symptoms like yours.

Remember if your Seagull was female, it would now be getting it's old age pension & various bits of it's anatomy might need some remedial attention!

Ive been reading threw all of this thread about how hot its getting. After looking at the pictures that's been posted I cant see any visual signs of overheating. If its getting so hot that you cant hold your fingers around the crankcases as its running, that's normal for my seagull motors here in Oz. If you pour a bit of water around the crankcases and cyl as its running and the water sizzles and boils away, Than you have a problem. If its not doing that, just leave it alone and realise its running at normal temp and you have nothing to worry about. Altering the point gap and using a different blend or brand of fuel and oil can also make an engine run warmer than normal. If it was me I would just leave it go and go out and enjoy some time on the water. I have raced ski-boats B4 with 2.4 EFI Bridgeport mercury motors. The water comes out the 2 tale tales so hot it looks like the kettle has just boiled, But that's how they are supposed to run so they can burn up all the fuel. Different motor I know, but all alloy engine like that could handle it so a sea can to I reckon.

Mercurys run hotter as they have a thermostat, Seagull's don't have that luxury.

Wasn't this motor stopping because it was too hot?

Can owners tell us how hot their crankcases are running, so that we can arrive at an average range.

He said its getting hot, but not stopping. Mine do get hot around the crankcase area so much a cant touch it. Its been this way ever since ive been running ignition modules to replace the point assemblys. More than likely its because the timing has been changed running the modules. My 40-plus however runs hot and it uses wipac ignition and points.

One mans hot is another's man warm (otherwise we would all be going for the same girlfriend/wife)
Is it really overheating?

I guess it also depends how hot the tell tail water is, when my seagulls overheat, only steam comes out