I have a small project...at last!

[Steve]

I drove the MG again today, and she developed a rather agricultural sound. I have tracked it down easily enough, the guilty part being the gasket between the maifold and the catalytic convertor. Replacement is $6.95, but this is the first time in a couple of years that I have needed to fix something on this car, the last being a replacement water pump. Unusual for an MG I know, but this car has been boringly reliable......it's fun to turn wrenches! My baby needs me! At last!

 

[Bret]

Hey Steve,

Count your blessings your B has been so good to you. But I think that you've got your work cut out for you. I say this as I've walked down this same road about two years ago. So if ya don’t mind I’m going to pass some thoughts that you might helpful.

The Gasket between the Manifold & the Catalytic Converter is (or can be) kind of tricky item to replace. If you look at the image below you’ll see that there are several manufactures of these gaskets and quality can vary drastically from one to the next. The two shown to the right are from Victoria British (VB) and Moss. In my view these are cheap and will fail rather quickly. The third is what came with my new Cat.

As you can see it has a metal liner or ring on the gasket on the left makes it much stronger and less susceptible to the hot gases and the high heat generated my the Cat. Kind'a looks like a head gasket. Anyway I highly recommend that you try to replace the ringed gasket that came with the cat. Not sure where you can find one but it might save you from having to revisit this issue.

My second recommendation is to go ahead and completly remove the manifold from the engine and replace all of the cat's mounting hardware. As you can see from the second image below, it’s a rather tight area to work with in the first place from under your car. So removing it makes the Manifold/Cat gasket replacment simple and a heck of a lot easier. It will also allow you to througlhy inspect things. I know it sound like a a lot of work & royal pain in the rear, but if you trust me on this one – you’ll thank me later.

If you take my advice and remove the manifold from the head don’t forget to get a new manifold gasket. Likewise you might as well replace the doughnut and mounting hardware between the cat & the exhaust down pipe.

I also recmmend that while you have the manifold removed go ahead and remove & replace the engine’s tapit side covers. Its easy and will save you having to do this latter on. Eventually they all fail, so replacing them now while you can is a lifesaver. I replaced mine and my car's charming oil puddles decreased by 80-90%. Worth the effort if you ask me.

Good luck!

 

[Steve]

Bret, thank you very much for the exhaustive report on what may be needed. Now I need to track down a source for the metal-reinforced gasket. I agree that it should last longer, so I think that it will be the way to go.

Thanks again!!