Alistar,
Pull the rocker arms and look for mushrooming valve stem ends. If you are
not going to use the engine for a while, just leave them off to relieve
pressure on the springs and hydraulic lifters. Check for collapsed or
spongy lifters.

Ken

On Mon, May 14, 2012 4:11 pm, Alistair Bell wrote:
> when engine on bench?
>
> I had to move my spare engine, again, while working in the barn.  I need
> to decide what to do with it. Came as a spare with my syncro. was given to
> the seller by a friend. Supposedly pulled from van to make way for
> conversion.
>
> What I can see upon casual observation:
>
> - oil leak from base of crankcase breather tower (seen that before!)
> - minor oil weeping from one valve cover
> - pushrod tubes shiny, oil and rust free
> - oil pump endplay 0.004" (good)
> - water pump seized
> - crank can be rotated, there is compression. I suppose I could rig up my
> spare bellhousing and starter to spin the bugger and test compression.
>
>
>
> So what else can I look at apart from pulling the heads?
>
> alistair
>
>