Finally got my newly rebuilt engine back in the Quadra on Saturday evening, started first time, ran it at 3000rpm to bed the cam in for 15mins, fans all kicked in a couple of times everything seemed groovy!! Took it out for a test spin came back everything still seemed great - checked the header cap & there was a bit of mayo in there.....odd I thought but it has just been rebuilt & have seen this before so didnt think much of it.

Did 250miles in her yesterday - paid a quick visit to Dingy, had a coffee & a shit at his LOL, then got off, everything again seemed hunky dory, shoved 18psi down & her she goes very well - boost threshold is a little high - boost doesnt come in till 3500-4000 but when it does, its off like a rocket!!!

Then I got home & checked everything again, still mayo in the cap & could see it in the underside of the rocker, and I'd lost from the max to the min amount of water & I then found a liner seal that somehow I'd inadvertantly 'forgotten' to fit to one of the new steel liners - that explains it then.......I really wanna punch myself in the kipper for being a complete & utter COCK - cant believe I'd forget summat like that.

So anyway.....4 days till I go away in it, just ordered another thicker uprated headgasket from France on express delivery - I hope to have it Wednesday/Thursday so then I can take the head off, fit the liner seal & rebuild it & have it ready for Thursday evening for Belgium where I'm taking it to get remapped!!

Nothing is ever simple!!!!

 

Its all a learning curve mate, these things happen, dont beat yourself up to much its just more a pain in the arse i guess more than anything.

 

Shit, not good. I somehow think you won`t forget that bit next time

 

I'm sure you'll get it sorted in time Lee Nothing like leaving it til the last minute

 

Fingers crossed its all back together in time mate

 

You love your trips to Europe don't ya Lee

And have a 4 out of 10 for your blonde moment

 

Very blonde moment that tho mate.......really soul destroying!!! What is really more annoying is that if my liner seals had been sat ontop of my workbench rather than me putting them under it I'd of clocked that there was still one left remaining!!!!

Plus its cost me another Ł120 or so for another gasket - I was going to pikey it & use the one thats on there again as its only done 250 miles but then knowing my luck it wont work so its not worth it! LOL!

Bloody cars!!!

 

bad luck mate..hope you get it sorted in time

 

I done something very blonde with mine over the a weekend a week ago...... Left the boost vacumn pipe off of the ECU

Pop....... heads just been checked and its all sweet, straight as a still....Phew!

I dunno what boost it runs with that pipe off, but fuck me it went some

 

explain why you are ging all the way to chocolatesville to get it mapped when stu is quite literaly on your doorstep please

and top marks for soptting the bit you left out before it went kaplowiee big style

 

Lee you twat

its never plain sailing with you tho is it?

is it the guy in Belgium where they took your car to after the ring?

 

Not good pissy pants

 

jesus lee, every post i see from you its somethings broken or gone wrong.

you must be the most unlucky bugger ever.

 

Hope you get it sorted soon mate.....Good luck.

 

do you know the story of me and cosworths?

 

Going to chocolatesville because the guy that can remap the 21T ecu & has lots of experience with them is based there - plus there is also an overseas meet there, and I have friends over there that I'm visiting - so kind of killing a load of birds with one stone so to speak.

I doubt it would of fucked the engine anyway as it only lost from the max to the min line of coolant in 250miles but its far from ideal as its mixing - the oil is still very fresh & clean & its just evaporating off inside the rocker cover!!

Ryan.....tell me about it - but after driving it yesterday - I'd found the love again....well up until I'd realised what I'd done - but I can hardly blame the car for the mixing if a seal isnt there thats supposed to be!!! LOL! Other than that the car was going well....no surge or anything anymore either.

Lambchop - no, different bloke mate.

Gonna strip it tonight & hope that I get the gasket in time. Wont take long to do its just a complete ballache, maybe I should just velcro everything inplace quick release stylee!!!!

 

the things we do just because we love our cars eh

 

shit news Lee.

hope all goes well.

 

Well...update time.....

Quite literally whipped the head off this evening in double quick time - 50mins & that included taking the bonnet off for easier access! LOL!

....and what I found was quite interesting......infact perhaps me not fitting the liner seal was a blessing in disguise....

This is how my 2.1mm uprated headgasket now looks like....



On cylinder 1 its blown the firering out diagnonally downwards....cylinder 2 its elongated the firerings which then in turn as mis-shapen the top of cylinder 3!!!!

Strangely enough the car still ran mint, didnt overheat, didnt pressurise & didnt misfire! LOL! Good job I took it apart anyway otherwise the mapping session in Belgium would certainly of blown it completely!!!

I believe I know wot caused it but what in peoples opinions think may of caused it???

 

prob caused by the guy that put it on

only kidding lee

 

i know what caused it.










































its because its a renault.

 

is that on the same cylinder you forgot the liner seal on??

 

looks like the cylinder pressure has pushed them out IMO it looks a poor design in the fact that there is so little "meat" around the firing ring next to the cooling jacket gallerys.. fook knows how to fix that..
steve

 

I'm with Dave - I hate Renault HGs!

 

well what caused it then.

 

Hope your BF dont read this, he will go mad

 

sounds reasonable to me.

problem is though if its lack of support in the gasket, what are your options for other gaskets?

 

solid copper head gasket ?

 

peevee - nope strangely enough it wasnt that one missing the seal - it was the cylinder 3 (left of pic)....

Heres another pic....you can see its had room to crease!!



I agree that the cylinder pressure has pushed it out which leads me to either think....

1.) My torque wrench is fooooked (odd but possible its not that old either!)

2.) I hadnt re-torqued the head down again after running it up like recommended BUT I've never done this in the past until I've done about 1000miles usually and its been fine in the past!!

Chip......this it basically the king of 21T gaskets - thickest strongest one you can get from France.

Jamz - not copper - 'Treated inox' apparently.

Bloody cars!!!

 

Good luck Lee, you deserve a break with that damn car!

My lodger did a rebuild on his Cossie lump years ago. Craned it all back into the car and did it all up.

Then saw the rear crankshaft oil seal still in the gasket pack

Engine out again, seal in, engine back in again. Still going strong 3 years later

Sure things will be the same for you, bit of graft now will be worth it when it starts to make the numbers

Si

 

Would a copper gasket not be stronger ?

 

Fucking shocking design that.

Get onto johnsons gasket and get a kevlar-copper one made with more meat around the fire ring on that cylinder

 

Maybe so......BUT thats how they are standard & I've NEVER seen a standard one go like that ever & they are thinner!!! Problem is you cant really get any more meat around that cylinder due to the design of the water jacket etc. Also the next 3 cylinders have mis-shapen too & they've got more meat!!!

Also could it be possible that it just is TOO thick for the application so actually weakens the joins??

 

Other problem you have changing the design at all of course, is the extra bit wouldnt be under any pressure from the head and block, so would be of very limited support.

fuck it, given the timescales just get another one on there and get on with it without thinking too much mate, might be ok this time

 

Also.....the head eventually gets torqued down to 70lb/ft (95nm) in the 3rd stage of tightening - how does this compare to other performance car cylinder head tightening torque - should I perhaps be contemplating tightening it up more than standard considering what I've done to the engine & what I'm asking it to do???

 

thats about 15lbft less than most, but if the head bolts are thinner that might be for the best!

can you get an ARP kit for it?

 

Dont think they are actually thinner as such - they are M12 size I believe.....perhaps I should be nipping it up a bit more - I've got a spare block & head I could test out another 10ft more or so & see how that fares! LOL!

ARP kit.....not a chance! LOL!

 

If they're stretch bolts, then no.

Tis very strange in such a short time, is deffo not clamping the fire ring sufficiently mate, but without knowing about wet liner set ups i can't really comment. But, i take it the liners sit on the o rings, so move a little when the head is tightened down. Are you sure your new liners are the correct length? May be worth a check while you have the one out.

Hope my 2 penneth may help, but if not good luck mate, and if you need a hand give me a bell mate, i'll pop up

 

The bolts arent classed as stretch bolts mate for the 21T!!

Yeah thats correct they sit on the O ring - will check the height of them against a old one or two I have here just to make sure - if they are wrong then a certain company is going to get a serious bollocking!!!

Cheers for the offer of help fella - will let you know how I get on!!!

 

Like i said....

BURN IT

French shit box LOL

Hope the gasket comes intime....

You know where i am if ya need a hand LOL