Right....im going to sniff test/compression test the car tomorrow,

Fresh ZVH conversion covered 1500 miles
Set up at Power Engineering last month (186bhp and 196lbft)
Fresh top end build with valve stems, lifters and kent cvh35 cam
Standard 1.8 bottom end
Ferriday engineering decomp plate
New MSD 82c thermostat
Genuine Ford headgasket

Power Engineering told me the cars running 15psi (my poverty spec TIM gauges tell me 13)

The car is getting hot lately, to the point its expanding pipes/splitting them/popping them off

Most of the time the temp is ok but in traffic it gets hot every now and then, and even the other day it just randomly overheated although the car wasnt near the red.

Now i know it sounds like headgasket, which i will test tomorrow, if nothing shows i will change the thermostat (fans work, systems bled etc etc) and go from there....

Reason for the post is has anyone else had simular symptoms before i take the head off and find a crack between the valves....

took the plugs out and it looks like its running lean (chalky white) but surely if its just been set up this shouldnt be the case?!

Any help appreciated,

Thanks Adam.

 

get a wideband in it and see for yourself, ideally have it in when mapped, thats what i do so i can check where its at on my own gauge.

as for overheating just see what the tests show and go from there.

 

Thats a good shout about the wideband mate! can you recommend any decent ones?

Will get the results of the sniff/comp test tomorrow

 

aem is great for the money

 

Pop up to circuit motors at castle combe and see paul mate.....he could put it on the rollers, hook up the wideband to see what's what and go from there !

 

i use aem £128 from usa, my skyline was mapped last monday to 11.4 - 11.5 afr on mgts dynapack using there wideband, my aem shows 11.8 so 0.3 leaner than true afr.

any tuned turbo engine without one is suicide ime

 

check temp on the exhaust for each cylinder to see if one is running hot! If it runns lean you can do real damage.... I had a partially blocked injector, so my engine ran lean in cylinder number 3 and burnt a hole through the piston!...... so I had to rebuild EVERYTHING.....

also try a rad to keep the turbo cool.... I heve a few other ideas like water cooled valve guided but that is lots of hassle!

 

Take it back to Power Engineering and tell them your not happy with it there the pro's.

 

Why would Power Engineering be responsible for an overheating engine?
PE did not build the engine.

Setting up an engine is checking the timing, checking the fuel system etc..
It certainly doesn't include entire engine check up?

 

Im not by anyway putting any blame on the PE lads as they were a great help and went out their way for me and basically charged me fuck all

Im saying the engine looks like its running lean, so if PE set up the fuelling its running lean and cooked a headgasket, it wouldnt be my fault would it

BUT i have faith in Iain and the boys and if he was happy for me to drive back to Bristol in a car he had set-up, i am too.

 

Can the mods put this in the Fiesta turbo room too please