Alu M52 Overheating --- Update: Sill having issues

[Chilezen]

I'm counting on the stars to align and these events coincide! Hell, I hope it's done next week lol

[Chilezen]

3 1/2 weeks later, we have an update from the shop.
I imagine they opened it up and went, "oh, sheet."

As a reminder, this is an aluminum block. So the right thing to do is to Time-cert the block for the head bolts. They did.
But he says he found some of them loose. Somehow they backed out, reducing the clamping force. Hence, combustion could leak into the coolant.
This explains why the engine seemed fine in the beginning, before the head bolts were loose.
I certainly wouldn't have found this out easily. The only way was to take the head off.
He says the head and the block are still straight, so that's good.
To resolve the issue, he'll install new Time-certs the next size up, and put on a new head gasket.

I'm really bummed this happened the way it did. I feel bad for them, finding a problem like this. They're making it right, and I'm happy they're taking care of it.

[mjweimer]

3 1/2 weeks later, we have an update from the shop.
I imagine they opened it up and went, "oh, sheet."

As a reminder, this is an aluminum block. So the right thing to do is to Time-cert the block for the head bolts. They did.
But he says he found some of them loose. Somehow they backed out, reducing the clamping force. Hence, combustion could leak into the coolant.
This explains why the engine seemed fine in the beginning, before the head bolts were loose.
I certainly wouldn't have found this out easily. The only way was to take the head off.
He says the head and the block are still straight, so that's good.
To resolve the issue, he'll install new Time-certs the next size up, and put on a new head gasket.

I'm really bummed this happened the way it did. I feel bad for them, finding a problem like this. They're making it right, and I'm happy they're taking care of it.

I am glad to hear the issue has been found and they are working to resolve it. Kudos to the shop for standing behind their work. Hopefully you'll be back to enjoying the car sooner than later.

[Northern]

knock on wood that you won't need this, but if you ever do another aluminum block, just run the stock (aluminum block style, 10mm longer than the iron block style) headbolts.

The whole headbolt stripping issue seems to be people in NA using the iron block bolts. The euro guys seem to not have any issues (maybe they are just more familiar with the aluminum blocks because they're so common), and even run them to >500whp without issues.

[Northern]

Glad there is finally a resolution to this. I wouldn't have any hair left after fighting this issue for almost half a year.

[jbontke]

3 1/2 weeks later, we have an update from the shop.
I imagine they opened it up and went, "oh, sheet."

As a reminder, this is an aluminum block. So the right thing to do is to Time-cert the block for the head bolts. They did.
But he says he found some of them loose. Somehow they backed out, reducing the clamping force. Hence, combustion could leak into the coolant.
This explains why the engine seemed fine in the beginning, before the head bolts were loose.
I certainly wouldn't have found this out easily. The only way was to take the head off.
He says the head and the block are still straight, so that's good.
To resolve the issue, he'll install new Time-certs the next size up, and put on a new head gasket.

I'm really bummed this happened the way it did. I feel bad for them, finding a problem like this. They're making it right, and I'm happy they're taking care of it.

A combustion leak detector is an easy was to determine of you have a leaky head gasket. I used a harbor freight kit (https://www.harborfreight.com/combus...tor-64814.html) to find the issue on a Cadillac NorthStar engine. The car would run fine under 40mph. But at highway speeds or punching it form 30-70mph, the car would overheat.

[reelizmpro]

I tried to tell you. I wasted almost 2 years chasing my problem, replacing the same parts...when a simple block test would have revealed the problem. Glad they are making it right and not telling you "it was fine when it left the shop."

[Chilezen]

knock on wood that you won't need this, but if you ever do another aluminum block, just run the stock (aluminum block style) headbolts.

The whole headbolt stripping issue seems to be people in NA using the iron block bolts. The euro guys seem to not have any issues (maybe they are just more familiar with the aluminum blocks because they're so common), and even run them to >500whp without issues.

I've never heard of such a thing, that the head bolts are different. I hope somebody in the future finds this out before their own rebuild. A distinction like this should be up front when talking about this engine.

I tried to tell you. I wasted almost 2 years chasing my problem, replacing the same parts...when a simple block test would have revealed the problem. Glad they are making it right and not telling you "it was fine when it left the shop."

Yesssss I hear everyone loud and clear now.. What threw me off was the leak-down test showing good numbers, so I dismissed the gasket/head as a failure. Now I see why the combustion tester would have caught it when the other test couldn't.

[Panici]

Glad you finally got it solved.
Hope you get the car back soon!

[Chilezen]

Wellll I'm back, because why would this car make my life easy.

I still have some unusual temperature fluctuations, which I'm trying not to be concerned about, but I just can't but feel like something is still wrong.

Not too long ago, I noticed a leak coming from somewhere around the water pump area. Coolant was being hurled with the help of the pulleys, so it was hard to trace the source since everything was being covered.

Eventually I concluded the water pump shaft had some play in it, and was the source of the leak. Since I had my original BMW water pump tucked away in a box, I dug it out and replaced the Stewart pump with it.

When I drained the coolant for this job, I found this:



It's very cloudy. What the hell?

I finished the job, put new coolant and distilled water in, and noticed the leak disappear.

About a month later...



The upper radiator hose burst on my way home. On the right side there, next to the oil filter housing. Nothing could have been rubbing it, and it's a "new" hose (less than a year old). Rein brand.
I had to walk a mile each way to go buy a new hose, which didn't even fit correctly (my only option was a Gates brand that was too short, but it BARELY fit. I had no choice at the time, and thankfully, it held!)
I just added more distilled water because I knew I would be replacing the hose again soon.

[Chilezen]

Fast forward to yesterday, I'm replacing the hose and I'm about to put a new Stewart pump in, that I got replaced under warranty.
I go to drain the coolant again. Awesome.

Side note, I love this drain hose I made.



Thinking of selling them too...

Anyway I'm seeing a lot more of this crap:



I have to use a pick to unclog it, and pour more water in to flush it.
There's a lot more of it this time, probably because I actually put in the effort to unclog it this time.



Here's how it looks sans-water.



WHAT IS THIS AND WHY IS IT HERE??


So I decided to, before replacing the pump, to run a "radiator flush" to help clean out... whatever could be stuck in there.
I used a "Blue Devil's" brand, poured it in with more distilled water, bled the system, drove around, and drained it.
Less crap came out, which is good. I feel like there's more in there still.

Please advise

Any ideas on the cause, and how to prevent it, and why the car still has cooling issues...

[moatilliatta]

Additives usually cause headaches. Id assume it was the blue devils if you google what it does to the internal bits. .

[moatilliatta]

When did you put that blue junk in?

[Chilezen]

When did you put that blue junk in?

Well, it's a chemical flush, so, I added it about an hour or two before draining it. I added it to help remove the sediment. The flush definitely isn't responsible for causing that.

[jbontke]

Your car is making meth.

This looks like the reaction when the incorrect water is used. I bought my 86 325 and the head / thermostat housing was chock full of that stuff. It is aluminum corrosion.

I first experienced this by using the wrong water in my Rx7 and it cost me an engine. Slowly the radiator plugged up eventually overheating the car. I could literally feel a cool spot in the radiator where the tubes were clogged. You may want to see if a shop will flush your radiator and verify its not clogged.

How well grounded is the engine?