why do i keep blowing headgaskets??!

[dmjensen]

wait, nando explain to me or find a picture of the oringing. because im thinking piston rings and i have no idea what your trying to explain. that might be my problem

[nando]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=o-ringing

[dmjensen]

gotchya. well im pretty sure i my block isn't oringed, so the head gasket is getting pushed out more than likely but im not positive so when i tear down the motor i will update on progress.

[lcoleman]

How does your coolant look and smell? In my experience, detonation will lift the head and pressurize the cooling system as a first sign of failure, before the gasket actually fails. In that instance, the HG is actually pretty resilient, but bear in mind that you're definitely doing damage, and you do NOT want to overheat it.

I'm a believer that a proper setup and tune will be fine with just ARP studs. O-ringing is nice, but to do it properly you need to do the block, and to do the block you need to dismantle it...and even then, it's still a band-aid, and not a cure from the detonation you're likely suffering.

Basics first; pull back your timing. I recommend det cans, they seemed to help my setup.

I'll also say that I would always have the head skimmed, even if just barely, if I was going to the trouble of pulling it off.

[TS87325IS]

I used to torque my metric blues to about 75-80ft lbs. Do not reuse them because they will break off in the block (no fun )

[BMWManiac]

I feel like you are a little lean if you're at 15psi and 13s. I'd like to be low 12s to mid 12s under boost.

Really? I like to be anywhere in the 11s during boost.

[dmjensen]

Coolant looks and smells fine, its leaking directly into the cylinder. I think i could hear detonation last time i drove it with my hotter plugs and i put in the colder ones so it sounded lile it had gone away but its hard to tell with an open wg dump and loud exhaust and everything else

[sayed ali]

Start with the O-ringing and put ARPs then you can raise the boost if your tuning skills are good..

I don't see other reason of keep blowing the headgaskets except that your block isn't o-ringed and you run 1 bar of boost on it!

Stock m20 can handle up to ~25 psi with oringed block, arps and alot of work on TUNING

[dmjensen]

Ive just been road tunning it, i had it that under boost it would be high 12s and one 13.0 every once in awhile but im going to add more fuel and get it to stay ay 12.3 when i get it back on the road..

[Jaxx_]

Really? I like to be anywhere in the 11s during boost.

It depends. I don't like to have a super fat tune, but in some cases more fuel is better. not all motors are the same. The main thing is to not overly use fuel as a cooling method. If you're running on the track, you should have a slightly conservative tune. If you're doing top speed autobahn cruising, you need to have an even more conservative tune.

High boost I'd get into 11s, but probably not far past that. You start getting into the low 11s and high 10s, your tune might be a bandaid. (which is okay in some circumstances)

[nando]

Really? I like to be anywhere in the 11s during boost.

fuel doesn't burn well in the 11s. you're just wasting fuel and making less power.

[lcoleman]

Coolant looks and smells fine, its leaking directly into the cylinder. I think i could hear detonation last time i drove it with my hotter plugs and i put in the colder ones so it sounded lile it had gone away but its hard to tell with an open wg dump and loud exhaust and everything else

You are most likely to blow a HG on a boosted car by detonating and lifting the head, which will almost always pressurize the cooling system because the pressure is much higher in the combustion chamber.

Also, you won't just "hear" detonation. You need a knock sensor, or det cans as suggested previously. If it's loud enough to hear inside the car, you've got far bigger problems.

I'd back off the timing and fatten it up. I wouldn't want to be leaner than 12:1 at WOT in a turbo street car. Timing is far more important, though. Your gasket is probably already done if you're getting steam out the tailpipe.

[dmjensen]

You are most likely to blow a HG on a boosted car by detonating and lifting the head, which will almost always pressurize the cooling system because the pressure is much higher in the combustion chamber.

Also, you won't just "hear" detonation. You need a knock sensor, or det cans as suggested previously. If it's loud enough to hear inside the car, you've got far bigger problems.

I'd back off the timing and fatten it up. I wouldn't want to be leaner than 12:1 at WOT in a turbo street car. Timing is far more important, though. Your gasket is probably already done if you're getting steam out the tailpipe.

the first time it blew it took a coolant hose off with, Tuesday night i just had a nice cloud of smoke behind me more than just steam... also it could be just noisy m20 I'm hearing, but the car is gutted so i can hear almost everything

[Jaxx_]

the first time it blew it took a coolant hose off with, Tuesday night i just had a nice cloud of smoke behind me more than just steam... also it could be just noisy m20 I'm hearing, but the car is gutted so i can hear almost everything

...i dont even...

[dothadance]

lol, the title on the front page only says "why do i keep blowing..."