Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

cracked head/ blown head gasket?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    cracked head/ blown head gasket?

    Hey guys,
    Need some help here. A buddy of mine lost his Acc belt while driving

    and drove the car in the red zone for 1/2 a mile with no water circulating. After replacing the belt the car overheats after a few miles even with the heat on full.
    He towed the car to a buddies garage and I'm helping him fix it. So far I've done a compression test (@wot):

    #1: 120 PSI
    #2: 120 "
    #3: 80 "
    #4: 115 "
    #5 140 "
    #6 140 "

    There is no coolant in the oil and no oil in the coolant, although the coolant has a slight brownish appearance. The idle is also fairly stable with no coolant smell coming from the exhaust.
    Got the water pump off and there is some shaft play along with the alternator which also has some play. The most likely cause of the belt to rip off in the first place..

    Now, the car needs to be operational next Sunday and I'm not certain what to do. At the very least I believe it needs a new head gasket but with the compression numbers all over the place I'm wondering if the bottom end is also shot. Car has 120k miles which makes it hard to believe the rings are bad.


    Replacing the head gasket is the most likely option, though never having done this procedure I have a few questions.
    - Can I get the head checked by a machine shop without taking the valves/etc out?

    -Is reinstalling a new gasket a waste of time without getting the head cleaned and checked?

    -Other than a gasket set (HG/VCG/intake+exhaust seals) and new headbolts should I do anything else while I'm in there? Any tips?

    The kicker is that he has an ODB1 s52 + 6 speed that he eventually wants to swap in, so he doesn't want to waste money on this motor knowing it will eventually be pulled back out for the swap. He just needs a rock solid daily to get to his job everyday in Charlotte traffic.

    We also have access to another m20 in questionable shape that we can swap in... but that would leave my other buddy's project car sans moteur.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Julien
    Build Threads:
    Pamela/Bella/Betty/325ix/5-Lug Seta/S60R/Miata ITB/Miata Turbo/Miata VVT/951/325xi-6

    #2
    Originally posted by Julien View Post
    We also have access to another m20 in questionable shape that we can swap in... but that would leave my other buddy's project car sans moteur.
    Is the owner of this motor planning on doing a rebuild or installing the motor as-is? Could you swap it in, rebuild the other motor for said project car? At least this would bridge the gap between now and swap time.

    Comment


      #3
      I don't think the bottom end is going to have an effect on the compression numbers. Yes, rings will have an effect for sure. Try the teaspoon of oil in each cylinder to see if the numbers come up. Otherwise, it's probably just the gasket.
      1987 E30 325is
      1999 E46 323i
      RIP 1994 E32 740iL
      oo=[][]=oo

      Comment


        #4
        I assume you don't have access to a leak down tester?

        this could at least pin point better what is leaking

        '89 Alpine S52 with goodies

        Comment

        Working...
        X