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  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • 1994 - 1995 Specific Tech

Blew a HG already...

  • Thread starter Thread starter yellow1995Cobra
  • Start date Start date Apr 11, 2004
Y

yellow1995Cobra

New Member
Dec 23, 2002
2,959
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0
Massachusetts
Apr 11, 2004
#1
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #1
Alright guys, before you guys say anything, yes i know, im dumb for beating on the car before i got it tuned! Man do i regret it!

Well i got it running great lastnight, took it for a rip ride.. Had the timing at 8 degrees and btm at 3. Got on it a few times from 2k-4500ish, and all of a sudden the car was smoking BAD. White smoke outa the tail pipe like you wouldnt believe. Didnt get ANY pinging though. Not that i could hear.

So. I pulled the plugs today, some where a little white. One of them, #4 was completely crushed. The tip was crushed into the electrode. My thoughts here is - once it started smoking, i pulled over and shut the car off. IF the coolant leaked into the CYL while the car was off, then i started it again, knowing that water does not compress, could that be what killed the plug? Cause right after i pulled over the car was runiing like it was on 7 cyl's.

After pulling all the plugs, i went ahead and did a compression test. These are the results:

1- 160
2- 175
3- 180
4- 170
5- 150
6- 150
7- 150
8- 150

The 150's seem cool, but isnt 180 way high? Could it be it has coolant in the chamber, giving a high compression??

How am i supposed to determine the side its blown? It would be very time saving to just do one side.. You guys think its the passenger side? Prob is cause that is the PITA side (turbo), thats how it always works.

Am i better off to just change both, or? What would you guys do?

BTW i poped the lower intake off, that gasket looks fine, i was praying it was busted, but nope

Thanks guys.
 

S/CBlack95GT

New Member
Apr 6, 2003
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Tampa Palms, FL
Apr 11, 2004
#2
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #2
Check your coolant first and make sure havent lost any.
 
Y

yellow1995Cobra

New Member
Dec 23, 2002
2,959
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Massachusetts
Apr 11, 2004
#3
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #3
Yes i lost coolant, and there is a bit in the oil. Not much in the oil, but enough to give it that weird color.

WHen the car started smoking, it was smoking like crazy, a TONNNN of smoke.
 

1105

I AM the random post master...bow down
May 3, 2003
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Daytona Bch, FL
Apr 11, 2004
#4
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #4
If your going to change the headgaskets, theres some new ones out (dont know who makes them) but they have a steel center and are covered by nylon? and kevlar and heard they are really hard to blow. Might want to check thoes out.
 
1

1fstgt

New Member
May 27, 2003
728
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Apr 11, 2004
#5
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #5
holy crap dude! you had the btm at 3 and your base timing was at 8*. how much boost were you running cause that's not very much timing at all. i run 9 psi. of boost and have my timing at 10* and my btm set at .5-1 with no pinging whatsoever.
 
1

1fstgt

New Member
May 27, 2003
728
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0
Apr 11, 2004
#6
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #6
oh i just read your sig, it said you had a turbo you so you're probably running a lot more boost than me. just ignore my other post then.
 
S

SBC RACING

New Member
Nov 16, 2003
141
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0
Santa Barbara, Califonia
Apr 11, 2004
#7
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #7
reply

I know you don't want to hear this but you should get your heads O-ringed that would solve blown head gaskets problems.
 

swingline

New Member
Sep 18, 2003
1,252
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0
TCB - Taking Care of Business
Apr 11, 2004
#8
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #8
Your compression seems high for having a bad head gasket. I assume coolant being in the chamber would cause this?
 

moneypit94

Active Member
May 23, 2003
1,723
2
39
Macomb, IL
Apr 11, 2004
#9
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #9
Hmmm. Good to see im not the only one who has blown a head gasket lately.
After my heads blew i used some morroso copper head gaskets. Well I couldn't get them to seal right. I still have them if you want to give them a try.. They are extra thick to lower the compression a little.

Then I had my heads o-ringed and used the fel-pro lock wire type... I haven't had a problem sence. Trick flow recommended this to me and said that i wouldn't have any more problems.

Some say that the headgaskets should be somewhat weak to save the engine... I say if its tuned right it shouldn't matter...
 

1105

I AM the random post master...bow down
May 3, 2003
3,841
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0
Daytona Bch, FL
Apr 11, 2004
#10
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #10
Just curious Jesse, what PSI were you at when all of this happened? You shouldnt need o-ringed heads unless your running a high boost pressure
 

S/CBlack95GT

New Member
Apr 6, 2003
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Tampa Palms, FL
Apr 11, 2004
#11
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #11
Sometimes comp tests can "lie". A leakdown test is really better. At any rate make sure you replace both head gaskets. One may be totally blown, but the other may be damaged as well and simply not leaking yet.
 

GTPhreak

Founding Member
Mar 16, 2000
5,505
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77
Rowlett, TEXAS
Apr 11, 2004
#12
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #12
1105 said:
If your going to change the headgaskets, theres some new ones out (dont know who makes them) but they have a steel center and are covered by nylon? and kevlar and heard they are really hard to blow. Might want to check thoes out.
Click to expand...
Cometic (sp)
 

VibrantRedGT

"STANGNET'S PENGUIN SMACKER"
15 Year Member
Nov 29, 1999
14,679
424
154
Boca Raton, Florida
Apr 11, 2004
#13
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #13
Been there and done that. Change them both if coolant is lost. I'm out of the power adder club because of stuff like this. I also had my timing like yours and BTM at the max. Oh, and what do you mean by spark plug crushing? Pics?
 

Rootus

Officially Addicted
Feb 8, 2003
6,659
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0
Portland, Oregon
Apr 11, 2004
#14
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #14
Really seems odd that you would blow a HG with the BTM set so conservatively. What is it, 8 base + 16 from the EEC - (3 * psi)? That would give you pretty low total timing, is it possible to pull *too much* timing?

As for the crushed electrode, I've heard that detonation can cause that. What kind of plugs were you running... possible that they are too hot a plug? That brings to mind preignition... and now *that* would suck in a big bad way...

Dave
 

RIO5.0

15 Year Member
Feb 16, 2001
6,892
8
128
N.H.
Apr 11, 2004
#15
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #15
Jesse...Damn.... Sorry to hear that...
 
Y

yellow1995Cobra

New Member
Dec 23, 2002
2,959
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Massachusetts
Apr 11, 2004
#16
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #16
Thanks for all the rplies guys!

Well i spent a few hours on it tonite, ripped the engine down to the shortblock. And BAM three firerings on the pass side were completely warped... And on the other side it looks OK. Didnt wanna risk leaving it..

I have it all ready for assembly, block and heads are scraped down, just gotta pick up the gaskets tomorrow and hopefully it will be running by night.

All the plugs are ghost white, which suprises me with the 42lb'ers and the pumps. Hopefully when i get it on the dyno, we can figure out how to keep it a lil rich to be safe.

Funny thing is my boost gauge hasnt been working so i dunno what it was at. It was so friggen fast though. I learned my lesson on that. It will make it to this fridays dyno tune!

Ill post a pic of the HG's and spark plug tomorrow..
 

Killercanary

The car that set the bar.
Founding Member
Nov 29, 1999
5,676
1
76
Altoona, PA
Apr 11, 2004
#17
  • Apr 11, 2004
  • #17
Good to hear Jesse, and I'm very glad you are not O ringing the heads. Like Moneypit said, if you have the tune on, you don't need them. I hear nothing but GREAT things about the ROL gaskets, Ed can get them for you.
 
Y

yellow1995Cobra

New Member
Dec 23, 2002
2,959
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0
Massachusetts
Apr 13, 2004
#18
  • Apr 13, 2004
  • #18
Well, got a good 9 hours into it thus far, here she is





Now i just needa hook up the other 4 plug wires, and stab the dizzy, and fill it up with oil/antifreeze. Shoould be running again tomorrow!

Heres what the HG looked like... The other one looked pretty much fine. I left the crunched plug at my friends house, ill get a pic up of that tomorrow.



 

1105

I AM the random post master...bow down
May 3, 2003
3,841
0
0
Daytona Bch, FL
Apr 13, 2004
#19
  • Apr 13, 2004
  • #19
Killercanary said:
I hear nothing but GREAT things about the ROL gaskets, Ed can get them for you.
Click to expand...
Thats the ones I was thinking about. I'm going with thoes whenever I blow a headgasket.
 

blackmagic94

Founding Member
Jan 5, 2002
1,215
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0
Tucson, Arizona
Apr 14, 2004
#20
  • Apr 14, 2004
  • #20
Ok listen real close now,

Buy Cometic Head gaskets ONLY!!!! I have seen 19 psi of boost with no problems. Then run better gas than what you are now, 6 bucks a gallon is cheaper than a blown bottom end. Plus you only fill up with C16 when you are gonna romp on it.
 
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