BLOWN HG...What to do to prevent it again?

95CobraMike · Oct 19, 2004

other than not driving hard...what kinds of things can i do to not blow a head gasket again in my supercharged cobra? before it blew i noticed some pinging on the driver's side, and that is the side that blew (white smoke is coming out of that side's exhaust/eating coolant) i am running a vortech s-trim at 9 psi...stock cobra heads and internals...i am not sure what the timing is set at...and i am also not sure on the a/f ratio....(the dyno sheets are "on the way")
i have heard of a boost retard system, boost cooler system, p.m.s., things of that nature...what is the best or what combo would be the best? what timing should i be at and what a/f ratio? for when i get it tuned after the HG is fixed.
thanks

mo_dingo · Oct 19, 2004

What mods do you have to the cobra? Do you have any kind of chip, or a MSD BTM, or what.

If you aren't running any form of timing retard, you are likely pushing the envelope & that may have caused the HG to blow. Pinging on a sc'ed motor is a bad idea.

Secondly, I would get the a/f to around 12.0-12.5. That should keep it nice and safe. You will lose a little power, but that is a small sacrifice when compared to a blown motor.

The MSD BTM (boost timing master) reduces the timing advance for every pound of boost (You can set from 1-3). It's simple and easy to use.

But if you want to change your a/f ratio, you need a dyno tune w/ a chip, or a PMS with a wideband O2 setup. If you aren't going to add aftermarket heads/cam/intake to the car, then I suggest a non-self tuning route & just get a dyno tune w/ chip. But, if you plan to add aluminium heads, cam or intake, then you might think about a tuner like Tweecer or PMS.

But, if you don't want to play with the tuners & just have it done, you can always have your chip upgraded after you add parts.

The boost cooler simply acts like an intercooler. You don't need it at this low of supercharged boost. If it was a turbo setup, you would.
Scott

Trick95 · Oct 20, 2004

At your boost level, you really shouldn't have a problem blowing head gaskets. It's probably in the tune. Vortech cars usually run a boost retard system. Have you gotten a custom tune or just dyno pulls?

95CobraMike · Oct 20, 2004

Lidio @ ALTERNATIVE AUTO PERFORMANCE in detroit michigan tuned my car, but it was tuned before i bought it. here are the mods, sorry i dont know exacts but.... strim w/ 9si, fluidyne radiator, 42lb injectors, bigger maf, and a power pipe, custom chip(not sure what kind), bbk headers, h-pipe, flowmasters... no i dont have a msd btm, i was trying to decide to get that, boost cooler, or both...
thanks for your help so far

95CobraMike · Oct 20, 2004

sorry it also has msd 6al ignition...and i am sure there is more, i just am not aware

94TURBO5 O · Oct 20, 2004

What not drive hard??

Our computers suck so even w/o the blower the motor still will ping like a mofo. You can run locked timing and solve the detonation problem but lose power. An MSD BTM will help as well as the Boost cooler. A PMS will work wonders for your car. Here was the route I went to solve the pinging.

I had this problem before my blower and it only got worse after the install. I had the timing set to 10* and blew my gaskets on the dyno.
I set timing to 8* and blew the gaskets.
I ran the spout out for 3 months @ 24* and never had a problem. The weather got cool so I put the spout back in and set timing to 10* and blew the gaskets the first WOT run on the street.
I had an MSD BTM until the day before my dyno when the first set blew and it helped a lot before it went bad and I sold it.
I just bought a PMS and got more power out of my car than I've ever felt.
I completely tuned out all my detonation and solved all of my idle problems. I have excellent driveability and I'm able to run more timing than ever.
I just added a boost cooler and now have more confidence than I ever had before at WOT.

I've been there brother 3 HG installs in 3 months teaches you a lesson about tunes, timing and a/f ratio importance.

95CobraMike · Oct 20, 2004

about driving hard...if i am never at WOT, i think there is less of a chance of me blowing a HG. but i guess if it was running perfect then i shouldnt have to worry about it.
what a/f ratio are you running 94sc50? you are saying that a boost cooler and PMS would be the way to go if money isnt really a big deal.
would you do boost cooler and retard or just the cooler?

94TURBO5 O · Oct 20, 2004

Well the thing about the cooler is...if it's not full then it's not going to work. The retard will help you prevent detonation if you start to hear it and you can turn the timing back by the twist of a knob. The cooler will allow you to run more timing w/o detonation but like I said if it goes empty you're screwed if you WOT it and you have no way to retard timing. So my answer would be yes you should have both.
However the retard alone will work great for you.
The PMS is a whole different story. You don't need the retard if you have this unit. The cooler will allow you to get more timing in with this just the same except the PMS will allow you to custom tune your timing in spikes unlike what a retard will do.
If it's within your budget the O4 PMS is the way to go IMO

95CobraMike · Oct 20, 2004

what is the price diffrence between both?
pms approx $900
boost cooler and retard approx $4-500
does that sound about right?
what does it cost to have a HG fixed?
i was thinking of doing it myself, doesnt seem too hard.

VibrantRedGT · Oct 20, 2004

A MSDBTM is a good investment. I maybe selling mine since I do not have a blower anymore. A tuning device or custom burned chip is a must on a blower car period.

95CobraMike · Oct 20, 2004

VibrantRedGT said:
A MSDBTM is a good investment. I maybe selling mine since I do not have a blower anymore. A tuning device or custom burned chip is a must on a blower car period.

yep, i have the custom burned chip...
let me know if you are selling it...i am now on the market

95STANG-GTSC · Oct 20, 2004

I just fixed a blown hg on my sc 95, but believe it or not it was from my x wife letiing the car overheat, not from my racing!

BLOWN HG...What to do to prevent it again?

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