Turbo kit finished!!! But so is the head gasket too i think

Tom95gt · Jun 21, 2009

Friday night I finally got my car back after 4 months i was happy just to see it run. All went well for a while, drove it and it was so fast I could not believe it! They said it was making average 7.5lbs of boost on my totally stock motor so I should be somewhere around 300 hp I guess. The king cobra clutch is holding up ok. It spun 3rd across an intersection which suprised me. I was getting massive amounts of spark blow-out though so my friend gave me my old 6al box back and sure enough solved that. Then it felt like I gained another 100 horsepower lol. So everything's still fine and dandy I run to parts store to find an air filter to fit which I couldn't and some oil. They told me to run 15w-40??? cause of all the extra heat in the motor. I go home and stick an air filter in the vise so it would fit lol I did not want to keep it uncovered for long and then I change the oil. I go to start it back up and I'm covered in white smoke :damnit: AFR stayed around 10.5 to 1 at WOT just to be safe but trying to cruise around 55mph the gauge was just going back and forth. Not sure why. BTW it's bein tuned with a PMS and water stayed at around 200 degrees

So now i'm stuck... what do I do? I got to enjoy my car for an hour, I knew my engine didn't have much left in it but come on an hour?
I haven't pulled any plugs yet but it's gotta be the head gasket.

I figure I have 3 options
Replace head gasket
Rebuild motor
Junkyard motor

Let me add I basically have no money left

Black Stampede · Jun 21, 2009

Haha we seem to have alot in common. And as far as you only driving it for a half hour whats the surprise? If the tune is off it only takes a second to pop a gasket. Was the tune complete? Because it sounds like you were beating on it before it was completely dialed in. Who was tuning it? What is the timing at across the band? You also have said nothing about your setup. Details!!

Tom95gt · Jun 21, 2009

Tune wasn't "dialed in" but it was kept rich to stay on the safe side... honestly I don't know what the timing was at their was just so many things to look at all at once. Tuning was done by the shop. Setup is B&G kit with Masterpower T-70, Twin 38mm wastegates, 50mm blow-off valve, huge intercooler

The wastegates are obnoxious lol

Black Stampede · Jun 21, 2009

Tom95gt said:
Tune wasn't "dialed in" but it was kept rich to stay on the safe side... honestly I don't know what the timing was at their was just so many things to look at all at once. Tuning was done by the shop. Setup is B&G kit with Masterpower T-70, Twin 38mm wastegates, 50mm blow-off valve, huge intercooler

The wastegates are obnoxious lol

So I guess I am confused. Why did this shop let you take the car and beat on it if it wasn't completely dialed in? Who kind of tuner does that?

And what do you mean by so many things to look at at once? Or do you mean that he showed you and you just glanced at it, but can't remember? The tuner should have adjusted all the timing throughout the whole RPM band.

Yep I do not like the open wastegate setup B&G makes. It sounds like a giant exhaust leak and sounds like crap. Comparatively speaking.

OrangeMustangGt · Jun 21, 2009

you NEED mls gaskets, i have fel-pro mls, and i cant say enough good things about them with arp studs...i went through 3 sets of stockers @ 10lbs before i smartened up, never had a set go again, and a few times i had bad rattle and they hold fine.

Black Stampede · Jun 21, 2009

OrangeMustangGt said:
you NEED mls gaskets, i have fel-pro mls, and i cant say enough good things about them with arp studs...i went through 3 sets of stockers @ 10lbs before i smartened up, never had a set go again, and a few times i had bad rattle and they hold fine.

You do not blow head gaskets for no reason. They will all blow (aside from cometics) if the tune is wrong. One might blow a tad easier than another, but if the tune is off its going to happen no matter what. He needs the tune fixed.

Tom95gt · Jun 21, 2009

I was keeping an eye on the temperature and air/fuel ratio so i didn't notice the timing and i'm calling the shop tomoorow to see what they say.

I pulled the plugs on the left side and JUST judging on the condition of the plugs it looks like it was running perfect. Cranked it a couple times and water shot out of the third plug back. I tryed opening the radiator and got drenched in anti-freeze.

Another thing, the motor has almost 150,000 miles on it, just FYI

Black Stampede · Jun 21, 2009

Have you pulled the dipstick and seen what color ya got in there?

Tom95gt · Jun 21, 2009

Yea it's a little light but still relatively clear

Black Stampede · Jun 21, 2009

Did you try to drive it at all or let it run for a little bit when it started smoking? My buddies turbo car smokes on start up due to what may be a problem with his oil drain for the turbo. What does the coolant look like now that its had a chance to sit?

Stopsign32v · Jun 21, 2009

OrangeMustangGt said:
you NEED mls gaskets

Um no he doesn't. The stock type felpro gaskets are fine and infact a good idea. I would rather pop a gasket than a piston. What he does NEED are a set of head studs.

Stopsign32v · Jun 21, 2009

Black Stampede said:
You do not blow head gaskets for no reason. They will all blow (aside from cometics) if the tune is wrong. One might blow a tad easier than another, but if the tune is off its going to happen no matter what. He needs the tune fixed.

Lifted head = blown gasket

And that has nothing to do with the tune

Tom95gt · Jun 21, 2009

The coolant still has a lot of pressure in it, i'll check it in a bit. What's my next move? Should I look for a low mileage junkyard motor?

Black Stampede · Jun 21, 2009

Stopsign32v said:
Lifted head = blown gasket

And that has nothing to do with the tune

Ummmm thank you for sharing? I said he needed the tune fixed because his car isn't even completely tuned. I didn't say that is 100% the cuprit, but if my tune was half done and the HG blew I think it would be a darn good place to start.

revhead347 · Jun 21, 2009

Eh, my opinion the head gasket just went. Probably has nothing to do with the tune. Pull the heads, have a basic rebuild done on them. Get them O-ringed. That way you can run the cheap Felpro gaskets without worrying. When you price out those MLS gaskets, one set of gaskets costs almost as much as an O-ring job on the heads. Then run ARP head studs. Why rebuild the engine when you are still tuning the turbo kit. I would get it dialed in, and then put a new motor on it when this one blows. It might go another 100K miles for all you know.

Kurt

Hef5.0weisen · Jun 21, 2009

Spend your money how you see fit. If it were me, and cash was low, I'd simply replace the head gaskets. Sure, you could do a bunch of improvements while you're at it, but you mentioned the funds were drying up.

original head gaskets? I bolted on my Kenne Bell ang got about 10 hrs out of it before one of my head gaskets (originals) let go. picked up some felpro's from Napa, replaced, been good for a few years now.

good luck

MotiV8ed_95GT · Jun 21, 2009

May want to try changing the oil. If you got coolant in your oil it will sink to the bottom of the pan and come out first before the oil does.

Ross

Black Stampede · Jun 21, 2009

revhead347 said:
Probably has nothing to do with the tune.

I don't think probably is the right word. More like maybe. I'm not saying it is for sure the tune, but it certainly can't be ruled out unless we know exactly where the tune was at.

Stopsign32v · Jun 21, 2009

Black Stampede said:
Ummmm thank you for sharing? I said he needed the tune fixed because his car isn't even completely tuned. I didn't say that is 100% the cuprit, but if my tune was half done and the HG blew I think it would be a darn good place to start.

Very true. I didn't catch that his tune was off. Why would you even give the car 1psi of boost if the tune isn't done?

Tom95gt · Jun 21, 2009

Hef5.0weisen said:
Spend your money how you see fit. If it were me, and cash was low, I'd simply replace the head gaskets. Sure, you could do a bunch of improvements while you're at it, but you mentioned the funds were drying up.

original head gaskets? I bolted on my Kenne Bell ang got about 10 hrs out of it before one of my head gaskets (originals) let go. picked up some felpro's from Napa, replaced, been good for a few years now.

good luck

How many miles did you have on your motor? I may just do the head gaskets... still tossing options around in my head. And yes original head gaskets on it.

Turbo kit finished!!! But so is the head gasket too i think

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