PK_090'S Build/bodge and restore thread!

[pk_090]

Well i saw the pillowballs, what else?
Alex

[elbon50]

Well i saw the pillowballs, what else?
Alex

Turbo manifold, light flywheel

Have some other things in mind as well

[pk_090]

Are you planning on going down the turbo route Peter? What size are you thinking?

Tonights update: Engine is in and fixed in, albeit loosely, things are starting to be plugged and plumbed in. Saturday will be the next day of work!
Alex

[Icsunonove]

Thought you lived at Loggerheads & Tom at Market Drayton Alex

I do (part time) live at Loggerheads, I just say Market Drayton because it's unlikely that many will know where Loggerheads is.

Alex, I am not in Loggerheads very much at the moment and all my tools are generally not there so if you need anything you need to give me plenty of notice and check that I will be there.

I might be there tomorrow though because I should be working on a car.

[Lauren]

There is a possibility that we could pop over and see Alex tomorrow, Tom. Obviously would come via you first.

Need to check with Mark as I'm trying my best to make him give work a miss this weekend.

[pk_090]

The car is located at my old work and i will be there in the morning and possibly over the afternoon, depending on how everything goes. At the moment the engine is in, only just. I need to swap the bolt holding the nearside engine mount with the torque mount one as i got those mixed up, i also then need to start plugging, plumbing and bleeding as i reckon that will be most of tomorrow!
Alex

[Icsunonove]

Alex,

Good to meet you today but sorry about the circumstances

I have been having a look at old pictures of head gasket swaps I've done to see where the oil drains are.

Here is a 4AGE engine (you won't recognise the pistons because it's supercharged - same head and block though).



And here's where your oil leak appears to be coming from, the oil return in the centre of this picture:



I know you say the gasket was definitely the right way up (I don't know if it fits upside down in any case, does it anyone?) but the leak was so bad it suggests it might be.

If it is just that the Blueprint gasket is damaged or faulty, I'd send it back, get your money back and buy a Toyota one. Let us know how you go on tomorrow

And chin up, it will be sorted one way or another soon, don't despair

[Lauren]

I was going to pop over to see you, Alex, but by the time I called Tom (was around 4pm) he said you'd called it a day, saying oil was coming out everywhere.

It's difficult to know what the problem is. Mark and I were talking to Tom, but about all we could come up with was an issue with the headgasket and/or it's installation.

It's frustrating I know, but I guess about all you can do is pull off the head again and see what the issue is.

As Tom said, if it's the gasket that's faulty, go and buy a Toyota one.

Mine was £34 +VAT.

[elbon50]

Very sorry to read Tom's post above Alex

I can imaqine how disappointed you must be

We all get these setback from time to time

Whip the head off tomorrow & let us know what you find

Peter

[pk_090]

It was all going so well this morning, not a single Hiccup, everything went on well had no problems whatsoever, and i genuinely thought the engine would be running by the end of the day, but obviously the engine has other plans. Engine was literally ready to be started so started pouring oil in though the rocker, (put about 3 liters in) and had a check underneath to see if it was leaking and well...it had wet itself.
Sunday is rest day, so the head will be off Monday evening, ill get some photo's of what it looks like but i was seriously dumbfounded by what could have caused it, Plenty of possibilities.pretty disapointing but i suppose it better to have gone on the ramp than the first time it got dricvem up the road.
Alex

[elbon50]

Seriously wierd that it leaks to that extent Alex

Time will tell all no doubt

Peter

[SuperRedMR2]

Very sorry to read Tom's post above Alex

I can imaqine how disappointed you must be

We all get these setback from time to time

Whip the head off tomorrow & let us know what you find

Peter

Its normally a set back where you haven't connected the most obvious plug in the world or the timing is out, but I haven't heard of the oil coming out in that area before??

It sounds like the HG cannot be fitted both ways, as it sounds like there must be a hole being covered up and thus not letting liquid through and having a wee between the head and the gasket.

[pk_090]

weell im prety sure the HG was on the right way, there was nuthing trapped between the HG and head, and pretty sure the headbolts were torqued down. Ive been pondering if its a faulty gasket, i.e if its split or something like that. Just to clarify then engine was not running or being turned over, it was just doing the leak of its own accord via gravity!
Alex

[Lauren]

Tom said he re-torqued the head bolts, so it can't be that.

If it's leaking between the head and block, it must be an issue with the gasket, can't really be anything else. After all you had the block decked and the head skimmed.

Personally I admit I wouldn't use a bluprint gasket, but it should still be up to the job, really.

[SuperRedMR2]

I used a 'Payen' HG and its stilling running without an issue.

[elbon50]

Looking at Tom's pictures it seems that the gasket is probably symetrical so far as the head bolts are concerned

BUT not symetrical otherwise

So if its downside up the oil return may not be surrounded by the gasket

Must be something of the sort to cause such a big leak simply on pouring in

Can the head bolts be re-used now they've been torqued down

Peter

[pk_090]

I thought it was new headbolts every time, pretty disapointed tbh. Never had problems with blue print before its normally good stuff, and it came in the gasket set!
Wasnt the 4age headgasket updated and redesigned by toyota in the 90's?
Alex

[Lauren]

The head bolts are stretch bolts, so new head bolts everytime. Not cheap at £4 odd each(!).

Guess, you'll only know what the issue is when you get head off. What else can you do really?

The headgasket may have been re-designed by Toyota in the 90's. I'm not actually sure though I have an inkling that there were some differences, possibly.

However it could well be the case that this is not reflected in the bluprint gasket. However, your issue is of a magnitude that it really ought to be pretty obvious what the issue is when you get the head off. I would say it can only be one of two things, namely, a defective gasket or the gasket has been installed incorrectly.

[PW@Woodsport]

I think removing the head and destroying what could be a perfectly fine gasket just to see if it has failed is a serious oxymoron/paradox in that you are making the gasket unusable again just by investigating.

Why not simply investigate the problem methodically and properly without removing the head? Surely that should be the very last resort when everything else has been exhausted?

I very much doubt oil is escaping from between the head and block JUST by pouring it into the head, that just does not compute. The head would literally have to be wedged on something or something trapped between head and block to do that, in which case a simple compression test would highlight the issue.

Properly diagnosed the head may not have to come off, many hours and money saved.

[elbon50]

Head gaskets i have used were usually marked TOP (although I knew which was top anyway)

Not sure if 4A gaskets are marked or not BUT

I think this one is upside down & doesn't co-incide with the holes in the head/block

Don't see how this problem can be diagnosed without removing the head

Peter