So yea.. my car blew up. Again. (Updated! Read and help!)

[Jeff240sx]

Okies.. here's the problem.
My engine has been in break-in mode for about a month now, working bugs out. I've taken it to 5k rpm many times... where it seems to hit a rev limiter (like the ecu was programed wrong or something). The shop my car is at and I have talked to JWT about idle, hesitation, and the rev limiter and they gave us a list of about a dozen things to check. We moved the MAF about 18" away, and the car idled nicely and stopped hesitating. Here is where I left and have only discussed problems over the phone.
They took the car up to 3k rpm nicely, and then a shotgun-like sound came from under the hood. He shut off the car and coasted to the shop. The turbo is discolored and was smoking, and the headgasket is leaking at cylinder four.
The thoughts were that the engine builder screwed up... but its looking more like the turbo took a crap and somehow the headgasket blew.
Can anyone help me to connect the dots as to what might have happened? My shop is going to tear down the engine and investigate.. but I won't know until at least Monday what really happened.
-Jeff

[s14slide]

Ouch! Sounds bad. I hope everything turns out in your favor (as in not too much damage). Get that cat(KAT)up and running again. You have been one of my few inspirations to go KAT instead of SR. Good luck w/ it man.

[boosteds14]

Hey Jeff,

IM me, New IM is CIPracing

Lets talk about this.

[s14falcon]

oh no, not again. Hope it turns out well. By the way, what were you boosting at before it blew?

[Maeda]

Hope it goes well jeff. You'll always be my big inspiration for going KAT. ^_^

Which happens soon!

[mrmephistopheles]

WEAKSAUCE!! That's what you get for taking so long! Nahhh.. that is assed up. Hopefully the builder fixes it for free$$...

[ItzGenX]

Many possibilities. The head bolts were not torqued properly, an over boost, lean condition due to many things (injector clog, bad tuning etc), boost hose came off (disconnected wastegate), bad headgasket, poor oil circulation, poor/clogged cooling channels in the block, etc

Many things can cause an engine to blow, the only way to truely find out is to take it apart and inspect it.

[RedSuns]

sorry to hear that...i was really hoping to get a ride in it....

[Nismo 180sx Tuner]

Ok this is going to sound xtreme dumb but i know someone on this board who forgot to run a oil line to the turbo and yeah lets say they caught it in time but i just thought i would bring it up hehehe :hammer:

[240racer]

your progress looks like it sucks as much as mine does. I put my motor together and had a leak somewhere. Getting water in the oil. I have to pull the oil pan off to redo the front cover seal, so I'm just pulling the motor back out so I can do it more easily.

Anyway, sounds like detonation if you heard noise, but I have a hard time believing that would cause a BHG instead of wrecking other stuff. Did you check the spark plugs, did they look like it detonated? When you say the turbo is discolored, which part, the compressor housing or the center part or what?

[Jeff240sx]

Like I said... I haven't seen it yet. My spare car (Fiero) had the tread come off the Firestone tires and destroy the fender, so I am officially out of cars. Dunno when I'll get to see it.

Right now, after a lot of thought, I think that its a lack of retightening the head after it running. Granted it was only about 50 miles.. but hours and hours of idling. From there, the mechanic said that water came out the wastegate which could have made the noise. Then a water-oil mixture going through the turbo would cause smoke. That is the best-case scenario. The car was at 3000 rpm when it blew the HG, so it couldn't have been overboost or detonation. Plugs are usually wet and fould. I've been through more sets of Bosch Plats than any man should.

The motor was taken apart and dried out to prevent a hydro-lock, and the investigation by the shop begins on Monday. Maybe I need a new turbo. I'll **** if I need a new engine. Either way, this whole ordeal is taking way too long and costing way too much and ****ing me off a whole ****load!
-Jeff
On the brightside... I've had so much bad luck without gaining bad karma at any time, at some point, something good has to happen. And with my ammount of bad luck, there will be a mis-balance of the karmic universe if I don't win the lottery or some other stupendiously huge good thing comming my way.

[RedSuns]

ooopss that was supposed to be a PM...

[russian]

Originally posted by Jeff240sx
Like I said...
On the brightside... I've had so much bad luck without gaining bad karma at any time, at some point, something good has to happen. And with my ammount of bad luck, there will be a mis-balance of the karmic universe if I don't win the lottery or some other stupendiously huge good thing comming my way.

there you go dude, something good just HAS to happen. its like a fortune cookie. it'll be alright.

[Jeff240sx]

Ok. The headgasket blew at the 4th cylinder. It actually squeezed the headgasket out between the head and block, so you can see pieces of it sticking out.
Now, we're trying to figure out what would cause that. It shouldn't be detonation, since the WG is set to 6.5psi, and the turbo can only make 18psi max, and even then my fuel system should be able to cover that. Either way, the hg blew at 4,200 rpm, so I doubt it made full boost. The engine has never wanted to rev past 5,200. It almost hits a rev-limiter, but JWT assures me that the rev limit is set to 8k. My mechanic says that a hg problem would attribute to the sluggishness and lack of revs. And for some reason, around 4,000 rpm, the bov flutters on and off.
When the hg blew, my mechanic was driving. He said he heard the bov fluttering, and then boom. Coolant was everywhere, comming out of the wastegate and all.
Anyone have any ideas as to what the problem is?
-Jeff

[mrmephistopheles]

5200rpm?
That sounds like the 5th gear position switch revlimit!
Does this happen in all gears?
Try putting it in first, clutch in, and rev up as high as you can..(at least above 5200)
If that fails, try putting it in 5th and do the same. Tell me what happens!

[uiuc240]

Well, was the head torque properly? Were new bolts used? And by those questions, I mean, did the shop *actually* do everything they said they would do? These guys have a tendency to forget the most obvious...and sometimes on purpose. I have very little faith in the auto mechanics of late.

Remember Derek Greaser's car? That was pretty much the exact spot his head lifted at and blew the gasket on his drag SR20. Now, I realize that he was running huge boost at the time, but it's not implausible.

Other things:

How does the mechanic have all the vacuum lines plumbed? If the BOV is fluttering, it makes me wonder if he has it hooke up properly. Can you give us some good, detailed, clear pics of this?

Eric

[Jeff240sx]

Kevin, the 4th and 5th gear position sensors aren't hooked up (auto -> manual swap), and it's a JWT ecu anyway. Also, 5,200 was only done in 2nd and 3rd gear.

uiuc - I will try to get pics asap. My vacuum lines are messed up because I got rid of the EGR valve, and about 3 lines that use to go to it. And you may be on to something about the new head bolts. I don't think that my engine builder said anything or gave me a reciept for a bolt set. I mean... he knows what he's doing, but I don't have proof of new bolts, like I have proof of valve lash, porting, oil pump, timing assy, and specs on my internals. The pics may take a couple days, because I'm out of a car.

Also, I'm thinking that it wasn't a Nissan headgasket. The builder ordered a gasket set that didn't have a Nissan logo anywhere.

-Jeff

[uiuc240]

Originally posted by Jeff240sx
you may be on to something about the new head bolts. I don't think that my engine builder said anything or gave me a reciept for a bolt set. I mean... he knows what he's doing, but I don't have proof of new bolts.

Also, I'm thinking that it wasn't a Nissan headgasket. The builder ordered a gasket set that didn't have a Nissan logo anywhere.

-Jeff

Well, you don't HAVE to have new bolts installed. Many people say they are good for about 3 uses. However, this doesn't mean that it's a good idea to skip them. If you're going to the trouble to build the motor, might as well get new bolts/studs. I would confront them about this. Haven't you spent a LOT of money with these guys?

About the gasket. Felpro actually makes good stuff...but I'm not sure if it's the same quality as Nissan. I've been AMAZED at the quality of OEM head gaskets. I would stick to that.

Anyway, good luck Jeff.

Eric