Thread: Bandook's 01 Imp, top swap-ified

you need to feed string in the cylinder via the plug hole, then hand turn the engine over till you feel it stop, then spring compressor and take the retainer off.

or pump air into the cylinder.

if you had them milled down some that might be the issue, but i cant be 100% sure on that at all. cant say ive seem v/s for milled head before either.

Well, think she's done. She's still missing on 6 and has some random misses on a couple others. Took it for a drive, it felt half ok, wot felt decent just maybe a little down on power. Got back home and it was belching white smoke. Maybe a headgasket?

Here's what's nutty. I just filled the water meth tank. When I got back after a 5 minute drive the tank was 3/4 empty. Maybe the valve failed and it was sucking in the water, hydrolocked, bent the exhaust valve or blew a head gasket. Dunno. I'll probably start pulling parts to sell and see what's up.

what meth kit you get? it might have been dumping on ya full blast the whole time flooding the piss out of it if the controller is set up wrong

i see aem now.....have you set the pump to be off when not un use? i made mine turn off, got tired of hearing it.

and take the injector out take the end off and check the screen, the injector might be clogged up causing it to stick open maybe.

Yeah I left it on full time. AEM recommends it, but you can turn it off if the noise annoys you. I did disconnect the meth feed, but it's still blowing smoke. When I pulled the hose off the injector, it made a vac leak, so it must have gotten stuck open. I covered the injector but it still runs like crap. The damage is probably done. Tomorrow I'll troubleshoot. But there was white oil on the oil cap and inside the valve cover. Maybe it flooded the cylinders and got in the oil? Oil on dipstick looks fine, as well as the oil pool around the rockers. No bubbles in the overflow tank. There is a tick at idle coming from the front bank. But higher revs sounds and feels ok. Dunno. Never seen this issue. I'll probably pull the heads and see if it's worth fixing. This car was always a time bomb because of the rust, I'm not gonna put too much more into it. I got my time slip, so it was a fun trip and I learned a ton. Would do it all again.

so the valve seals been fixed? could be oil burning. happen to notice if the stem moved in the guide?

Yeah I fixed the seal. I expected it to burn a little smoke at first, but it just got worse. Stem did move freely. What I'm thinking is the meth valve failed, sucked in a lot of water and blew the head gasket around cylinder 6. I mean, a loose spark plug AND a popped valve seal in the same cylinder? I know how to tighten a spark plug, I've changed a bunch. Cylinder 6 is closest to where I installed the meth injector. I'm thinking it sucked a bunch of water at idle, then I step on the gas and because there was a lot of water in that cylinder it popped the valve seal and plug. Though I have no idea if high compression can loosen a spark plug. So anyways, I fix the valve seal and now all the pressure pops what was probably already a weakened head gasket. Or something like that. Dunno. But it's hard to believe that cylinder 6 is just a coincidence.

Smoke is white a.sweet.

sounds like coolant then. dont think th emeth issue had anything to do with it...

when you say the valve stem moved, you mean side to side?

Yeah I could wiggle it.

they should be rather tight feeling. might be why the seal pushed off. and now burning oil.

you need to get a compression test done.

you could also pull the fuel pump fuse and crank the engine over a few times, then pull that plug and see if its wet with coolant or oil.

I went through 3/4 in about 10 minutes, lol. Crap Scotty, I see where you are going. Valve guide is shot, eh? Hmm, could I fix that and install bigger valves at the same time? My wife just got a new job with hours that really won't require me to need a car. So it might be a new project. But I swear that the smoke is coolant. Ah well, tear down will tell.

Compression on 6 was like 160psi.

These heads don't have guides though, right? Just milled cast iron. Can these have like bronze guides installed,.or am I looking at new heads?

you have a ic? maybe the core is leaking coolant? compression seems ok. if it was any lower it might be a issue.

No intercooler. Maybe LIM gasket popped again?

Hmm, that's cylinder 6. Install a new gasket or tear heads off, is the question.

I drained coolant and lifted the intake from the driver's side. There's a chance I dumped some in there when I took it off, but other cylinders are dry. And very little came out of the intake when I turned it over. I'm trying to convince myself that the puddle was there before I took it off, ya know?