Engine Blew!

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by jflogerzi

Sell the charger and go back to NA. If you can't do the engine swap it's a no brained. NA+e85 is still a great combo in this car


Ops should have read the whole thread. What do you think the cost of the kswap will be?

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It depends on if I go turbo now or stay NA for now. Still figuring that out.

[jflogerzi]

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

It depends on if I go turbo now or stay NA for now. Still figuring that out.

Looking forward to your end results

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[Irace86.2.0]

I got a hoist and engine stand. I pulled the transmission and driveshaft today. I’ll be pulling out the engine tomorrow and mounting it. I might pull it apart too if I have time. I’m doing this all from a one car garage that is pretty packed, so it is slow going.

I believe I will have a few days next week to spruce up the parts that I will be selling, but I don’t anticipate anything going on the market until mid May.

[Irace86.2.0]

Ok, what came first? The chicken or the egg? Here are some more pics...

Second cylinder threw the rod, and the roller rockers seem to be missing. Digging further I found the valves bent open. Then I found the number 2 piston rings peeking from the top? Could this have been the grinding sound I heard? I thought it was a spinnibg bearing, but maybe this was it. As you guys can see, the piston is destroyed from the bottom. I still need to pull apart the block, but here is what could have happened:

—My car wasn’t apart of the spring recall, but say something happened and the rockers were thrown, I feel like the spring would have closed the valves, and the rocker would ping-pong around the head, but it wouldn’t cause a problem.

—I drive aggressive, but the car wasn’t being driven too aggressive with the gas, more with the cornering. It had only been running for five to ten minutes from my garage that was around 55-65 degrees is a best guess, as I was heading to work. I wasn’t driving it long enough for ring expansion to happen from heat. Maybe it is possible there was some type of detonation event that cause the ring to overheat and pop out, which is why I heard a pop/bang and then grinding. Then the piston got stuck and the rod ripped itself from the piston, which caused it to spin freely, ripping through the motor and breaking.

—The other possibility is the rod snapped, and when the piston came down, it was struck by the rod, which broke the piston and caused it to impact the valves and twist in the sleeve, causing the rings to grind before the rod sent itself through the block.

Maybe the block will reveal more.

[Irace86.2.0]

A few more notes, the heads seem good enough. There was one valve guide that broke, but I think that is replaceable. I saved the heads in case anyone wants a cheap head as part of a rebuild. The oil pan is actually fine. It just needs cleaning, but it could be useful for someone needing an oil return welded on. I have the timing chain and guides intact. Everything else was tossed in the recycling because there was no chance of salvaging it because the oil was contaminated with shavings, so surfaces were scratched. The timing chain cover has the oil pump, so I tossed that too.

I get that the glue is probably better than a paper gasket, but screw that stuff.classically, it was partially obstructing holes and sticking near or on moving parts.

I also have the alternator, ac compressor, pulleys, intake manifold, engine mounts, etc, so if you are interested in any parts then let me know. I already was digging in the dumpster for something I tossed that was broke, but someone wanted, so be quick because anything that doesn’t sell in a month is getting recycled. I already tossed the engine parts I won’t sell. I have like five to ten pounds in bolts lol It is always good to have spares. I’ll also be selling an engine hoist, leveler and stand once the swap is over, so keep that in mind.

Another note: I have had the Exedy Stage 1 clutch for three years, and it has been abused well. The majority of the time was with the 85mm pulley at 12 psi, and the last 5-10k miles was with the 75mm pulley. I expected it to look worse, but it looks ok. I believe the K24 kit will have a hydraulic TOB, so I won’t need the Verus forged clutch fork or the billet pivot, so that will be going on the market. The clutch kit is usable with the new aluminum flywheel/adapter from Kpower.

Should I go NA or just go turbo right away to save overall? I don’t know.

[tomm.brz]

my head looked good too but in the end it needed a rectification
Also bent valves, and that bent the intake cam and put stress to the cam gear and the chains and chains retainers... and to other things i do not remember now

I snapped a rod in cylinder #1 though, not saying it s the same for you, just that it needs a very carefull look to evaluate what is still good

[Breadman]

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

Ok, what came first? The chicken or the egg? Here are some more pics...

Second cylinder threw the rod, and the roller rockers seem to be missing. Digging further I found the valves bent open. Then I found the number 2 piston rings peeking from the top? Could this have been the grinding sound I heard? I thought it was a spinnibg bearing, but maybe this was it. As you guys can see, the piston is destroyed from the bottom. I still need to pull apart the block, but here is what could have happened:

—My car wasn’t apart of the spring recall, but say something happened and the rockers were thrown, I feel like the spring would have closed the valves, and the rocker would ping-pong around the head, but it wouldn’t cause a problem.

—I drive aggressive, but the car wasn’t being driven too aggressive with the gas, more with the cornering. It had only been running for five to ten minutes from my garage that was around 55-65 degrees is a best guess, as I was heading to work. I wasn’t driving it long enough for ring expansion to happen from heat. Maybe it is possible there was some type of detonation event that cause the ring to overheat and pop out, which is why I heard a pop/bang and then grinding. Then the piston got stuck and the rod ripped itself from the piston, which caused it to spin freely, ripping through the motor and breaking.

—The other possibility is the rod snapped, and when the piston came down, it was struck by the rod, which broke the piston and caused it to impact the valves and twist in the sleeve, causing the rings to grind before the rod sent itself through the block.

Maybe the block will reveal more.

Do you have an oil pressure gauge? The rocker failure happens from oiling issues or over revs. Id question the oiling since you have gasket maker on the camshaft but having a piston fly into the valves when you broke a rod would also do it. Which reminds me i need to buy my oil pressure gauge for my new engine

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by tomm.brz

my head looked good too but in the end it needed a rectification
Also bent valves, and that bent the intake cam and put stress to the cam gear and the chains and chains retainers... and to other things i do not remember now

I snapped a rod in cylinder #1 though, not saying it s the same for you, just that it needs a very carefull look to evaluate what is still good

I bought they will sell, and I’ll probably sell them for so cheap, it isn’t about making me money, but helping someone who might want to build some heads. I think the valve guides can be replaced, and the surfaces don’t look scored, so if someone wants to port n polish or practice doing it themselves then these might be good.

The cam retainer and caps were all tossed. The only other piece of the heads that I still have is the valve covers.

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by Breadman

Do you have an oil pressure gauge? The rocker failure happens from oiling issues or over revs. Id question the oiling since you have gasket maker on the camshaft but having a piston fly into the valves when you broke a rod would also do it. Which reminds me i need to buy my oil pressure gauge for my new engine

I have an oil pressure gauge. Oil was changed within 100 miles with AMSOIL signature with a new oil filter. Oil pressure was high like it always is in the morning. It wasn’t valve float either because the rpms never exceeded redline, nor were they sustained at high rpms at all. The rockers didn’t have much damage or wear, suggesting they weren’t bouncing around in the head much, and they weren’t in a position to hold the valve open. While it is possible they caused the problem, I don’t believe they were the cause of anything, but a consequence of a piston that was free moving.

When the piston hit the valve and bent them, the spring was unable to retract the valve, so as the cam circled to a low point, the rockers became loose and fell free. That is what is most likely considering the other damage.

If the rocker came free and got stuck in a way that kept the valve open then the head of the piston would have been peppered with impacts instead of just a singled impact, and the valve would probably have been more beat up too, and most like, the valve end would have snapped off and ricocheted around the cylinder. Rod failure of this natured would not be as likely if the rocker was the chief problem IMO.

[BRZoomTX]

If it was a rod failure your other rods are likely tweaked / slightly bent. I lost #3 at top of 5th gear, basically an instant rod & piston delete kit.

Post pictures of your other rods when you get them out.

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by BRZoomTX

If it was a rod failure your other rods are likely tweaked / slightly bent. I lost #3 at top of 5th gear, basically an instant rod & piston delete kit.

Post pictures of your other rods when you get them out.

I’ll let you guys know when I get to it this weekend.

[jflogerzi]

Thanks for sharing the pictures? Thought about selling it as a rolling chassis and move on to another platform?

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[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by jflogerzi

Thanks for sharing the pictures? Thought about selling it as a rolling chassis and move on to another platform?

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I thought about it, but there are many reasons why that would be a bad idea for me. One, I need a car, and my interests are limited. I like the gen 1 86 but I would be interested in the gen 2 motor. The other car is a used 911 or Cayman, but I’m not ready for something older or more expensive. I’d look at used Lotuses, but there are practically none, so they are overpriced. I’d take a used Jannarelly, but they don’t exist. A used Miata RF would be a strong contender, but a new car will just lead me down the mod route even more. The second reason is this car is developed enough that once the engine is installed, I’ll be content enough to get me through nursing school without thinking about the mods. Third, I’ve pit so much into the car that I’ll take too much of a loss on the sale. Fourth, the car gets used, so it isn’t pristine enough, which means most would rather buy something cleaner than pay for a used car with tasteful mods. Fifth, the car is paid off, so I would rather not have to sell and then buy and then mod and then be paying more in the long run. Finally, I have some attachment to this car. It is my car that has been really good to me, so I’m not ready to break up.

[BrahmaBull1990]

Love this thread! Keep it coming!