333pg333

Any reason why you wouldn't consider a metal h/g Thom?

Is it possible that with your issues, that you may have had some ping or detonation? I know you run a knock sensor but perhaps as you accelerate through 'that spot' you might be doing some damage over time?

Chris White

Could be oil cooler seals....
Pressure check the coolant system at ‘high’ pressure (20psi) and see if it holds.

Thom

Duke, it might be condensed water, but as it's mixed up with the light residues of oil I'm not sure how to tell. The mixture smells like oil.

Patrick, I'm not sold out on the idea of a metal headgasket. The headgasket is a fuse that should blow if something is wrong.
Perhaps the lean spike is responsible for something, but how to be sure?

Chris, do oil coolers seals often fail after such a short amount of use?

Chris White

They might if they were nicked during the installation or they did not get seated correctly.

dand86951

Are you losing coolant? Put a plastic water bottle down underneath the air filter with the overflow hose going through the lid. This will tell you if you are over pressuring the coolant system with combustion gases. You might get a bit on hot days just from normal overflow, but if you have a blown HG you will probably see a good amount after driving it hard and not see so much when driving it easy.

Duke

+1
If you don't have problems with pressurized coolant I wouldn't mind the contents of the catch can.
The catch can will always have a mixture of water, oil and a bit of fuel. That's normal.

Thom

The mixture has a strong smell and taste of fuel.
Here is the quantity gathered after 300 miles. This is a 125cl bottle.
The deposits at the bottom seems to be oil. I use pink coolant.
Such a quantity seems a bit excessive for reasonable driving with moderate boosting?

marcoturbo

That's odd... I removed my oil catch can after 1500 miles, it was empty, no oil nor "water" in it

Thom

I noticed the quantity of mixture gathered in the oil catch can was directly related to the level of oil in the engine and the level of coolant in the coolant tank.

I drove until both levels stabilised - 2mm off the max on the oil gauge and halfway through the max on the coolant tank - and since then the oil catch can has remained completely dry and both fluid levels haven't moved, regardless how hard I push the car.

I since did the plastic bottle test (thanks Dan), no coolant lost.

If the system "overpressurises" when both levels are topped, what could be causing it?

Thom

Quick update - the factory 104mm NA headgasket and 85lbs.ft on Raceware studs didn't make a happy combination as I ended up getting coolant overflow when running 15+psi.

Headgasket now replaced with another stock unit, Raceware studs replaced with 2.7 head studs torqued to WM values, and now it's all holding together fine at 17psi. The car is faaaaaaaaaaast! ...

Paulyy

What happend to the photos?

Olli Snellman

Good to hear you have solved the problem Thomas.

Thom

Hmmm... old thread

What changed since the last update :
- SFR FMIC
- Pauertuning's Vi-PEC/J&S standalone
- GTX3076R
- standard valve retainers

Paulyy

So you've put in a GTX3076R? on your 3.0?

What size a/r? and how do you like it from what ever your had previously?

and why didn't you go for the larger GTX3582R ?

Thom

Just have a look at the compressor map - a GTX3582R would be a waste of time and money with a 8V head IMO, I don't see how it would be possible to reach such pressure ratios without destroying the engine with knock.

We have that problem with the 951 engine that the turbo is much away from the exhaust manifold and the 8V head cannot undertake pressures usually seen on EVOs or other modern engines with properly-breathing heads.