While it was running well enough, it was doing something nasty as well.
The Father got it down to the local petrol station almost, where it then stopped and would not start again.
Cue the call for help to me and my trusty Lancer.
Following a tow back home, the rocker cover was lifted.....to discover one broken lifter and a cracked one.
The Father lifted the head to discover it was much worse than it appeared.
One bent valve and one BROKEN valve (head snapped clean off) and a small ditch carved in the top of a piston.
It appears that while the head from a 1.8 liter WILL bolt down quite happily onto a 1.6 liter motor, there are other things which don't quite work the same between the two heads.
Long story short, the head from the 1.6 liter motor is back where it should be and after getting a machine shop to make up a special plate for the intake manifold, the fuel injection from the 1.8 liter motor bolts straight on, with the help of longer studs.
Total cost for the fix, about $800, not including the 'free' elbow grease by the Father. That includes the motor (2nd hand $450), the manifold plate ($200) and various bits and pieces.
(05-22-2013, 06:15 AM)SMGSterlin Wrote: So whats been done to keep it from doing the same thing in another month?
The original head from the 1.6 liter motor is now on the 1.6 block.
The problem with the manifold ports for the fuel injection not matching up was solved by having an adapter plate made up.
It's all good now.
If it was going to blow up again it would have done it already. :p
I wish this situation would happen to VTEC fanboys who insist on swapping K20A2 heads onto K20A3 engines, et cetera.
Dad and I still aren't exactly sure what happened, but I suspect the cam shaft in the 1.8 liter head (the motor is an overhead cam) was just a tiny bit different, so the valves were coming down just a fraction further than they would with 1.6 liter cam.
This meant that the valves were probably only just hitting the top of the pistons, which let the motor run long enough for the Father to get down to the station before things went horribly wrong.
Since the 'new' fix and the Father giving it his okay, the car has been on the move more often than not, so like I said, if it was going to blow up again it would done it by now, knowing how my nephew drives.
(05-22-2013, 12:09 PM)Mickk Wrote: Dad and I still aren't exactly sure what happened, but I suspect the cam shaft in the 1.8 liter head (the motor is an overhead cam) was just a tiny bit different, so the valves were coming down just a fraction further than they would with 1.6 liter cam.
Slightly thicker head gasket may have been enough for the clearance. I'd be surprised if there wasnt a lot of discussion about this from the gear heads. Oh well, good to hear its running
(05-22-2013, 12:09 PM)Mickk Wrote: Dad and I still aren't exactly sure what happened, but I suspect the cam shaft in the 1.8 liter head (the motor is an overhead cam) was just a tiny bit different, so the valves were coming down just a fraction further than they would with 1.6 liter cam.
Slightly thicker head gasket may have been enough for the clearance. I'd be surprised if there wasnt a lot of discussion about this from the gear heads. Oh well, good to hear its running
Unfortunately, the "Holden" engines from this era were terrible.
Should have put an SR20DE in it. Your nephew would have thanked you.