E36 M3 - BlackBird

[Laptime61]

Got a look at the plugs today here is what they look like
#1

#2

#3

#4

[Laptime61]

#5

#6

#5 by #6


Notice the color distortion on the socket portion of the #6 plug. This was the only one like this but looks like a good overheating but the rest of the plugs dont look too horrible.
What are you guys making of these???

Running a compression test will get back soon

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Also have to mention that all these are coming from my father, I wouldn't be able to do this without him. I left the car at home after the weekend as i have no need for it down at school for 3 more weeks. So with my guidance he is the one doing all the tests and sending me the pictures and stats to interpret if we need to take the head off or not. If you still have your father around be it young or old get them out to the track or a race day, you may butt heads every now and then but you will make the best memories. sentimental moment over.

[Inflame]

Plugs look normal to me, though I'd get rid of those 4 prong's for a single prong iridium/copper.

[Laptime61]

Plugs look normal to me, though I'd get rid of those 4 prong's for a single prong iridium/copper.

Time to learn! Why do you say switch them out for single prong? Is it so you can control your gapping? I have no preference and don't know too much when it comes to plugs so im just wondering.

[Inflame]

Gapping and better spark control from what I remember. Also cost!

[FastFabM3]

If you decide not to pull the head, I would suggest re-torquing it often for the next few miles. Also a compression and/or leak down test would be a good idea.

Also, in regards to an earlier post, I would spend money on a really good quality valve job long before I'd waste any time or money on port work. IMO, valve lapping should only be reserved for last ditch effort cases, or with very fine compound, as a checking measure on a new valve job.

Just my $.02

Inflame: What single ground strap plug were you using?

[Inflame]

If you decide not to pull the head, I would suggest re-torquing it often for the next few miles. Also a compression and/or leak down test would be a good idea.

Also, in regards to an earlier post, I would spend money on a really good quality valve job long before I'd waste any time or money on port work. IMO, valve lapping should only be reserved for last ditch effort cases, or with very fine compound, as a checking measure on a new valve job.

Just my $.02

Inflame: What single ground strap plug were you using?

I don't remember what I had in my S50, probably the cheapest plugs I could get.

[uconnr]

When these motors overheat it's usually in the back of the head (Ie cylinders 5 or 6) the white on the socket section is most likely residue from water getting there. Best way to confirm a head or head gasket issue will be with a leak down test. Do all of them but I suspect you'll find your problem near the back.

[Laptime61]

Little update!
The Purdue Grand Prix was this weekend and we fished 9th and 23rd with the two karts starting from 15th and 27th. Very happy as it is incredibly hard to do a race of this distance and finish at all.

Also did a compression test found all cylinders in the 170 - 180 range with no big jumps between cylinders, i should also mention that that was a cold motor ( yes i know you are suppose to do it warm but my father forgot) the big thing here is that there are no big gaps in psi indicating a break in the cylinder head between cylinders. My father then fired it up and didnt see any bubbles in he coolant and he will be draining the oil soon. My friend also gave me his leak down tester so ill get that done soon as well. Over all though from what i have seen i might have dodged the worlds biggest bullet, im not counting my eggs before they hatch but with those compression numbers, no bubbles in the coolant, and if the oil is clean i might be ok. Like i said ill still run the leak down test to be sure but everything is positive right now, and the car seems to idle and run fine with the rumble being gone. Im aware that problems dont just fix them selves but was wondering if maybe it was running slightly ruff the first time was because the ECU made changes to one of the baks in terms of injection or timing because i drove it hot for such a long time and now that its had a little time to run while cool again its back to running the correct duty cycle, timing, ect as i did notice my AFR's were slightly lean when it was running ruff. Im going to pull all the coolant system components when im home and put in a new metal water pump and new thermostat and just maybe the car will be ok! Cross my fingers!

[uconnr]

Little update!
The Purdue Grand Prix was this weekend and we fished 9th and 23rd with the two karts starting from 15th and 27th. Very happy as it is incredibly hard to do a race of this distance and finish at all.

Also did a compression test found all cylinders in the 170 - 180 range with no big jumps between cylinders, i should also mention that that was a cold motor ( yes i know you are suppose to do it warm but my father forgot) the big thing here is that there are no big gaps in psi indicating a break in the cylinder head between cylinders. My father then fired it up and didnt see any bubbles in he coolant and he will be draining the oil soon. My friend also gave me his leak down tester so ill get that done soon as well. Over all though from what i have seen i might have dodged the worlds biggest bullet, im not counting my eggs before they hatch but with those compression numbers, no bubbles in the coolant, and if the oil is clean i might be ok. Like i said ill still run the leak down test to be sure but everything is positive right now, and the car seems to idle and run fine with the rumble being gone. Im aware that problems dont just fix them selves but was wondering if maybe it was running slightly ruff the first time was because the ECU made changes to one of the baks in terms of injection or timing because i drove it hot for such a long time and now that its had a little time to run while cool again its back to running the correct duty cycle, timing, ect as i did notice my AFR's were slightly lean when it was running ruff. Im going to pull all the coolant system components when im home and put in a new metal water pump and new thermostat and just maybe the car will be ok! Cross my fingers!

Fingers crossed for you too and done want to rain on the parade, but head gasket leaks often dont show much of an effect on compression tests.. Leak down will be the key to clearing the motor of any head/head gasket issues. Goodluck!

[Laptime61]

Well guys got some parts on order, i got an aluminum water pump pulley from ECS as it was on sale along with a Stewart water pump with metal impeller. Along with that new thermostat and all the gaskets to go along with it. Ill be home the 8th so expect the leak down test 9th or 10th.

[Laptime61]

ok guys big update!
I got home yesterday and was able to work on the car all day today so first off the leak down test....

Did the test and the numbers are as follows

1. 23%
2. 28%
3. 17%
4. 12%
5. 5%
6. 15%

While doing this i did not see any bubbles in the coolant nor did i hear air coming out the intake or exhaust. I did however hear lots of gurgling down the oil fill cap and dip stick tube. This is telling my my rings are going out but more importantly the head seems to be ok.

Looking into the water pump/thermostat overheat problem i cant seem to find a cause. The pump was in great shape and the thermostat itself moved on the spring freely. I should mention that all these coolant problems started when i switched over the just water from the normal 50 50 mix to comply with regulations. And for those of you reading this the first time i have bled this system a bunch of times so i know what im doing and the car didnt overheat untill the last 3 sessions of the day, the first 3 the car ran fine and the temps were good.

With all this data i think i have made my decision. I know the first 3 cylinders numbers arent good but what they are telling me along with the compression test, no smoke, no water in the oil, no oil in the water, and engine running smooth again is that the head is ok but the rings are on there way out. So what im thinking it button up the motor with the new pump and thermostat and run the engine till the rings go. In the meantime i find a longblock and build a motor. This gives me time to find good deals on parts, it will be a quick swap minimizing downtime in the shop and give me a good excuse to put my new clutch in and oil baffle which i need to do anyway.

This them means i will have a new motor come turbo time and wont have to go back into it when i find the time to put one on and it gives me the peace of mind that the motor will take the high rpm loads well and for years to come.


So if you have a longblock....... haha
so start expecting posts about a motor build!!!!

[BacDoc]

How many miles? I assume original motor.

[Laptime61]

correct 165, am i correct in saying these motor, treaded nicely, will do 250+? its an old motor but shouldnt be going out yet, all the signs point to me just being the unlucky one hah

[BacDoc]

I get mine back from body and paint in 2 days. Square up the rear and install my rollbar and I'll be on track by the end of the month. I'll let you know how my 160k motor holds up.

[Inflame]

Yes, the S50/52 will go a long, long way. My S50 had 187k and drove like a champ until I pulled it. Looks like yours is just tired, time for more power

[Laptime61]

Took a closer look at the thermostat housing today, what do you guys make of the chip in the side wall by the gasket grove....

[Laptime61]

Ooops.....

I said i was gonna build a motor... so here we go! Taking it down to pieces later today and inspect everything. The motor has a leak down of 2-3 psi on each cylinder so i should be in good shape. I got it for 1300 local so i was very happy/lucky with it.



Also next race is this Sunday at blackhawk so i have to make sure the car is ready to go and install the cooling system for my suit that i got.

Fun things on the way boys and girls so stay tuned!

[Laptime61]

Got the motor torn down yesterday, and got a good look at all the bits and bobs and everything looks to be in great shape! next its off to the machine shop for a deck/hone/bore deal and then its back to me for assembly.

[Laptime61]

Well go more work done today! The motor, head, and crank are in the back of the truck ready to go to the machine shop for all their precision goodness and i cleaned up the valves.

[Laptime61]

Also more engine pictures cuz why not...

[King Hax]

Sub'd

[Laptime61]

So bad / good news. Turns out the head gasket is done on my car, it started to overheat again and then after cool down ran horribly. Took the head off to find water in cylinder 3,4,and 6. So im working on fixing that before my next race.

Now good news!
The new motor is off to the machine shop for all its hone/bore/deck/clean goodness!
The car is now at the body shop getting some new paint and dents fixed from the accident a while back and getting the fenders rolled to run r7's.
Also i finished 2nd in my race last weekend which was awesome(before the engine overheated). I put the car on pole running on my yoko r888s and for the first few laps held the lead in my class while letting some high HP stuff go past. (Qualy was in the rain). The car then started to overheat so i dropped back to last in my class. At this point i new the damage was done so i said screw it had fun the rest of the race running the motor at about 230 -240 temp wise. Then the blessing came, rain. I then past about 12 cars that had to come to a crawl on their R6's while i was able to keep up a half decent pace as i was still on my yoko's. Came all the way back to 2nd. It was a ton of fun running the car on the limit in the rain and it felt like a win to me! totally worth what i have to do to the car now haha. If i can get the car back together running im currently in the lead for the championship and i would like to stay there but if i have to lose a race and get my built motor put in i will have my work cut out for me the rest of the season so lots of fun to come!

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Dont worry ill feed you baby birds....


Also looking to purchase my new clutch (6 puck segmented) and pistons,rods,bearings,bolts, for the new motor soon so ill post up pictures then!

[BacDoc]

I may have to do the HG on my motor, how complicated is the vanos?

[Laptime61]

Non of it is terribly complicated as long as you follow the Bentley manual and have the correct tools.