VTECSTYLE

Setup:
f20 block
Inline pro built block (AEBS)
CP 9.0:1
Inlinepro rods
New Honda Head Gasket
ARP head studs
arp main.
BC valves
BC springs and retainters.
Tuned by LJ at Full Blown 27 drop to 21 psi made 460hp on corn
2150 cc injectors
DW310 pump
Water to air from vortech
t3/t4 Garrret with stage 4 wheel .63 hot/.50 cold just a little guy.
For the last couple days I have been troubleshooting a nasty problem. The problem occurred at the drag strip and i melted down a spark plug and right after i did that the car began to overheat Limped it back to the pit and installed a spare set of plugs It fired right up but the temp would creap and rise above 230 *F. Took it apart that night to find that the head gasket failed between cylinders 1-2. So i got a new Honda OEM HG, IM, EM, and valve cover gasket set. Also got the cylinder head resurfaced and checked out. the Head is not cracked or warped. and the head was still pretty flat. Only took .020 Off the head. So I reassembled the head. Got it all back together on the car. adjusted the valves. and double checked everything to make sure it was good. So i go to start it and it fires right up. Let it warm up and about 3-4 mins after its running it starts to smoke a bit and then when it starts getting hotter the smoke really starts rolling. Its more white than blue. but got a tad of blue to it. after its warmed up it still smokes. At first i thought it might be excess stuff burning inside the exhaust but. Ive ran it a lot longer. Outside the exhaust is a lot moisture and water. ( prolly burning coolant? but where the hell from!!) I had a hell of a time getting the sucker to bleed. I couldnt get any hot water to go inside the heater core. So i bought a new thermostat and installed that. After i did that the heater started to work. But I am still getting Somewhat high temps 210-230 *F and Smoke. SO i am at kind of stand still where could this smoke be coming from?

Ive installed new plugs
New thermostat

My first thought it might be another bad head gasket.
The sleeves sunk. But i used a straight edge and light and it was flat and I tried it in many different ways.
Cylinder walls looked good,
The guys at the machine shop lied about the head NOT being warped or a leaking combustion chamber(like a crack).

Last one is the intake manifold. i put the stupid thing on after i put the head on. and i tightened all the bolts down But thinking maybe I tq'd them in the wrong sequence??? maybe???? I dunno.

I also did a compression test and all the cylinders read: 1:170, 2: 165 3: 170, 4: 175

my next thing to try is loosing all the intake manifold bolts then tightening them down from the inside out. to 16 ft/lbs hoping that might fix it.
When i put new plugs in today the old ones were okay except 4. 1-3 were dry but number 4 was a tiny bit wet on the top of the plug. around the hot area. maybe I didn't tq them down right and that coolant passage on the Intake manifold is starting to leak into cylinder number 4.

Also another note my Vacuum gauge used to read 20-21 in/HG but now its around 15-17 so im loosing some sort of pumping. but my idle is good!!.

another thing ive observed is the coolant coming out of the Rad Neck. WHen it starts getting warm the coolant will come out really slow. and then as the engine heats up the coolant will come out faster then resead and then repeat, No signs of Carbon or oil in the coolant and no coolant in the Oil. No milkyness on the dip stick. But milkyness on the valvecover.

s2000442

That is a lot of psi for a smallish turbo. My gtx 3076r was running out of steam at 22psi. I am not an expert but it sounds like you may have fried your turbo and maybe you should check your exhaust gas temperatures you probably have a major restriction there now.

camuman

i would go back to na and see if the problem persists.

VTECSTYLE

thats what i am thinking to. Run it na for a second and see if its still there.

Irishflame27

It's not the turbo, your symptoms do not point to a failed turbo at all. You check for irregular radial and axial shaft play, or check your turbine housing/downpipe area for oil leaks. But that's not your issue here. To be honest I'm not sure what's wrong hahaha, possibly a bad headgasket installation? Not doubting your mechanical ability, just trying to help

hybridsol

Pull the plugs, pressure check coolant system. Look in cylinder for coolant. If there is none, check the exhaust and intake... good luck!

sohc_mshue

Obviously something is terribly wrong in the first place if you melted down a spark plug. Maybe a bad injector in that cylinder?

4forall

Yeah i would start with the root cause of why the plug melted. That will help you further diagnose where the moisture could be coming from. Check the spark plug threads on the cylinder that melted the plug. I have seen it happen a few times. If a plug is under torqued it loosens up, creates blowby out the plug. Melts the plug, molten metal falls on the piston and scores the cylinder wall.

Also check the coilpack for that cylinder as well. Hopefully its just your intake manifold gasket leaking into 4.

Manny2587

Sounds like intake manifold leak. Explains lose of vacuum as well.

vduber

Sounds like the same issue I had after Igot my built motor on the dyno. Been way too busy with work but gunna try to pull the head Sunday, hopefully it's just a hg and nothing's warped. If only your number 1 cyl was wet it could possibly be the coolant passage in the intake manifold was cracked and leaking but that dosent seem to be the case. I'm basically got it down between blown hg, warpe head/block or dropped sleeve.