A few pics

[MrChips]

Just been to see my engine after an enthusiastic VMax caused my Tuscan 2S to shout "no more, no more!".

Rear 2 pistons aren't looking too hot (anymore ), although suprisingly all the cams/followers were pretty much fine.

Ouch by DH Photographic, on Flickr


Peekaboo by DH Photographic, on Flickr


Uh oh by DH Photographic, on Flickr


piston by DH Photographic, on Flickr

Gonna sit down tomorrow and work out options/finances etc but it looks likely i'll go for a full rebuild. The mods done to the block and head etc for a 4.3 do make me feel more confident in the longevity than just a simple rebuild, so considering getting the later block and mods but keeping the crank and rods etc if it can save a bit of money. Anyone else done this?

[dvs_dave]

Oh dear.....looks like a spot of detonation going on there. What do you think caused it? Overheating or leaning out at high rpm?

What were the symptoms?

[Betz74]

That is quite nasty looking... bore doesnt look to badly scored though, will be interested to hear the diagnosis

[Robertjp]

What actually happened???! Some significant debris in there?! Doesnt seem right that doing top speed should cream cracker your engine?!

I had mine rebuilt with the 'latest spec' block which is both stronger and with improved oilways and water cooling. I only went for a standard rebuild (it was under warranty, but i chose a few things to pay over and above). I kept my rods and had the little end bearings done, crank just needed a polish.

Not sure about using the same in a 4.3 though, dont know enough about them im afraid

What was the vmax

[KillerJim]

MrChips said:

Just been to see my engine after an enthusiastic VMax caused my Tuscan 2S to shout "no more, no more!".

What were the symptoms of the "no more, no more"?

[MrChips]

dvs_dave said:

Oh dear.....looks like a spot of detonation going on there. What do you think caused it? Overheating or leaning out at high rpm?

What were the symptoms?

Yup, detonation to the max!

From what we can work out, both rear cylinders must have been running very hot for a while. I can't remember if the factory ever made changes to the blocks, but essentially mine doesn't have the extra oil pathways that many of the rebuilds would now consider essential. The rear has got too hot, some minor damage over time, and then I suspect the Vmax attempt at WOT has caused it to run lean for a good 40 seconds or so which was the final straw.
The headgasket has blown in between cylinders 5 and 6 which is most of the debris you can see.

I had just changed into 5th, coming up to 145-150 ish and had a sudden limiting of power, felt very much like a misfire/electrical glitch. Parked up and turned off and called it a day.

There's a few options open including re-using the block (2 liners and pistons needed) and then simply skimming the head and block and rebuilding (inc a new oil pathway at the back of the block). This would be the minimum, but i'm exploring all the options from this, right up to the new block (which already has better oilways and additional coolant paths). From there it's just a matter of whether I can stretch the whole hog and go for a 4.3 or not.

The car had run a 12.2 qtr mile so the engine was running very sweet beforehand so not looking for more power, but a bit more torque would help, so perhaps spending some cash on the airbox trumpets and a full remap would be better. It all depends on the cost, but it'll definitely stay as a speed6.