My engine has just let go !
Discussion
Ouch. The engine in my Westfield has just let go BIG time, whilst out for a blast in the country (had to get the wife to tow me back from the middle of nowhere, the shame !)
Started with a light clatter, 3 seconds later it was a big clatter, engine off, pull over sharpish, consumed in a big cloud of smoke. This. Is. Not. Good.
Back home, can't see anything externally apart from some oil splatter round the engine bay on the carb side of the engine, and dripping oil from the where the exhaust manifold meets the exhaust box. Have just whipped the rocker cover off, and all the valves are still there, but one push rod is about 1" lower than it should be !! (hence the rattle I guess)
(btw the engine is a Connaught built 1600 Xflow, quite highly tuned, blueprinted and flowed, dry sumped, twin 45DCOEs etc)
I guess tomorrow I'll start stripping the engine of all the anxillaries to find out what's happened, but any guesses anyone ? Cam ? Push rod ? Why is there oil splattered in the engine bay but no apparent breach of the block ? Why is there oil in the exhaust if it is the cam / pushrod area ?
Started with a light clatter, 3 seconds later it was a big clatter, engine off, pull over sharpish, consumed in a big cloud of smoke. This. Is. Not. Good.
Back home, can't see anything externally apart from some oil splatter round the engine bay on the carb side of the engine, and dripping oil from the where the exhaust manifold meets the exhaust box. Have just whipped the rocker cover off, and all the valves are still there, but one push rod is about 1" lower than it should be !! (hence the rattle I guess)
(btw the engine is a Connaught built 1600 Xflow, quite highly tuned, blueprinted and flowed, dry sumped, twin 45DCOEs etc)
I guess tomorrow I'll start stripping the engine of all the anxillaries to find out what's happened, but any guesses anyone ? Cam ? Push rod ? Why is there oil splattered in the engine bay but no apparent breach of the block ? Why is there oil in the exhaust if it is the cam / pushrod area ?
Nev, don't do that! I thought it was the 308 for a minute. Tough luck mate.
Liz made a comment about boys and their expensive toys ... mind you she just got another 3 points so she can't talk! (nicked for 95mph on M5 last Sunday in the TT, she was followed doing 115mph, nice Police lady).
T/.
Liz made a comment about boys and their expensive toys ... mind you she just got another 3 points so she can't talk! (nicked for 95mph on M5 last Sunday in the TT, she was followed doing 115mph, nice Police lady).
T/.
Tough luck Nev, maybe you've dropped a valve which has holed a piston. Hope it's fixed soon. BTW there's quite a few xflow bitsd for sale on www.blatchat.com (when it comes back up). Just don't tell them it's for a Westfield as it's a caterham and lotus site 
My engine is fairly highly tuned, 200bhp from a 1.8K
Roy
My engine is fairly highly tuned, 200bhp from a 1.8K
Roy
Tref - sorry mate 
I did SMS you shortly after Tess had dragged me ignomously home (AND I had to rip my front number plate off to be able to attach the rope to the chassis ... note to self, must fit front tow hitch)
The thing I dont understand at the moment is why a piston or valve packing in (assuming that is the case) would mean I've got a loose push rod rattling round ?!? Oh well, I'll find out soon enough, tomorrow morning it's "strip-a-dee-doo-dar, strip-a-dee-day" time ....
(p.s. Tref, bad luck re. Liz .... 115 and she got away with it ?!?)
I did SMS you shortly after Tess had dragged me ignomously home (AND I had to rip my front number plate off to be able to attach the rope to the chassis ... note to self, must fit front tow hitch) The thing I dont understand at the moment is why a piston or valve packing in (assuming that is the case) would mean I've got a loose push rod rattling round ?!? Oh well, I'll find out soon enough, tomorrow morning it's "strip-a-dee-doo-dar, strip-a-dee-day" time ....
(p.s. Tref, bad luck re. Liz .... 115 and she got away with it ?!?)
There is a 1600 XFlow for sale here
www.bbmmotorsport.co.uk/
Only had a brief look but it looks like a good-un!
www.bbmmotorsport.co.uk/
Only had a brief look but it looks like a good-un!
Robp - thanks for that, I'll chase that up.
Mike - not sure yet. Can't spot a likely cause, but the damage is that extensive it's difficult to say. I've yet to pull the engine and check out the bottom end, I think there's something wrong with the bottom end due to no.3 exhaust push rod being 1" lower than it should be ! Best guess at the moment ? Snapped inlet valve, broken/jumped timing chain, snapped cam.
Mike - not sure yet. Can't spot a likely cause, but the damage is that extensive it's difficult to say. I've yet to pull the engine and check out the bottom end, I think there's something wrong with the bottom end due to no.3 exhaust push rod being 1" lower than it should be ! Best guess at the moment ? Snapped inlet valve, broken/jumped timing chain, snapped cam.
Looks very similar to my 1380cc mini engine that went bang, mine was caused by having the wrong spark plugs, the gap opened, the electrode fell off, it then stuck in the valve which bent then hit the piston, big mess like yours.
Unfortunately all the bits went into the gearbox as well, but I’m slowly getting the bits together for a rebuild.
Unfortunately all the bits went into the gearbox as well, but I’m slowly getting the bits together for a rebuild.
Paul V - interesting, but if yours looks anything like mine how would you know ?!? There's nothing left of the inlet valve (bar chunks) and the valve seat area has been totally destroyed. The spark plug has been repeatedly hit and moshed, so it's hard to tell if it ever had an electrode in the first place !
Was totting up the list of parts I'd need (assuming my block isn't cracked) and I'm up to £1000 already (excluding machine costs and labour)
There's nothing left of the inlet valve (bar chunks) and the valve seat area has been totally destroyed. The spark plug has been repeatedly hit and moshed, so it's hard to tell if it ever had an electrode in the first place ! Was totting up the list of parts I'd need (assuming my block isn't cracked) and I'm up to £1000 already (excluding machine costs and labour)
Well on mine you could see the electrodes on the other plugs had opened up, a mistake was made when converting the plug numbers from NGK to champion and I ended up with the protruding electrode type, a independent engine builder looked over it for my and said you could see small marks on the piston where something was in the cylinder before the valve broke causing the heavy damage.
I’ve managed to source a ported head and a second hand piston for mine and the cam is ok, the crank, bearings, oil pump are all scrap though and the block has had the bore heavily mark by the valve, so that’ll need the be replaced and offset bored, I think mine will be around £700-1000 as the box will need a rebuild which will add lots to the cost, not sure if I’m going with it or just keep with a standard engine as I have the TVR for going quick and the mini is mainly for commuting.
I’d recommend Ferriday Engineering for ford bits, they did my S heads for me and the service was excellent as was the price!
I’ve managed to source a ported head and a second hand piston for mine and the cam is ok, the crank, bearings, oil pump are all scrap though and the block has had the bore heavily mark by the valve, so that’ll need the be replaced and offset bored, I think mine will be around £700-1000 as the box will need a rebuild which will add lots to the cost, not sure if I’m going with it or just keep with a standard engine as I have the TVR for going quick and the mini is mainly for commuting.
I’d recommend Ferriday Engineering for ford bits, they did my S heads for me and the service was excellent as was the price!
A mechanic at the place where my wife works has just had a look at the pics. He says that his mate had something identical with his X flow a few years back, and that it was down to the carbs being out of tune with each other, causing the valves to overheat and eventually melt. He says, looking at the colour of the valves, that this looks to be the case here. This doesn't cheer me up much, the fact that I could have avoided this (theorectially) and that it's my fault 
Serious comment : if anyone knows of a tuned X flow (1600/1700) engine for sale in the Midlands area (or thereabouts) could you drop me a line ?
robp ... followed that link, couldn't see anything about it on the site, is this insider knowledge ?
Serious comment : if anyone knows of a tuned X flow (1600/1700) engine for sale in the Midlands area (or thereabouts) could you drop me a line ?
robp ... followed that link, couldn't see anything about it on the site, is this insider knowledge ?
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