Blown Head Gasket!!!

[Gav240z]

Ok well this week I didn't drive my Z because I was gonna do work on it but having a need to use my car on Sunday i took it out and was being nice to it.

So anyway I'm in traffic and trying to change lanes when i hear a bang. I see a bit of smoke and the engine stalls, great I think try to start her nothing crank crank crank she comes to life but I try to accelerate and it dies again.

At first I thought a valve had given up but I managed to get it down a side street and start it up again at idle. Idles ok not great ok dies if you rev or try and move.

Would not start then blows a heap of blue smoke through the intake. But it's running called a mate with a Z we have no idea I can't hear a valve making any noise. Sounds normal apart from a bit of miss here and there.

Anyway later I discover water from the exhaust and a small puddle behind the car.

Great head gasket but why the backfire through the carbs and the smoke.

I put it down to poor tune and knocking from the high compression engine and electrical timing not quite right.

So that sorted out I've been meaning to replace the valve stem seals for a while and since I'm taking the head off now's the time.

But I'm thinking I should really rebuild the entire engine or build the L28 P90 I dunno if I can afford a turbo setup yet would be nice.

I can try stuffing about with an L24 that hasn't run in 2 years ran ok before. But it's alot of mucking about and I only have a electronic distributor mapped to the L28's cam.

If I go to the effort of rebuilding the head of the one in their already an e88 with a bit of engine work, 280zx valves, cam , port and polish etc.. I would like a bigger cam..

Hmm starting to feel a bit lost now the other alternative is to just replace the head gasket but hate the burning oil.

Any suggestions?

Guess I'll have to pull the engine head then sort things from there will keep you guys up to date .

[carguyinok]

Sorry to hear If I was doing it I would go all out. IMO I dont feel its much more work. Why wait for a major low end meltdown with a new head job:finger: . Bite it in the butt and get it done. You may find it just needs rings & bearings. Hold off, wait for damage and it wont just be rings :tapemouth

[Zedrally]

Originally posted by Gav240z

Would not start then blows a heap of blue smoke through the intake. But it's running called a mate with a Z we have no idea I can't hear a valve making any noise. Sounds normal apart from a bit of miss here and there.

.

Blue smoke? Not wanting to be a wet blanket, but it doesn't sound like a head gasket.

White smoke is associated with a blown head or gasket.

The bang worries me also? Was it more like a backfire?

Have you pulled the plugs? THis will give a better indication of the condition of the head/gasket.

[Gav240z]

This is why I posted this .

I heard a noise which to me sounded like some form of bang. I then was sure I could hear it again and again like a valve had broken into the cylinder and was getting wacked around by the piston. It's hard to recall exactly as 100 things were going through my mind.

I felt the engine die and smoke belowed out the front of the car.

White/Blue smoke which I later determined as coming from the intake area.

It took a while to get her running again I cranked and cranked and cranked let go of the key about to give up and as I did it was as if the engine decided to start and blew out more blue smoke through the intake, I pulled the air box and played with the carbs a bit noticed that when I pulled the piston up in the carbie it almost dies but that could be because the tune was out. But this was the front carbie and where I suspect she's blown a gasket.

Had constant trouble getting it to rev and would die when any throttle was applied.

I had no tools on me so I couldn't pull anything apart yet.

I have noticed a pool of water out the exhaust on 1 side only as the dual pipe seperates first 3 and last 3 cylinders it indicated that one of the cylinders had blown the gasket.

My theory thus far is that it's possible the timing has gone funny and possibly run the engine backwards is this possible? Not sure if this caused the engine to blow the gasket or not was driving ok before.

Could start again later and when i returned a few hours later to tow her home I fired her up with the choke and it seemed ok.

I did manage to rev it up to 3500-4000 rpm but for some reason the engine will just stop like cut out. I have to do more diagnosis but I am confused to say the least.

I think I should also mention that the engine oil was clean and the coolant looked fine and still fairly full mind you I didn't run the engine long.

I also had very good oil pressure still but this would only indicate that the bottom end bearings were still good I guess.

Also water tempreture seemed fine just below halfway as it usually is.

I just hope it's not a combination of problems here.:disappoin

[Gav240z]

Originally posted by carguyinok

Sorry to hear If I was doing it I would go all out. IMO I dont feel its much more work. Why wait for a major low end meltdown with a new head job:finger: . Bite it in the butt and get it done. You may find it just needs rings & bearings. Hold off, wait for damage and it wont just be rings :tapemouth

Exactly along the lines I was thinking just the monetary factor at the moment but thinking of going without a car for a few months while I save money and build this new engine.

Because I have the spare P90 and block I was thinking of building the motor I had always wanted that a friend of mine built.

However the E88 head I'm sure has plenty of potential and I don't see any reason that it's restricted in any sense from being as good as the P90 now that it has the bigger valves and port work done. It should blow good and have the advantage of no emission controls in it's design.

The p90 I would like to build is the same as Brian Littles one at Zgarage. However what will I do with the old L28 E88 combo?

Oh well time will tell I guess.

[Zedrally]

Originally posted by Gav240z

This is why I posted this .

I heard a noise which to me sounded like some form of bang. I then was sure I could hear it again and again like a valve had broken into the cylinder and was getting wacked around by the piston.

Valves broken in cylinder sounds more like a tat tat tat until no more tat! Trust me you'll know immediately this has happened, the sound once heard is unmistakable.

As you've been able to re-start the engine and I gather you're not hearing a tat tat tat then I would doubt a broken valve and I would doubt the gasket theory.

Pull the plugs and let us know what condition the're in.

Perhaps it's all in the timing ,have you recently checked it?

[Gav240z]

It could be the timing but I also believe the gasket is gone due to the white smokey water out the exhaust.

I will pull the plugs tonight and buy a compression tester soon to check.

I also ruled out the valves when it started later and was quiet as before.

[Z Kid]

Did you run a check for bubbles in the radiator/milky oil??

[sjcurtis]

Gav240z,

I am sorry to hear this story. The smoke consideration is the key here, as alluded to by Zedrally it is probably the major problem, to me if the blue smoke is constant and not effected by rpm or load, I think it is more serious probably holed or destroyed a piston or at least scored the hell out of a bore when something impacted the rings and shattered them. I hope I am totally wrong.

I wish you the best of luck with the recovery.

Steve

[LanceM]

First thing I would do is run a compression check, it will only take 10 minutes and will tell you a world of info before you tear into it. If it is just a head gasket, you could have it changed in a couple of hours for the cost of the gasket. That would keep you driving until you are ready for the big swap, if it is more than the gasket then I would only work on the swap not spending any money on something that you are going to toss in a few months.

[Gav240z]

Yeah unfortunately my compression tester is busted and have to buy another.

I have end of semester tests/exams coming up in the next 2 weeks so thinking about leaving it for my 2 week break.

The car runs like normal but the smoke(blue) was only coming from the intake when trying to start after the initial break down.

So far I've been able to start it like normal with the choke out and do get a watery spray from the exhaust.

You could be right Steve as the noise I heard was one of those not good ones. I guess I'm really eger to know what went wrong but have to wait. Will keep you guys posted on the progress and thank you all for your input.

The only real other dilemna was I was gonna use the P90 head for turboing the car at a later stage. To get the turbo set up happening I'm looking at more money than I have . I don't mind having the car off the road but I'm still planning to be a student for at least 2 years and possibly even longer if I choose to keep going further after that. (Should have become a doctor) .

The current E88 F54 setup was great and I liked the way it drove Just not sure what to do with it. I guess first step is to do a compression test and pull the head go from there.

Will keep you all posted.

[Brett240]

hey gav ive heard the same bang. turns out the water jacket near cyl 6 corroded into the combustion chamber whcih in turn stuffed the gasket (which i assume went BANG) and created compression in the coolant system. also check your oil breather on top of the cam cover. if its chuffing white smoke, then its time for a new gasket/ major head repairs:disappoin