4 replies to this topic

[Blake Thompson]

Hey guys. I'll cut to the short:

I pitched a water pump belt this weekend and did not get a charge light. The water temps went over half but not high, because the pump wasn't circulating I think it never pegged up, though I'm quite sure the temperature was very high.

I found out there was a problem when the car started misfiring from the dead battery. I brought it in and it was QUITE hot. I reassembled the water pump belt (nefarious adjustment bolt slipped) and the car proceeded to run like garbage.

When I got home I pulled the sparks and the inside of the sparks had more or less melted out of the spark plugs in cylinder 4.

I did a quick compression test - 160, 150, 155, 130, leakdown test in 4 was pretty much an abysmal failure, I started around 25% but that was the best reading I got.

I will pull the head and check the deck for tweaking but what other things should I go over? what in the block could I have damaged, what should I look for? I will send the head back out for repair, or would it be more sensible to find a core (i have dozens) and send that out. My head was a crate 3 years ago that I cooked 2 seasons back at the Milwaukee Mile, I sent it Stewart and then ran it all last season, and quite handsomly so far this season.


Appreciate any advice, other than the obvious (buy a temp gauge)

-Blake (The Slow One)

[dmathias]

A friend overheated his motor earlier this season, 3 of the cylinders had vertical scoring, enough to catch a fingernail.

[Blake Thompson]

A friend overheated his motor earlier this season, 3 of the cylinders had vertical scoring, enough to catch a fingernail.

I will look tonight, I anticipate that is possible, in which case it might mean my season.

[Van B]

Figured you had engines stacked like cord wood over there and would just plug another one in.

[Blake Thompson]

Figured you had engines stacked like cord wood over there and would just plug another one in.

sure, with 18% leakdown. Miatas will run with 300k on the clock, that doesn't mean they're race engines.

my head was salvagable but my block ended up having the cylinders completely out of round.
expensive mistake.

oh yeah, and a new radiator.