Well as many of you know my car blew the heater hose off the heater core at the BR Sport Compact Shootout. Luckily Trent wasn't burnt as the hot coolant came inside the car.

I wasn't sure what happened, could have been a head gasket, could have been a cracked block. I was really NOT looking forward to it being a cracked block but I was assuming the worse in my mind.

I built an entire new long block for the car as there have been some things I have been wanting to try.

Today Daniel and Steve finally got time to get my car in and swap the engines. I knew once the old one was out I'd find out what the problem was and move on from there.

This is probably the oddest failure I have seen. We did end up pressurizing the cooling system which popped the heater hose off. The short block looks like brand new, every bearing, piston, rod etc. like new. The combustion chambers are like new, the spark plugs are perfect there is one problem. The head gasket blew and actually torched the cylinder head OUTSIDE the SS o-ring. Even the valves are perfect. I have seen this happen before but it has always cut a valve, ruined the spark plug and then went from the combustion chamber out from there. Not the case in this instance.

It almost looks like the head was not flat and it just blew out from there, the damage appears to have started right where the o-ring ends meet.

I am relieved it's not a block. The head is an easy repair, weld it up and fix it, no problem.

It's more puzzling as the car had probably 100 plus dyno runs on it with this same tune in it, ran (5) 9.5's at 154+ mph a 9.42 at 155 mph and then just "poof".

I will have to check the injectors and such while it is apart just to make sure something didn't happen there.

This was all after the fuel rail stands broke off the car and the car was down about 40 whp, so maybe the problem is still something I hadn't found.

Anyway, you gotta pay to play.

 

Amen. I'm learning this lesson as well but it keeps me interested in this sport

Thanks for sharing the info w/ us.

Sounds like the o-ring did it's job for a while.

Got any pics of the damage by chance especially where the o-ring ends are?

Are you planning on running the new shortblock w/ the new goodies or stick w/ the sb that's been doing great so far?

 

Pay to Play is so true

My evo had a similar outcome about a month ago.
Everything was fine and then pop at the middle of 4th at the track.
Blew the upper radiator hose off (which hit the cam angle sensor and broke it)
After removing the head I found the same scenerio where the block, cylinder walls, even the plugs were fine, but there was a good torched area just outside of the combustion camber. I ended up just replacing the head since I got a good deal on a core.

good luck on the new build!

 

You've created a new quench area.

 

The complete new long block I built is going in the car. There has been some things I wanted to change/try for about 8 months now and this is the engine I built with the changes in it.

No I am not discussing them.

 

Thank god it wasnt the block... seems how we are with in a few HP of each other, you had me scard.

Nice write up Dave!!!

 

Oh, come on. Don't make us wait again. By the way, have whatever you're doing worked out this week, because I'll be there maybe by next weekend.

added: Nick said he can only keep so many parts under his desk.

 

Understood!

 

Don't worry Tom, your stuff is being finished too, looks just like mine, kind of odd

 

Pay to Play, thanks to your 35r Kit I have to get a new tranny, the 6 speed is Donezo!

Good thing your block is ok

 

Ya tell me about Paying to Play...lol... Well you know the story's! Finally wised up and got what i needed to help me play more then pay!

Chris

 

Yea its great that Trent didnt get hurt!

Glad to see you trying even more things! Good Luck, I agree with Indy in the other thread, I think this car is going to be an 8 second DD before long! Also glad to see its not the block or anything too serious!

 

Great, honest post. So the head was damaged, not the bottom end? Will you just put the same bottom end back in it?

 

Keep us poseted what is the exact reason this happened.

 

thankfully it wasn't the block, but man that is an odd failure, very interested to see if anything else attributed to it...