2008 Stage 3 ROUSH - Rebirth...

[AutoXRacer]

Wow...

Good to know!! How much boost are you making these days?

 

[one eyed willy]

17 until I see what I can do with the e85

 

[AutoXRacer]

Just spent the last few hours R&Ring the radiator support.

I forgot to take pictures of it installed...although with all the other stuff its hard to see. lol

 

[one eyed willy]

also forgot to mention, i use the intake of the turbo with another catch can to pull a little suction, but i dont think it pulls much becuase there is never anything in that catch can.

if you want i can make you a diagram. yesterday while i was putting my rear tires back on from having them balanced i decided to check the rear catch can and blow out the line to clean it and it had a few ounces in it so i know its working.

 

[AutoXRacer]

Bad news!!! Post race day report...

(plugs are numbered incorrectly; should be 5-8, 1=5, 2=6, 3=7 and 4=8)

#7 spark plug

Top of piston #7

Crater at 3 o'clock position.

Crater at the 11-10 o'clock position.

Crater at 2 o'clock position... assuming thats were the broken electrode bounced before going....?

I need to do a compression and leak-down test to validate the health of that cylinder. I am hoping the electrode bounced off the piston and out the tailpipes.
I will also get the fuel injectors flowed to verify #7 is flowing correctly.

I hope the valves nor the cylinder heads and walls are damaged.


It is suspected that when I pulled the plugs last time to verify the condition of the motor, tuning, health, etc. I opened the gap up from 0.024" to 0.032".
As you can see in the pictures, the electrode broke off. I suspect I weakened the metal where I bent the electrode and during hard track conditions, it failed.

 

[eighty6gt]

Ugh, that shouldn't happen.

 

[swflastang05]

Oh no, that's not good! Not another failure! We don't need any more! I hope the electrode safely passed through the exhaust..

 

[AutoXRacer]

Oh no, that's not good! Not another failure! We don't need any more! I hope the electrode safely passed through the exhaust..

What do you mean another failure...??? This is my first one!!

Yeah, I am thinking I should give up real cars and go back to RC cars. LMAO

If cylinder #7 is damaged (compression and leak-down results), then the car is getting parked for a while.
I need a break from all this car stuff...

Its been a rough 3 years... I can't believe its been that long.

How are you doing with yours? Making any headway?

 

[tigerhonaker]

Gerald,

Man for you to be so extremely Anal it is hard to understand all the crap that happens with your engines.

And the above is not some stupid smart-ass comment.

I have pretty much read your posts on this Thread and honestly I did not know that people did all the things I have read that you have done.

Let me see if I can just talk with you for a bit.

My B-302 built by Kent Nine at Brenspeed I'm sure never-ever went through anything close to what I have read in this Thread.
(I was there in person when Kent did his thing taking pics.)

What I am attempting to say is I just drive the Bullitt and basically have never had any real issues that could not be corrected easily.
(Granted in a few cases very expensive parts to correct the issue but easily to correct)

Speaking of Spark-Plugs I have 2-sets in mine after every change made to it that it goes on the Dyno for Tuning with Race-Fuel.

(1) New plugs before Dyno testing.

(2) New Spark-Plugs after Race -Fuel is out of system and back to 93-Octane.

I can't even take a wild-ass-guess at how many sets of spark plugs that have been installed in that B-302 engine of mine.

The only thing that comes to my mind is your engine must be some very Special deal that I'm just not smart enough to completely understand.

Yet, with all the super close checking and rechecking you have done your engine does this sort of thing you just posted above.

I guess it just surprises me that as meticulous as you are these things keep popping up.

Seriously man I hope you get everything worked out at some point and you can simply enjoy your Mustang.


Hopefully you can get things ironed-out soon,
Terry

 

[AutoXRacer]

Thanks Terry...

Unsure right now what caused this. Most likely, it was due to me regapping the plugs, when I should have left them alone and just popped them back in.

So that's my first lesson...never open up the gap on plugs that have been heat cycled; especially ones that have gone through lean conditions (for engine break-in).

My builder said he never gaps plugs because it weakens the strap...just buy plugs that come with the right gaps.

That statement is still debatable since its been done for years and years. But my builder was referring to race cars. Let's not get into that debate though.

I believe, I hope, it was my fault for regapping the plugs and I must have some how weakened the strap.

Next step is to wait for the correct adapter so I can take a compression reading and leak-down percentage to validate the health of the cylinder...hoping the valve seats did not take a hit.

If that check out, then I hope we are good to go. Hoping that piece of metal did not wedge itself into the cylinder head.

I will pull the injectors tonight and inspect the intake valves...although the one to really check would be the exhaust valve (but the leak-down will check it).

I think is mishap was caused by me and not anything cause by the motor.

 

[tigerhonaker]

Gerald,

It is hard sometimes according to the topic to be precise and to say exactly what one means.

I at least gave it a try above and it seems fortunately you took my post and it's content as I actually meant it.

I think is mishap was caused by me and not anything cause by the motor.

I sure hope you are right and that things come together in a positive way for you.

I like others have spent over the years what I consider a great deal of money on my Bullitt.

But in doing so I have gotten to drive mine for over as I recall 54K miles since 2008 when I took possession of it.

Granted and a few people have pointed this out when I mention the 54K miles, (Yeah Terry but that is just on the Mirrors and a few remaining body parts buddy).

That is true but the fact is it is not a garage queen and does have those traveled miles on it the last 6-years.

I have no-regrets the dollars that I have spent as I have gotten to enjoy the Bullitt for those 6-years and the miles I have traveled in it.

My man it is time IMO for you to also get to drive, race etc. that Mustang of your's is my thinking.



Terry

 

[one eyed willy]

I would be more concerned with the missing porcelain than the little piece of metal.

 

[AutoXRacer]

I would be more concerned with the missing porcelain than the little piece of metal.

Do tell!!!

I was thinking that the porcelain was easier to flow though the valves and out the exhaust...
Figured porcelain would be so much weaker than the metal parts in the motor (valves, etc). If one piece did get stuck between the valve and valve port that it would shatter and get expelled through the exhaust...???

But know that I am thinking...porcelain dust...sand sticking to the walls and sand blasting my hone??

 

[eighty6gt]

I can't believe that electrode broke off as a result of gapping. In order to fatigue that metal you'd have to go back and forth many times.

Stranger things have happened I guess.

Maybe the porcelain cracked, became loose, and hammered it off? Also doubtful.

 

[lito]

When I saw the previous pics I thought it just got lean and it melted but after seeing the piston dent and how clean is the break on the plug, uhmmm. I've seen my share of melted stuff but never something like this, so clean and with sharp edges. Tests will tell.

 

[05stroker]

That cylinder went lean. The piston mark is from the piece of plug strap on its way out. Look at the specs of the plug on itself. What injectors do you have and are they flow matched?

 

[AutoXRacer]

I have ID1000s... They were flow matched.

Another mistake I just learned about today calling flow testers, is that injectors should not be stored after being used. Sigh

So two lessons so far:
(1) Don't gap plugs (especially heat cycled plugs; typically close gap, not open)
(2) Don't store injectors, then install them after a few months...get them cleaned and flow tested.

I wish there was a manual for dos and don'ts when it comes to modifying cars. sigh

 

[lito]

Usually if you use gasoline they should not go bad that fast, how much time passed since you removed them? If it was E85 then yes as it will collect humidity and rust but you never used ethanol, so don't know, flowing them will tell, also all the break in was done and the WOT tuning and all and plugs checked and they had no signs of anything weird.

 

[AutoXRacer]

Injectors and matching spark plugs...

I am going to ship them to Injector Dynamics and have them flow test, clean, service...whatever they need to do.

 

[Pentalab]

I had ID1000s... They were flow matched.

Another mistake I just learned about today calling flow testers, is that injectors should not be stored after being used. Sigh

So two lessons so far:
(1) Don't gap plugs
(2) Don't store injectors, then install them after a few months...get them cleaned and flow tested.

I wish there was a manual for dos and don'ts when it comes to modifying cars. sigh

Are iridium's suppose to be a good brand of plug ? Where do you buy plugs that are gapped precisely to your specs ?

I can't see the strap breaking off from gapping it. The real question is why did the porcelain let go.

Why did cyl #7 go lean ?