Russ's 2.1 SED Auto now in Mandarin

[russ92xmsed]

I hope these work.... should be the corroded coolant passageway and dodgy looking piston crown.

I curse photobucket and their evil ways!

https://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/20 ... G_1153.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/20 ... G_1154.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dieselman]

The pics work.

Is the pitting in the piston crown or just the built up carbon?

If it's in the carbon, you have a poorly spraying injector, if it's the crown it's been getting hot. Is this the engine that had the Van-Aaken developments tuning done on it? That looks like incremental damage caused by high exhaust gas temperatures.

You have a spare engine with decent pistons in. if the pitting is in the crown, you could swap a piston over, after checking dimensions, both diameter and height. The pistons are meant to project above the deck of the block, the height of that protrusion is what dictates the gasket thickness to chose.

The other option is to do nothing as it will probably soldier on for the life of the car.

[sdelasal]

Russ .. this topic => "Strange anomaly. The coolant screw at the back of the block is ...well ....plugged" I had the same issue. It's deposited sludge that sits in the bottom of the coolant jacket around the bores. From what I remember, what I did was get a piece of strong coat hanger typre wire and put a sharp 90' bend in it, and attack via the drain hole. Essentially, you need to go into the drain hole to the facing material - try digging that out, then go 90' up, left and right into the jacket. I might also have had a go from the top of the block, with a very long screwdriver of piece of wire. The engine I was working on, had a lot of debris in the coolant jacket and had suffered from coolant neglect with a lot of the head passages completely furred up. Steve

[russ92xmsed]

Russ .. this topic => "Strange anomaly. The coolant screw at the back of the block is ...well ....plugged" I had the same issue. It's deposited sludge what site in the bottom of the coolant jacket around the bores. From what I remember, what I did was get a piece of strong coat hanger typre wire and put a sharp 90' bend in it, and attack it via the drain hole. Essentially, you need to go into the drain hole to the facing material - try digging that out, then go 90' up the jacket. I might also have had a go from the top of the block with a very long screwdriver of piece of wire. The engine i was working on had a lot of debris in the coolant jacket and had suffered from coolant neglect with a lot of the head passages completely furred up. Steve

That's interesting Steve. I'll take another look and see if I can break it up. But from my prodding it was really quite solid.
Very strange, though not surprising I suppose.

The pics work.

Is the pitting in the piston crown or just the built up carbon?

If it's in the carbon, you have a poorly spraying injector, if it's the crown it's been getting hot. Is this the engine that had the Van-Aaken developments tuning done on it? That looks like incremental damage caused by high exhaust gas temperatures.

You have a spare engine with decent pistons in. if the pitting is in the crown, you could swap a piston over, after checking dimensions, both diameter and height. The pistons are meant to project above the deck of the block, the height of that protrusion is what dictates the gasket thickness to chose.

The other option is to do nothing as it will probably soldier on for the life of the car.

I think it's a bit of both, but it looks like it has attacked the piston crown. It looks different to the other three. By that I mean the top of the bore and the general condition. It's the grey cars engine, so it's completely standard. The condition of the mandarin that has the van Aaken tuning looks great in comparison, apart from that spot of corrosion on the head. I would be sorting that out if it hadn't frozen up. I have tried to free it, but it won't budge. That might have to be a long term project and complety rebuild it. And pigs might pigs might fly!

Anyway I am going to use the injectors from the mandarins engine in case the spray pattern is up the creek causing the pitting.

I might leave it, if it will trundle on. I wonder if the boost controller for the turbo is causing it to get too hot..... hmmmm.

[Dieselman]

Not unless it's got additional fuel as well.

How smokey is it when on boost?

[White Exec]

Personally, I wouldn't be switching pistons from one used engine into another, unless desperate. Surely worth obtaining new.
These engines can do vast mileages without perceptible wear to the bores - our BX looked almost new after 170k mi, with honing patterning still visible, and no perceptible top lip . . . and that on a steady diet of Duckhams 20W-50.

The round waterway just needs cleaning out. (Go easy with the round files, though!)
Coolant neglect can leave some pretty solid stuff lurking in corners. Only the best in future!

[russ92xmsed]

To be perfectly honest Will I don't know. I have never been awear of any excessive smoke or black soot at any point. The boost controller is only turned up a small amount. Very small.... almost not worth having really.

Chris, it's always had good coolant mix in my ownership. But I have only ran the engine on the road for 4 years total. The grey XM, where this engine is from, was serviced by a main dealer for most of its life. It was originally a company car to an accountancy firm in London.
I blame the second owner.
If that is sediment at the bottom blocking that bleed screw hole, I'm shocked! I'll see if I can get a picture tomorrow of it.

I have looked at the bores and they look very good. I compared the two engines for any lip at the top and they were same.
Probably means they are both bad!!

[Dieselman]

Diesel engines rarely wear the bores of cast iron liners. Diesel is a lubricant.

[russ92xmsed]

I managed to unfreeze the mandarins engine today.
After previously trying diesel and even a little penetrating oil and giving up on it, I decided to give it a soaking in parafin for 24 hours yesterday after some advice I was given over the weekend, and try again. Some rocking back and forth of the crank and a good thwack with some wood and it's finally free. Obviously it can't be used without some honing and new piston rings as there is some marking where it had got stuck. Hopefully it hasn't written the block off. The other three bores look fine. It was piston number 1 if you count from cambelt end first.

So now I am in a strange position of having two engines, in exactly the same state of undress. Both needing piston work,
( I have decided it's not wise to use that pitted piston. Not least as I will constantly fret about it)
one with considerably better water ways, ( I did manage to unblock that bleed screw. It was solid with crud. Thanks Steve for that handy tip) and of course with better performance having the Van Aakens Midas touch.
The piston crowns on the mandarins engine are perfect too. Gut instinct is saying rebuild that engine with the good bits off the grey XM's engine. Which would mostly be pipes, as there isn't much else!

This head swap project has escalated fast! At least that bit is done though. I don't think somehow the XM will be at the Chevrons now.....

I will try and get some pics of the cylinder. Not easy with lighting ect.

[russ92xmsed]

Some piston bore pic links. Some are a bit blurry.

https://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/20 ... G_0097.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/20 ... G_0099.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/20 ... G_0100.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/20 ... G_1159.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/20 ... G_0102.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;