Hmmm something bad seems to have happened with the replacement engine I got fitted

 

There didn't appear to be any problem when I picked the car up.

 

The engine sounds OK and it seems to run OK however when I drove it back yesterday my friend who was following me said it was smoking a lot just from the near side exhaust but I didn't notice as the car felt like it was running fine

 

This seems to have gotten worse today when ticking over the nearside ehxaust is 'splutterring' a bit like there is an intermittent misfire on that side and when you rev it you get copious amounts of white smoke from that exhaust - and I mean plenty of it!!

 

I popped to the garage across the road and they had a look and revved it quite a bit and said they thought it was a turbo but could not explain the splutterring so then they said it could be 'just about anything' which wasn't very helpful

 

I parked up outside the house for 15 mins and then asked the missus to rev the car so i could put some video up here and now it seems to be smoking a lot from both exhausts like it just got worse in those 15 mins

 

The guy from next door came out (who also runs a garage) and claimed it is both turbos because if you compress the intercooler pipes with your fingers then rev the engine it should force the pipes back out again against your fingers. You do feel a little pressure 'kick' when holding the intercooler pipes compressed and revving but he says it is not enough

 

I'm not sure this guy knows what he is talking about or not but I must admit when you rev the engine the guage on the boost controller does not go positive it goes from -70 to about 0. I would have to run the car on the road and watch the guage to be certain

 

Any suggestions please, no doubt when I take the car the few miles to Trentham on Sunday (so it can sit there looking pretty even if it is turned off so it don't smoke) I will have 19 more opinions as to what is wrong with my car now :huh: so I may as well ask here first

 

I'll upload the video if I can remember my youtube login lol

 

Rich

Edited June 14, 201312 yr by dicky96

Forgot to answer - about 65 miles

 

Actually which makes me think, are there any meets, summer convoys or whatever (even if a few of you just fancy cruising around with me in an impromptu last minute sort of way) planned for this weekend which should be sunny? If so I would love to join in on one as far as it is not one corner of the UK or another (I live in the middle lol)

 

 

 

Rich

 

There's 300zx 666's bbq this week, which, really annoyingly I can't get to but will be a nice day. Or bacon butties in tod in a couple of weeks!

 

so can any one explain the huge amounts of oil in the cylinders and fouling plugs if the Intake system is Clean ..

as with the amount of oil that was dripping out of the tub its self and all in the exhaust system

they would be some evidence of oil in the other pipe work .. but not one bit

 

Mark@zedword

 

TBH this is what bothers me the most. Undoubtably I had a blown turbo - which I shouldn't have had really as I asked that they were checked and the best ones selected and this engine and turbos were supposed to be 'mint' as described on here - yet for some reason one of the turos failed almost immediately - probably the first time I applied boost

 

Yet this does not explain all the oil in the cylinders on the nearside and Jeff could not offer an explanation either

 

Mark you tell me it ain't valve stem seals as the amount of oil present prohibited that explanation. Jeff you say it is a mechanical mystery and offered no explanation

 

Can I ask - what was the condition of the cylinders and plugs prior to the engine geing fitted. I requested that a boroscope was used to check the engine before fitting and a compression test so the plugs must have been out. So Jeff if you did this work as asked, what did you see? I would assume no problem otherwise you would have called me. Assuming the checks were made....

 

I've been doing a bit of reading around the net and also the guy who owns the garage near me told me a story that sounds very silmilar (this is the guy who checked the compression for me here)

 

So here goes another theory from a non mechanic who has been reading and listening ... is this feasible

 

The guy over the road fitted a replacement engine to a car, the old engine had been standing a while but was a known good one. When fitted and fired up the car was smoking it's nuts off. Symptoms suggested broken piston rings or similar. After a short while the engine was stripped and this is what they found

 

Now I only learned this from the conversation - I had heard of ringlands but did not really know what they are. This guy tells me the ringlands are the grooves you see around the piston, and the rings sit in these grooves to hold them in place, but they are not 'fixed' in position as the ringland is wider than the ring, so during operation the piston ring 'floats' in the ringland and it is this floating that makes them work properly.

 

On this engine, a build up of residue and old lubricant had formed a sticky mess in the ringlands, so the rings were stuck in place.

 

They cleaned all this mess off (prob used WD40 or similar I guess) and then refitted the pistons and rings and all was fine

 

Now he suggests I could have had a similar problem, but in my case, running the engine a bit (I guess it's done 140 miles now wince the engine was first fitted) and the rings have freed themselves to some extent. Hence lots of oil in the cylinders with no apparent cause or bore damage once the engine was first run, yet good compression results.

 

And now the faulty turbo is fixed there is less smoking and no or little apparent oil loss on the car now so I just need to burn all the crap out of the cats

 

He says if that's the case the problem could fix itself with a bit more running, or the engine will have to be stripped to see if this really is the problem, or if the rings are still partially stuck

 

Does that sound realistic and would it explain the conflicting symptoms and tests?

 

Rich

stuck rings is possible...especially the bottom scraper ring(s)

Stuck scraper rings do not really influence compression figures, but the engine will use a lot of oil (and will usually smoke pretty bad).

 

So keep a close eye on the oil level..

 

Also old oil in the exhaust/cats from a previous blown engine/turbo, will start smoking once the exhaust/cat will heat up after a minute or so...not immidiately

It also has a different smell then oil that is burned by the engine..old oil in the exhaust has more of a burning rubber/plastic type smell.

There's 300zx 666's bbq this week, which, really annoyingly I can't get to but will be a nice day. Or bacon butties in tod in a couple of weeks!

 

Richard, you are very welcome to come up for our BBQ, see if it clears any more than already cleared. It would be great to see you and your wife again.

Yeah she needs more of a run to see if this problem clears so I will come over on Saturday to the BBQ thanks for the invite

 

The missus will not be with me but I will be with a mate who is thinking of getting a Z and want's to try mine to see what it's all about - so I'll let him drive her back (and I'll have a few beers lol)

 

How many are coming?

 

Rich

stuck rings is possible...especially the bottom scraper ring(s)

Stuck scraper rings do not really influence compression figures, but the engine will use a lot of oil (and will usually smoke pretty bad).

 

So keep a close eye on the oil level..

 

Also old oil in the exhaust/cats from a previous blown engine/turbo, will start smoking once the exhaust/cat will heat up after a minute or so...not immidiately

It also has a different smell then oil that is burned by the engine..old oil in the exhaust has more of a burning rubber/plastic type smell.

 

Oh mine chucks it out straight from start up even after overnight so it kinda eliminates that - but then once warmed up it smokes much less and it's a more greyish colour as I think can be seen clear enough on my videos.

 

Hmmm maybe then it's only the white smoke on startup until she warms up is actually coming from the engine, then the greyer stuff coming from the cats once warm (and nothing from the engine) but what would that mean? I asked Jeff about that too but he tells me the oil in the cats reacts in different ways depending on temperature hence the change from copious whitish smoke to grey smoke

Edited July 18, 201312 yr by dicky96

Cats contaminated with oil will be useless now anyway so need to come off or knock the cats out and give yourself little money decats

Is there a thread for the 300zx 666 BBQ this saturday?

 

I'm gonna be running up in the Zed about 1:30 - 2pm from Stoke, anyone else coming up the M6 from this neck of the woods about that time? We could meet at J16 M6 and get a little convoy going even if it's just two or three of us :thumbup1:

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?170295-July-Meet-amp-Bbq&p=1749024#post1749024

Cats contaminated with oil will be useless now anyway so need to come off or knock the cats out and give yourself little money decats

 

Scrap em they're worth a few bob and use that to fund some decats.

Scrap em they're worth a few bob and use that to fund some decats.

 

soaked in oil mate and the scrap man wont have them

soaked in oil mate and the scrap man wont have them

 

That's what fairy is for haha! But seriously that sucks.

That's what fairy is for haha! But seriously that sucks.

 

Ive got 4 in my premises Steve (not zed ones) that are contaminated and he would,nt take em:blink:

How much would you normally get to scrap them?

Ide drive for a hundred miles to clear and burn oil out of zorst before anything else....take off the oil filter and cut open with a ring cutter not a hacksaw and take out element and un-ravel on clean paper,any blasting grit will be in filter and self evident before it finds its way to bearings after draining to sump (long shot) but i personly dont think its injested any blasting grit myself

 

That's what I'd do TBH mate - if the car is now running well and not consuming oil, it sounds like the issue is gone but you're just experiencing the after-effects of te first problem you had. I am sorry to hear your woes Rich; and I sincerely hope that is the end of the problems.

 

I'd have my doubts as to grit etc circulating around the engine too. Firstly, if minor quantities did enter through the plenum, then would they not simply end up in the combustion chamber and most likely be cumbusted, then expelled through the exhaust?

 

Secondly, after combustion, it would be a fraction of the original amount that made its way into the sump - as opposed to round the engine - and this would be picked up in the oil filter before getting pumped round. Finally, if the worst had happened, then your engine would sound like a bag of spanners if bearing damage had occurred; and oil pressure would be low!

 

Good luck Rich, I feel for you mate; but that's a fine Z you have and it'd be a shame to give up now

 

Richard:clover:

How much would you normally get to scrap them?

 

zed ones iff there clean atm tom are £25-40 depending where you go.

Yeah she needs more of a run to see if this problem clears so I will come over on Saturday to the BBQ thanks for the invite

 

The missus will not be with me but I will be with a mate who is thinking of getting a Z and want's to try mine to see what it's all about - so I'll let him drive her back (and I'll have a few beers lol)

 

How many are coming?

 

Rich

 

Fair few coming now bud. Just right, I noticed you have said to your mate you drive back, a few beers to partake in.....lmao. Your mate is welcome to have a drive in mine also, being NA, he can compare the difference between the two.

zed ones iff there clean atm tom are £25-40 depending where you go.

 

That's good. At least it's some money towards the new ones.

soaked in oil mate and the scrap man wont have them

 

 

The local rag and bone men around here are Lithuanians or Slovaks or something like that, and they will take fookin anything believe me!!!

 

Should have seen last time I got a skip booked to clear a lod of crap out, it went back half emptier than I filled it. OK so some other cheeky ****s did put stuff in it as well, but that was going out again just as quick as my own shit lol

 

Cheers for the offer I'll tell Mack (friend of mine coming to meet you saturday) he does have insurance to drive other vehicles off his own Merc insurance so that's cool.

 

Or anyone got a real proper running TT he can try, or just take him out as passenger on the M62 and raise the hairs on his neck a bit (mine is like 90% running well right now so poss not the total real deal)

 

See you all Sat and really looking forward to it (esp the chance of a few beers)

 

Rich

Edited July 18, 201312 yr by dicky96

I drove the car again today (it didn't go anywhere yesterday)

 

I got loads of white smoke on startup but this cleared quicker than before - however I am still getting the greyer smoke once she warms up - which seems not too bad now wheen just drving along unless i give it some boost and then you get rather a lot more!

 

However as the smoke seems to be generally a bit less now I have been boosting her harder to see what happens (still not gone foot to the floor though) and I notice another strange sympton which I did not have before the blown turbo was swapped

 

What I am getting now on a good amount of boost is this loud whistling noise, she sounds just like a jet engine running up to be honest, though unfortunately not giving fighter plane accceleration to go along with it lol. The car pulls very well though. So what's causing that?

 

Rich

I lost track of this thread while I was way but have you boost leak tested it yet?

No but it just came back from Zedworld after Jeff and/or Mark changed the blown turbo - so I would imagine that would have been done as a normal part of the job?

 

Rich

OK just to update...

 

I took the car up to Ian (300ZX 666) bbq and while there, Brian (Znut) and another guy who I can't rememebr his profile name (sorry) had a good look at it

 

Two things came from this - one: that they don't think there is anything very much wrong with this engine and two: they say I have an overfuelling problem

 

I can confirm I get quite a few pops and backfires when changing gear easpecially if I only gave it a medium acceleration before changing.

 

They suggested some of the smoke once the engine is warm is due to overfuelling

 

The concensus is I should run it another couple hundred miles, get an emissions check to see what the smoke is composed of, and knock out the cats or fit new decats (I can do this as mine is down on the V5 as an unknown model, for MOT) I think these are the ones I fitted on my old blue Zed. Are they any good? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NISSAN-300ZX-Z32-TURBO-NON-TURBO-STAINLESS-STEEL-DE-CAT-DECAT-DOWNPIPE-EXHAUST-/230713275628?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3A300+ZX&hash=item35b79534ec

 

Then see where to go from that

 

So there is a plan, I guess. It's nice to hear these quys don't think there is much wrong here.

Rich

Edited July 20, 201312 yr by dicky96

This car is totally insane!

 

Or makes me sound like I am by describing the latest situation

 

OK yesterday I gave the car a good blast up to Ians BBQ and back (round trip about 100 miles) especially on the way back when the car was driven harder than it has been since the engine was changed

 

Anyway she was smoking quite a lot on the way back when accelerating but not much smoke at all while cruising

 

The only notable incident was when reaching the A500 in stoke and flooring her in 2nd then 3rd all of a sudden she lost a lot of power while on full boost, backfiring etc.. Turned out she was suddenly only running on 5 cylinders. After a few miles we pulled over and all that was the problem this time is one of the coil pack connectors (front cylinder off side) had come loose. Pushing that down she was back on all 6 again. The last few miles we gave her plenty more boost and the smoke was there as before.

 

This morning I decided to check the oil again and was a bit shoked to find it was only just registering on the bottom tip of the dipstick. About 1 litre of oil saw it topped up to near on max. Surely this must mean she is buring oil and not just smoking because of residues in the cats?

 

Anyway I had to nip down to Tescos so I fired her up......... and thought 'that's funny, where's the huge clouds of white smoke?' Because there wasn't any. I mean like none! Tescos is only a couple miles away and I gave her a bit of a boost and no smoke. Once i came back she was up to temp so I gave her a good boost. No smoke.

 

Puzzled to see if I am just imagining this, after lunch (about an hour but the engine is still warm) I checked the oil again - nearly full. I fired her up and free revved her - absolutely no smoke. I mean even like there doesn't really seem to be anything at all coming from the exhausts

 

So what's this all about. Am I going mad? DId I have too much to drink last night? Have I imagined the whole month of problems? Will the smoke be back again tomorrow?

 

Please for my own sanity - is there an answer to these and other questions?!!????

 

dicky

Oh and PS if anyone can answer that lot, then why is it only 15deg and grey with light rain today as I type when the forcast says the heat continues?....

 

- - - Updated - - -

Edited July 21, 201312 yr by dicky96

Your still in bed and dreaming Rich. WAKE UP.:biggrin: