The spacer gasket that I fitted to my small port intake manifold was a perfect match for the cylinder head. This was a 10mm Phenolic one from Issam.
Interestingly the mapper I'm planning on using says these are a waste of time.
You could try sampling your oil and sending this to you oil company.
Millers that I use can sample your oil and tell you if your getting blow by, which I'm not.
Sounds like you have a big job on your hands with this one, really sorry for you Rob.
I'm sure the motor will come back better, stronger and faster
Interestingly the mapper I'm planning on using says these are a waste of time.
You could try sampling your oil and sending this to you oil company.
Millers that I use can sample your oil and tell you if your getting blow by, which I'm not.
Sounds like you have a big job on your hands with this one, really sorry for you Rob.
I'm sure the motor will come back better, stronger and faster
Backdraft also say that these phenolic spacers are a waste of time and they don't use them either.
My car pulls strong and runs great so I don't think it's anything major, but I may as well just take it off the road for a while and rebuild the engine with new rods and a flowed head.
Consider it made 317bhp with fouled plugs too!
My car pulls strong and runs great so I don't think it's anything major, but I may as well just take it off the road for a while and rebuild the engine with new rods and a flowed head.
Consider it made 317bhp with fouled plugs too!
I emailed JNL Racing to ask about head work and asked him about the issues I'm having, he said this:
When an engine is suffering from oil consumption thee is usually a quick analysis that works 99% of the time.
Smoke on startup is worn stem seals
Smoke on overun and idle is guides
Smoke under load is rings (assuming the turbo is good)
A plug as wet as the one shown on number 4 points more towards rings. This can be from being a high mileage engine or poor breather setup creating high crankcase pressures preventing proper ring sealing.
I'm now thinking the dual Saikou Michi oil catch tanks may have caused higher crankcase pressure than normal, causing excess blow-by. I have since removed the dual cans but this may have already damaged my piston rings as a result.
My engine only has 40k miles on it.
Unfortunately it sounds like a rebuild job coming up soon then! Oh well, time for some new rods!
When an engine is suffering from oil consumption thee is usually a quick analysis that works 99% of the time.
Smoke on startup is worn stem seals
Smoke on overun and idle is guides
Smoke under load is rings (assuming the turbo is good)
A plug as wet as the one shown on number 4 points more towards rings. This can be from being a high mileage engine or poor breather setup creating high crankcase pressures preventing proper ring sealing.
I'm now thinking the dual Saikou Michi oil catch tanks may have caused higher crankcase pressure than normal, causing excess blow-by. I have since removed the dual cans but this may have already damaged my piston rings as a result.
My engine only has 40k miles on it.Unfortunately it sounds like a rebuild job coming up soon then! Oh well, time for some new rods!
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Suppose for the rest of us a word of warning about removing the OEM vaccum block breather system and going with an aftermarket catch can.
Indeed, especially ones that are heavily baffled.
I'm going to run the car for a few days, checking the oil level and the spark plugs and do a compression test, if i'm still losing oil and fouling the new plugs then the piston rings are definately shot.
At least the engine will end up being fresh and stronger.
I'm going to run the car for a few days, checking the oil level and the spark plugs and do a compression test, if i'm still losing oil and fouling the new plugs then the piston rings are definately shot.
At least the engine will end up being fresh and stronger.
not really. If you do a catch can setup properly then you do away with any of the problems you get with the PCV gettin blocked etc.. it breathes a lot better with a catch can setup vented to atmos.
Overun smoke is more than likely valve stem oil seal, which it was in my case.
Do a compression test and go from there.
I've never seen any evidence of excessive crankcase pressure, contents of the catch can have always been very normal and only a small amount, my current setup is just 2 x 19mm hoses running to an 034 can with a filter on top (I added a small amount of baffling myself, but nothing too restrictive). Oil pressure is normal, no mixing of oil/coolant and the car runs awesome, even better with fresh plugs in it.
I'll do a compression test before I do anything else, once the tester kit gets here.
JNL say it's better to recirculate the catch can rather than VTA, JP said "Yes it's always best to recirculate as the intake vacuum helps scavenge the crankcase pressure.."
I'll do a compression test before I do anything else, once the tester kit gets here.
JNL say it's better to recirculate the catch can rather than VTA, JP said "Yes it's always best to recirculate as the intake vacuum helps scavenge the crankcase pressure.."
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Very interesting, since swapping back to recirculating the oil catch tank (from VTA), I am not using any oil any more! I took the car out twice today, a mixture of driving for about an hour each time, including some full boost 'spirited driving'. I checked the oil level before driving and later on after it had cooled down and it hasn't used a drop of oil, level is exactly the same.
I'll check the plugs tomorrow and keep an eye on the oil level for now.
I'll check the plugs tomorrow and keep an eye on the oil level for now.
Dunno m8, I pulled plugs 1 and 4, 1 looks normal but 4 looks a bit darker, will know more once the compression tester arrives and I do a test.
Having said that I looked down into the cylinders with a small torch when the plugs were out and nothing looks abnormal, the piston tops aren't soaked in oil or anything like that.
Having said that I looked down into the cylinders with a small torch when the plugs were out and nothing looks abnormal, the piston tops aren't soaked in oil or anything like that.
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Yeah, looked like it Bill. I asked Issam and he reckoned on the valve stem oil seals being the cause before the piston rings.
Anyone got a spare head lying around?
Anyone got a spare head lying around?
Phil - did you take the head apart yourself or have someone do it. I quite fancy doing the head myself, replacing the stem seals etc., does a normal valve spring compressor work on the 20vt head or is a special tool needed?
Alright rob...
Im currently in the same boat as you at the moment...Ive been speaking to alex a numberous times over the phone,And it sounds a very straigh forward job just very Fiddly...
I found a full picture guide on vw vortex but i thought i saved the link which i havent so il dig it out for you now...
I got Quoted for a full Cylinder head rebuild including light skim & Pressurized & fitting the needed bitz £150 from a lad in North wales...He said £250 he would Port & polish it for me but i desided against it..
As for the tools needed there a odd size for the valves irrc and is a 2 man job if you havent got the correct size compressor...
Edit: I done some searching and came across these..im still looking for that thread
http://www.goodson.com/store/template/product_detail.php?IID=2527&&
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3890760&page=6
http://badger-5.com/bin/5v-installat...-supertech.pdf
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=150703&highlight=htc&page=12
Im currently in the same boat as you at the moment...Ive been speaking to alex a numberous times over the phone,And it sounds a very straigh forward job just very Fiddly...
I found a full picture guide on vw vortex but i thought i saved the link which i havent so il dig it out for you now...
I got Quoted for a full Cylinder head rebuild including light skim & Pressurized & fitting the needed bitz £150 from a lad in North wales...He said £250 he would Port & polish it for me but i desided against it..
As for the tools needed there a odd size for the valves irrc and is a 2 man job if you havent got the correct size compressor...
Edit: I done some searching and came across these..im still looking for that thread
http://www.goodson.com/store/template/product_detail.php?IID=2527&&
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3890760&page=6
http://badger-5.com/bin/5v-installat...-supertech.pdf
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=150703&highlight=htc&page=12
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The head looks a major PITA to disassemble - I think I'll just send it off and have it rebuilt with new seals etc.
Ok, did a compression test and the results were 165, 163, 164 and 161 so all seems fine there. It must be the valve stem oil seals, Phil and Issam have told me that's what it will be, very unlikely to be the rings at only 40k miles.
Yes, am going to. Don't know whether to send it off just for a rebuild or send it to JNL for porting and polishing? £350 for a full rebuild or £750 for a full porting job and rebuild - I'm trying to justify the JNL cost to myself, worth it or not?
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