1989 gte rebuild

[BenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

So stripped a load of other bits off to get the manifold compleatly off to reseal the sump and dropped that off.

Hmmmm seems to be a bit of bearing underlay in the sump, and little bit on the edge of no.2 cap....

Poked no.2 with my suspicious poking finger, and knock knock it rattled hmmmmmm.

So took all the caps off again, all torqued up correctly and round the right way. When I stripped it I dotted the side of the caps and rods they all matched up.

No.2 is fubar arrrggggh!

So either the crank is oval or before I got the engine a cap has been mixed up? Or somthing else, plenty of oil in the bearing so I dont think it ran dry from a blockage. The bearings plastigauged all ok when I fitted them, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Not a happy chap..

[BlackBox]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

F**k .... I'm so sorry for you ..... that has upset my day .... :-(

PS I might be tempted to just try a new shell with the cap the other way round before giving up?

[BenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

Yeah not a bad idea, though when I had it apart I was very careful to double check the machining marks on the caps and rods and lined up.

It has scored the crank anyhow at first look, might just be bearing material wiped on. But it looks like the shell spun in the rod as the tags have been flattend and the bearing is now shaped like a quavers crisp!

Needless to say will probley be a engine out job now, just trying to think if it's worth doing anything else at the same time if I do take it all out.

[DarrenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

ultra FFS and sigh. it would have to be zero oil from lunching just on an engine warm up ? cant be crank oil supply otherwise the shells down stream on 3+4 would be knackered too? unless it was the specific hole blocked on the crank web

granny egg sucking caveat, but the little notches in the caps/rods (and shells) face each other and point to the bulkhead side of the engine.

[BenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

Yeah little notches all facing backwards, does not look dry either. All other are ok and look factory fresh, bloody well should be only ran for 15mins!

I know the notches definaly went in ok, as the rods are also marked up on that side as well with the numbers. I turned the crank after each was torqued up as well without plugs in so should of felt if it was tight, as a double double check!

I did rev it up a bit when it had warmed up, but it's not like I gave full blat or anything just slowly up to 4.5k, I think thats when it made a little fubar eat the shell.

Really I think best thing is engine out now, or I'll never be happy and a compleate strip down and inspection.

I'm trying to weigh my options at the moment..

1.) Strip and rebuild this one and be months till I use the car and probley lose interest part way in the way I feel about it.
2.) Cheap used ecotec dropped in and bodies on it, just to get some use and passion for it back. Then rebuild the other.
3.) Cheap vecB or mk3 2.0 to run around in for a month or 2 then transplant and same as above.
4.) Drink myself into a stupor and cry...
5.) Shout at the car until it fix's itself!

[DarrenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

did you go to the effort of plastiguaging the whole 360 in stages ? if crank wasnt ovaled, maybe the caps/rod are out of round ? tbh like you say, a separate engine will remove the usual baffling inquest

[BenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

No I should of done really, I can only think that the rod is oval. Either way there will be a full inquest because I just have to know!
Could be the reason it picked up on the shells before, rather than just the oil problem hmmmm.

But I just want to get some use out it in the mean time to keep my interest up, if you know what I mean.

[DarrenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

ah ok, not that i'm saying i wouldve 360'd it. wondered if p-guage would show up an oval rod at all, or the shell wouldve held the tollerance to squash the paste and give the appearance it was ok.

[BenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

ah ok, not that i'm saying i wouldve 360'd it. wondered if p-guage would show up an oval rod at all, or the shell wouldve held the tollerance to squash the paste and give the appearance it was ok.

I suppose I shall find out when it's stripped

Anyhow went back out and fired up the oilburner, not used for a while and had the flow a little high lol. Whole bloody thing started glowing not long after this!

oooops touch too hot! by ben a.k.a me, on Flickr

So the shell in question next to a good one.

super fubar by ben a.k.a me, on Flickr


fubar by ben a.k.a me, on Flickr
Had a measure up of the spare cranks, hmmm not without faults tbh..

possible... by ben a.k.a me, on Flickr

Then had a big tidy up and got some room sorted for the hoist, threw out a load of rubbish and put the GTA to bed.

GTA by ben a.k.a me, on Flickr

[Vinci]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

Argh bummer!! Was very curious to how this engine would run with the modifications you made! Such bad luck....sigh...

Not gonna say what I would do, don't want to give you any ideas....

[BenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

Argh bummer!! Was very curious to how this engine would run with the modifications you made! Such bad luck....sigh...

Not gonna say what I would do, don't want to give you any ideas....

Well I'll just try again, oneday I will have a working GTE! As long as I can find out what went wrong, either me, the rod being oval or somthing else. I will be happy it's the not knowing that bugs me, every day's a school day lol!

I have a few ideas floating around so I just need to work out whats going to be the best plan, this block was borderline on needing a rebore this was meant to be just a 'cheap' engine to get it running and test the car. Main things is the cams are ok and the new gm oilpump is good, shame the crank might be fubar. But it is a heavy lump type one, even though it has been lightened and balanced. The early 8v ones I have are like a early XE type, would be tempting to spin one up on a lathe and knife edge it before getting it balanced.

Also I'm very tempted by a long stroke 2.2 ecotec out of a omega prehaps, or indeed the other option than a long throw 2.2 is a 1.8 early crank and overbore to give 2.0. For some oversquare rev happyness, much to consider.

I think I will stick a cheap engine in for now just to get it running, have been looking and there is a couple of potential good ones.

[easytrans]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

Doh Ben! I'm gutted reading this ... that's crap how come your getting all this bad luck?

I think you should be spending your Sundays praying to the GM gods for a bit or repentance as it surly has to be possessed!

Spoiled my day now! I so want this build to succeed and see you out there driving the crap out of it!

Laurie

[BenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

Cheers. Thats motorsport as they say, though there has been no motoring or indeed any sport as yet

[Vinci]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

Just to say something stupid, but couldn't it have been one of the oil channels blocked towards the crank?

[BenH]

Re: 1989 gte rebuild

Well that has crossed my mind, each big end is feed from one main bearing. When I pull it down I will look to see if the main bearing is ok, and run a rod down the crank drilling to the bigend to see. What makes me think it's not is that the bearing was wet when I took it apart, but only a compleat strip down will show 100% what it was.

I shall have to dig out my Sherlock calabash pipe to smoke while the game is afoot!