4 Cylinders, 16 Valves, and a LOT of smoke...

[amalventano1@comcast.net (Allyn)]

larry,
    that email was awesome! anyhow, im leaning towards intake valve seals gone on #1 cylinder. as
for the 2.0 head, you can check the sealing of those 2 questionable valves on a bench. simply do a
blue type check (ensure dye goes from one surface to the other). if you bent any valves *that* bad,
they would fail that check as well.
Al

----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry" <rocco16v@netzero.com>
To: <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>; "Jason" <jason@scirocco.org>
Cc: "Riley Mcdowall" <RileyM@sanmarcanada.com>; "the mad bastard" <the_questionist@yahoo.com>;
<mike@dushane.com>; <jetthis@hotmail.com>; <jsilva@alwaysonline.net>
Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2002 8:28 PM
Subject: Re: 4 Cylinders, 16 Valves, and a LOT of smoke...


> I was prepared to take you seriously, until I read the last sentence...
>
> Larry
>
>
>
>
>
>
> This post is long -- but it contains a funny Honda-racing incident... so
> it's worth your time.  Besides, I need your help!! :)
>
>
> My Darling Fellow Scirocco-Listers,
>
>          Welcome to Jason's Volkswagen Mayhem.  In typical style, both of
> my VWs have ganged up on me and left me home on a beautiful Sunday with no
> way to leave the house.
>
>          The Golf's 2-month old Master Cylinder went kerplewey.  At least,
> I hope that's what happened.  The Scirocco's story is somewhat more
> complicated.  Here goes:
>
> Background:  Last October, the 'Roc got a 5,000 mile 2.0 16V from a wrecked
> Jetta.  The car was fast as shit; wheelspin on demand, and I loved
> it.  Stupid ass that I am, I decide I want more power, and that's when
> things turned sour.  A few months ago, my buddy Scott and I put my original
> (79,000 mile) 1.8-liter head back on, with a Schrick 260' intake cam,
> adjustable cam gear, and a Supersprint race header and catless downpipe.  I
> expected very little loss of low-end torque coupled with newfound high-rpm
> gains.  What I got was a HUGE loss in low-end torque and a sizeable loss in
> high-rpm power. I drove the car like this all summer -- to Cincy and back,
> and to Waterfest and back.  Still got 32mpg, but now it felt like a car
> that actually _should_ get that kind of mileage.
>
> In the never-ending quest to get my car's Mojo back, I talked to Brett at
> Waterfest and realized that my Schrick was 1 (chain) tooth advanced.  With
> the help of Ben Harder, that was corrected the following day..  At stock
> timing, the car was an absolute blast to drive... well, it would have been,
> if I was on a track.  Under 5,000rpm, you'da thunk it was a 1.2 liter
> 3-cylinder.  Over 5,000 -- watch out -- the power built and built until it
> smashed the rev limiter harder than Tanya Harding with a bag of
> bricks.  Finally, I settled on 8' cam advance, which brought the torque
> peak down to around 5,000.  I was still not convinced that it was as fast
> as the stock 2.0, but a few gentle G-Tech runs put me in the upper 7s,
> which meant I was at least close.
>
> Possibly related aside:  From the instant we did the 1.8 head, the car cut
> out momentarily when you took your foot off of full throttle.  DPR tests
> fine -- and other than the head, nothing changed at all -- the sensors were
> all kept, the intake, throttle, you name it.  Just the base head itself was
> changed.  Bonus cookies if you can figure that shit out.
>
> Last week:  Remember that 24,000 mile Scirocco I went and looked at?  Well,
> on the hour-long drive there with my buddy Grant in the car, we came up to
> a red light.  In Pole Position in each of the two lanes was a sport bike--
> each revving their engines and ready to roar.  I was in 2nd position, and
> next to me pulled up a certain mid-1990s Honda Civic hatchback that a
> friend of ours had just sold.  It has a 2000 Civic Si motor in it, which
> basically means it's fast.  He starts revving his engine like a spoiled
> child, and I stick my nose in the air.  Feeling completely above that
> childish behaviour and knowing that I would never engage in such
> debauchery, I quickly ask Grant if I can take him.  Given Grant's answer,
> "Yeah, you should be able to," I changed my tune -- and figured I'd show
> that peasant in the Honda a thing or two about fast cars.  Light turns
> green, and the two sport bikes are gone faster than you can say "Rice
> Rocket".  The Honda is next to me... we both fucked up the launch, so now
> we're slowly accelerating until 5,000, waiting impatiently for each motor's
> torque to surge  -- at which point his VTEC kicks over... and my friggin'
> knock sensor kicks me back to retard mode.  Figures, I guess I shouldn't
> run 10' ignition advance in 95'F weather.  Anyway, he pulls on me, gaining
> about 15 car lengths before my knock sensor decides to let me have fun
> again... at 5,000rpm in 3rd.  My engine note changes from "Mary Had a
> Little Lamb" to "Get the fuck out of my face" and Grant, having never been
> in my car before, lets out a "holy shit!".  As I'm approaching 6,800rpm in
> 4th, we've gained serious ground and I'm starting to prepare my smug grin
> for when we fly by him.  That's about when the motor fell on its face.  I
> think to myself -- what?!  Rev limiter at 6,800rpm!?  And then I look in my
> mirrors.  White out.  Grey smoke more dense than even Christina Aguilera's
> implants.
>
> Long story short, I realize a few minutes later (on the side of the road)
> that oil is dumping out of my Jamex Airbox, and that earlier that day, as I
> wondered why the car was 1qt low on oil, I had forgotten that my new
> dipstick from VW reads a quart low -- and I now had 1 quart too many in the
> car.  I tell Grant, now picking up the phone to call a tow truck, to get
> back in the car, we're leaving.  He's totally baffled, looking at me like
> like I'm nuts.  "Shut up and get in the car Grant, I'll explain it on the
> way."  He about shit his pants when the car completely stopped smoking a
> mile down the road.  Fucking Volkswagens and their
> puking-oil-through-the-crankcase-ventilation-hose-crap.  I drive 100 miles
> round trip; no smoking anywhere in site.  When I got home, I drained a
> quart of oil and had my friend (who previously owned it) call the guy in
> the Honda and announce happily, "By the way, the guy in the Scirocco didn't
> blow his motor, and he wants a re-match."  Tee-hee. :)
>
> I drive the car a few days, and it's perfect.  Still not insanely fast,
> still does the full-throttle buck, but no smoke.  Then, out of nowhere, it
> starts smoking again... constantly.  At idle, it's fine; no smell, no
> smoke.  But rev it at all, and it'll start.  Drive normally and everything
> in the rear view mirror looks hazy.  Floor it, and it's a veritable smoke
> machine.   And it fucking stinks.  Now I'm getting nervous.
>
> I did a compression test earlier today, and got even more nervous.  In
> July, with the intake cam advanced one (chain) tooth, all 4 cylinders
> measured between 193 and 211psi.  Today, all 4 measured between 162 and
> 175psi.... still within factory new spec, but waaayy lower than
> before.  The #1 spark plug was black and greasy, the other 3 looked
> fine.  My hypothesis was (and is) that the compression was so low because I
> am running 8' cam advance (belt), meaning that the exhaust cam is opening
> 8' early, which may be before TDC.  What the fuck do I know, though...
>
> So I figure that if only Spark Plug #1 looks nasty, oil is getting into
> that cylinder only -- not being sucked through the intake.  Therefore, it's
> an internal motor problem... so I get out the automobile equivalent of a
> guillotine and behead the motor.  It's amazing how fast you can get the
> head off of a 16V when (a) you've done it 6300 times in the last 6 months,
> and (b) you want to know what the hell happened to your baby's motor.
>
> Much to my absolute horror and amazement, all 4 pistons look
> beautiful.  All 16 valves look beautiful.  The head gasket looks
> beautiful.  There are no fluids where they shouldn't be.  WHAT THE FUCK!?
>
> Both the intake and exhaust valves on cylinder one are clean and oil
> free.  Cylinder 3 has a little burned oil on the intake valve stems... but
> other than that, everything looks perfect.  The ol' 24mm socket was taken
> out of retirement, and I spun the cams around a few times.  No binding, no
> strangeness, and no evidence of any bent valves.
>
> The cylinder walls are mirrors.  If you could fit your face in there, you'd
> see your reflection.  No scratches, nothing... so I doubt I broke a ring.
>
> At this point, it's going to be a while before I put the motor back
> together (by the time I get new head bolts, a new head gasket, etc...) but
> in the meantime I have to decide (a) which head to put back on, and (b)
> whether to bother with the Schrick.  At the same time, I'd like to know (c)
> what the fuck is going on, so (d) I can fix it and (e) it no longer smokes
> when I put it back together.
>
> Now -- here's where you all come in.  Could someone explain to me please
> what the hell is going on?  Do you think it's possible/probable that I
> killed my (admittedly 15-year old, 70k mile) valve seals by putting the cam
> in?  I assume the Schrick has higher lift characteristics than the stock
> cam, so that could easily be a recipe for valve seal failure.  How do I
> know, though?  It's not like oil is pouring out of the valve seals...
>
> The easiest thing for me to do would be to throw the 2.0 head on and see
> what happens.... if it doesn't smoke, then I know it was the 1.8 head.  And
> since the head only has 8k miles on it, I'd rather port & polish it and
> then use it instead.  But here's the next wonderfully stupid thing I
> did:  I noticed that I had the 2.0 head resting on two of the valves for
> the last 3 months.  Granted, they were only slightly below the head
> surface, and placed gently on a wooden shelf, but what are the chances that
> I bent *those* valves?   If I have a P&P job done, they'll have to come out
> anyway, right?  So I can test them then?
>
> If you've made it all the way to the end of this verbose e-mail, I thank
> you tremendously.  If you actually respond, I'll give you a blowjob at the
> next car show. :)
> [kidding, kidding!]
>
> TIA!!!
> Jason
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------
> Introducing NetZero Long Distance
> Unlimited Long Distance only $29.95/ month!
> Sign Up Today! www.netzerolongdistance.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Scirocco-l mailing list
> Scirocco-l@scirocco.org
> http://neubayern.net/mailman/listinfo/scirocco-l