The 'scort with no name.....

[FE3-323]

a good powerwash & some TLC. it'll be back to golden

[93EGTT]

That was my Zx2, I fell in love with the 1800 and sold most of my zetec stuff off :/ Was a good 7 year run with her but was time to move on.

[worldhazard]

Kinda have the feeling the headgasket is about done.

Replaced the waterpump & cooling system about 2 months ago. Fan works, both heater hoses were warm at operating temp but i went ahead and replaced the tstat because.. but still, car wants to overheat....

[worldhazard]

The EGT is a couple hundred miles away right now at a buddy subaru/rally shop. Lost compression after coming over the last of the big hills on my way to Central Oregon on Friday.

Borrowed a friends rig, and rented a tow dolly so we could tow in the remaining 70 miles to Bend and drop it at the shop.

Took a bus from Bend back to Portland this morning, along with a couple other buses and light rails to get back home. 7+ hours in all to make the 3 hr drive.

I feel the headgasket went for good this time. BP sounded like a Subaru while I coasted down and hill and had no power. Rolled into a Thriftway lot. Got out and checked everything. Saw no leaks, spark was good, checked vac lines. Couldn't see what had happened so I figured it in was in motor itself now.

It did finally turn over but I had to press the gas to keep it alive.

Pretty sucky, but I've been expecting it. Really just blows that I couldn't tow it back to Portland so I can work on it, but that was not an option at all. If it's the headgasket or anything else along those lines, I should already have all the parts here in Vancouver for it. So the next weekend I have the funds for a rental car, I'll head back that way and hopefully work on it over the weekend. (or work out something with the shop in the meantime..... I hate labor)

frick..

[FE3-323]

that kind of sounds like an exhaust valve burnt up. (semi-common, even NA)

[worldhazard]

Hm....

I noticed shortage of power just a couples miles before ascending the hill too. 5th gear never had much pull, but I noticed it had almost nothing at one point where I was flat and straight. Made me scratch my head a lil. But after the hill is when it really happened as above.

When I I towed the car, I had a lil fluid on the ground, but none more than 'normal' .

He might have a chance to look at it tomorrow and fjnd the prob. Told him no huge hurry asmi cant really just leave after work to get the car. It is a couple hundred miles out after all.

Ill make a note for him tomorrow re: exhaust valve

[atomicEGT]

had the same thing happen to my first wagon- no power going up a hill, sounded like a Subaru, ran terrible the whole way home. head gasket blew between two of the cylinders, filled them both with coolant.

[worldhazard]

borrow a rig from a friend, borrowed a flatbed trailer from another and made my way to Central Oregon after work on friday. Had to take public transportation to get around, so that took 3 hours. GPS failed on me en route from the rig to the trailer on the other side of Portland. And the trailer lights plug on the rig was FUBAR. with the time from 'getting lost' and fixing the plug, was another almost 2 hours before I finally got going.

The rig is usually used for pulling a water trailer and stuck cars on the rallycross course so the tires were at 30psi. Stopped to get air, had to pay everywhere. pumped everyone up to a tick over 70psi. More issues just trying to get on the road. FINALLY left around 2130. Made it to the GFs around 0100.

List from the Shop:
#2 is done.
Ex valve burnt
Tranny leaking
Headgasket leaking
Valve Cover leaking


those are the 'big' things, several other lil things I already know about.

Left Central Oregon around 1400 this afternoon. made it home just before dark, and dropped the car off outside the house. After dropping the trailer off at it's home, and then the rig, I finally made it home around 2130.

$50 bill for the car to get looked at
$80 for fuel for the tow rig
$50 for the dolly to tow into Bend last week.
$50 bus ticket to get home last Monday.

$230 for this mess. And the car won't be fixed soon enough.

Considering buying a new re-prepped head. $370ish i think shipped. Not bad. But not sure what the outcome of the block will be. Have a line on a long block from the rally buddy I borrowed the trailer from. Will consider that.

I really want to go a fresh motor route. Safe, reliable.. blah blah blah.

Thinking if I could score a rebuild kit from fleebay, maybe go this fresh head route I shouldn't be in too deep. Will get everything cleaned/treated too.

No experience building a motor, so I'm not sure what to account for in labor and cleaning material costs...But hoping to not spend a ****ton for a fresh rebuild

[FE3-323]

if you do anything with the head. put SS valves into it. you don't want the same thing to repeat itself.
a plus side is clean valves & oversized flow nicely. with a good shave on it the compression increase makes a dramatic change to mpg.

keep us updated

[worldhazard]

Working out the details on acquiring all the bits. got a line on a head and a block. as well as the rebuild kit. So, hopefully in the next month I can at least get the bits.

Only 'upgrade' that will likely happen in this time-frame will be ex/in cam swap. it's available and somewhat convenient. If anything else shows up, I'll consider. At the moment, I've exceed my tax return.. So we'll see how things pan out in the end

[worldhazard]

BP Rebuild kit is shipped. Should have that next week. Will likely take possession of the old Pineapple racing longblock next week too. Considering having M & B Cylinder Head look it over/clean it up and let me know if anything needs done. Might have them do the rebuild, or If I muster up the courage I'll see about doing it myself.

[worldhazard]

Checked status'.

Tex Refund is scheduled for wed. Rebuild kit scheduled to arrive Thursday. Going to have to look at seeing if I can get the long block sent to the shop this week!

[FamiliaGT]

Lucky! My tax return is almost a week past its due date and doesn't show when its going to get here. Get the engine rebuilt and throw a vj23 on it! Have a little boost to play with safely.

[worldhazard]

Nah. no boost for me. Not really that interested. Eventually sure. But that's way down the road.

Baby steps

[FE3-323]

have the exhaust short-side radius smoothed out into a transition. it makes a huge improvement