rrusse15 Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 Just putting the feelers out here, Does anyone have a Vauxhall 1600cc engine from a pre 2000 caterham classic sitting in the garage that they would like to sell?? I'm thinking that there must be some lieing about somewhere after an upgrade to a bike engine etc... Of course low mileage and mint condition would be nice, but at this point I don't think I should be so bold as to be picky! Thanks in advance, Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wfarrell Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 rob, that's an 8V VX1600 you want right ? preferably with original seals if from an academy car ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrusse15 Posted May 19, 2004 Author Share Posted May 19, 2004 Yes indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyA Posted May 19, 2004 Share Posted May 19, 2004 Caterham may have their 'last one' in stock - try contacting Simon Lambert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrusse15 Posted May 19, 2004 Author Share Posted May 19, 2004 Thanks Andy, that last one is still there, but it's my last resort because of the price. Also a nice low mileage road engine would be run in a ready to race straight away! (don't fancy selling me your engine do you??) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyA Posted May 19, 2004 Share Posted May 19, 2004 Could sell you the whole car, the last owner was a right..... 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buroz Posted May 19, 2004 Share Posted May 19, 2004 Rob, is your engine fcuked? Are you sure? A few others in the past have run them out of water, yet the enginbe has survived (notably Rob Drapper and Peter Tat' ay Pembrey). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wfarrell Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 last owner was...a right w*nker ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrusse15 Posted May 20, 2004 Author Share Posted May 20, 2004 Not sure if the original engine is totaled or not yet. I'll get it out of the car and take the head off this weekend (Andy Mac has alowed me to take it apart to save some money, so long as he put's it back together again.) But I'm thinking that if it requires a pretty comprehensive rebuild then a second hand road engine might be a much cheeper option?? (I think the dammage will be relatively comprehensive judging by the fact that it breathed out nearly a liter of oil and was steeming like a neglected camping kettle from every orifice, including the exhaust!) So if you hear of anything, let me know! As for that Wfarrell, well, if only he had shown the true potential of "mincing violet", I might have sold mine and be driving that right now!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrusse15 Posted May 21, 2004 Author Share Posted May 21, 2004 I checked the compressions last night and No.2 is way down (11bar as opposed to about 17bar upper spec), the plug from that cylinder was quite oily too, so suspect rings / bore scuff ?? The good news is that there was plenty of oil left in the sump (so bottom end should be ok), and there is no sign of cross contamination between oil and coolant. I also got as far as taking off the cam cover and there dosn't seem to be anything wrong with the valve train (it all moves as expected when the engine is bared over), and the cam belt is still in one piece and tensioned ok. Have to wait until tomorrow for a head off assement! Still not heard anything about any 2'nd hand engines though ☹️ There must be one out there somewhere ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrusse15 Posted May 24, 2004 Author Share Posted May 24, 2004 I took the head off at the weekend. The head gasket has gone on No.2 cylinder into a water passage, but it's erroded the head surface and the top of the piston as well, so I don't think the head is serviceable! Definitely need to find that 2nd hand engien now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrusse15 Posted May 24, 2004 Author Share Posted May 24, 2004 Ok here is the theory of the failure of my old engine, thanks to Andy MacMillian and a few "experts" at work! Close examination of the blown head gasket showes that the stopper ring, which seals the firing pressure had split on No.2 cylinder, and the fibre part of the gasket had blown through to a coolant passage. If the stopper ring failure had occurred a while ago. It could have caused a hot spot, which in turn would have caused detonation. The stopper ring damage could have happened when the engine overheated of course, but the damage to the head surface, damage to the top of the piston and a strange pattern of carbon build up in that cylinder, all point to an ongoing detonation problem and suggest that it has been like it for a while. This would not only start the combustion early but also start the combustion at the side of the cylinder, and could cause ring flutter and blow by (hence breathing oil and down slightly on power), and possibly be a reason for running hot too. The final overheat during the race being enough to burst the fibre part of the gasket through to one of the coolant passages and cause my rather steamy demise. The only thing is, I didn't hear any pinking, but thinking about it, the breathing started at Pembrey and I haven't driven it under load at all, without my lid on, since then? So to conclude, detonation = destruction ?! Where do I go from here??? Well Andy Mac, being the helpful chap that he is, has a contact that might be able to repair the damage to the head. Then it's "just" a case of a complete rebuild with a new piston!! Which leads me to think that financially, and possibly practically too, I'm now properly desperate to find a decent engine!!! Anybody out there?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrusse15 Posted May 25, 2004 Author Share Posted May 25, 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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