well the other day i came back from an enthusiastic tuning run and i started to notice i was getting a lot more exhaust gases than normal, my sister who watched me drive off also confirmed there was a lot of white smoke coming out of the exhaust there also seemed to be a lot of drips from the exhaust of moisuture condensing. well i just started the engine with the radiator cap off and there does seem to be bubbles in the radiator, also took of the oil filler cap and looked inside with a torch. definatly dodgy milky looking oil :cry:

well the good news is the car hasnt overheated yet so hopefully the head hasnt warped, i just cant drive unless to get it fixed.
this has got me thinking i dont want this to happen again, so im considering an RPW heavy duty head gasket. has anyone else installed one of these or somthing similar ? what are the results like ? are they worth $160?

Coincidence? last time i topped up i bought a tank of regular unleaded cause premium was really expensive, first time in bout a year. i did retard the timing though.

it may be my dodgy memory, but i was under the impression that if you had the milky oil it was more likely to be a cracked head rather than blown gasket... but as i said, i could very well be wrong.

either way the head should be checked for cracks/warp when replacing the gasket

pete

meh, least the car looks good lol

A blown head gasket will also produce milky oil. Get the head tested, to be safe, though.

yeah im going to get it checked properly when i take it in to RPW the cam and valve springs is going in this week anyway, and im going to get the brakes machined and shockies and sway bar installed too. im just not going to drive it until then, it should be ok to just cruise it down the freeway to thier workshop 30/45min drive. if the head is rooted, ill buy a ported and polished head :badgrin:

Keep an eye on the temp guage, and it should survive the trip. And hope that your guage isn't buggered.

it may be my dodgy memory, but i was under the impression that if you had the milky oil it was more likely to be a cracked head rather than blown gasket... but as i said, i could very well be wrong.

if there is water in the oil that just means that water is leaking from the water jackets in the head. it can be either the head gasket or cracked head wateva. thats y u should always get the head tested after something like this happens.

i wouldnt drive the car in that kind of condition. i learnt that the hard way, kept driving my car with a blown head gasket and totally wrecked the engine. it wasnt that bad at first and i could still drive it just top up the water every second day. then it just got so bad and i lost all the water on a 30 minute trip and warped the head. had to get a whole new engine.

if u do go on the trip and lose all the water with the engine really hot u dont want to be pouring lots of cool water into the engine. thats wen u warp things... a mate did this in his CA18DET silvia. warped the head, cams and all that. this is an extreme case but i still wouldnt risk it

yeah its only just blown though as far as i know. and my cooling system is in perfect condtion, temp on last couple of runs has been normal (around cold mark plus or minus 3 ml i havent driven it since it started smoking like that. i have a bonnet scoop and no splash guard or bash plates, so i have lots of cool air going into the engine bay. its definatly not good to drive with a blown head gasket, but 1 trip straight to the mechanic shouldnt overheat it. ill take extra coolant or water with me too.

well i took it down to the boys ar RPW today and got thier advice. Well they noticed a few things wrong with the engine in general, such as wear in the timing chain and float in the crank journal, those guys know thier stuff! :) .
basically i could of just replaced the head gasket or head on inspection and botch it up but i agree that i would propbably end up needing a rebuild 6 months from now. So what they recommended was fitting a full reconditioned engine that they had in stock, a later model with hypereutectric(however its spelt) pistons 9.0 to 1 compression ratio, deleted balance shafts and also has been fitted with roller rockers. Its a lot more money than i have at the moment $2500, but it will be worth it in the end as i intend to keep it for the next 5-10 years and will be a good basis for any future mods. although i think that will have to be it mechanically wise.

2500 ey, is that fitted?

well they are trying to do it for a 2500 max price for me, with fitment. depends on how much of the ancialiary items need replacing etc.

That sounds sweet as Terror... next thing you know you will have a fully race prepped astron to call your own. What will you be expecting at your next dyno run?

-Wagon*

well im hoping with this engine and my zorst, carby properly tuned etc i should be able to get 90-100kw at the wheels. a bit better than the dissapointing 61kw i got on the last dyno run, but that wasnt tuned right and the bottom end was worn also may have had fuel pressure issues.

Yeah, I know how it feels, Terror. I went through two motors in less than 6 months.

61kw atw whats a stock efi atw? i know on the tp spec is says 93kw @ 4200rpm but im dam sure its not atw, when my timing chain etc is done (tomorrow) i should dyno it and see whats the difference 240K kms + my mods make or dont make

well apparently the stock output is measured at the flywheel, carby is 83Kw and efi is 93kw.
a perftecly setup weber wouldnt be far off the efi output i reckon. but if u delete the balance shafts add 10%, good cold air intake maybe another 3-5%, headers and good zorst maybe another 5-10%, mildly increased compression maybe another 5% port and polished head maybe 1-3%, ported and polished intake another 1-3%. if u delete the water pump and pulley and go for a davies craig full electic waterpump and controller u could gain another 7-10% for around $550 if u go through a main supplier(decent value i think).

it does feel like more power when ur driving though hey, think its because these engines produce lots of torque from 1800rpm right through the rev range up to 5000rpm

well apparently the stock output is measured at the flywheel, carby is 83Kw and efi is 93kw.
a perftecly setup weber wouldnt be far off the efi output i reckon. but if u delete the balance shafts add 10%, good cold air intake maybe another 3-5%, headers and good zorst maybe another 5-10%, mildly increased compression maybe another 5% port and polished head maybe 1-3%, ported and polished intake another 1-3%. if u delete the water pump and pulley and go for a davies craig full electic waterpump and controller u could gain another 7-10% for around $550 if u go through a main supplier(decent value i think).

it does feel like more power when ur driving though hey, think its because these engines produce lots of torque from 1800rpm right through the rev range up to 5000rpm
i reckon your about 95% correct, with a 2% chance of being slight off per %age. hehe
nah sounds good, as always pics and outcome :D

funny bugger :gtfo:
:D

Sounds very decent Terror, i must say that your TM has been a real inspiration :cool:. Ill have to see it in the flesh sometime when it gets all finished mate. Heh I think im gonna need to get my wagon up to spec sometime.

-Wagon*

you better get more than 61kw atw TM-terror, its kinda disappointing to see your car all done up and only get 61kw atw cos its not tuned right, and theres me with my stock 61kw atw

hurry up n show me up :rant:

you better get more than 61kw atw TM-terror, its kinda disappointing to see your car all done up and only get 61kw atw cos its not tuned right, and theres me with my stock 61kw atw

hurry up n show me up :rant:


. lol

Actually, the deletion of the balance shafts doesn't add that much extra power.

Unlesss you REALLY love your car, I honestly think for $2500 you should be looking at a getting a 3L manual TR magna. In stock form that would go a lot harder than most done up astrons. If you could get a 3L TR for $3,000 sell your current car for a bit aswell, It would probably only cost you $2000 or so changeover. Plus you would have a car that was about 8 years newer and more than likely had less kms. If you wanted to keep a car for 5 - 10 years, it's probably more cost-effective pay $2000 changeover and gettting a car 8 years newer. After 8 years it will be as old as ur current ride so that's not too bad.

thanks for all the positive comments guys, much appreciated :D
i could upgrade to a later model but there really is no point. all i would end up with is a stock standard later model magna that might be the best bang/buck but this first gen is a 1 of a kind. the bodykit is worth about 2500 its too good to let it rot, btw its done 238000km's.
its like owning the mona lisa and saying this painting is getting a bit old, i could restore it or i could just buy a generic brand new painting cause its less expensive.

also if i was buying a car to do up, ive always loved old holdens so id love to restore a v8 kingswood to mint condition, i love them : )
theres a few niggly things wrong but mostly its in excellent condition.
the only things that need attention is the tacho is starting to make sandy/grinding noises so im assuming its on its way out. and i need to replace the resistor pack for the fan speed's. plus an air-con regass would be good.

exuse the ignorance but whats RPW?

Racing Performance Works
its a workshop, they specialise in mitsubishi, hyundai and proton
www.rpw.com.au

u wont find me paying $2500 for ur kit. yes it is one of a kind and yes it does make ur car look nice... but its on a 1st gen magna, close to 20 years old?

sorry if i sound abit rude its just late in the morning and i just finished work. bad night :doubt:

u wont find me paying $2500 for ur kit. yes it is one of a kind and yes it does make ur car look nice... but its on a 1st gen magna, close to 20 years old?

sorry if i sound abit rude its just late in the morning and i just finished work. bad night :doubt:

yeah was a bit rude, but thats what the kit is worth not what i paid.
the kit was fitted from new at the dealership its as far as i know the only magna like it. too good to just let die.

if i was going to put a body kit on a car id start with a TH or TJ magna.

its good you'll have power to match the kit :D
imo the mesh doesnt work. maybe if it was behind the fins, being more subtle.
cant remember if u even had the stock looking fins tho.
but yeah, cool cool all the same :D

yeah, im not with the mesh thing either, BUT i dont think it would work at all anywhere else.

but then again, astron boy dont like me keeping the TM rear light garnish :P

yeah, im not with the mesh thing either, BUT i dont think it would work at all anywhere else.

but then again, astron boy dont like me keeping the TM rear light garnish :P
unless ure gonna have a 2nd fake liscnece plate there is looks empty.... but thats another topic.

actually the mesh is behind the fins, it just doesnt look right cause the picture being a jpeg is loosing quality. It looks much better in person :D

actually the mesh is behind the fins, it just doesnt look right cause the picture being a jpeg is loosing quality. It looks much better in person :D
i dont think u have the stock fins, doesnt look the same. its behind up the top, but down the bottom, it looks fully exposed :confused:

nah its stock under the challenger kit. I wouldve thought that the body kit on TM-Terrors car was a whole different bumper, but from the looks n what hes told me, it just goes over the top :confused:

prolly looks funny for you since you have that little spoiler extention body kit thing.

ohhh i see what you mean, yeah the spoiler kit fits over the stock bumper
wouldnt it have to for safety/crash test reasons ?

...wouldnt it have to for safety/crash test reasons ?

oh yeah, cos those plastic stock things are gonna save my life :nuts:

oh yeah, cos those plastic stock things are gonna save my life :nuts:

designed to crumple up wen hit? so that it takes half the hit so it does save ur life?

designed to crumple up wen hit? so that it takes half the hit so it does save ur life?

why dont you go test it then :gtfo:

umm i think what hes trying to say is he thought the bumper was a single mould not a add on, hes not talking about crumple zones, that i might add are very basic on our cars.

yet i agree, u can try hitting a wall realy fast ( ure car might go realy fast one day in a few years time when its fianly turbo, and if u survie come back and post :D)

disclaimer: i am not responsible if u actualy try this

well i got evie back today with the new engine and its so good to be back on the road.
im pretty pleased with the engine overall, this engine is torquier and makes a beefer exhaust note and generally runs smoother except at idle(very slightly lumpy). was a bit of a pig to drive home because the throttle linkage still needs to be done properly, all that has been done is a return spring has been fitted to make the engine idle at the correct speed. this however made the accelerator pedal feel as hard as pushing on the brake. when i got it home i mucked around with the bracket and managed to lower the tension on the spring slightly so that it still idles ok but isnt as tough to drive. Im not getting 100% throttle more like 60-70%, but i dont need it atm as the engine is being run in anyway, and theres enough power untill i get the 1000km service done.
when i take it down for the service ill hopefully get the throttle linkage kit done aswell, spending more $ on this car. its really adding up, ive spent probably double on this car than its worth :rant:
looks like im going to have to ask for some more shifts at work i think :doubt:
longer term ill have to get a K&N air filter/shrould kit to make the most of the bonnet scoop too.