My car died on M25! Help

QuiggyWoo

QuiggyWoo

Club Member (Trial)
Help car died on way home!
Okay after everything I have done to my car I developed a major problem and I'm hoping someone on here has the knowledge to advice me! (Hint to everyone on this forum)

Sitting on the M25 today on my home from Brighton, Traffic was moving slow due to an accident and as normal temp started to rise. I started to move off and as I accelerated my car starting banging, temp shot through the roof and blue smoke (Not deep blue but a kind of mist) started flowing out of the exhaust. I pulled over to the hard turned the engine off and checked the oil levels, coolant etc but nothing was low etc. Waiting 5 mins started the car and drove the last 30 miles with no problems at all except the blue mist coming out of the exhaust.

I have to commute from London to Brighton for the next 3 weeks so I need my car. I'm hoping none of you are gonna say the heads' gone as I can't get another set installed until friday next week.

Any ideas will be greatly received.

P.S One day left until I join the MSC!!!!!
 
aye certinaly sounds like the head gasket is gone its not the end of the world get the head off replace the gasket and skim the head. water is getting into the combustion chamber hence the smoke your getting from the exhaust
 
There's a problem with most of the signs of head gasket but it's something else... I just can't remember what it is...
 
Okay, I just took the spark plugs off, one was coated in oil the other three are okay???? No oil anywhere else so no leaking that I can see. Temp does run higher now but fan kicks in and it levels off????
 
Champion claim is the piston rings. How big a job are we talking about? Never had to do any major work on an engine.
 
First you should sit down with a box of tissues and a Haynes manual cos after you have read it you will be crying. If you feel it's a big job get someone else to do it.
 
i'd pretty much say if its a headgasket and the engine has done more than 60k you will probably find if you regrind the valves and everything you will blow out the rings

and if its piston rings you will have to do everything else anyway and maybe change conrod bearings at the same time depending how they are
 
but then again it could be nothing,

you drove it home, was the engine flat no power? drinking fuel? it could be something electrical like a ht lead, dissy cap or spark plug
 
Well after the bang and the rise in temp/blue smoke I pulled over like I said. Then, after two minutes I drove 30 miles home and no problem. Drove the car this evening, only to my local tesco and temp did rise a little but fan kicked in and car was fine. I'm gonna change the plugs tomorrow, HT Leads are new. Might just speak to a mechanic and see about have the head gasket replaced/skimed etc
 
If i was you i would buy another engine, then run yours till it dies completely, then put your new 1 in.
 
Do a comp test first and ASAP. I drove a mondeo with a blown head gasket and it was fine for a week til there was a big bang and the engine blew right out and never worked again. Head gaskets aren't that hard I suppose and it's a good opportunity for a good engine clean and rebuild, also replace the water pump.
 
So..


Head gasket
Piston Ring Set
Rocker Gasket
Sump Gasket
Valve Stem Seals
Water Pump

Anything else on my shopping list?
 
I dont think the K10 uses strech bolts so you wont need them. As for the rocker cover and sump gasket, if you wanna do it on a budget, i would use the old gasket and then some gasket sealer paste.

Ryan.
 
I heard you can only use head bolts twice, even if that isn't true a bolt could snap.
Also have you got a torque wrench?
The problem with a new (old) engine is the head could go any time, if you could get a re-con engine it would save a serious amount of bother.
 
ollyc98 said:
I heard you can only use head bolts twice, even if that isn't true a bolt could snap.
Also have you got a torque wrench?
The problem with a new (old) engine is the head could go any time, if you could get a re-con engine it would save a serious amount of bother.
Click to expand...

money, resourses and time can stop people having the whole engine recon'd
 
Just picked up my car from the garage (Decided it was the quickest way considering my commute for the next three weeks takes me over 200-Miles per day) He checked the cylinder head, gaskets, etc and found nothing wrong apart from loads of crap in the carb. He cleaned it and replaced the sparks (coated in oil like I said) and the car seems to run fine. On another note he did say the the K10's do not like water and when you get water in the engine or the injection/carb system they seem to die. Speedie was right with his post!. I'm gonna drive the car to Brighton and back on Monday so I will keep an eye on everything. If I do decide to replace everything considering I ordered the head set and gaskets etc from Engine-parts I will still create a how too in less technical language than the Haynes

ollyc98 said:
.
Also have you got a torque wrench?
Click to expand...

And yes I have got a torque wrench! lol
 
lol well I now have a full engine refurb kit (Always handy to have next to spare bulbs and fuses) lol I might still have the head skimmed as its never been done and with 104000 on the clock it should be done. Thanks for the advice from everyone and I also believe I can hear my Barclaycard saying thank you as well! ;-)
 
Just so you know, if you do the head gasket, because the top is then stronger, the piston rings are more likely to go. I was chattin to a mechanic about it and he said with old cars it's easier just to do the lot while the engine is in pieces, then it'll be like new.
 
Thanks for that. As I said I have brought everything needed to change the head, piston rings and the stem seals so it will still be a big job but i can do it because i want to now and not because I need to. More fun that way I always think!
 
Wow, took the engine apart. I had a broken valve stem seal in cylinder 1 hence why only one of my Sparks was coated in oil. Replaced it, put the engine back together and hey presto running fine again. Not a job for the faint hearted. It took me and my dad (An ex mechanic for the Navy) 5 hours to rebuild and regrease the engine.
 

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