What the F@#$

[Mean Green]

Some have been following my thread about diagnosing a very random misfire (http://www.3sgto.org/showthread.php?...eed-this-fixed.). The past few days have been hectic to say the least. Let me give you guys a run down on the past 24 hours:

I did a compression test on my NEW engine and found cylinder 3 was dead.

I called around and lined up a new front head just in case it was valve related.

I went ahead and went to autozone and ordered a new head gasket and new VSS for the new head and on the way my Eclipse overheated significantly...it blew the radiator cap off. I limped it back home, 2 miles, fixed the cap and topped the fluid back off.

I went back to autozone because I forgot D batteries for my mag light...on the way there the Eclipse's headlights just quit working. I had to hold the lever back to keep the brights on so I could see...WTF...

I finally got home and ran multiple tests on the engine including a food coloring / gas mixture. I filled all cylinders with their own color food coloring and gas. Only cylinder 3 leaked, red. It did not leak into the oil pan though I did get a damn melting pot of colors come out of the oil pan but was about 1/4 cup of colored gas in 2 hours time. I had to refill, refill some more, and fill again cylinder 3. I eventually ran out of red food coloring and gas for that matter.

I managed to determine that is was the exhaust valve/s in cylinder 3 that was the cause of the compression loss but I couldn't explain why....so I pulled the head off...you guys would not believe what I found...OMFG I wanted to scream and believe me, I will tearing a machine shop a new ass granted I cannot believe I didn't notice it.
The exhaust valves had this shit on them:



It's a hard, ceramic type substance that does not seem to catch fire...even with a torch on it...it was stuck around the exhaust valves of cylinder 3 on the inside of the exhaust runner, which would explain why I didn't notice it. It took the power of god to get it removed from the valve.

Needless to say, it only took me 1 hour and 35minutes to completely remove the front head...I timed myself...lol...and I did not take any short cuts. One 12 pack of cokes later and now I am just waiting on Autozone to call me saying that they have my headgasket in...I am going to try to fix the valves in this head so I can get it back together today, hopefully before noon.



Edit:
You know your motor is clean when you don't wear gloves to take the head off and the only oil / dirt / water / grime you get on your hands is from the garage floor...and from when I dropped the water hose on the nozzle and that bitch exploded...totally soaked me.

[Hammer]

You do seem to have the worst luck ever. So how are you doing in the stock market?

[Vantage]

Thats shitty, give your machine shop hell.

[Trab]

wtf is that?

[mk_]

Would also like to know what it is!

[Bob]

I would have left the foreign object stuck in the valve and carried the head to the machine shop so they could see it first hand. They might just deny it was their fault now that you've fixed the problem.

[Austin@STM]

I would have left the foreign object stuck in the valve and carried the head to the machine shop so they could see it first hand. They might just deny it was their fault now that you've fixed the problem.

Very true, never get rid of the evidence, did you at least take a picture of it before removed?

Anyways, glad it was something simple and the motor is alright.

[Mean Green]

Very true, never get rid of the evidence, did you at least take a picture of it before removed?

Anyways, glad it was something simple and the motor is alright.

Both exhaust valves are caked in it. It's this material that comes in a brown bottle with an Indian head on it...forgot what it's called, but it used on Freeze plugs, galley plugs, and other places. It is a shell like compound. I already talked to the machine shop and he wants me to bring the head back but I'm not going to as I had more choice words with them. I don't want to end up taking it there and them sabotaging it somehow as I have had to rebuild an engine already because of sabotage.

[Mean Green]

this shit.

I guess the reason I did not see it in the combustion chamber when I assembled the engine is because it may not have been 100% dry and when I timed up the heads it seeped into the cylinder when the exhaust valve opened. Now, I have to go buy some of this, wait for it to dry, and find something that reacts to it so that I can pour it into the cylinder to check and make sure that shit did not get into the rings. If I get a chemcal reaction, then damn...gotta take out that piston and check it.

[Austin@STM]

Leave a burning bag of poop on their doorstep :P

But seriously, I would keep communication open with them, even if you dont lilke them. If you have to disassemble the motor because of their fault then, they should be heald responsible in some way.

-Austin@STM