911

Just about ready to pull my Stiv3 engine out of the shell. Doing this as the head gaskets (I think) are blown.
Question:
Under very heavy use (8000 rpm etc) hill climbing the car @ 1.31 bar the coolant is blown out of the system, presumably by the blown gasket, BUT, could the turbo body be cracked where the water cooling jacket is and high pressure exhaust gases enter the cooling system via the hose to the header tank from the turbo body and then vent to the filler tube along with the fluid?????
It will come out on saturday next so you experts have till then to advise me.
There is no water in the oil incidentally, and no leaks in the cooling system. The fluid only gets blown out when gunning it in competition.

What do you think? Stupid, or just wishfull thinking rather than removing the heads?
911

jim litten

If you've not upgraded the cap on the header tank and are still running on the 0.9b cap, a more powerful engine will increase the water pressure in the coolant system, meaning the cap seal will lift blowing the coolant out into the expansion tank. Have you tried a higher pressure cap?


Jim

911

Jim, no , but the cap is an Sti cap @ 0.9 bar.
I have serious sized bubbles coming through the system and the bubbles continue for minutes after the engine is switched off!
New Scooby thermostat made no difference. I honestly think this is a blown gasket, want to check before it gets out and stripped.
911

CustomScoobyIOM

Still sounds like it.

Give you an idea. Pressure tested mine. Revving it up to 6000rpm fine. Pressure held no problem. Now once we held it around 7000-8000rpm for 2 mins (Nur Spec R on it too....ouch!) the coolant started to bubble up inside the pressure testing suggesting head gasket.

Bob Rawle

You could have cracked head, the coolant cap could be shot but its very unlikely. Either way there is a path from the combustion chamber to the coolant. the heads are prone to cracking between plug and valve seat.

Have you tried replacing the cap. STi caps are uprated to 1.3 bar. At 0.9 thats std fit on most things.

bob

911

!
The cap I have is an Sti with 0.9b on the top. All feels right with the spring.
This condition happened suddenly. APIDavid has said it could be a cracked head, and I am taking the stripped engine to him next week to sort it all.
The engine is now stripped enough to haul out of the car. What a time consuming job, taken 5 hours to get this far!
I've come too far now to try another cap obviously. Fresh gaskets and studs instead on stretch bolts will prepare the engine for the tweek this Xmas. Need more power/torque for nest season...
Thanks to all for the help.
911

im flyin

hi there 911

just wondering what the end result of this problem was as mine is doing the exact same thing. please drop me an email and let me know.

regards

matt

im_flyin@hotmail.com

megrac

i blow my ver3 sti gaskets as well. it seems like bit of a fault with them here in NZ.
most of them i know of had no damage to the heads at all and were still streight. mine blew on the hottest day last sumer when driving hard at high rev's.when i pulled into get gas it dumped all its water on the ground. so thats when i got an ej257 block.

all 4 look like this one.

911

Exactly!
I think the Sti v4 gaskets are better then the Sti v3. Mine have been perfect since the re build despite some serious abuse hill climbing the car in flat out racing.
911

ustolemyname??stevieturbo

iTrader: (1)

Arent the V4 thin gaskets circa 0.8mm, whereas the V3 are thick circa 1.5mm??

R.B

We had the very same thing happen to our sti3 type r

It turned out to be no 4 piston

R.B

Pavlo

head gaskets required.

Stevie, the thin ones are the phase 2 gaskets. The sti4 has 1.6 thick gaskets. Subaru OE triple layer steel are probably the ones to go for.

I have a pair of naff composite EJ20 gaskets someone can have for £35 though if required.

Paul

911

David at API Engines fits the Sti v4 to his engines, so I followed that advice.
All I know is they are working 100%, but I only run 1.3 bar
911

Andy.F

My old RA ran fine with the original composite gaskets at 1.8 bar boost for some time, although I did fit the steel shim type when I had it apart to change the pistons.

Andy

tweenierob

Any reason for that Andy? Steel...

Reason i ask is that i am thinking about going back to composite gaskets when i change some bits on my engine, my old Wrx with Compo gaskets took loads more det/heat than the three layer gaskets did (as well as more boost etc).

Rob

Andy.F

Only because they were highly recommended by various suppliers at the time as being superior to the composite jobs.
I'm not so sure however, never having had a probem with either type.

I think the CDB's have a lot to do with it though.

Andy