Well, we WERE having a nice day until the compression gauge showed 50 pounds on #1 and 60 pounds on #2 cylinder, making us think that this turbocharged slant six had blown a head gasket.
So, yesterday, we pulled the head and did a really thorough examination of the gasket, the head sealing surface, and the block deck.
NO indication of a blown gasket at all... in fact, you could see the sealing ring-impressions left on the block and head surfaces that were uninterrupted in their configuration around the cylinder tops.
@$%^&*(&^%$#@!!!
We then took all 12 lifters out of their bores to examine them for surface wear and they all looked brand new; all of them.
The valve clearances also were still "set" as we had them adjusted, and a visual inspection of the valve activity as the engine was turned over was normal.
None of the piston tops showed any trauma or integrity problems of any kind. They are Wiseco forgings.
We took the valves out of the head on those two cylinders and did a thorough examination of their sealing surfaces, along with the integrity of the valve seats. Everything looked exactly as it should...
In short, we didn't see ANYTHING to indicate where the compression was going.
We began to suspect the compression gauge. After all that, we didn't have time (or, energy) to check it out, but I had enlisted the aid of a master mechanic friend of mine who has forgotten more about racing engines than I will ever know, and after looking everything over, he opined that the situation was this: The super-rich mixtures we were running had washed all the oil off the cylinder walls and the compression was simply "blowing by" the (dry) rings.
He suggested that we O-Ring the block and put it back together and try it.
So, that's what we're going to do.
I'm ordering the O-Ring groove-cutter from Isky, Wednesday, and we will try this thing again...
If this were easy, everybody would do it...
I wonder what 20 pounds of boost is going to feel like????
WOO HOOO!!!!!!!:cheers:
Wish us luck!!!!
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