Cooling issues/blown headgaskets

Norway · Padawan Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 66

I have just bougt a car with an engine conversion that the previous owner got done by TSR in England. This engine probably has a blown head gasket.....

Bubbles in the tank and CO ans HC in the colant system according to a mecanik that tested it reasonly...

Workshop prices here in norway are crazy and the less costfull for me is to find a replacement engine to swap with the old one.

The old engine has also "eaten" 2 or 3 headgaskets the last 3 years or so..so i am abit worried there is something "weird" about this motor.....

My question is....:

1: The engine is a 94 modell....wich subaru engine can i put in without dooing anything about the engine managment system? (year of manufacture etc)

2: Got my hands on a 94 model that is from a car with a automatic transmission. Does this engine need any modifications to work in my Vw Syncro??

I cant find any bypass vaulve in my heater system.....can this bee the rason for the blovn gaskets? Some says this vaulve is critical..other says that it is not necesery
Nice Forum by the way! Cool

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richbaker78 · Teacher of Padawans Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 1298

welcome to the forum.

Can you tell us what car / van this is fitted in? sounds like you may have cooling issues which may be causing the head gasket issues.

Is it a van with one of TSRs rear mounted radiators by any chance?

Norway · Padawan Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 66

This is a syncro 1990 model with the radiator in the front, no bypassvaulve that i can find.

Previous owner had it at service in Sweeden in May where left sylinderpair was overhauled. On is way home he got air in the system aigain. The shopowner said something about old hoses etc and the engine sucing air into the system.For me it dont make any sense....air getting suced into a system that is under pressure?

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ElusiveStranger · Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 1:10 am Post subject:

Hiya fella Hello

My first major hiccup I encountered was air locks in the system.
It sounds like you've got an airlock which has caused the 'stat to not open.

Do you have heater matrixes? These should not be shut down. You need the flow from these to return back to the 'stat.

Here's my setup:

It's in a '78 bay. It was a pain to figure out to start with.

If you want to know more, ask.
If you don't understand anything on here, don't be afraid to ask. You speak & write much better English than we speak Norwegian Happy

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The advice you receive on here is worth the paper it's written on.
Your experiences are worth shed loads to others, including the f'ups - live and learn.
Wouldn't YOU rather learn by someone else's mistakes? So would they.

'78 Bay, 2 litre 091 box, EJ20 NA & the ashtray's on the 'right' side.
I don't lean forward for hills any more Grin

Bugger, missed out on "Live fast, die young"

Norway · Padawan Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 66

Thanks man...my english is abit rusty and "norwegian" but i andestand about everything.....exept...what is the "header" on the drawing? is that the inner expantiontank?

I have now removed the termostat and the water is sirculating....however....when i took the termostat out i managed to get about 10 liters out of the system....when i filled it up i got on some close to 15 liters...so there is dissapearing water im afraid.

Also when the stat was in, the engine ran hotter with the front matrix open....and when i drove it hard uphill on 3rd with about 3500.4000 revs it cooled down....i guess this had to doo with the smal amount of coolant that was in it.
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Norway · Padawan Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 66

I have made a drawing in paint over my system now this morning....its not exactly the same....

Can sombody please help me putting it on the forum...i tryed, byt my computer knowledge is worse than my english Laugh Out Loud

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Norway · Padawan Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 66

(From the file you sent me -ES)
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ElusiveStranger · Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 2:11 pm Post subject:

Sounds like you have an air lock causing the problem.

Header tank = Expansion tank.

If the Engine is plumbed in like a Subaru you must ensure that the matrix lines aren't blocked. (the steel line from the water manifold to the 'stat)
On the T3 I believe there is a valve on the matrix to stop the flow of water. You must not shut this. That's why some use a "bypass valve" - it allows hot water to always circulate.

Check out Rich Jones' schematic for T3s:
http://www.rjes.com/html/general_schematic.html
Have a good look at that as it works well

Mine's a T2 and the heater matrix has water flowing through it all the time. It gets hot but with no air blowing through it

Check that your hoses have no air in them.

Changing head gaskets isn't too difficult. Will take about 3 hours the first time.

PS - your image isn't on your site. You did the link right though
_________________
The advice you receive on here is worth the paper it's written on.
Your experiences are worth shed loads to others, including the f'ups - live and learn.
Wouldn't YOU rather learn by someone else's mistakes? So would they.

'78 Bay, 2 litre 091 box, EJ20 NA & the ashtray's on the 'right' side.
I don't lean forward for hills any more Grin

Bugger, missed out on "Live fast, die young"

Norway · Padawan Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 66

ok.....

Could somebody put my drawing of the colings sytem on the forum? Just for people to see if they can see any "mistakes" done during the conversion

I have made the drawing in "Paint" and reformated it down to jpg. but stil it is to big for the forum?
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doppelganger · Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 3:30 pm Post subject:

the first thing i would do is put the H section in the heater pipes so it wont matter if the heater is turned off again
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ElusiveStranger · Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 7:10 pm Post subject:

Hopefully this will sort out the airlock.

Make sure you have flow through at least one of the matrix, if not fit a bypass

Then you'll have to fix your gaskets!
_________________
The advice you receive on here is worth the paper it's written on.
Your experiences are worth shed loads to others, including the f'ups - live and learn.
Wouldn't YOU rather learn by someone else's mistakes? So would they.

'78 Bay, 2 litre 091 box, EJ20 NA & the ashtray's on the 'right' side.
I don't lean forward for hills any more Grin

Bugger, missed out on "Live fast, die young"

Norway · Padawan Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 66

Thanks aigain!

Think i can doo this without doing major things to the system..... Im just going ti redoo some plumming... Grin

But is TSR`s solution bad since it causes airlocks?
Could the system teoreticaly suck in air somewhere causing an airlock wich aigain causes headgasketproblems?

Wil start going over the gaskets as soon as the plumming is done...i think the right one is the sinner...but how can i test this?

Sorry,but im full of qestions

Think my car is the only one with a subaru engine in Norway...so im on my own.. Wink

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