4 Cylinders, 16 Valves, and a LOT of smoke...

[jason@scirocco.org (Jason)]

This post is long -- but it contains a funny Honda-racing incident... so=20
it's worth your time.  Besides, I need your help!! :)


My Darling Fellow Scirocco-Listers,

         Welcome to Jason's Volkswagen Mayhem.  In typical style, both of=20
my VWs have ganged up on me and left me home on a beautiful Sunday with no=
=20
way to leave the house.

         The Golf's 2-month old Master Cylinder went kerplewey.  At least,=
=20
I hope that's what happened.  The Scirocco's story is somewhat more=20
complicated.  Here goes:

Background:  Last October, the 'Roc got a 5,000 mile 2.0 16V from a wrecked=
=20
Jetta.  The car was fast as shit; wheelspin on demand, and I loved=20
it.  Stupid ass that I am, I decide I want more power, and that's when=20
things turned sour.  A few months ago, my buddy Scott and I put my original=
=20
(79,000 mile) 1.8-liter head back on, with a Schrick 260' intake cam,=20
adjustable cam gear, and a Supersprint race header and catless downpipe.  I=
=20
expected very little loss of low-end torque coupled with newfound high-rpm=
=20
gains.  What I got was a HUGE loss in low-end torque and a sizeable loss in=
=20
high-rpm power. I drove the car like this all summer -- to Cincy and back,=
=20
and to Waterfest and back.  Still got 32mpg, but now it felt like a car=20
that actually _should_ get that kind of mileage.

In the never-ending quest to get my car's Mojo back, I talked to Brett at=20
Waterfest and realized that my Schrick was 1 (chain) tooth advanced.  With=
=20
the help of Ben Harder, that was corrected the following day..  At stock=20
timing, the car was an absolute blast to drive... well, it would have been,=
=20
if I was on a track.  Under 5,000rpm, you'da thunk it was a 1.2 liter=20
3-cylinder.  Over 5,000 -- watch out -- the power built and built until it=
=20
smashed the rev limiter harder than Tanya Harding with a bag of=20
bricks.  Finally, I settled on 8' cam advance, which brought the torque=20
peak down to around 5,000.  I was still not convinced that it was as fast=20
as the stock 2.0, but a few gentle G-Tech runs put me in the upper 7s,=20
which meant I was at least close.

Possibly related aside:  From the instant we did the 1.8 head, the car cut=
=20
out momentarily when you took your foot off of full throttle.  DPR tests=20
fine -- and other than the head, nothing changed at all -- the sensors were=
=20
all kept, the intake, throttle, you name it.  Just the base head itself was=
=20
changed.  Bonus cookies if you can figure that shit out.

Last week:  Remember that 24,000 mile Scirocco I went and looked at?  Well,=
=20
on the hour-long drive there with my buddy Grant in the car, we came up to=
=20
a red light.  In Pole Position in each of the two lanes was a sport bike--=
=20
each revving their engines and ready to roar.  I was in 2nd position, and=20
next to me pulled up a certain mid-1990s Honda Civic hatchback that a=20
friend of ours had just sold.  It has a 2000 Civic Si motor in it, which=20
basically means it's fast.  He starts revving his engine like a spoiled=20
child, and I stick my nose in the air.  Feeling completely above that=20
childish behaviour and knowing that I would never engage in such=20
debauchery, I quickly ask Grant if I can take him.  Given Grant's answer,=20
"Yeah, you should be able to," I changed my tune -- and figured I'd show=20
that peasant in the Honda a thing or two about fast cars.  Light turns=20
green, and the two sport bikes are gone faster than you can say "Rice=20
Rocket".  The Honda is next to me... we both fucked up the launch, so now=20
we're slowly accelerating until 5,000, waiting impatiently for each motor's=
=20
torque to surge  -- at which point his VTEC kicks over... and my friggin'=20
knock sensor kicks me back to retard mode.  Figures, I guess I shouldn't=20
run 10' ignition advance in 95'F weather.  Anyway, he pulls on me, gaining=
=20
about 15 car lengths before my knock sensor decides to let me have fun=20
again... at 5,000rpm in 3rd.  My engine note changes from "Mary Had a=20
Little Lamb" to "Get the fuck out of my face" and Grant, having never been=
=20
in my car before, lets out a "holy shit!".  As I'm approaching 6,800rpm in=
=20
4th, we've gained serious ground and I'm starting to prepare my smug grin=20
for when we fly by him.  That's about when the motor fell on its face.  I=20
think to myself -- what?!  Rev limiter at 6,800rpm!?  And then I look in my=
=20
mirrors.  White out.  Grey smoke more dense than even Christina Aguilera's=
=20
implants.

Long story short, I realize a few minutes later (on the side of the road)=20
that oil is dumping out of my Jamex Airbox, and that earlier that day, as I=
=20
wondered why the car was 1qt low on oil, I had forgotten that my new=20
dipstick from VW reads a quart low -- and I now had 1 quart too many in the=
=20
car.  I tell Grant, now picking up the phone to call a tow truck, to get=20
back in the car, we're leaving.  He's totally baffled, looking at me like=20
like I'm nuts.  "Shut up and get in the car Grant, I'll explain it on the=20
way."  He about shit his pants when the car completely stopped smoking a=20
mile down the road.  Fucking Volkswagens and their=20
puking-oil-through-the-crankcase-ventilation-hose-crap.  I drive 100 miles=
=20
round trip; no smoking anywhere in site.  When I got home, I drained a=20
quart of oil and had my friend (who previously owned it) call the guy in=20
the Honda and announce happily, "By the way, the guy in the Scirocco didn't=
=20
blow his motor, and he wants a re-match."  Tee-hee. :)

I drive the car a few days, and it's perfect.  Still not insanely fast,=20
still does the full-throttle buck, but no smoke.  Then, out of nowhere, it=
=20
starts smoking again... constantly.  At idle, it's fine; no smell, no=20
smoke.  But rev it at all, and it'll start.  Drive normally and everything=
=20
in the rear view mirror looks hazy.  Floor it, and it's a veritable smoke=20
machine.   And it fucking stinks.  Now I'm getting nervous.

I did a compression test earlier today, and got even more nervous.  In=20
July, with the intake cam advanced one (chain) tooth, all 4 cylinders=20
measured between 193 and 211psi.  Today, all 4 measured between 162 and=20
175psi.... still within factory new spec, but waaayy lower than=20
before.  The #1 spark plug was black and greasy, the other 3 looked=20
fine.  My hypothesis was (and is) that the compression was so low because I=
=20
am running 8' cam advance (belt), meaning that the exhaust cam is opening=20
8' early, which may be before TDC.  What the fuck do I know, though...

So I figure that if only Spark Plug #1 looks nasty, oil is getting into=20
that cylinder only -- not being sucked through the intake.  Therefore, it's=
=20
an internal motor problem... so I get out the automobile equivalent of a=20
guillotine and behead the motor.  It's amazing how fast you can get the=20
head off of a 16V when (a) you've done it 6300 times in the last 6 months,=
=20
and (b) you want to know what the hell happened to your baby's motor.

Much to my absolute horror and amazement, all 4 pistons look=20
beautiful.  All 16 valves look beautiful.  The head gasket looks=20
beautiful.  There are no fluids where they shouldn't be.  WHAT THE FUCK!?

Both the intake and exhaust valves on cylinder one are clean and oil=20
free.  Cylinder 3 has a little burned oil on the intake valve stems... but=
=20
other than that, everything looks perfect.  The ol' 24mm socket was taken=20
out of retirement, and I spun the cams around a few times.  No binding, no=
=20
strangeness, and no evidence of any bent valves.

The cylinder walls are mirrors.  If you could fit your face in there, you'd=
=20
see your reflection.  No scratches, nothing... so I doubt I broke a ring.

At this point, it's going to be a while before I put the motor back=20
together (by the time I get new head bolts, a new head gasket, etc...) but=
=20
in the meantime I have to decide (a) which head to put back on, and (b)=20
whether to bother with the Schrick.  At the same time, I'd like to know (c)=
=20
what the fuck is going on, so (d) I can fix it and (e) it no longer smokes=
=20
when I put it back together.

Now -- here's where you all come in.  Could someone explain to me please=20
what the hell is going on?  Do you think it's possible/probable that I=20
killed my (admittedly 15-year old, 70k mile) valve seals by putting the cam=
=20
in?  I assume the Schrick has higher lift characteristics than the stock=20
cam, so that could easily be a recipe for valve seal failure.  How do I=20
know, though?  It's not like oil is pouring out of the valve seals...

The easiest thing for me to do would be to throw the 2.0 head on and see=20
what happens.... if it doesn't smoke, then I know it was the 1.8 head.  And=
=20
since the head only has 8k miles on it, I'd rather port & polish it and=20
then use it instead.  But here's the next wonderfully stupid thing I=20
did:  I noticed that I had the 2.0 head resting on two of the valves for=20
the last 3 months.  Granted, they were only slightly below the head=20
surface, and placed gently on a wooden shelf, but what are the chances that=
=20
I bent *those* valves?   If I have a P&P job done, they'll have to come out=
=20
anyway, right?  So I can test them then?

If you've made it all the way to the end of this verbose e-mail, I thank=20
you tremendously.  If you actually respond, I'll give you a blowjob at the=
=20
next car show. :)
[kidding, kidding!]

TIA!!!
Jason










----------
1987 Scirocco 2.0 16v           [Blows more smoke than an Amsterdam Coffee=
=20
Shop]
1994 Golf 4dr VR6               [No longer likes to stop]

http://www.scirocco16v.org


"In the olden days, a good flame war could go on for weeks or months, with=
=20
hot invective flying around like rhetorical shrapnel. It was high art, high=
=20
entertainment. Though tempers flared hot and professional bridges were=20
sometimes irreparably burned, ultimately it was a game =97 a participatory=
=20
sport in which the audience awarded points for felicitous disparagements,=20
particularly well-worded putdowns, inspired squelches."  -- Christopher=20
Locke, "The Cluetrain Manifesto".

"So yes, the LSD works, sort of like ABS in forward without the foot=20
vibrator..." - Cathy Boyko