Well, I haven't posted on here in a while since everything was running perfectly under the hood. But some news has developed:

When I downshift, or am at WOT, I get some whiteish smoke from my muffler. Now, I understand that it is possible that the HG is blown. But something is very perplexing; it still runs PERFECT! Shouldn't there be some sort of other symptom such as loss of power, or unusual readings on the gauges? This issue is why I questioned the almighty 'smoke color diagnostic.'

So any suggestions on how I can confirm if the HG is truly blown? Or if you might think that it's not the HG at all and just some condensation being relased normally (mind you it's 85 deg. today).

Discuss.

hmm well when you downshift vaccum increases and it may be spurtin some coolant into the combustion chamber, check around the block for a sign of any drippies running down the block or anything

also check the coolant reservoir for any oily residue, pretty good HG giveaway..

also, could just be water vapor burning off that was in yuor exhaust

leak down, compression test for s&g's too


_________
96 talon esi-t
san clemente, ca


as needles of ice
are the ill winds' talons

Originally posted by turbo8u
hmm well when you downshift vaccum increases and it may be spurtin some coolant into the combustion chamber, check around the block for a sign of any drippies running down the block or anything also check the coolant reservoir for any oily residue, pretty good HG giveaway.. also, could just be water vapor burning off that was in yuor exhaust leak down, compression test for s&g's too _________ 96 talon esi-t san clemente, ca as needles of ice are the ill winds' talons

OK, sounds good.

I am pretty sure that it is the HG.

So when I go to change it, should I expect any suprises? Is it difficult getting the head off? Just let me know anything that could make the install go smoother. Thanks ;).

Also, is it possible for the HG not to be 100% blown? I ask because it doesn't smoke when just cruising, but only in the higher RPM range and downshifting. There is also an unnoticable loss in power.

Let me know :). Thanks.

Well if it's blown it's blown and needs to be fixed. Now it is possible for it to be blown and not show any signs of being blown. It may not mix the oil and coolant, it may not lose compression and it may not burn oil or coolant, BUT the one thing it can't hide from is a leakdown test. IMO you should run one and verify what you have on your hands. Now for the smoke, how often does it do this? Every day once a week / month? You should not have water vaper in there on a daily basis, nor should it happen all the time while driving or doing these things...

Originally posted by davo345
Just let me know anything that could make the install go smoother.

You shouldn't have a lot of trouble with it. As for things to make it go easier for you, I would suggest picking up a can of copper spray-a-gasket to hit all your gaskets to ensure tight seals. It would be a convenient time to consider some sort of EGR block off and to maybe take a Dremel or die grinder and port match your intake mani runners. Might also be a good time to change out the belts too. They're gonna have to come off, why not get it all done at once? You could also paint your valve cover and have it drying while you're wrenching on the engine. AZ2GNT highly recommends "bling-in-a-can." Silver 1500* engine paint.

Just some food for thought imo. :thumbsup

Originally posted by DR1665

Originally posted by davo345 Just let me know anything that could make the install go smoother.

You shouldn't have a lot of trouble with it. As for things to make it go easier for you, I would suggest picking up a can of copper spray-a-gasket to hit all your gaskets to ensure tight seals. It would be a convenient time to consider some sort of EGR block off and to maybe take a Dremel or die grinder and port match your intake mani runners. Might also be a good time to change out the belts too. They're gonna have to come off, why not get it all done at once? You could also paint your valve cover and have it drying while you're wrenching on the engine. AZ2GNT highly recommends "bling-in-a-can." Silver 1500* engine paint. Just some food for thought imo. :thumbsup

Is it easy to change if I dont pull the whole engine (I don't have a cherry picker)? Or maybe I should pull the engine all at once? I could do the head gasket, timing belt, and clutch all at once?

But if it is really easy to do the HG while the engine is bolted in, i'll probably just do that. Lemme know ;).