blown headgasket grrrr

[awdspyder98]

Well last week I ended up toasting my headgasket on a small pull.

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This was on a 5mph to 105mph pull at 31.9 psi of boost spiking to 34psi. Its a parts store felpro hg with L19 head studs. Not sure what caused the failure. The tune was spot on with only 13*timing on e85 with a/f around 11.9 with no knock. I may have reached the limits on this gasket but I'm unsure due to the threads I've read about this particular hg/studs combo. As you can see my plugs look good with no signs of det.

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Maybe I'm just missing something.

 

[BogusSVO]

Attachment links not working....

Remember a blown HG is not the cause of a problem, but the result of a problem.

 

[Calan]

By "parts store felpro hg" do you mean a composite gasket?

 

[JacksonAuto]

Every engine likes a different tune. Maybe 13* and 11.9 is not the sweet spot for your setup. Also, detonation doesn't always show up on the plugs.

Were you logging the pull when the failure occurred?
Did you test the SG of the fuel to verify the ethanol content?

 

[awdspyder98]

Attachment links not working....

Remember a blown HG is not the cause of a problem, but the result of a problem.

I'm assuming it's cylinder pressure

By "parts store felpro hg" do you mean a composite gasket?

Sorry about leaving that info out.. yes a composite felpro hg

Every engine likes a different tune. Maybe 13* and 11.9 is not the sweet spot for your setup. Also, detonation doesn't always show up on the plugs.

Were you logging the pull when the failure occurred?
Did you test the SG of the fuel to verify the ethanol content?

Yes I was logging.. no knock at all. The only issue was my ait pigtail came undone so my ait read -40. That's the reason why its only getting 13* timing.. in the tune its set for 15*timing. I'm assuming the ecu is pulling timing due to the low ait reading.

Also I didn't test the e85... but I do fill up at the same station every time.

 

[awdspyder98]

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Anyone have a idea on where to start looking?

 

[slow91]

man those hg are junk anyways. i blew one out on mine at 22 lbs, put a mls hg on and never had an issue since.

 

[awdspyder98]

Here are some close ups of the other 3 piston holes in the head gasket... seems to me that it may have gotten alittle hot .. I can see some metal showing through the gasket material around the metal rings. Could that be from to much heat or maybe my head lifted???

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[JacksonAuto]

Looks like the head lifted.

 

[awdspyder98]

Looks like the head lifted.

How can you tell? Just curious that way I know what it looks like.

 

[Imback]

The dark areas above the rings. What did you torque them down to? And did you re torque after a few heat cycles?

 

[awdspyder98]

The dark areas above the rings. What did you torque them down to? And did you re torque after a few heat cycles?

I torqued them down to 105ft/lbs and no.. I didn't retorque them after a few heat cycles.. I thought since they were L19's I didn't have too.

I was always on the assumption that when you lift ## head it just starts to overheat. I wasn't aware that it would blow out the gasket the way it did.