Ebay 16g cause head gasket failure?

[Outdorsman]

Well now that I'm trying to sell my car for whatever I can get. I'm wondering what the cause of the head gasket blowing could be?


On another forum I was told it coulda been the egay 16g that was placed by the previous owner that caused it to run lean. They told me it coulda been running 15-18 psi because of the crappy wastegate on it that could cause it to spike boost, and on no fuel mods. They said that coulda spiked boost and blown it. Is this true? If so, would the rest of the motor be okay or just the head gasket? I can't tear into the motor since I just plan on cutting my losses with the car and selling it for less damage to the wallet. Just wondering.

 

[DROPthatCLUTCH]

18psi wouldnt blow a headgasket unless something was already wrong with your engine. It's not the turbos fault I can tell you that, if you blew a headgasket on your current setup ATM, it would've happened even with an MHI turbo.
My 2 cents..

 

[Outdorsman]

Its because I didn't realize it was a 16g until it was too late because I was told by 3 individuals that it was a 14b. Not on here tho. I assumed it was running stock boost so I didn't worry too much about it. I was looking at replacing it with a 14b but its too late haha. Thought that might've killed the gasket.

 

[kidtsi]

yes it would, 2 psi makes lots of difference, but even a MHi would blow a head gauge with boost creep or long spikes.

 

[DROPthatCLUTCH]

If your on stock fuel system(which I'm assuming you are) you would hit fuel cut before blowing a HG. And I still don't think 18 psi would stress a HG on a properly torqued head..

 

[Cdc1221]

Boost pressure increasing cyl pressure, no. But uncontrolled knock from an overly lean condition, yes it sure can

 

[Outdorsman]

so lets say I get the head gasket changed and whatnot. Would it be smart to drive the car? Or just keep the egay turbo off and wait till a 14b pops up?

 

[richard33]

ebay turbos are bad cause they may fail but shouldn't cause any engine damage unless the wheels fall apart and go through the motor. You should be fine with that turbo after swapping headgaskets. Just try to turn the boost down to the 14lb range. If you don't have a boost controller you can mess with the wastegate to make it run lower boost. Search on the forums for info on wastegate mods.

 

[Outdorsman]

yea I'm just sketchy about driving around with the turbo. Thats the only thing I can really see causing my failed head gasket considering I didn't overheat. It blew between two cylinders that I'm sure.

 

[DROPthatCLUTCH]

eBay turbos arent as bad nowadays as they used to be IMO. Lotta people running eBay turbos HARD and they last... Probably depends on the seller though.

Just get a boost gauge if you don't already have one, and keep the 16g on there if it's in good condition.. No sense in taking a perfectly fine turbo and replacing it with a smaller one. Lots of people run 16g's on stock engines. Replace the head gasket and you'll be fine.

 

[Outdorsman]

Its just I'm worried about boost creep and having to spend more money on a HG. I'm definitely getting soem supporting mods. Boost gauge and MBC for now. I'll turn down the boost if it is high.

 

[richard33]

you cant turn the boost down lower than what the wastegate is set at. A MBC will not help you at all unless you want to turn the boost up, which you don't . Get bigger injectors, a walbro255 and a AFPR so you can properly run that 16g. Don't forget something to tune with.

 

[Outdorsman]

I can't afford most of that stuff after getting this repair because I'm doing the tbelt job along with it. Haha Link is way out of the question for now. I'll look into getting a bigger injectors and maybe a walbro 255 and afpr.

 

[Outdorsman]

Alright for now, after I repair my headgasket and whatnot. I plan on buying a boost gauge and oil pressure gauge (haven't decided on last one, can't afford wideband right now). What else would I need to ensure I don't blow the head gasket again. I can't really trace what caused this issue.

The car has signs that it overheated previously before I owned it, I'm guessing they either failed to resurface the head or reused the head bolts.

 

[Spanky_DSM]

Are you sure the head gasket is bad and not the Cheap turbo mixing oil and coolant?

 

[Outdorsman]

Well I got 0 compression in cyln 2 and 3 and I could hear the air escaping from the cylinders when I compression tested it but you could only hear it when you tested cylinders 2 and 3. Its as if while it was plugged in, the pressure escaped to the other cylinder allowing the gauge to read 0 psi.

 

[clipto]

Not to come off bad I hate when cars blow up its the crappiest thing ever. I think you need get that head pulled of and do some work. It's not ganna get done sitting there. Hopefully that some motivation for you. Tear down post pics go over the stuff there not a whoooole lot to it. There is some pistons, rods, bearings, and metal on metal on metal. So get to work and check it out. Look for bent valves or what not but maybe you just need replace the headgasket and your good. You never know till you get in there we can guess all day. Check no oil leaks check boost and vacuum leaks check turbo check bent valves. Start with those let me know how it goes.

 

[Outdorsman]

Yeah I agree, just waiting on those timing belt tools. Heard it makes life a lot easier plus I plan on changing the T-belt if the motor isn't ruined. I've been told to just part it out and scrap it because of the amount of money that I've put into the car. Been told to cut my losses at 6 grand for a car I paid 3.2k for running. Lemme just say, when the previous owner tried to screw me over, I shoulda just gave him the car i'm just playing around. But yeah, I would at least want to take a look at the head even if I decide to sell it, I'm really curious to see what caused it haha. Hopefully the tools get here soon!

 

[Outdorsman]

Got the head off (in another thread) and yeah it was blown. Still contemplating on what to do with the turbo. I don't want to go blowing another head gasket. I have no mods on the car because thats how it came haha. Probably going to end up running a 14b if I can find one in my area. I just want to sell this car .

okay new update: I'm starting to doubt the turbo caused the problems I'm having. My head when examined by a machinist is confirmed to have had bad valve seals and it was belt sanded at one time and never milled after that. I looked at it and it looked exactly like the ones pictured. Knowing this, I'm pretty sure the previous owner reused the head bolts.


Would it be reasonable to say the ebay 16g is not to be blamed for the head gasket failure?