Passenger ride?

[Holman58]

Hi guys

after a slightly problematic track day last month, I'm after a new engine for my Clio. I'm in two minds to rebuild mine with high comp pistons and cams etc for a safe , fun, engine ( I'm not concerned about making any more power then standard really) Or go down the Megane conversion route,
so is there anyone down south ( I'm in Southampton) but obviously I can come to you, with either of these set ups who would take me for a spin just to try and help me decide what route to take

cheers in advance

 

[TB Rich]

What do you need engine wise? I've got a brand new block and pistons+rings set that I need to sell. I'm very local to Southampton if interested.

 

[Holman58]

I could be interest yes, how much you after for the block etc
cheers

 

[TB Rich]

I bought it 2 months ago for £640, it came as block, pistons & rings, oil squirters and oil/water exchanger (modine).
I've used the oil squirters and the modine; for their costs I know squirters can be had for £60, not sure on the modine, probably 30ish? So for block and pistons and rings, £500 I think seems reasonable.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[Holman58]

Ok, I'll give you a shout towards the end of the month if that's ok, I'm off out country for a week in a couple of days

 

[Yiannis197]

[MENTION=52491]Holman58[/MENTION] what was the problem with your engine if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Holman58]

I haven't stripped it yet but I believe either oil pump failure or oil surge, engine blew up, then set itself on fire.

 

[TB Rich]

Ok, I'll give you a shout towards the end of the month if that's ok, I'm off out country for a week in a couple of days

no probs, enjoy.

 

[Yiannis197]

I haven't stripped it yet but I believe either oil pump failure or oil surge, engine blew up, then set itself on fire.

****ting hell that sounds terrible. Never heard a clio catching fire however these oil pump failures are getting more common now that the cars are getting older...
[MENTION=38628]TB Rich[/MENTION] any news with your car matey?

 

[Holman58]

Yeah did put a bit of downer on my day haha

 

[TB Rich]

No interesting news I'm afraid, should be built next week though and hopefully that means installed in a couple and mapped in a few!
Got a wideband now which needs installing, using an OEM plug I can get it straight through the original wiring into the ECU which is nice Found some more suitable plugs too but they're costing £120 a set lol! Also didn't manage to sort any wilder cams out in time though which is a shame, was going to go slightly wilder whilst it's still on a plenum as an interim cam, selling mine with the cat valve springs would have meant comparatively little outlay for the upgrade. However just means itb's and race cams/vvt delete will have to happen together and I presume over winter. Suppose the flip side is it means by using the same cams as the last build, it'll be a nice comparison to the new engine.

Holman if you want the block then I've got an oil pump you can have for free, it's done ~40k miles and was fine. However I cracked some of the top of a forged piston so on the new build swapped it out for peace of mind, and given how much this build is costing I didn't even notice an oil pump - I literally have no idea how much they are?! Tbh I very much doubt it ingested anything though as the piston damage was from gradual det damage and on the top of the piston itself - so should have blown out the exhaust.

 

[Yiannis197]

I see, good luck mate, weather is great now so I bet you are missing your car...

Speaking of oil pumps, do the cup racers have an upgraded one?

 

[TB Rich]

Yeah indeed! I'll be amazed if it ever runs again mind haha!

Cup Racer catalog shows same part as the R3 oil pump - which I thought was upgraded in the Maxi for 8500rpm. However Cup Racer engines are supposed to be stock and sealed etc, so not sure if it is or not? It's part 77 11 160 372 if you want to look into it.
Problem is not the pumps though, it's running the engine hard when the level is not max. On cyl3 I think it is the bearing moves transversely and impedes an oil way - from there it's a fast track to failure! My new bearings are proper race items this time which are tagged - you also need to machine the block and main caps to accept but it stops this issue. Tagged bearings are not to stop spinning bearings which is what I initially thought they were for, I haven't looked into what causes that issue? I would think it's possibly a torque issue? Using ARP fasteners on the mains this time too - not that I had a bearing issue before anyway.
Regards the oil level - the Maxi engine build manual tells you to keep the oil level half way in the upper hatched area. I haven't got a dipstick to hand but I'm betting that's way higher than most people let their cars run. Don't know the specific reason why they tell you this - but I'd hazard a guess it's bearing related.

 

[Yiannis197]

Very interesting info once again Rich. So do you reckon that people think it's the oil pump but it's actually not? It would be very interesting if people actually tested the pump when something like that occurred. In the Greek forums people go mental and change the bearings and pump just because they are terrified in case the engine goes pop. A few engines did you see, not sure whether it's the very hot climate there that plays any significant role..

How much oil do you put in your car out of curiosity? I use about 5L where it's a bit lower than the upper mark on the dipstick?

 

[TB Rich]

Well I'm sure there are issues now and again with pumps but they are not known for being a weak link on the 830 engines, bearing issues are def not unheard of though. But no more than other engines, BMW S54 and S65 suffer bearing problems, K20's even too - but all of them are usually down to being run low on oil at some point too, from what I've read of their issues anyway. I've come close to buying a car with all 3 of those engines!
I had an interesting chat with Ashford about the bottom ends and bearings, and they have tons of engines out there in competition circles. Sure I've probably forgotten some of it, but the main issue was the bearing movement blocking an oilway and basically going to **** from there. On an engine below 8k they didn't have any reliability issues with a genuine OEM pump, and there are no problems with cavitation at those speeds. When I pick it up I'll try and remember to ask for some specifics again.

I can't remember where the dipstick marks are tbh, but when it wasn't using 1L every 500 miles due to a hole in the piston lmao! I kept it between half way and max of the solid non-hatched area. So I will keep it close to the RS suggestion around the middle of hatchings from now on.

 

[Yiannis197]

Thanks a lot Rich.