Niall's 2000 306 XS A.K.A Craig

[C.A.R.]

Ah the memories...

[Niall]

Ah the memories...

Yep mine looks exactly the same haha.
Still, not for much longer!

[Eeyore]

mine looks the same as that after the overfueling problem!

[Matt]

Is that bad? Mines always looked like that haha

[C.A.R.]

It's excess fuel mate, or unburnt fuel. Yes, it is pretty bad. It causes dark/black smoke and is why people often thought my old 1.8 was a diesel.

It will sometimes ignite which is obviously awesome beyond comprehension, however it is still bad and needs sorting. I polished my tip (not a euphemism) and went on a 5 minute drive around the block and the above picture was taken. If you look carefully you can see perfectly shiny polished steel underneath my finger...

[Niall]

Even some of the healthiest of 306 petrols will do that eventually. Difference is mine does that in less than a mile!


Well tomorrow is the day to start stripping the engine down and get the pistons out and to be honest, I can't be bothered. Think I'm just loosing my love with this at the moment but if this doesn't fix it, I will be getting rid I think

[Toby]

Even some of the healthiest of 306 petrols will do that eventually. Difference is mine does that in less than a mile!


Well tomorrow is the day to start stripping the engine down and get the pistons out and to be honest, I can't be bothered. Think I'm just loosing my love with this at the moment but if this doesn't fix it, I will be getting rid I think

Come over to the dark side

[Niall]

Even some of the healthiest of 306 petrols will do that eventually. Difference is mine does that in less than a mile!


Well tomorrow is the day to start stripping the engine down and get the pistons out and to be honest, I can't be bothered. Think I'm just loosing my love with this at the moment but if this doesn't fix it, I will be getting rid I think

Come over to the dark side

Never. If I do get a new car it will be something rediculously old with a minimum of 6 cylinders.

[Toby]

Come over to the dark side

Never. If I do get a new car it will be something rediculously old with a minimum of 6 cylinders.

Sounds like an OM606 to me..

[Scott]

ffs

[Poodle]

Haha xj12 ftw!

[Niall]

Haha xj12 ftw!

That is exactly what I was thinking. V12 xjs. Naughty things can be done with them!

[Niall]

Well this is a farmiliar site yes?



And what have we learnt today kids?

1. Taking half a engine apart is not a good idea when you havent eaten or slept for 2 days because of mild food poisoning.
2. My new record to beat to get the head off is 1:15
3. Don't try and lift a head off when the exhaust manifold is still clinging onto some of the studs - it leads to not being able to stand up straight for quite a while
4. Piston movement is not cool or funny!

Thankfully all the inlet and exhaust ports are as dry as a bone so the stem seals arnt leaking. Also thankfully (in a weird way) the pistons have got a fair bit of play in them....one of them about 2.5-3mm!
Think that may be my problem! Got a video I will upload later.
Tomorrow I will take the pistons out (10 minute job now) and take them to the guys fitting the rings then next weekend it can all go back together again hopefully running well for fcs.

[vlj]

Your car was one of the first I came across on .net and I fell in love with it - I still want a china even now, everything you've done to it is just sensible and really well done - I want it! (except for the problems you seem to have.. I have enough of my own)

[Niall]

Your car was one of the first I came across on .net and I fell in love with it - I still want a china even now, everything you've done to it is just sensible and really well done - I want it! (except for the problems you seem to have.. I have enough of my own)

Haha thanks mate. Appreciated!

Forgot to say earlier it's also been lowered!....again. Took it to kris the other day for him to work his magic and just to back up what everyone else says, he knows his stuff and gets the job done! Recommend him any day!



The front is lower than that but there's only half a engine in it there haha
Rear is a little too low for my liking (sorry kris!) so will be coming up by a small amount next weekend when it's off the ramps and has a engine back in it.

[4WayDiablo]

So you didn't check the bores when you last had the head off? It hasnt developed since then surely

[Niall]

I did but they didn't seem that bad. Obviously I didn't check them well enough! Ah well, shits done now

[4WayDiablo]

So ace cafe? .... :-P

[Niall]

So ace cafe? .... :-P

Maybe. It's being put back together next weekend so if I can get it running on Saturday, I'm going to give it a good run in on Sunday and see if I'm up for taking it to ace on Monday. Don't like the idea of it boiling up in traffic on a fresh engine haha

I will be there in something though wether it be the skoda or grants car

[Niall]

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll25 ... d1e4fe.mp4

Video as promised. It's a bit difficult to see what I'm on about but the worst is the last cylinder.

[Matt]

Jesus! That's a fair bit of movement!

[4WayDiablo]

I actually had less movement of the pistons in the block of the 106 i bought as a hg failure that turned out to be piston rings

[Niall]

I actually had less movement of the pistons in the block of the 106 i bought as a hg failure that turned out to be piston rings

Doesn't supprise me. 4th is the worst by far and that's the one that the exhaust manifold port is properly coked up.

[4WayDiablo]

I didn't actually see yours running but the 106 was smoking from the exhaust massively and from under the bonnet as it was firing it out the dipstick lol

[Scott]

It actually almost looked like you saw the movement in the 4th piston, and facepalmed.

I know you were reaching for the camera, but I'd like to think you were facepalming.

[Niall]

It actually almost looked like you saw the movement in the 4th piston, and facepalmed.

I know you were reaching for the camera, but I'd like to think you were facepalming.

I might of well have been. Well tvh I was laughing because if I didn't laugh at my stupidity, I would cry!

[C.A.R.]

Haven't worked on an XU for 2 years now. If you didn't live so far away I'd give you a hand! Beats cleaning the dieselbus.

Hope this all gets sorted in the not-too-distant future...

[Niall]

Haven't worked on an XU for 2 years now. If you didn't live so far away I'd give you a hand! Beats cleaning the dieselbus.

Hope this all gets sorted in the not-too-distant future...

Thanks mate!

Well pistons are out and the rings are well and truly fooked! The compression rings are sill spot on but the oil rings are in a state. All of them have gone brittle and broken up and one of them, the spring has actually been rubbing on the liner!
The big end shells are also pretty buggered. Looks like the engine may have been run very low on oil at some point. Other than that, we had a good look over the bottom end and everything else looks fine. The oil pump strainer is spotlessly clean which I was quite surprised about but whilst the pistons are off, I'm going to give everything a good clean up ready for shiny pistons to go back in!
Watch this space

[Scott]

That's good to hear man, I didn't actually ask how you got on today! Will be keeping my fingers crossed for you next weekend

[mark_airey]

At least you know what was causing it now and you have got to the bottom of it, hell it will nearly be a new engine when your done