Is this a symptom of poorly head (VR6)

[Robbo149 0]

Hi all,

 

I'm pretty sure my head's poorly (knackered valve stem seals/guides/tappets) as I'm getting all the symptoms: using too much oil, blue smoke on startup & after downhill drag etc & general lack of ooomph. I've bitten the bullet & decided to get a recon head, plus get timing chains/tensioners done at the same time (rather than sell the car!). I've just got a query though: the exhaust has always been popping badly on the overrun, even worse since I had a s/s exhaust fitted, & is always sooted up. Is this just another symptom of having a poorly head, or is there something else I should be looking at? No VAG-COM errors last time I checked & recent emmissions check showed it was running slightly lean. I'd hate to blow all that cash on a rebuilt head only to end up with another problem to sort.

 

Cheers,

Robbo

[PhatVR6 0]

It sounds like it just needs a damn good sprucing up. a head refresh should do nicely. bottom ends go on forever if you service them properly with good oil.

[Robbo149 0]

Thanks for the reassurance Phat, I guess I'm hoping that a new head, chains & tensioners will be a cure-all ! Probably too much to hope for though!!!... I'm sure there'll always be something else to sort... oh, yeah, suspension & brakes next...

 

Btw, I'll have to catch up with you sometime at the CGTi meet, I've been meaning to come along for ages, must be 5 years since I last made the trip to Harrogate! Me old mate Mick C keeps pestering me to come over.

 

Cheers,

Robbo

[PhatVR6 0]

Aye, get yourself down. it's getting quite a hot spot for corrado's/

[paulw 0]

Hi mate

How much are you paying for your recon head?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I was speaking to a chap at Stealth on Saturday who had the same symptoms of smoke, popping, lack of urgency/power etc. Turned out bore number 6 was deeply scored.

That was discovered at 106K but he mentioned the previous owner drove it around for ages with it overheating cause of a headgasket problem, so that is probably the cause.

 

VRs if you're not used to them can seem annoying and over-burdened with issues but they're all the same. His new engine sounds like my 94K old one and they both pop on over run etc etc. It's just poorly managed over-run fuelling by the ECU.

 

It's just the way they are. His develops 223bhp though, mine doesn't!

 

I've had quite a few 325i BMWs that use the same brain and guess what....they pop on overrun and have a bad idle!

 

Get the head done anyway and also use that as oppurtunity to check the bores. I'm not trying to be a messenger of doom, but be prepared for the possibilty the block is knackered as it's very common on the VR.

 

K

[Robbo149 0]

I think I dropped rather lucky with the head, I had done a bit of flicking through the mags & found C & R Enterprises do a polished & ported head complete & ready to bolt on (minus cams) for £495 inc, which was way cheaper than anyone else. Big boys toys will do an exchange standard head for around £360 I think. But I phoned round a couple of local engine refinishers to get a price for mine reconditioning & happened to drop on one who had a VR6 head on the shelf waiting to be reconditioned, so he's doing it at the moment, all in price including new hydraulics for £260! With the rest of the parts & labour it's gonna cost the best part of a grand though!

 

Cheers,

Robbo

[Robbo149 0]

Kev, I'll deffo check out the bores while the head's off (with my fingers crossed!) Although I have had a compression test & thet came out ok.

 

Just been on the phone to the guy who's doing the recon head for me, and the price is now £225 ! plus I get to keep my old head & sell it !... bonus!

 

 

Robbo

[Robbo149 0]

Another quick question about my head swap - the recon head I'm getting done is a Golf one. The casting numbers match up, but will I have to swap the cams over ?, as I undersatand the 2.9 cams have a slightly different profile. What would be the effect of fitting the head with 2.8 cams in ?

 

Cheers,

Robbo

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Robbo, what mileage is your engine at mate?

 

As you may know, Stealth have got my car this week for chains (late solid tensioner too), clutch and some diagnostics on the engine. I rang him earlier and he's got the head off and apparently the bores are immaculate. They've still got the factory honing on them. This is at 94K. So depending on your mileage, your block might be OK too.

 

This will interest PhatVR6 - He said the plugs were red. You had red plugs aswell didn't you? Further more, he said all 6 piston crowns, all 12 Valves and all 6 plugs have this strange, reddy rust coloured coating. It wasn't the Head gasket, so must be additives in the Optimax? My plugs were green last month..... strange.

[dr_mat 0]

There were rumours that optimax was reformulated at a lower octane rating a short while back. I've not looked at my plugs, but I tend to alternate between Optimax and BP Ultimate, so that might not be a good indication of anything anyway.

Good news on your cylinder bores though, let's hope mine holds up the same way!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yes I was very surprised to hear the cross-hatching is still on the bores, even number 6 :shock:

 

I wonder why some blow up young and others go on forever? Mike Edwards has got 168K on one of his and Andi's is approaching 200K!

 

Strange about the plugs though..... I might contact Shell and ask them if anyone else has reported red/green plugs!

[dr_mat 0]

Perhaps it indicates the colour of the traffic lights you go through on? ;)