Blown VVEL !!!
 

A few guys already know that I blew my engine at my last Time Attack.
this is some update from my diagnostic .

I towed it back from the dealership last saturday so I started right away to remove everthing in front of the engine to have a full acces to the front .

I removed both cam cover to look at the chain since I suspected a broken or loose chain .
the driver side chain that connect both Intake and exhaust cam was quite loose to compare with the passenger side !
until I compare them side by side , I suspect one of them elongated !

next step was to remove the driver valve cover to see what went wrong in the end where the knocking was comming from in the beginning while the engine was still running porly



Located at piston#6 ,, look alright and wet from the oil... not much sign of any defects.
http://www.the370z.com/members/megan...ny-defects.jpg


something is missing there !
http://www.the370z.com/members/megan...sing-there.jpg


humm broken pawl and pin somewhere in the bottom of the engine head.
http://www.the370z.com/members/megan...ngine-head.jpg


the wrose where everything went bad from the engine code I got first ... piston#4 VVEl look very dried up and rusted already ,, !!
http://www.the370z.com/members/megan...ed-already.jpg


dried up lobe from a broken VVEL pawl. the rust is already getting there !!! must have been red hot.
http://www.the370z.com/members/megan...en-red-hot.jpg


the wrose where everything went bad from the engine code I got first ... piston#4 VVEl look very dried up and rusted already ,, !!
http://www.the370z.com/members/megan...ed-already.jpg


I wonder what composition is in the center that melted !
located on piston#2
http://www.the370z.com/members/megan...d-piston-2.jpg


you can see the dried VVEL camshaft and the broken pawl , VVEL valve from piston #2
http://www.the370z.com/members/megan...e-piston-2.jpg


side holding pin pawl getting out !!!! ,, VVEL valve from piston #4 , the dried up VVEL is due to an extreme heat generated by the lack or lubrification !
http://www.the370z.com/members/megan...rification.jpg


soo after this ... my conclusion would be
do not rev up to 8000 rpm !! and avoid taking corner at 1.35-1.4G

damn, will dealer cover?

Wow that blows! Isn't this covered under your factory warranty?

no they denied any warranty on the engine ... part of my fault and the new build Nissan dealership where I live.
they went to fast with picture and getting in contact with Nissan Canada.

it wasnt like last year with a different dealership , They told me that I should reinstall everything stock around the engine before they take picture...
I got the 7AT replaced there
but I couldnt tow the car at that one and my only option was the new one near of my home.

if the revs were at 8k... not going to happen. sorry to hear that!

That's messed up man...

I guess 7800 is the max.

Ouch! What's your plan now?

HR head swap with BIG CAMS !

and a surprise that was supposed to be done at the end of the summer.
let just say ... ITS BIG !

but for now , the big project is really to make the HR head work and start the engine .. once this is done the big cam and custom piston will follow...

Im hopping to do everything myself so a lot of new tools will be needed to be bought !

Dude - if you are pulling 1.3 to 1.4g lateral G and you have not done anything about avoiding oil surge, this is what you will see.

The top-end of the engine looks like it has starved of oil, so my guess is that you suffered oil surge ... if that is the case, then the bearings (main and big-end) need to be checked as well .. IMHO best to strip the block - look at everything and rebuild.

I'm surprised that anyone would think that Nissan would cover engine failure during a Time Attack run as a warrantable situation as (in Australia at least) participation in organsied motor sport events invalidates the warranty.

That's why I have taken quite a lot of time to look after the oiling system in my car t make sure it does not suffer these sort of cnsequecnes.

That said, HR heads, hi-comp pistons and BIG cams is clearly the way to go now !!!

Good luck ....

that's pretty much what the world challenge teams have and they run to 8k rpm all day long :tup:

I still reckon the issue is oil starvation and not excessive rev's

this is also my guess .
I plan was to strip everything to see if the block / bearing/ piston are still good..
I suspect now piston#2 & 4 to be damaged ..
anyway they are gonna be changed no matter what...

Good excuse to go full forged route with HR head conversion .... take a peek at the GTM heads that flow 330 cfm which will get you close to 500hp on a solid build ... consider sleeve and overbore - 100mm bore and std stroke will get you to 4.05 litres which with decent cams should let you get close to 500hp - you;ll probably need an aftermarket ECU and individual throttle-bodies to manage it all though ... good luck with the build

good luck man. Your gonna have an awesome NA Z when its all said and done

:icon18: There is no way this will be convered under warranty. No dealer will cover this specially given the situation that caused the damage.

Good luck OP! Can't wait too see when she's fully healed! :tiphat:

LOL let me know about the Nav Unit.. you may need some additional funds!