Technical Question - RE 2.0l 8v

[Anonymous]

This is a bloody long post but all the info is necessary.

I had my engine wired up yesterday at Novatech in slough Cavalier 2.0l 8v. When I went to pick it up, the car was running fine and I drove it home, about 3 miles (mostly in traffic) so I didn?t boot it. Just as I got to my house I heard this weird noise coming from the engine. The only way I can describe the noise is to say that it sounds like a transit van / diesel engine. When I start the engine it doesn?t do it straight away, it has to be running for a min or 2 first, then it starts making this noise. When the revs are increased the noise gets louder and quicker. Its almost like a banging sound coming from inside the engine. Also the fan kept coming on every 30 ? 45 seconds and the engine was really hot, even though it had only been running for about 15 minutes.

Before the engine went in the car,I checked the oil, it was VERY black. I checked it when I got the car back and the oil is a light brown colour and looks watery, also the water in the expansion bottle is a brownish sludgy colour. This suggests to me that the head gasket has gone. I am going to get the head skimmed, a new gasket and head bolts fitted at the weekend, I also need to fit a GTE radiator as Im using a 1.4sr one and it might be too small for the 2.0l.

I also found out that Bernie at Novatech set the ECU to 95 Ron ? Unleaded. I was under the impression that I would need to run the car on 4 star so it has been filled with 4 star.

This is what Bernie at Novatech told me to do ?

1. Get a brown RON plug and set it to 98 until the 4 star is used up, then set to 95 and fill with unleaded.

2. Change head gasket and get head skimmed, new head bolts.

3. Get a 1.6 GTE radiator.

4. I need to fit an oil pressure switch, as there wasn?t one on the engine.


I am going to do all of these things ASAP. However this still doesn?t explain the sound of the engine. Bernie told me that the engine was running sweet while it was with him, and it was fine till I got home (maybe enough time for engine to reach temp enough for water and oil to mix). And it doesn?t do it all of the time, only after a few mins of running. It starts off intermittent and gets more frequent until it?s doing it constantly. Bernie said he thinks from my description that is sounds like the engine is really badly pinking.

Do you have any ideas as to what might be wrong with it and how to sort it ?

[Anonymous]

If the head gasket had gone and water was mixing with the oil, this would mean a loss of compression and possibly make it only fire on 2 or 3 cylinders ? does that sound right, and could that account for the noise ?

[Anonymous]

yep, sounds about right.
You probly have a gasket leak between 2 clylinders, which will make it sound awful and maybe shake the car around. its strange that it ran on leaded. just get rid of the leaded and put unleaded in there!
take it easy for a few hundred miles afer you do the head gasket!

[Anonymous]

it will run on LRP fine!! it just kills the cat if you have one
i ran my 1.2i on LRP/unleaded/super/(petrol-desial mix 70%petrol 30%D) during the fuel crisis with no probs apart from proabably dead cat

if u have water in the oil it will fuck the engine as water gives no protection against wear!!!

1.4sr rad i take it you are talking about the 3/4 height one as early 1.2/1.3/1.4 have a full height rad same as gte/gsi

leaded is 101p round here :D


16v Nova - Toolkit, Trouble, Points and great expence all come as standard :)

e reg shell almost gone!!

[Anonymous]

yeah thats the one. Ive ordered a diesel rad and fan which should do the trick.

If I drain the 4 star and fill it with Unleaded, it should be fine, right ?

And Im taking the head off tomorrow and having it taken in to be skimmed and I've ordered new gasket, new head bolts, new cam belt as well as the diesel rad. So do you reckon that once I have fitted all that it will do the trick ?

[Anonymous]

yeah thats the one. Ive ordered a diesel rad and fan which should do the trick.

If I drain the 4 star and fill it with Unleaded, it should be fine, right ?

And Im taking the head off tomorrow and having it taken in to be skimmed and I've ordered new gasket, new head bolts, new cam belt as well as the diesel rad. So do you reckon that once I have fitted all that it will do the trick ?

[Anonymous]

Where are u getting ur engine bits from, head skimmed etc??

[Anonymous]

taking the head to be skimmed to HT Howard on Wexham trading estate in Slough. Head skimmed, gasket kit and new head bolts for ?64

[Anonymous]

td rad won't fit :-/

16v Nova - Toolkit, Trouble, Points and great expence all come as standard :)

e reg shell almost gone!!

[Anonymous]

I have changed the order and ordered a GTE rad instead. cheers Ste.

[Anonymous]

Isnt that a bit cheap Damian??
abit TOO cheap? to do the head skimming and change all the bits, the labour I thought would normally be at least double that price?
How do u know they are going to actually do all that work???

[Anonymous]

They are a recognised registered company, they have been doing head work on cars and bikes for years. I know they will do it, they are a really good genuine company. A friend of mine from work is really into modding motorbikes and he takes all his heads there to have em sorted. My brother took his 16v head there to have it skimmed and have the valves done when his cam belt got fucked and they did a really good job. A simple skim only costs ?25.40 the head gasket is ?23 the head bolts are about a tenner and they charge about a tenner for labour.

Anyway, I took the head in yesterday and Im having a few other bits done while its in there as well. I having it totally stripped and cleaned and de coked. He's going to take the valves out and re seat them and change the seals and recondition the valves. Skim the head, provide me with a full gasket kit, (head, exhaust and inlet and cam cover) two of the exhaust manifold bolts snapped in the head and he is going to drill those out for me as well. The price for all that is ?152. I get is back on Thursday so I will be able to put it all back together on Saturday and hopefully get it running either saturday or sunday.

[Anonymous]

They seem alright.
I asked them if I gave them the complete head (of a 2 litre) and they skimmed it, replaced gaskets, attached the camshaft onto it, etc they would charge me ?220, all put back together again.

Thats very good. A few other companies were quoting me ?1200 !

[Anonymous]

they will do a good job as well believe me. obviously a 16v head is more work than an 8v so ?220 aint all bad. I say do it coz its always worth having a clean head that you know is in good condition.