2.3t rescue project

[carrera]

It's been a while, but a few weeks ago another 9-5 cried out for help and I was listening attentively.

It's a 2002 steel grey 2.3 estate, which was a bit noisy and whiney on start up, I was told it needed a sump drop. It came with some handy parts too, but I suppose the Crossland filter will not get used.

So, while I am in the mood for doing sump drops here's another, in all its glory

First of all the sump as removed, looks a bit black doesn't it



and then with the strainer off. There's a bit of debris on top of the strainer and it looks like someone has been building a sandcastle in the bottom of the sump. Nice !



and now the strainer itself



and finally, I was expecting this because there is an invoice for the work in the history file. Can anybody spot what is missing ?

[fka]

LOL - brilliant! No wonder its burned to a crisp..

[sgould]

I've not seen that before. 

Manual radiator, or just leaky?

[carrera]

So first the good news, the cleaning of the strainer is almost complete, just a few bits of black colouring remaining that I am letting wheel cleaner etch away for me.

At one point I thought I had struck lucky and found gold while I was panning, but subsequent examination suggested it wasn't even fools gold, just copper. The caps are not off yet, but based on what I have seen I am surprised that there was no knock. Tha inspection will have to wait for another day.

It's a good job this was only an LPT. Oh hang on a minute, the PO said it had been breathed on at some point and was giving about 230hp. That will of been of particular benefit with the oil cooler delete.

I think I have a s/h oil cooler that I can fit somewhere. With a bit of luck it might still be fixed to the oil filter housing

The radiator comment went straight over my head, missed that, sorry

[sgould]

Ah! oil cooler, not auto box cooler. 

[fka]

the power steering line that "the abomination" has been cable tied to is looking close the the end. Presume it's not leaking yet?

[sgould]

I thought that the pipe loop was on the autogearbox cooling circuit, not the engine oil.  So it would have bypassed the cooling part of the main radiator.  I thought that it might have been done to fit a manual gearbox radiator.

And jubilee clips...

[carrera]

 

Not yet, I thought the same and have just ordered some Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 to treat it and as a test as I have never used it before. This is a Scottish car and there is definitely a difference in the way the air likes to react with the metal, at least compared to my relatively southern latitude.

The rubber bobbins at the other end are of course broken as well

I will try and remember to look at the history file in the morning to find out just how much was charged for this professional job. Of course, the route taken could have been selected by the garage or the owner.

New silicone hose, bypass valve and one way valves up at the top of the engine though

Those jubilee clips are worth saving !

[carrera]

A nice simple start to the day, whipping the big end caps off.

i took them off in the order 4-1-3-2 , partly for convenience, partly because I expected number 4 to be the worst. They just got worse as I went along, number 3 had just started to spin, you can see number 2 here



all the big end bearing caps off, hmm, that'll be the reason for the copper in the oil then



I did not expect to find this, I did not detect any signs of rod knock so it's just fortunate that I did the sump drop when I did. I think I'll pull a couple of the mains next, but expect they will be OK. There were a couple of marks on the crank journal, but they cleaned up after just 30 seconds fettling so no damage there 

Looking back over the history for this car it had an oil and filter change in Feb 19, with another oil change when the cooler was bypassed. Both synthetic. £50 for the cooler delete.

[carrera]

Well, I was wrong about the mains.

Number 4 was pulled first and was showing signs of distress. Number 3 put matters beyond doubt, so it's new mains as well, though number 2 does look fine



This was the most difficult sump cleaning job I have undertaken. The burnt oil was very hard and also quite thick at the same time. Leaving things in the parts cleaner was having little effect, so I used progressivly more aggressive methods before finally bringing out the electric drill and a copper brush. This is where it has ended up.

The repacement oil cooler is ready with painted lines to keep future corrosion at bay, so from this point forwards it's reassembly, except for mains 1 and 5 which will come out when the new 2-4 are installed

[carrera]

A little progress update. The bottom end is done with new mains and big end bearings, sump back on, almost ready to go.

As usual, the dizzy plug was leaking, so why not put a new one in there ?

The bolts for the cam cover were not tight, indicating they had been removed and not put back fully. I think I know why.

Yuk !

 

[sgould]

I wonder if, apart from the bodgery, the oil has run low.  If it's the same as the V6 diesel, if the pressure is low, the whole lot is lost before it can get to the far end of the crankshaft.

There is also an issue with the Saab engine.  At the Cadwell Park trackday, held as part of the 2015 Saabfest, drivers were warned not to take the long top right hand bend because of the risk of oil starvation.  The fast drivers went round like it was the shape of a 50p piece.  If the car has been tuned at some point in the past, it might have contributed, if the driver was "too spirited" on long bends.

[carrera]

It's funny, JTC and I were chatting earlier this week about that very problem on the approach to the Goose Neck. Clearways at Brands Hatch is similar.

I think it's much simpler with this engine, a number of factors:

Oil overheating because the oil cooler delete
Sludge from the usual causes causing blockage of the oil strainer on the gauze and a significantly sized mobile agglomeration of debris
Probable use of non fully synth at some point in the history
Build up on the valve cover from chain splash, but high viscosity due to burning and other debris.

I was a little surprised by the failures on rod 2 and main bearing 3, from what I have seen and heard of before I would have expected problems to be further along the crank.

I have no idea if the full performance of the engine has been utilised by previous owners. It is reasonable to assume so at some point, otherwise why have the remap ?

[carrera]

The Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 arrived yesterday, mmmm blueberry yoghurt

Consequently I have been applying it to the power steering pipe and the sub frame. It seemed a shame not to. Second coat is on, but having read the instructions it seems I need to give it 24 hours before painting.

Oil is in, the valve cover has had a lick of paint and is currently drying. The tube onto the chain is completely clear, but I just cannot seem to get the other tube clear at the pont where it enters the breather void, brake wire meets an impassable blockage and the tube does not allow compressed air to pass.

I think I am just going to have to put back in this condition, but if anyone has any pictures of what is behind the plate that would be much appreciated, I don't want to start destructively removing rivets just yet as I would like to hear her running again.

[sgould]

When I read the Hydrate 80 instructions, it said wait a day.  Then it said something like "If desperate 4 hours will do". 

If the paint is hidden, you don't need to paint over it.