My 3B project (ongoing)

[Error404]

What bore hoses are you using now and how is the catch tank plumbed in?

[Dobby84]

What bore hoses are you using now and how is the catch tank plumbed in?

There are pictures of the catch tank on page one of this thread.
There are silicone hoses from the crack case to the catch tank and back to the I cam cover and a drain pipe that runs down to behind the fog lights.

Think the hoses are 16mm from memory.

[andy10v]

This setup?



I take it the catch tank is empty?

Is that the vent coming out to the left?

[Dobby84]

Yep that's it.
I assume the tank is empty as there is no sign of anything in the viewing tube thing. Although I guess that could be blocked too. Lol
That is the vent comming off to the left and there is no sign of oil dripping out the end. The oil level doesn't seem to drop

[andy10v]

Check the tank then. I ran a similar setup, and it would fill the tank, and not always the viewing tube.

[Dobby84]

Added to the list of things to do this weekend. Along with finding a coolant leak and try and make a pressure test kit. I'll be a busy boy. Lol

Cheers for the advise

[Dobby84]

Morning,
Up bright and early today to begin work on the frustrating s2
JOB 1
Took all the catch tank pipes off and checked they were not blocked, all okay. Tank itself was empty apart from a drop of water which I'm guessing is from condensation.
Whilst the tank is out I blew down the pipe that connects to the crank case and can feel air coming out of the pipe that is attached to the cam cover. Is this what is supposed to happen?
I'm a bit concerned that it could be the oil pump, if this was not working properly could it cause these symptoms?
JOB 2
Located the coolant leak. It seems that the radiator is to blame. There are lots of drops appearing from the bottom where the plastic part is attached to the metal part so I guess it's yet another new radiator. Is this a common thing as the rad isn't too old and hardly done any miles?

[Greg_S]

I would start by checking the fire trap in the pipe near the crank case valve and the crank case valve itself as these will be the most likely causes

[Error404]

If its blowing the dip stick out it must have excess crank case pressure. If you can blow into the crank case and feel air out of the cam cover then logic would say that the issue is not with the engine itself or your pipe-work. I'm not sure where the catch tank is from but are you sure it is correctly designed & made, i.e. does it actually flow air or is it blocked or not been drilled out for the hose fittings or something stupid? The fact it is totally dry suggests it is not receiving the exhausted air from the crank case. HTH

[Dobby84]

Im baffled,
I'll check the tank again sometime this week and make sure the flow of air through it is good. I bought it second hand and was told it came off a working car but guess that may not mean anything.

[andy10v]

You could just stick the hoses into a coke/milk bottle and go for a drive.

[Dobby84]

You could just stick the hoses into a coke/milk bottle and go for a drive.

Fair point. Need a new rad before I can drive it anywhere.

[Dobby84]

I have read that G13 coolant is what I should be using now that G12+ is no longer available. Is the dealer the best place to buy this from and if so how much do I need to buy? I have read that the ration should be 3/2 water/coolant and if I remember correctly the capacity is about 8ltrs? Can someone confirm?

I have also been reading about flushing the system before filling with fresh coolant and I think I understand the process but can someone recommend me a good cleaning fluid?

[Dobby84]

Managed to remove the duff radiator, flush out the coolant system and install the new radiator last night after work. Plus I changed the lambda sensor, the old one is very white so I think the engine is running rich. Also swapped out some silicone hoses so everything is now red rather than a mix of red and blue. Not too bad for 3 hours work!

Just need to do the arduous job of bleeding the system up before taking it for a spin to see if the lambda code is gone. Still need to get a knock sensor although I can't remember where that is located on the engine, can someone help?

Also, what is people's opinions on changing brake pads without changing discs? I want to put something like EBC red stuff on the front, the discs have about 1mm lip and there is some light grooves on the surface but look okay to me.

[simon20vq]

Sounds like your engine was running lean, but did you have a head gasket issues some time ago because that would do that to the o2 sensor.
Is the knock sensors below the water manifold/crank breather on the block one green and the other blue?
Depends how bad the grooves are, in most cases you can get away with it. How new/thick are the disc? Are they just standard disc? Disc are so cheap nowadays its worth checking ebay.