Evo X upgrades - Page 21

**mlomker** · 03-23-2010

I got to DB this afternoon and they showed me some carnage.

One of the covers that goes over the top of the cams (holds the bearing in place) snapped when they turned the car over. Mitsu also doesn't sell that part separately--you have to buy a whole head.

Now we need to look into buying a salvaged head and machining it or finding a new one through Mitsu at a reasonable price (not likely).

I'll be calling my Credit Union to see if I can do a cash-out refinance since I put a fair bit down on the car when I bought it. A built head is in the ballpark of $5k. The plus side is more power and I could get as crazy with the rpms as I dared...

The engine bay looks fucking amazing! I'll post some pics when I get home from work.

**Kracka** · 03-23-2010

Ouch. I've never heard of that happening before. Take any carnage pics?

Time for a Cosworth head?
http://www.cosworthusa.com/store/pc/...&idproduct=570

**mlomker** · 03-23-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kracka

Time for a Cosworth head?

That's on the short-list of possibilities since they don't require a core.

**Kracka** · 03-23-2010

I know MAP can get them and I bet DB can too.

**mlomker** · 03-23-2010

The Cossie head includes their $800 high-end valve springs and titanium retainers as well. I wasn't happy with my original choice of the single springs, anyway. That head should be good for 9k rpm.

Just got off the phone with my credit union and refinanced my car. I had $6k in equity so let the games begin...

**scheides** · 03-23-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlomker

The Cossie head includes their $800 high-end valve springs and titanium retainers as well. I wasn't happy with my original choice of the single springs, anyway. That head should be good for 9k rpm.

Just got off the phone with my credit union and refinanced my car. I had $6k in equity so let the games begin...

I bet you could get good $$ for your used head somewhere down the road so even if you got the head for $4k you'd still be in good shape. Props for making stuff happen quickly, I am seriously impressed. Most other cars would sit in the shop collecting dust while decisions were being made.

**Kracka** · 03-23-2010

If nothing else I'm sure some shop would be willing to purchase the head to use as a porting template.

**mlomker** · 03-23-2010

Well, that head is the property of DB. If they can find a way to fix it up and/or make a few bucks on it somehow then that'd be awesome. I just wouldn't care to have a patched-up head in my car...and Shane didn't want to put it back into my car, either.

**mlomker** · 03-23-2010

Cam cap has a boo-boo:

I like how the engine bay is going to look.

**Murlo26** · 03-23-2010

It looks cool at least

Kevin 1G Drummer · 03-23-2010

Wow, I've never heard of a cam cap breaking like that. Any idea why it happened?

**goodhart** · 03-23-2010

That's pretty gay about the cam cap peice.

Matt D. · 03-23-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlomker

Cam cap has a boo-boo:

That's seriously fucked up. I don't follow EvoX news, but has anyone anywhere reported a problem like this, even a dealer doing something on the head and having this happen?

turbotalon1g · 03-23-2010

fucked up, good thing you are balla' though. lol

sorry to hear but glad you are making some good out of a sticky situation.

**mlomker** · 03-23-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt D.

That's seriously fucked up. I don't follow EvoX news, but has anyone anywhere reported a problem like this, even a dealer doing something on the head and having this happen?

I'm so not a mechanic but the guys at DB said they immediately searched the Internet and found 2 or 3 similar instances. My bit of research suggests that the cam caps are custom machined for each head. It is to compensate for machining tolerances in the head itself. If the cap is torqued down even the slightest bit out of alignment then the cam will bind and break the cap.

I posted a thread on EvoXforums and I've gotten some feedback already. The immediate comment was that you have to use dowels to hold the cap in place while torquing it down and that the specs on those bolts are in in/lbs and you have to use a very good torque wrench. I obviously wasn't there when Shane did that work so I'm not going to speculate.

It's an "upgrade opportunity" as far as I'm concerned. There are a number of people on the EvoX forum that want to buy the head from DB and have a machine shop fix it. They seem to think that'll be fine. The tolerances sound rather tight to me. I dunno.

**mlomker** · 03-23-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbotalon1g

fucked up, good thing you are balla' though. lol

I'm not sure that maxing out my car loan is balla'. I guess I'm just willing to spend what I don't have at this point.

It's become a 'moral imperative' to see this project completed. lol.

Kevin 1G Drummer · 03-23-2010

I suppose the cap could be welded back together then machined to fit again, but I'd be a little hesitant to use a cam cap like that.

Constant_Project21 · 03-23-2010

That's nuts, crazy it broke. The engine bay looks way better with all those covers off.

Matt D. · 03-23-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlomker

I'm so not a mechanic but the guys at DB said they immediately searched the Internet and found 2 or 3 similar instances. My bit of research suggests that the cam caps are custom machined for each head. It is to compensate for machining tolerances in the head itself. If the cap is torqued down even the slightest bit out of alignment then the cam will bind and break the cap.

I posted a thread on EvoXforums and I've gotten some feedback already. The immediate comment was that you have to use dowels to hold the cap in place while torquing it down and that the specs on those bolts are in in/lbs and you have to use a very good torque wrench. I obviously wasn't there when Shane did that work so I'm not going to speculate.

It's an "upgrade opportunity" as far as I'm concerned. There are a number of people on the EvoX forum that want to buy the head from DB and have a machine shop fix it. They seem to think that'll be fine. The tolerances sound rather tight to me. I dunno.

That is the first head I've seen having a cap that goes over both cams. Other Mitsubishi heads (4G63) have separate caps for each cam.

I can see where if the cap isn't seated correctly before tightening, or if the cam puts pressure upward on the cap when it gets tightened, that the cap could break like that. Though how it would break when the engine is turned over doesn't make sense.

Best of luck, we'll be looking forward to seeing what you end up doing.

**mlomker** · 03-23-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt D.

That is the first head I've seen having a cap that goes over both cams. Other Mitsubishi heads (4G63) have separate caps for each cam.

Totally. This is new with the 4B11T.

I got a bit of good news tonight. A guy that does R&D work for Cosworth saw my post and offered me a head for $3800. I seriously doubt that I could beat that--it looks like $4200 is the going price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt D.

Though how it would break when the engine is turned over doesn't make sense.

It may very well have broke while he was torquing it down. I am smart enough to not ask a lot of questions after someone offers to fix an expensive problem. I could tell he was kicking himself enough already.