See red above. Also, timing chain tensioner is 80Nm

You can also check newtis.info

 

I didn't know this site. Thanks!

 

^ that and a Bentley manual really help.

 

In response to the question about the sludge - I am sure someone added "leak stop" or some other quick fix to the coolant. It didn't solve the coolant leak, but probably killed the engine (at least for the previous owner). I've brought it back to life now... I ended up replacing everything in the cooling loop to avoid having future cooling problems - new hoses, new radiator, new water pump, thermostat and crossover pipe. This was an unexpected expense in addition to the expected head work / timing fixes.

 

Got it back on the road today. Local DMV is closed, so I have no tags, but we made a lap around the block anyway. Battery voltage is low - might be on its way out. Will investigate that a bit more tomorrow.

Had a question about seat heaters on these cars - I'm guessing this car has a poorly done retrofit seat heater. The seats have a switch added to the side. There are no seat heater switches on the center console. And there is some very ugly wiring jumpered into the passenger fuse box I took off. There is a bundle of wires under each seat with a relay (the relay had fallen out or been removed - I've since disconnected this wiring at the fuse box).

So - do all the cars have seat heaters and this was a cheap attempt to avoid adding stock seat heater wiring? Or was the whole thing aftermarket? Trying to decide if there is anything worth salvaging. I'm sure the XO would love to have seat heaters. I retrofitted stock seat heater controls in my R53. Wasn't that hard... Is that possible here?


Wiring under the seat

An "add a fuse" was used to power the seat heaters, then split into two circuits, all using very thin wire.

Center console has no seat heater switches

Little switch on the side of the seat for the seat heaters. Think this is aftermarket...

 

This is aftermarket. The heated seats are optional and you car doesn't have it. You could buy a front set with the heater controller in the front. You'd need to pull 4 or 5 wires back to the fuse box. Lastly, you have to code this option to car in the CAS and fusebox.

Newtis.info for wiring references

 

Thanks. I tore out that crappy wiring. No way two heated seats should be run on what looks like 20 or 22 gauge wire...

Anyway - here's the final report:

Diagnosis - Low Compression, No start.

Head was removed and reconditioned at a local performance shop - slightly warped (.003"), exhaust valves guides slightly worn. Not a clear problem. Car had massive coolant leak from the cross over pipe / thermostat area. I didn't confirm timing was good/bad before taking it apart. Compression was definitely low. Likely timing was off. Should have checked to know. Glad in the end that I pulled the head anyway, as the block was filled with that fix-a-leak sludge and would have always had an overheat problem if I hadn't spent a couple of nights cleaning out all the coolant passages on the block.

Cooling system was badly contaminated with leak sealant sludge (surprise #1). Valve cover was slightly warped / melted from what was probably an overheat.

Three types of mismatched tires. Only 1 was in good enough shape to use.

Replaced:
Everything in the cooling loop except for the heater core and trans cooler (I was able to power flush those with a hose) including water pump, crossover pipe, thermostat, overflow tank, lots of hoses. That added some cost - maybe $600 extra in parts since many of the hoses are dealer only.

Head gasket set (head gasket, intake, exhaust, head cover, etc).
Timing chain plus all the guides, bolts, tensioner, crank seal.
Valve cover
New set of tires (it was obvious when I bought it, but unwelcome)
New filters all around
Battery (surprise #2) - won't hold a charge. Guess it sat too long. Date code is 2016. I've tried trickle charging it twice and charging it in the car and it always drops down to 11.5 - 11.2 volts - not good!
Reset the adaptations on the engine computer and tranny (I have autoenginuity software to do this)
The weird metal-in-plastic nuts that the outside corner of the headlights attach to were corroded and seized on both sides - replaced those, and new funny headlight bolts, since I ended up cutting the original bolts.

Optional work:
ARP head studs because they are ...so ... nice...
New Forge hoses to do the noisemaker delete and resonator delete
Alta turbo spring
Replaced AC desiccant since I recovered the refrigerant to take the front end completely off. Pulled vacuum for 2 days - got down to 200 microns - I like a dry AC system. ;-)
Auto Transmission Filter and Oil change (used Aisin fluid - its about $5/L) very easy with everything else off the car!
Replaced TPMS sensors since old ones were 10 years old and likely to die. Sealed batteries. Planned obsolescence. Bah humbug!
New Turbo oil lines, and replaced the gaskets on the oil filter housing to guard against future leaks.
Replaced the VANOS sprocket (probably not needed after seeing it)
Replaced all the motor mounts (also probably not needed after seeing them)
New serpentine belt
Used spare tire from eBay (missing spare - Surprise #3)
Sent the fuel injectors out for cleaning by Mr. Injector / Bill Johnson (very nice guy - and good results) - test results showed more than 10% variation from cylinder to cylinder. After cleaning, all higher and almost identical flow rates.
Replaced the vacuum pump since it seemed rattly and the seem problem prone.
Removed inoperable aftermarket seat heater wiring. Removed remnants of an old satellite radio connection.


Mistakes I made:
The one thing I broke that I shouldn't have was the fuel line going into the high pressure fuel pump - I damaged the little tabs and it wouldn't lock on. I messed them up with a crappy tool. Wish I had just used a couple of small screwdrivers and some patience. The replacement was dealer only and cost me $95.

 

Glad you got it going, I am fixing a similar engine. How much was the head work at the machine shop?

 

The normal work was $350 (tank clean, valve lap, skim cut to flat). I paid an extra $300 to have all the exhaust valve guides replaced since they were a little loose.

i had removed the cams and cam towers, and they did the rest of the disassembly and reassembly.

I supplied the valve stem seals out of my head gasket kit.

They didn’t have the right size reamer (very small for a shop that does mostly muscle cars) so I agreed to pay a bit extra(that's in the $300 for the guides) and they bought it for this job. Not many old fashioned machine shops around anymore.

the shop is halfway between Baltimore and DC if anyone wants a referral

 

Another question on this car - I finally got plates for it (state MVA has been closed) and took it for a spin and the temperature (using an OBDII reader) started at outside air temp (so its reading correctly) and moved up to 220 F and stayed there. Seems quite high for me for normal driving around. Any thoughts or ideas on this? I was expecting something more like 180F or 190F.

The car has a new water pump and new thermostat assembly (well, new everything in the cooling loop since it was full of crud - including the radiator).

I filled the coolant using a vacuum tool and the level on the tank stayed where it was.

Perhaps a fan issue? Any easy ways to test them?

 

nope no issue, that is where these things like to run. I have a scanguage and watch my temps, it will get up to 224 or 226 and the fan will kick on. When I have the ac running then it tends to bounce between 180 to 210.

 

That scares me! 220F stresses all those plastic parts. Wish there was a way to limit it to 190F or something "normal".

I have "autoenginuity" software (it's good!) for BMW that also works on MINI's, so hooked it up and was able to actuate the electric fan, so I know its connected properly and working.

The temperature creeps up and comes down pretty quickly once I turn the car off. Seems like normal behavior, just hot!

 

it’s normal, I have seen it creep to 230 but I was in a drive thru 90 degree day with humidity, felt like 105 and that was with the fan running.