<VV> ring job - looking for running engine

[J R Read_HML]

Dave,

It sounds as though the engine has been seriously overheated.  Did either 
the gen-fan or the temp-press light come on at any time?  The gen-fan light 
tells you that you've lost the belt and if you went more than 1/2 mile or so 
at 70 with no fan belt, there is no telling what damage has occurred.  For 
sure (90% sure anyway) you will suffer a valve seat (or two) falling out of 
one or both of those heads in the relatively near future.

Your oil leak at the top of the filter sounds like the oil pressure relief 
(aka bypass) valve was stuck and allowed an overpressure situation.  That is 
probably not directly related to the overheat.

For the time being, I think that you are correct to look for a decent used 
engine.  You can spend time later learning about the unique items with air 
cooled - Corvair engines.  Once you make connection with a few local folks, 
you've got a good candidate for helpful - hands on learning.  That candidate 
would be the engine which you will be removing.  Oh, you can check with VV 
for tips on engine swaps.

Later, JR

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Smith" <gornzilla at gmail.com>
To: "Corvair List" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 7:19 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> ring job - looking for running engine


> The car is still at the shop.  It was smoking too much from the pipe
> to drive anywhere.  I'll check the plugs and the compression on
> Monday.
>
> The car was getting hard to stop each time I stopped for gas.  Sort of
> like a coil going out.  If I let it cool down it'd start up only it
> had to work at it.  When it started smoking, it lost power, and I
> killed the engine.  The fan belt came loose and there was a ton of
> smoke.  I had it towed home and checked the oil.  It was thick and
> black.
>
> The next day, I put the fan belt back on, and tried to restart it.
> Oil poured out where the filter attaches.  Not from the side.  No
> place to work on it, so I took it to a shop.  He said the oil pump had
> a mechanical failure.
>
> I didn't hear any chirping.  When I pulled over it was smoking about
> everywhere.  Dipstick was hot.
>
> I went back to the shop after he got it running again.  Up on the
> lift, you could see that the passenger side heads were loose.  A
> visible gap.  He said ring job and I asked if he'd just retorque the
> heads first.  It fires right up and smokes a little.  After 30-60
> seconds it's like the smoke screen on Spy Hunter.
>
> I don't think I missed any of the good questions.  If I did, please let me 
> know.
>
> -Dave
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 10:13 PM, Roger Gault <r.gault at sbcglobal.net> 
> wrote:
>> Hi, Dave,
>> What does, "The oil pump was stuck open and was dumping a lot of oil",
>> mean???
>> Where was the oil coming out?
>>
>> A few questions come to mind.
>> Pull the top of the aircleaner off and see if huge amounts of smoke are
>> coming out of the breather pipe that runs between the aircleaner and the 
>> top
>> of the engine.
>> Pull the plugs and see if one of them is covered with oil.
>> Run a compression check.
>>
>> Roger
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Dave Smith" <gornzilla at gmail.com>
>> To: "Harry Yarnell" <hyarnell1 at earthlink.net>
>> Cc: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
>> Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 6:16 PM
>> Subject: Re: <VV> ring job - looking for running engine
>>
>>
>>> I put about 50 miles on it in LA in stop and go traffic, then drove up
>>> to Sacramento the next.  About 350 miles on I-5 doing 70.  I was
>>> keeping an eye on the gauges and a ton of smoke started coming out the
>>> exhaust.  I killed the key and stopped.  Stuck in Lodi again. Lost a
>>> quart of oil.  The oil pump was stuck open and was dumping a lot of
>>> oil.  I had it towed 20 miles.
>>>
>>> Some of the heads on the right side of the engine were loose, so they
>>> were retorqued.  There was an exhaust leak from one of them.  The
>>> smoke comes from the exhaust pipe.  The engine was supposed to have be
>>> about 2,500 miles on a rebuild.  The mechanic said it might've been
>>> rebuilt and there wasn't any sounds from the bottom end.
>>>
>>> I like my NSU being a project car, not the Corvair.
>>>
>>> -Dave
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 2:17 PM, Harry  Yarnell <hyarnell1 at earthlink.net>
>> wrote:
>>> > I assume the smoke is coming out the exhaust pipe, not from under or 
>>> > out
>> of
>>> > the engine bay. Makes a big difference.
>>> >
>>> > Harry Yarnell
>>> > Perryman garage and orphanage
>>> > Perryman, MD
>>> > hyarnell1 at earthlink.net
>>> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Smith" <gornzilla at gmail.com>
>>> > To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
>>> > Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 4:28 PM
>>> > Subject: Re: <VV> ring job - looking for running engine
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >> Thanks, all.  I plan on showing up at the local meeting and I joined
>>> >> CORSA.
>>> >>
>>> >> The description of the car is what got me to buy it.  I figured
>>> >> correctly it wouldn't sell for much since it's a Texas car and the
>>> >> body is a bit rough.  Plus December is a bad time to sell a vehicle.
>>> >>
>>> >> It started right up and didn't smoke until 20 miles from home. I had
>>> >> it towed after it died.  I put about 350 miles on it.  I can try some
>>> >> Marvel Mystery Oil but it's undriveable as it is.  Way more than any
>>> >> 2-stroke motorcycles or scooter I've seen.
>>> >>
>>> >> -Dave
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
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