It’s only a small leak, honest

[Saltire]

Waiting for parts, so thought I’d idle away the afternoon checking and cleaning around the plenum chamber.

Who knew an Elan would run so well on chicken droppings?

Fuel injector O rings after 65,000 miles

New O rings on order

[Mike Y]

Its one of those if Aldi did fuel this is what your injectors would look like moments Which is even more worrying because I quite like Ald

[Saltire]

I always use V-Power or Momentum 99, but of course no-one knows what the previous three owners might have used.

[Simon_P]

That's what water does to aluminium, not rubber it might just brush off or you might have to pick it off.

[Saltire]

That's what water does to aluminium, not rubber it might just brush off or you might have to pick it off.

Brushing doesn’t work, but new O rings are cheap

[Simon_P]

I was more concerned where the water came from. Is that injector for cylinder 2/3?

[Simon_P]

Looks like it has been sitting in water and its got past the O ring.... From there into the cylinder...

Is the washer jet pipework leaking?

[Rambo]

I suspect that there has been a problem somewhere in the past and that water has entered the guts of the engine somehow ??

I know that in recent communications with J that he only uses top quality fuel, oils, antifreeze etc...

[Rambo]

Is the washer jet pipework leaking?

How would that get into the engine block Simon ? Sorry for my ignorance Just curious

[Saltire]

Is the washer jet pipework leaking?

How would that get into the engine block Simon ? Sorry for my ignorance Just curious

It’s all odd. Given the lack of compression in two adjacent cylinders, I wasn’t expecting to find an undamaged head gasket; I wasn’t expecting to find rust on the exhaust valve stems; I wasn’t expecting three tappets to be locked solid; and I wasn’t expecting the injectors to be in that state. (Can’t remember which one I photographed, Simon, but it could well have been from one of the affected cylinders).

The rust suggests something’s been happening for a while, but I’ve owned the car for 5 years now, and - as Mark says - I always use premium fluids. I guess serious water in the fuel is a possibility, and it has been suggested that I pump out and flush the fuel tank. May well do that.

I hope no-one else experiences the same.

[Rambo]

I know I'm a bit of a conspiracy/disaster scenario theorist, but is it possible that someone has accessed your car and pissed in the tank J ? Someone with a bit of a grudge, bearing in mind your profession, or are my thoughts too far fetched ? It's just that I was mulling things over with a hot chocolate and Bunnahabhain to hand

If you've had your car for 5+ years now, surely this problem would have reared its ugly head (pardon the pun) by now ?

I know the above theory is far fetched but another thought is, has your local Shell garage had any water ingress problems to its tanks recently ? I know you usually fill with Shell V power, formerly Optimax, but have you also been to a supermarket or anywhere else for a top up recently ?

[GeoffSmith]

Has the drain pipe in the spiller cap surround ever blocked up and filled with water?

[Rambo]

Good point Geoff. That is a problem that afflicts the majority of us sometime during M100 ownership

But would the water get in via a cracked filler neck ? Or somehow weep past the filler cap ?

PS as an aside, most E10 fuels can contain up to 0.5% H2O but would this cause long term engine problems ?

[Simon_P]

Is the washer jet pipework leaking?

How would that get into the engine block Simon ? Sorry for my ignorance Just curious

The injector has been sitting in water, the water has caused the aluminium to corrode which has breached the O ring seal, from there its down hill from the inlet to the valves and you're there.

The only regular source of water above the injectors is the washer system. All guesses without looking.

It looks like a long term issue given the corrosion.

Also odds are against it being water in the fuel, the pump is at the bottom of the tank so any water would soon go through the combustion process. It would also affect all cylinders.

Jonathan, does the last part of your regular journey involve going down or stopping on a slope?

[Rambo]

Thanks for the explanation Simon

[Simon_P]

Looking for engine bay pictures for evidence - On page 4 of this epic tale Jonathan wrote :

Worked out why the washers are so bad - the non return valve is operating as a no admittance valve so new one on order. The pipes are brittle and gunky as well so new pipe on order. I've never been happy with the retaining clips on the mist spray heads so they're being worked on.
That suits my theory nicely!

[esprit888]

Wondering out loud if you (or anyone else who has worked on the car) Has pressure washed the engine and/or engine compartment? From the Pic it looks like the water has traveled down and was sitting on the lower O ring, then past it into the intake (did you say this came out of the two cylinders with stuck valves? Also when were the injectors last out? seals re-used? and what type of lubricant was used on the O ring to re-install them? Just musing.......as that kind of rust on the valves is very unusual on an engine that was running fine a short while ago. As per previously posted pic that squirrel P*ss is very acidic

[Saltire]

Looking for engine bay pictures for evidence - On page 4 of this epic tale Jonathan wrote :

Worked out why the washers are so bad - the non return valve is operating as a no admittance valve so new one on order. The pipes are brittle and gunky as well so new pipe on order. I've never been happy with the retaining clips on the mist spray heads so they're being worked on.
That suits my theory nicely!

Not me guv! I think you’ll find that was Geoff the Smith

[Saltire]

Thanks for all the theories and everyone’s interest. It’s doing a great job of keeping me sane (when this happened, I was well and truly ready to push the car into the nearest quarry and walk away).

In no particular sequence:

- I rarely take the car to court, Mark, and thinking back, I haven’t done so since last summer. So, possible, but unlikely
- the fuel filler drain has been cleaned out with a) a strimmer cable and b) a gentle air line at least annually since I’ve had the car. Never been any signs of damp in the filler cavity
- the washers have always been fine and no signs of leaks or cracked pipe work
- And finally, the driveway is flatter than a flat thing, and the car lives in the garage overnight:




Caisteal na Saltire

Unfortunately, I suspect the real cause may never be known.

[Saltire]

Good progress over the past week, culminating in the new hydraulic tappets arriving from BCN in the US; thanks, John. Still waiting for the engine parts from SJs and Kelvedon, but in the meantime:

Engine degreased - you can even see the number matches the paperwork!

Top of the block looking good as well

Cleaning the rusty driveshafts - before . . .

. . . and afterwards

Roll on next week when the parts arrive and we can start the reassembly