Notachinga

Hey guys,

I recently picked up a basically stock S13, 5 speed CA18DET for a project car to do for a few months, and I have a questions.

I originally had plans to just swap to an SR, but being new to imports I thought i'd have a go with fixing the CA that was in it and using it for a awhile.

The previous owner said that the headgasket was blown (not confirmed) and that his mate checked compression and said it was bad on 2 cylinders, however we checked it a few days ago and got 135, 140, 130 and 140 from basically cold start. I would have thought it would read a bit lower in at least one with a bad headgasket?

We got our hopes up the the headgasket was fine, but after a small drive, there was coolant leaking at the back of the engine, so no more driving.

He also said the previous turbo had just blown so he put on a new T25, but noticed the wastegate actuator (correct me if i'm wrong) is not plumbed, so the car will just boost freely, probably until the turbo/engine gives out. Could this have caused the headgasket to blow?

The engine is pretty rough when starting, and is missing a bit even after replacing the spark plugs, so i'm leaving that until the head is sorted out.

Any help would be much appreciated, I have nothing to do while I wait for gaskets/ head studs and to find someone to machine the head.

Edit: Forgot to add, the oil doesn't seem milky or watery or anything.

ghost_silvia

Not sure if your question belongs here or not but there is a coolant line that comes from the turbo which runs into the back of the motor. That's probably where your coolant is coming from. You might want to get the turbo plumbed up and make sure the wastegate is working or else you'll blow the turbo. I know some stuff about this motor through getting my hands dirty. I recommend getting a mechanic to check out your engine if you don't usually work on cars.

Rustys14

I recently blew the headgasket on my CA and it had smiler compression numbers to yours when I checked it. A leakdown test is the only way to know for certain since a blown headgasket won't always yield low compression.

As for the turbo, overboosting can cause the gasket to fail but the little t25 can only air and I doubt it was the direct cause of the issue. Its still something I would fix asap though...

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