blown gasket and fan problems

[clamdigger]

This is a long story so i'll try to keep it brief.

On the way to Le Mans my Chim started to get hot. I stopped in a nearby town and noticed only one fan was working. After cooling down we found that there was water pissing out of the engine. It was carted off and subsequently repaired. The car had blown the timing chain cover gasket. This must therefore have water going through it from the water pump - am I right?

Now we're back home I think the lack of both fans caused the gasket to blow - is that fair?

It seemed that the plug in connections for the fans were dodgy so I have cut them out and replaced them with a connecting block.

When I cut the leads running from the plug to the fan the core was corroded and not shiney like it should be. This did not seem right and could be part of the problem.

My questions are these:-

Has anyone else had this problem especially with the corroded wires to the fans?

I am going to replace the leads from the plugs to the fans - is this as straightforward as I think it will be?

Is the connecting block a permanent solution to the connection problem?

I must say that the breakdown service were excellent. The car was repaired and ready for us to pick up on the way back on Monday morning.

It didn't ruin the weekend

Thanks for your help

MW

[sparkythecat]

clamdigger, the gasket you mention apparently has a weakspot. It's a design fault. My fans were working perfectly when that gasket failed on my engine.
Cuiriously this was also on the way back from Le Mans 3 years ago.
Have a look at this thread www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=41410&f=8&h=0&hw=water+pump+gasket

[tahiti450]

clamdigger said:

1) This must therefore have water going through it from the water pump - am I right? 2) Now we're back home I think the lack of both fans caused the gasket to blow - is that fair? My questions are these:- 3) Has anyone else had this problem especially with the corroded wires to the fans? 4) I am going to replace the leads from the plugs to the fans - is this as straightforward as I think it will be? 5) Is the connecting block a permanent solution to the connection problem? 6) The car was repaired and ready for us to pick up on the way back on Monday morning. MW

Questions, questions !

1) tHe two main water passages from each bank of the engine pass through the timing cover.

2) Probably not directly tho' any over heating will pressurise the system more than normal but any serious over-pressure should be vented by the expansion tank cap.

3) Dunno, not I anyway.

4) Do you mean replace with a OE section of loom, or a DIY loom? To make a robust, reliable loom requires a bit of thought and the correct spec wires, insulating and self amalgamating tape, decent connectors (best all crimped and soldered) etc, otherwise you'll end up with something less durable / satisafctory than the original.

5) If you mean what i'd call a chocolate block connector with grub screwed terminals, then these can be quite troublesome if exposed to the elements due to corrosion or the connectors / screws and the wires themselves. You could try potting it in silicone rubber however , but that will make it pretty much permanent (in which case you might as well just solder the wires and tape them thoroughly. All depends if you want to maintain originality and i'd prefer to replace with OE spec stuff / connectors, which you could protect with silicone grease etc.

6) Very impressive, did they charge mega$ !

[clamdigger]

Thanks to both of you for responding so swiftly. I'll reply as follows:-

4) I'm only going to replace the wires from the connectors to the fan - they're both about 10" long but I'm concerned about how difficult the connections to the fans are going to be. I will take off the fan covers and have a look.

5) I thought about using crimped connectors but my local garage thought they were not that reliable. He suggested covering the chocolate block connector with grease to keep out the weather, but the car is garaged and only really used on fine days.

6) I got my credit card bill this morning and it cost £310. I suppose thats not too bad considering the hole they dug me out of.

This gasket seems to be a well known problem. Is it going to happen again or is it something that builds up over time and miles?

I took her out yesterday afternoon and it did make me realise why I'm prepared to put up with all these problems - it is just sooooo nice.

Talk to you soon

MW