The Top Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 Resource

Join the best E39A 1991-1992 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 community and document your GVR4 journey.

  • Software Upgraded - Reset Your Password to Login
    In order to log in after the forum software change, you need to reset your password. If you don't have access to the email address you used to register your GVR4.org account, you won't be able to reset your password. In that case, follow the instructions here to regain access to the forum.

1813...Blown motor inside

GSTwithPSI

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 1, 2012
Messages
3,460
Location
SoCal
I recently got 1813 back together and on the road click click . I have been driving it to work to put some miles on the new build, and gauge the car's dependability. Well, today I got my answer. By the time I realized a rod was knocking, it was too late. Have a look below to see where a rod penetrated a hole in the new oil pan I installed 3 days ago.


I guess the saying goes, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. When I tore the motor down, the only thing I didn't touch was the bottom end. I got 5k worth of receipts from the previous owner proving the motor was built by Road Race Engineering here in SoCal, so I was fairly confident it would hold up fine. Aside from a visual inspection and checking the torque on all the fasteners, I left it alone. It is crystal clear to me now that this was a mistake.

To add to this, my 1G GST snapped the timing belt a week ago. Here's the poor thing riding piggyback:


I'm at my end with DSMs, VR4s, or whatever the hell you want to call the often troublesome 4G63 based platform. I know people are always saying don't give up, but it's sh*t like this that really makes you want to sell everything and just buy a new Prius. I need a fresh block, crank, rods and pistons. I need to start from scratch all over again, and I hardly have had the time to finish what I started before all this happened. Someone throw me a bone here, tell me what I should do, or help me figure out where to get this stuff in a timely manner without totally breaking the bank. I should have some time to tear down the motor this weekend, but until then let me know what you guys have laying around in the spare motor corner of your garages.
 

OldHairyBastard

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 27, 2005
Messages
4,510
Location
Northern Chicagoland Area
I feel your pain. Been there many times. See if someone near you has a stock bottom end laying around and just toss it in for the mean time and leave it at close to stock boost just for a daily until you decide what to do with everything else. If both of your heads are jacked up try and source a stock head with good valves and do a clean up at a machine shop with new seals and guides if needed and that's it. Keep it stock and keep it together and theses motors will last a long time. The transmissions are the weak links.
 

theevozero

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Messages
331
Location
Odessa, Texas
99.9% of failures are human error. Also, NO ONE, absolutely no one can built an engine properly. But some measuring tools and do it yourself.

I dont know if its the time of the year, but everyone is trashing their bottom ends.
 

iceman69510

Turn Right Racing
Staff member
Joined
Mar 5, 2001
Messages
10,964
Location
Michigan
I sympathize, but why in this day and age with all the info out there regarding necessity to change them, and better quality parts, you can still have a timing belt failure?
 

alansupra94

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 3, 2010
Messages
1,909
Location
Wayne,NJ
I feel you bro, I honestly feel like selling the Galant. I just put together a motor and the head is now screwed up and giving me 0 psi in cylinder 4.
 

LIV4PSI

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 24, 2011
Messages
1,774
Location
O-H-I-O
So sad! I have been following your build for months. all for it to end with a rod coming out of the pan. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bawling.gif

I agree with whoever said you can't blame the car for human error though. Not that you did anything wrong. I wonder what happened? RRE definitely knows their stuff.
 

Defiant

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
162
Location
Houston, TX
You need to get into the habit of ALWAYS look at the every main and rod bearing, and checking their clearances when going threw a motor no matter who built it

Just look at it as a lesson learned.

I may have a crank, but I think the mains have been cut .010. If I still have it, just pay shipping and its yours.
 

matt92vr4

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 3, 2010
Messages
676
Location
Venice, FL
Very sorry to hear that /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

The new Prii are nice. 62mpg. One day I'll upgrade my 2007 Prii to a 3rd gen for the extra 10mpg.

With that said, I could never give up the GVR4. My engine is currently out and I'm looking forward to getting it going again. The bright side of the 4g63 is that they are cheap and easy to work on compared to others IMO. I think if I had to drive the Prii everyday without the GalantVR4 sitting in the garage I would freak out.
 

turbowop

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 29, 2001
Messages
11,971
Location
Yakima, WA
This is why I keep the motor in my car stock. If anything happens, I'll just buy a low mileage JDM longblock to throw in the car and keep making the same power I make now.
 

JNR

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2004
Messages
9,814
Location
ca
I would think RRE sends the engine(s) out for any machine work and wonder if they do assembly in-house? [their shop is pretty small and didn't look real impressive to me, although that was years ago and perhaps that's changed]...No matter though, as it sucks what happened...

However, can't really blame them in this case, since the PO could've done something to the short block (if I read the post correctly) and it's so hard to trust people and what they say.

Don't know about import stuff, but there are some top notch engine builders out there, but it'll cost you and hate to see what it runs these days! (my 383 was done by speed-o-motive and they did an awesome job, but I also paid extra $$ to be sure it was all balanced and "blueprinted"; could've sent it somewhere else to save a few bucks, but don't like to take a chance on something like that). Next engine I do I'll assemble it myself though and just send out some things to various shops for balancing or final machining, etc. Least this way if something does go wrong, I can only blame myself...would say get a crate engine, but so many of them are made/assembled in mexico (or elsewhere) with mexican blocks these days and definitely not going to add that as a variable.

Good luck on it and if a 'shop' does something correctly, something like this shouldn't happen unless it was a defective part. Just sucks to have this happen and re-spend $$ again /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 

GSTwithPSI

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 1, 2012
Messages
3,460
Location
SoCal
Just to be clear, I'm not blaming RRE at all. I am sure somewhere between the motor being built, and the previous owners abusing it, something was done wrong. I'll be able to tell what went wrong when I tear it apart. Then I can get an idea of where to point the finger (and hopefully not at myself).

As for the GST, I'm not sure why the belt failed. It has been changed at regular interval, and was only about 35k old. It was an OEM Mitsu belt. The tensioner and all the usual parts were replaced. Somehow it just snapped. No oil on it, nothing /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

I'm looking around for a motor for the Galant in the mean time...
 

theevozero

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Messages
331
Location
Odessa, Texas
Sounds like something took it out. Suck as a worn belt pulley or maring on one of the gears.
 

JCorbo25

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 10, 2011
Messages
533
Location
Sacramento, CA
When t-belts snap something typically seized. Water pump, oil pump, balance shaft, rock in a pulley etc.

Best of luck!
 

GSX_TC

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 7, 2011
Messages
3,722
Location
Houston, Texas
Just Now seeing this, sorry to hear that Brett. But like you said do it right or do it twice. When things like this happen to me it gives me a reason to upgrade whatever broke. Don't give up though man
 

ApexHunter

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
1,992
Location
Marysville, WA
Sorry to see this, i too have been enjoying your build thread. You've done some great work. I've got a bare NT block up in south San Clemente. IIRC it's been drilled and tapped for oil squirters. Let me know if you are interested.

For a long time, RRE was having Millennium Motorsports in Temecula do all their machine work, then Robert Garcia @ RRE was doing assembly. I'm not sure what they do currently, i know Robert moved on a few years ago. The Millennium/Robert combo built a motor for a close friend of mine, which served him very well.
 

GSTwithPSI

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 1, 2012
Messages
3,460
Location
SoCal
Well, my 1G runs again. I did the timing belt job this weekend and also ended up having to swap out the head as well. All 8 of the intake valves were bent on the old head, so it had to go. You can see in the pics they smacked the pistons pretty good.

Upon closer inspection, the timing belt appeared to have failed prematurely due to oil contamination. It looked like the valve cover had a very small leak under the timing cover. Oil got on the belt... belt broke while doing 70 mph...head got raped...car coasts to a stop. I openly admit I suck at life and didn't notice the oil, and was too lazy to pop the timing cover off every once in a while to make sure everything is all good. I guess I often make my life harder than it needs to be. I ended up getting the mismatched cam caps on the ported head I had for sale machined, and slapped it on the car. I replaced all the gaskets up top with new Felpro stuff and I went with a Felpro composite head gasket. New Gates timing and balance shaft belts, and all new gates timing hardware. The car runs great again, and my broken car ratio has slightly improved. My score is now 2 operable DSMs and 1 broken VR4. Still a losing score in my opinion. I haven't had the time to tear into the Galant yet to see what's up with the motor, but now that this is off my plate I'm hoping to have the time to mess with it more.










 
Support Vendors who Support the GVR-4 Community
Boosted Fabrication ECM Tuning ExtremePSI Fuel Injector Clinic Jacks Transmissions JNZ Tuning Kiggly Racing Morrison Fabrications RixRacing RockAuto RTM Racing STM Tuned

Recent Forum Posts

Top