83 308QV Motor Tear Down - Need Help! | FerrariChat

83 308QV Motor Tear Down - Need Help!

Discussion in '308/328' started by akimmel, Dec 12, 2009.

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  1. akimmel

    akimmel Karting

    Aug 13, 2009
    189
    Dallas, TX
    Full Name:
    Art Kimmel
    #1 akimmel, Dec 12, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    After my custom head tool issue (separate thread) I continue to pull parts off the motor while I wait for the new tool. From (separate thread), I decided to rebuild my motor after finding coolant in my oil.
    Today I went after the flywheel end of the motor. Everything was going fine until my friend Kelly and I broke the seal on what I will call the flywheel housing (Ferrari calls it the intermediate body), behind the bell housing. Out of the left hand side at the bottom poured about 8 oz of very good looking coolant.
    Once we got the housing off we began to wonder what coolant was doing in there.
    The attached picture has a number of things pointed out
    1. The cavity where the coolant was located looks like two cavities but they are not sealed from each other. There is definitely residual from antifreeze lying at the bottom of this cavity on the lip.
    2. There is a sleeved stud at the bottom left that is referred to as an alignment dowel. I don't believe this has any relationship to oil or coolant.
    3. In the middle of the top cavity, where coolant was found, there is a very corroded and wet plug that goes into an oil channel - It came out rather easily and looked like it had good integrity except for the external corrosion.
    4. There is another plug up slightly and to the left of the corroded plug (hidden slightly in the picture by a stud). It does not budge easily so it is still unexplored.
    5. Lastly I have pointed out the opening into the oil pan, as once inside the center gasket seal, it is all oil. Could all of this be my antifreeze in the oil problem?

    So I am asking the experience ones out there?????
    a) Should there be coolant anywhere behind this cover?
    b) If not - the only source I can see is possibly the plug that I have not removed - does anyone know what's behind that plug?
    Thanks for your time in looking at this!
    Art
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  2. fastradio

    fastradio F1 Rookie
    BANNED Professional Ferrari Technician

    Apr 26, 2006
    3,664
    New England
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    David Feinberg

    A) No, never!
    B) The corroded plug (there's one on each end of the block) is the primary oil gallery. The should not be any anti-freeze in that gallery. Remove both plugs...and have the block cleaned by a pro.

    I have a 308QV that has exactly the same problems as yours that I am currently rebuilding for a client.

    Best,
    David
     
  3. akimmel

    akimmel Karting

    Aug 13, 2009
    189
    Dallas, TX
    Full Name:
    Art Kimmel
    David - a tremendous thanks for the input!

    I was able to remove the corroded plug into the oil gallery and found oil (OK oil with antifreeze mixed per the oil analysis that I had done by Blackstone)

    The 8 oz clear antifreeze that came out from the indicated cavity behind the flywheel cover and does not seem to have come from or entered into that corroded plug.

    So I am wondering where that antifreeze came from? What is behind that second plug that I have not been able to remove in the picture? Is that a cooling gallery?

    I agree with you final assessment on what is to be done. My engine parts are going to James Paterson at Norwood’s for cleaning and machining before reassembly, but I would like to know what the failure mechanism is.

    Any ideas where the coolant came from?

    Art
     
  4. akimmel

    akimmel Karting

    Aug 13, 2009
    189
    Dallas, TX
    Full Name:
    Art Kimmel
    Looking for wisdom on the best way to clean these aluinum gasket surfaces as I realize the importance of not marring these surfaces.
    Thanks in advance
    Art
     
  5. smg2

    smg2 F1 World Champ
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    Apr 1, 2004
    16,328
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    SMG
    couple ways to clean the gaskets off, one is the heated parts washing cabinet, aqueous based solvent which can work most of the time, or the std. petroleum solvent depending on your air quality chem regs. Snap-on has a gasket abrasive wheel for aluminum parts, attaches to the air grinder tool and looks white/grey with a bunch of fingers. that's usually a last resort as the gasket material can take a while to remove that way and those abrasive disks are $$$$. Wurth makes a gasket removal chemical that works great to.

    if the coolant in that area was clean then it was forced into that cavity under pressure from the coolant jacket right there. check for cracks.

    have you found the reason for the oil/water mix? head gasket, cracked head, corroded intake manifold leaking coolant. ?
     
  6. akimmel

    akimmel Karting

    Aug 13, 2009
    189
    Dallas, TX
    Full Name:
    Art Kimmel
    Thanks for the information on gasket removal!
    I have not gotten the heads off yet so the jury is still out. It could be that the coolant in the aforementioned cavity is the culprit - the portion of the gasket between it and the crank/oil cavity looks a bit suspect. No cracks are obvious - I'm betting on the plug that is not corroded. It is aluminum and it has coolant behind it. I will have that drilled and tapped when I get my block worked on and then do a pressure test at the earliest step possible in reassembly. I will post when I find out more. Thanks again.
     

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