Water in spark plug !

nmatrix

Hello all,

I recently had a cam chain break, changed whole kit , then all valves cuz not enough pressure to start and petrol leaking in spark plug , put all back , engine starts but was running baddly and missfiring like running on 3 sparks. we taken a look and on nr 4 spark plug was full of water and leaking from the side. Mechanic sayed need change cylinder head because got a crack. Could that be it? Is anybody here selling a cilinder head? and how much would it cost ! I found one in an action on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/vauxhall-vectra-v ... 3f017e41f7 ! or there might be other fix that my mechanic doesn't know ! thank you

jaywanley

Hey mate i had same problem with mine when i rebuilt it, with it being no 4 cylinder plug hole id say yes its definatly cracked, cant fix them either will defo need a new head, as i learned what happens is the spark plugs get over tightened (even only by i tiny bit) and this puts a crack in the spark plug recess. best taking off head and having alook at the hole see if a crack is evident, usually at bottom of recess where plugs screw in hope this helps

nmatrix

hy thanks for the response, i noticed when engine is off the leak comes from up and water doesn't go pass the plug into the valves below , so i think the crack is at the top not at the bottom,when engine started spark plug files up in matter of seconds. I asked the guy on ebay how much want for cilinder head he sayed 150 as buy it now .. but i'm looking at around 100 including postage if possible if anybody know anybody selling please leave me a message. thank you

nmatrix

i went to a carparts store and they sayed they have have somethink that i can put in the water and there is a chace it may seal the crack in the cylinder block also a friend of mine sayed to try with somethink called REZIN somethink he uses in construction works that turns very solid ! anybody hears of this solution ? worth trying it?

jaywanley

id personaly stay clear mate cos if it turns solid theres a chance itll block other things up espesh heater matrix, £150 for a cylinder head is a bargain mate i got mine for £150 but ive now brought a new engine instead to save pissing about easier just sawp the whole engine then muck about stripping an engine prob take less time too. ive managed get a complete engine for £300 with everything on it ive even heard it unning so ill have some spare bits to sell very soon

nmatrix

the problem is that i put so much money into this engine that not the car is worth it 900quid bill so far , and i can;t seem to find for 150 a cylinder head , the guy from ebay retracted his action and my budget it's to low to buy engine or recondition block. Car value 800-1300 on market.. spended 900quid to repair it so far and still not working i\m feeling like puting fire to it 🙁

jaywanley

i know your frustration mate ive had same with mine spent £500 on rebuilding my engine then to find its still got the fault after 260 mile i rebuilt in first place for. But i managed to find a new engin for £300 which is alot concidering the value of the car but i feel i have no choice as i certainly cant afford sell it for what its worth knackered cos id of lost all the money ive put into it plus what its worth and mines just passed mot too got 12 months.
very upsetting but i like my car and hence want to keep it, you might be best doing the same save your money buy a new ( 2nd hand ) engine and swap for yours at least then youd make most if not all of the money back selling your engine just a thought.
Or if you really like your car like me then why not just save your money ( if your in a postion to do so) and get someone on here give you a hand always someone selling heads etc on here good luck anyway

nmatrix

I would like to keep the car offcourse , i like it a lot , but it just doesn't seem to want to get fixed , another engine i'm not gonna buy cuz can't afford and can't fit or go get it because postage to expensive. Will try find a head cylinder for max 150 , my mechanic told me scrapyards sell them for max 100 if i can find one and he will put it free of charge. thanks for you help

IF ANYBODY HERE SELL CYLINDER HEAD (z22se) PLEASE LEAVE ME A PM or call 07565623405 (preferably near LONDON)

jaywanley

Just be wary mate might be worth paying the extra and getting a reconditioned head as you dont want to put new head on and find the same problem all over again or a different one if you do find a head for £100 get it tested and skimmed then fit new valves and seals and also valve guides as better save then sorry as i found out shud be good could be worse could have my car lol

nmatrix

i have a question this cracked head can;t be recondition? because i already changed valves and taken to grind valve rings and all

jaywanley

what do mean you by this cracked head cnt be recondtion do you mean can it be reconditioned or it has been?

nmatrix

sorry my english got very bad at that point . I wanted to ask if the cylinder head can be recondition ? ! I emailed some people on a website i found http://www.cylinderheadmasters.co.uk/ that might do this in London for a quote still waiting for answear from them or maybe i missunderstood the website and they just sell . Todat will retry to take a look at the crack to see how big it is because i think it's not that big like my mechanic sayed because it;s not leaking when engine not started only when started it's like filling up the whole spark plug with water in 3-5 seconds. But as far as i could see i think it's just a small crack where the cylinder head binds with the cam place (forgot how it's called). Will try take even a picture if possible .

vocky

the head is not repairable, due to where / how the crack was caused, this is a common fault on plugs 1 + 4 due to over tightening the plug :thumbdown:

a replacement head is the only answer 🙁

karl_hodder

hi, sorry to jump in on conversation but ive just had same problem recently, car runs fine until warm then no4 plug fills 1/4 up with water, dont seam to be using much water havent had to top up last week but causes the car to shudder and miss. is it possible to buy bare cylinder head?

vocky

you can try Rad Weld, this will stop the leak for a while, but another head is really the answer

there are several heads for sale in the classified section

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16464

brand new bare head is approx £550 + vat

nmatrix

Thanks for all your answears , i've decided to try rad weld and hope it fixes it till i get the car sold and recover some off my loss if not will wait till a find a cheap cylinder block and replace it

jaywanley

good luck with it mate, ill be honest i tried rad weld and it did nothing (not saying it wont for you) really best saving get a 2nd hand head and get it reconditioned or buy 1 reconditioned hope you sort it :thumbup:

blue_se2

Kseal is better than rad weld IMO try that even says on the bottle reairs cracks in blocks I know thats no garantee but we use it here and it has proven itself many times

nmatrix

where i can find this Kseal ? want to try that if you say it's better 😃

blue_se2

quote from there site
"K-Seal® is specially formulated to permanently seal most cracks in the engine block and head. This unique product is guaranteed to mix with all types of glycol based coolant and antifreeze. K-Seal® can also be used to seal holes and cracks in the head gasket, radiator, heater core, freeze plugs, water pump casing and other metal components of the cooling system in both petrol and diesel engines."

not sure where you will get it but i get it from our motor factors Rapid car parts

http://www.kalimex.co.uk try there site it should tell you a supplier.
let me know how you get on with it i hve been amazed by some of the leaks it has cured for us :thumbup: