Not a good week for my E30's

[trojen]

Some of you may have noticed that I posted the other day about the alternator failing on the tourer, requiring a call to the RAC.

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=267849

In the meantime i've been using the "iS", which i taxed for the summer a couple of weeks back. This has now started coughing and misfiring.

I initially thought it was bad fuel as it started a couple of miles after filling the tank. However this was just a coincidence......

Just done a compression test with all 4 spark plugs removed and TB wide open,

cyl 1 = 185psi
cyl 2 = 30
cyl 3 = 30
cyl 4 = 185

(i know there's 2 cylinders missing before you 325 boys mention it)

When testing cyl 2 & 3 i could hear a rush of air on each stroke, i'm presuming the gasket has failed between these two.

Anyway with a long weekend ahead looks like i've got some work to do whipping the head off.

Is it likely the head has warped or just the gasket? there was no over heating and there's no mixing of oil / water.

The joys of running 20+ y.o cars

[jimbom30cab]

Oh dear, what a pain.

I'm sure a new gasket would be all that's needed

Have fun !!

[Brianmoooore]

Head should have a light skim, even if not warped. Machine shop will decide how much needs to be removed.
Neither of your problems are really to do with " running 20+ y.o cars", and as I explained in the thread, with a little knowledge of things mechanical, the alternator problem should have been just a fifteen minute inconvenience.

[trojen]

To be fair this is the first time either of them have ever let me down, with me driving 60K+ miles between them over the last 5/6 years. plus i don't need a dealer or a laptop to repair either of them, just a weekend in the garage tinkering.

[trojen]

plus i don't need a dealer or a laptop to repair either of them, just a weekend in the garage tinkering.

Forgot to mention the wiki pages and the knowledge on this forum both are a massive help