Hospitalised VR-4s

[Roadrunner]

I get the feeling from several different threads recently that there are quite a few of our VR-4s that have broken and need some major surgery in the VR-4 hospital :INSERT INTO post VALUES (

I wonder whether there's a common theme or reason for these breakdowns - increasing boost, running lean, turbo problems, weak internals, or what?

Anyone care to share? I'd really like to avoid the expense of a major rebuild if I can ;)

Thanks in advance,
Brian

[zedy1]

i had a trouble with the power steering belt which come off/snapped and got caught with the cambelt which caused the timing to slip then bang all valves were gone

[Nick VR4]

Good point Brian
I don't see to much damage being caused by a free flow exhaust and a induction kit
If people want to do that then I say fair play

But I do think its all to do with how your car is looked after ie. servicing etc and not blasting down the road as soon as you get in the car in the morning :nono:

Or driving hard and turning off ignition straight away before Turbo's have spun down :nono:

As long as people that do major changes on these cars know what they are doing then thats the decision.
I think we have some very knowlegable people on this forum :)

And peeps on here tend to ask questions before they go lifting the bonnet and start ripping things out

thats my 2 cents anyway :D

[pjjohnson]

Mine is in hospital, but at least I know why. I should have backed off when I heard the air leak.

The good thing is that having the engine dismantled to change a piston has revealed that other engine internals are in good condition, and this is after over 100,000 miles on 1+ bar boost.

Interesting about the power streering belt - mine is frayed and needs replacing.

[zedy1]

ill advice you to change it and always keep on top off it .doesnt cost too much either £8.50 ish from local accessorie shops and £35.00 from dealers and 1hr to fit it

[Brind]

No real problems here to date.. although 'a' belt is slipping and making a noise when the engine is running, haven't looked to see which it is yet but the sound doesn't change tune at any point.
I'm thinking it is the alternator as the car sits around most of the time and what with the damp weather lately it points to it.

Mine is booked in for an interim service at the end of this month..... can't wait to see how hard they try and rape me. :mad: although it is apparently the smallest of all services as though the car is brand new and it gets more expensive until it reaches the cambelt service again.

[zedy1]

get it checked these belts could be lethal :D

[KiwiTT]

Originally posted by Nick VR4
...But I do think its all to do with how your car is looked after ie. servicing etc and not blasting down the road as soon as you get in the car in the morning ... Or driving hard and turning off ignition straight away before Turbo's have spun down ...


I agree. Care and Maintenance, will extend the cars life, These are very complex cars and I am not sure as to how much internal balancing of components was required to get it right. If you make a modification, you have to ensure that any parts affected downstream from it are also not compromised, or you may need to strengthen these too!

My car has already had minor modifications; HKS Induction, 17" alloys, lowered, etc.

These should not unduly affect the car. Increasing power will and I need to be sure what it does to other parts before progressing. Hence, I will be looking at Tyres, Brakes, Trans Cooler before doing anything else and learing from others on this forum, before making any others.

My Motto: Safety and Longevity, before Power and Glory.