Cylinder 3 and inlet port full of fuel. Help...

[mannings 1]

In the ongoing saga that is my 8v it has this morning found a new way to confuse me!!

After a very long running battle to find the air leak (was the vacuum advance in the end) I was keen to fire up and get on the road.

 

However the car had different ideas! 

 

It was struggling to fire which I thought was a weak battery. Turns out cylinder 3 was full of liquid. Smells like fuel but maybe water too as was getting milky fluid out of the exhaust the day before. Not a good sign.. 

 

I thought it must be a blown gasket or cracked head. So decided to tear down and refurb the head. When dismantling I found the inlet was full of fuel as well. Leaving me more confused than ever. How can this be possible? And does this maybe suggest the head is fine but something wrong with the injector flooding the port? Or is the head blown and pushing a water and fuel mix from the cylinder backwards into the inlet although surely the cycle of the piston moving up with the exhaust port open wouldn't allow this. Or maybe has the exhaust port seized closed?? 

 

Utterly confused and appreciate any ideas 

[PhilNW 45]

How much liquid was in no 3 cylinder? you say full ?

 

Any misfire when running?

 

was the exhaust fully warmed up when you saw the milky liquid?

 

Which bit of the inlet was full of fuel?  the plenum chamber just after the throttle body or something else ?

[mannings 1]

Cylinder 3 was full to the spark plug. And the inlet port in the head was full and there was a good amount in the actual inlet manifold plenum as well. It i had to guess I've drained or sucked about 50ml from them in total. Maybe more. 

 

Yes it was running of 3 cylinder when it ran and then wasn't running nicely as warming up. 

 

Exhaust was cold when I saw the milky stuff 

[mannings 1]

Also the day before it filled up the cylinder it did run but lots and lots of white smoke when  very warm. Suggesting again that it was a water and fuel mix and the water jacket had breached into the cylinder..

[PhilNW 45]

Is the head still off?

Check if all valves moving.

Check for cracks in head

Water in the inlet port may mean leaking inlet gasket

Was the "white smoke" actually smoke and not condensation from water in the exhaust?

Edited May 22, 2022 by PhilNW

[mannings 1]

Not got the head off yet. Did recently refit the inlet manifold so maybe there was a leak into the cylinder from the inlet manifold gasket. Looking at the manifold face With the gasket off that could be possible it's wet however as I took off the manifold water / fuel went everywhere so hard to tell. 

[mannings 1]

The white smoke wasn't condensation as was smoking everywhere. But I guess the inlet gasket leaking could create that effect also.

[PhilNW 45]

So when you said No 3 cylinder did you mean the spark plug recess?

[mannings 1]

Inside the cylinder when you removed the spark plug the inside of the chamber was full to the brim. No 3 as in 3rd along from the flywheel from right to left. 

[mannings 1]

So looking at the inlet manifold gasket leak as a reason for flooded port and cylinder and found that there are two water Jacket outlets but they don't go to anything. I was expecting something in the inlet manifold but it's solid. 

Seems like an odd set up to have an water path to the gasket face of the inlet manifold but then it doesn't go anywhere. Is this right? 

 

Also if it doesn't go anyway and is my issue is there a way to full block them to avoid this potential flooding issue in the future? 

[mannings 1]

This thread answered all my questions. Will get OE gasket and see how I get on.

 

[Thijs_Rallye 87 4 Cars]

8 hours ago, mannings said:

Seems like an odd set up to have an water path to the gasket face of the inlet manifold but then it doesn't go anywhere. Is this right? 

Those water ports are for the lower rated XU versions, ie. the 1.6 monopoint.

 

I hope for you that the conrod hasn't been bent if the cylinder was filled to the brim with fluid. I would have the injectors tested if it was fuel. New ones aren't horrendously expensive, newest generation Bosch injector (as a direct replacement for the yellow EV1 series) costs about 30 gbp a pop @autodoc.

Edited May 23, 2022 by Thijs_Rallye

[mannings 1]

Ah OK thanks.. 

 

Yes I am worried about bottom end damage. Will take off the head and have a look to make sure pistons all rise to same level. Hopefully not done any damage. Will let you know how I get on.

[PhilNW 45]

6 minutes ago, mannings said:

Ah OK thanks.. 

 

Yes I am worried about bottom end damage. Will take off the head and have a look to make sure pistons all rise to same level. Hopefully not done any damage. Will let you know how I get on.

Rather than all the hassle of head removal might be worth doing a compression test as a quick and dirty check to see if there are any wild variations.

[mannings 1]

Good suggestion PhilNW but already taken off timing belt. Going to get the head off as wanted to fit a reconditioned one for a while anyway. 

Found these guys that do a refurb head for a reasonable price..https://www.autotechcylinderheads.com/peugeot-205-gti-reconditioned-cylinder-head-sk0990-00015.html