80tq: Blown Engine

[Orin Eman]

> 
> Well, it was bound to happen at some point =)
> 
> It happened the first day of the second session at the Audi Club Nationals at 
> Sears Point racetrack.  I was coming out of the "Carousel", turn 6 for those 
> of you familiar with the track, accelerating pretty hard (around 4500rpm) 
> coming out of the exit, when I lost power, I upshifted, still no power, heard a 
> metallic rattling, white smoke out the back, and I shut it off and pulled over 
> immediately.
> 
> Here is what the #1 spark plug looks like, careful for the faint of heart, it 
> isn't pretty:
> 
> http://www.80tq.com/albums/?mode=album&album=BlownSparkPlug&dispsize=640

Looks just like what happened to Pat Martin's 4ktq a couple of years
ago at Thunder Hill...
 
> The engine is still aligned, timing belt in tact, so it wasn't an 
> interference issue.  All other plugs look ok, so I think its probably a dropped valve or 
> somthing similar in the #1.  The engine still turns over smoothly.  I'll have 
> the head off today probably to get a better look at it, I'll keep everyone 
> posted.

The head broke off a valve on Pat's car.  Symptoms just the same - turned
over, just wouldn't start, mainly due to the big hole in the #1 piston
causing havoc with the intake system/crankcase breather as I recall.

Orin.