69 replies to this topic

[Bungle]

good news its only a head gasket

is the head ok or is it warped ?

[ker781g]

It is most likely that something has gone wrong with the engine not the supercharger kit. The Eaton supercharger (same as on a BINI) seems to be an excellent bit of kit....and I want one!!!

this is also part of the kit which has failed.
the gasket between super charger and modified inlet manifold which has done approx 50 miles!

[ker781g]

good news its only a head gasket

is the head ok or is it warped ?

does this look like good news to you after doing approx 5 miles?
if any one knows where jonspeed is it is the distance between jonspeed and the m69!not good considering the car was put back together by jonspeed!

[Bungle]

its a lot easier to fix than a rod through the block

[steveobennet]

a few questions. when fitting the decompression plate did you or jonspeed check the head and the block for warpage? did you give it the right foot as soon as you got it? idealy you need to take it straight to the rolling road, even if jonspeed has one, just to check it was runing correctly. also idealy you need to find a better way to lower the compression than using a decmpression plate, like open up the chambers in the head, and use dished pistions.

[ker781g]

1. when fitting crank shaft pulley to crank the locking washer did not fit through the machined hole int he pulley.
2. when fitting lower engine/gearbox mounting we discovered that it was hard up (preventing engine from turning over)
3. when fitting the intake pipe that had been special designed to fit with no problems didnt fit as well as it said because i had to modify using a larger hammer and lots of brute force.
4. space alacated for carb was so inadiquite it was impossible to fit the carburetor plus air filter
5. supercharger belt tensioner fowling engine breather leaving no room for breather pipe
6. exhaust manifold down pipe touching body causing exhaust to out of alignment
7. fan blade following specially designed crank pulley so had to trim (crudely) between 0.5 and 1 inch off blades

to be continued

Thanks for posting, welcome to the forum.

I believe this is the kit that was talked about in another post recently.

I'm sorry that you seem to have suffered some problems in the fitting of this kit etc.

Do you have any photographs that illustrate the above points (1-7), as I'd be interested in seeing them. I know I had some similar problems when fitting a kit for Megajolt fitment that I got from another supplier. That caused problems with clearance around the gearbox mount bracket etc.

We're trying to monitor the criticism of companies at the moment, but it doesn't actually seem to me that you've really criticised anyone in your post. You just seem to have stated a few problems that you've observed/experienced.

Could I also please ask that loads of people don't just jump on this post and turn it into a slanging match. It's good to have everyone's point of view on here, but we don't want loads of negativity or potentially libelous comments on here either.



Cheers, Matt

heres is a pic of problem 3! more to follow

[ker781g]

a few questions. when fitting the decompression plate did you or jonspeed check the head and the block for warpage? did you give it the right foot as soon as you got it? idealy you need to take it straight to the rolling road, even if jonspeed has one, just to check it was runing correctly. also idealy you need to find a better way to lower the compression than using a decmpression plate, like open up the chambers in the head, and use dished pistions.

hi thanks for the info.much appreciated .jonspeed told me it would work and be reliable!Had two mechanics working on the car and they said the head was fine.Also i have driven this car for two years never had a problem with the head or gasket! beginning to wish id never set eyes on the kit or company!

[steveobennet]

the only problem with trying to get alot of power form your engine is you end up having only 2 of the following power, cost, reliability. i don't really rate jonspeed, i've bought small bits from them, which were ok. i think the question you have now is where do you go from here? if you need the car and have the option to retun it back to standard then i would do this. if however you do have some spare change and don't need the car it might be worth doing some research and fixing it.

i know that generally you trust a company, and believe what they say is true, but it is always best to double check. for all you know the car could have been running lean causing the engine to overheat and blow the head gasket. its worth having a friend who is knowledgeable with mini's (even if you are) to check over everything.

Edited by steveobennet, 11 November 2007 - 06:24 PM.

[mini93]

i cant say i liked the idea of decompression plates from the outset, seems in a way a quick fix...unfortunatly my suspissions have been proved correct

[M44K TS]

alot of people that turbo cars on a budget seem to use a decompression plate (2 headgaskets isn't it?) I've been told that it's a bit of a cutting corner method, is that right?

[mini93]

its a plate or metal acuratly machined sandwhiched bwteen 2 head gaskets, im not sure why i dont like it to be honest but as soon as i heared of it i thought "what, sumone came up with that idea?" just more area to blow a H.G especialy being forced induction i just dont like

[ker781g]

alot of people that turbo cars on a budget seem to use a decompression plate (2 headgaskets isn't it?) I've been told that it's a bit of a cutting corner method, is that right?

i think it is a money saving way but my question is is it a good idea to supply a decompression plate in a kit for someone to fit to a standard engine!

[Jammy]

What is wrong with that plate? Is it warped, its hard to tell from the pictures. I'll looked at it full size and can't find any cracks.

[ker781g]

What is wrong with that plate? Is it warped, its hard to tell from the pictures. I'll looked at it full size and can't find any cracks.

yes it is warped between cylinder 1 and 2 and between 3 and 4. Blowing both head gaskets.

[91 WILL BE TURBO COOPER]

is it supposed to be a kit that you can fit at home