Slomov was right

[Alaskossie]

Slomov was right -- my plan to order a Caterham Seven in late 2006, assemble it in Colorado in the early summer of 2007, and finish it in time to join the California Seven Club’s PNW2007 Tour in August 2007 was a bit optimistic. In fact, WAAAY optimistic.

 

After seven trips (to date) to Greeley, Colorado to assemble my Seven in a Seven-experienced friend’s garage, beginning in early July 2007, we were about to dry-fit the Cosworth Duratec 2.3 for the first time, earlier this month. The engine had arrived from Cosworth in California in May 2007 and was uncrated at that time, but it stayed on its shipping pallet in the heated garage, with the exhaust ports remaining taped with the original tape from the engine builder. When Jeff Ball, scannon and I moved the engine from its pallet to an engine strand, we un-taped the exhaust ports for the first time.

 

We could not believe the amount of heavy corrosion inside, on the exhaust side of the engine -- the steel parts (valve stems, spark plugs) red with rust, with feathers of rust on the spark plug tips, and all of the aluminum exhaust ports and machined surfaces oxidized with a heavy residue that rubbed off as a gritty powder. No explanation at all -- certainly, exposed steel and aluminum simply do not corrode in Colorado’s dry climate, unless left outdoors in the rain and snow. The intake side seemed fine, in our restricted examination (no disassembly).

 

I contacted Cosworth, and was told that they had seen something similar in some of their Formula Atlantic engines. They suspect it was caused by residues from the fuel they used for the dyno test. I’ve contacted Sean in California who is building a very similar Cosworth Duratec Seven -- his engine is in his car, but the exhaust ports have remained taped. After learning of my experience, he untaped them, and found very similar corrosion, but not quite as sever as mine. Sean apparently also has some corrosion on the intake side.

 

So my gem of a Seven engine is already crated up again, and ready to go back to Cosworth for teardown and examination. Rats! Wonder if I’ll have the car finished and running by the end of summer 2008?? I’m not placing any bets.

 

 

[Mandurath]

I am pretty impressed that Cosworth is taking care of it like that. (I hope they are paying)

[Kitcat]

Click and Clack's formula for a person's degree happiness is reality minus expectations. You gotta be bummed:(.

[slomove]

Really sorry to hear that and no, having been right does not make it better :nonod:

I am wondering if water vapor from the dyno test coolant somehow got got past the gaskets. Another possibility might be that they ran the engine a few seconds before shipping and taped the exhaust shut before the exhaust gas condensate had an opportunity to evaporate.

 

Hope this gets straightened out with not too much more trouble.

 

On the upside....there will be one or the other USA7s club trip in 2009 :party:

 

Gert

[Sean]

I am pretty impressed that Cosworth is taking care of it like that. (I hope they are paying)

 

I too am impressed that Cosworth have stepped up as they have. On one hand, it is what you would expect any company to do in this type of situation; but on the other hand, experience shows that far too often, a company won't follow through as it should (anymore).

 

Kudos to Cosworth for this! :thumbs:

[BobDrye]

Without further information I would say condensation. I’ve purchased engines that were locked-up just from setting in uncondtioned containers.

 

[JBH]

We all know that water is a by-product of the combustion process, but why would a very experienced engine builder/supplier leave condensation in the engine?