What should i do

[www.18u]

Well Grandpa is starting to use a fair bit of water (about 1 litre every 2 days ) I do believe it is the headgasket, but there is no water in the oil. So it is time to do some repairs. I have 4 options as far as i can see it.

1. Get the head reco'd and welded where needed and put it back to stock.

2. Get the head reco'd and welded where needed, and put my efi manifold on and go magna efi.

3. Strip my ex lancer and put the entire running gear in Grandpa (So it is 1.8 efi, turbo, intercooled, manual and lsd).

4. Get the head reco'd and welded where needed and put my magna efi manifold on, my sigma turbo exhaust manifold on and be efi turbo.

All have positive and negatives, but i am not happy with the current revs the car does on the freeway. I know a diff gear swap would fix this, but the stock setup has no go down low, so changing the ratio would make it worse.
Would going magna efi make enough difference down low to get away with a diff gear change?
Or am i better off doing the complete ex lancer swap as it doesn't rev as hard at 110?
I guess the other factor is money, i mean i don't think that it is worth outlaying a lot of money into a car that is just a daily.

I would like your guys opinions of what you think is the best option.

Thanks,
Shannon.

[COBWBS]

3. Strip my ex lancer and put the entire running gear in Grandpa (So it is 1.8 efi, turbo, intercooled, manual and lsd).
.

LSD eh??

GC75 ban him if he doesn't show us pix..

[Frosty]

what does it rev at 110kmh now?
is it currently still factory carb 2.6?

1.8 turbo swap sounds ok, but if it's torque down low you want, a N/A 2.6 may be more up your alley.

EFI turbo is a costly and time consuming swap for a daily driver I think.

I think option 2 sounds good. Magna 2.6 EFI and give the head a freshen up.
should give a very noticeable boost in performance over stock sigma setup and add reliability to boot.

but if your cylinder head does need welding AND reconditioning, my advice is to throw that head away.
Magna heads are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. I get mine from pick-a-part for $100.

many disagree, but I believe a welded cylinder head is not good for reliability.

[81GL]

many disagree, but I believe a welded cylinder head is not good for reliability.

Totally agree, if the head is that bad it is in need of welding, its an indicator the alloy is stuffed anyway.

Have you found where the water is ending up?
-out the end of the exhaust?
-Is there one or more spark plugs which looks sus? (lean)
-has it been feeling different lately? detonation? bit rough?
-Bubbles in radiator?

Are you still using the factory inlet manifold?

What I'm trying to get at is... if it's all original, you would probably be horrified at how many places can start to leak, so if you haven't found where it is going, there are numerous places where it can be getting out.

Nick.

[Billsy]

have a look at the exhaust side of the block aswell, mines cracked between all the welsh plugs, leaks about 1L every week or 2L and starts to overheat after 100km high speed driving

[www.18u]

Thanks guys,
The sigma is completely standard 2.6 carby auto. Yes the EX lancer has a lsd diff It is a 10 bolt disc braked rear end and would be extremely rare here. As for the welding of the head, i probably should have mentioned that i did my first trade as a engine reconditioner, and i used to recondition cylinder heads all day. Welding is not a mojor issue as long as the head has not been overheated, and is checked for straightness through the cam tunnel after the welding process. A good welder will heat the head up to operating temp before doing this process. I am sure that the water is being used and not leaking as i have checked all the usual suspects, after doing a search on here last week. The car has begun to loose power, and i have noticed a gain in fuel economy. There is only a small amount of bubbles in the radiator, nothing to out of the ordinary. At 110 kmh the car is doing 3700 rpm. I should mention that while the EX is only 1.8 it makes 160hp stock and more torque than a efi magna (but hey chuck a turbo on the 2.6 and it would win hands down)

Maybe i should put a poll up and tally the results!