Baxter's Historic Races in Portland, Oregon in July

Redpra NOT coming to Baxters this year!!!!

The subject line says it all..... GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.....

Saturday night, was driving home from Redmond on West 520. Was going up the big hill & approaching the 51st street exit (the exit for Microsoft). Happened to glance down @ the guages & noticed that the temp guage was zooming over to the red. Was able to pull over to the shoulder & noticed that the motor was idling a bit rough..... Uh oh..... Shut the motor off & 2 seconds later, this big white cloud of smoke or steam came from the exhaust...... SHIIIIIITTTTTT......

The good news is that prior in the day, both myself & my GF had to do seperate errands & we met up later for dinner, so she was following me & noticed that I pulled over. I asked to borrow her large flashlight & I popped the hood. Radiator was empty, the overflow tank no longer had green antifreeze in it, it had turned clear like water, AND the cap for the radiator overflow tank had blown itself off of the tank & coolant was all over parts of the engine compartment in that area. Could not believe that the system had pressurized itself that much. Called AAA & had it towed to my mechanic in Ballard (north central Seattle)...

My mechanic won't get to it until tomorrow, but at this point, I'm 99% sure the the HG finally decided to let go.. Oh well... 278K miles, I was wondering "when" at this point.

So.... The Redpra will be in hibernation for awhile, while it's being fixed. At this point, I'm now about 80 - 85% sure that the Silver Slug will be making the trip to Baxters in it's place. Won't exactly be able to do a "hot" parade lap this year (handling in the MKI vs the MKII is not the same, esp when the MKI has a inherent understeer problem that the magazine back in the day complained about), but at this point, I'm pretty sure that I will still be there. "Hopefully" the car will be done by the time Don Lew comes up for the Bremerton AutoX at the end of July & I'm sure that the Redpra will be ready in time for Vegas.

Such a fun evening.... :shock:

All,

Mike, when the valve stem seals were done, the head was not pulled off, just both of the cam towers. The head stayed on the block. Yeah, if I can get "REALLY" lucky, the car "might" be ready by the end of next week & I'll bring the Redpra down, but if anything, it will be ready by the end of the month when Don Lew comes up here for the Bremerton AutoX & it SHOULD be done, by the time the PacNW Nationals comes in August (where I plan on bringing both Supra's). So hopefully, you'll finally get to see the Redpra at 1 of those other 2 events. Maybe a 3rd event, if you plan to come to Vegas.

Senor Wick. Just before I shut the motor off, I could feel the motor having a slightly rough idle to it. My mechanic said that it was a good idea that I shut the motor off right away, because basically 1 of the cylinders was "hydraulic'ing" (ie: coolant was going into 1 of the cylinders). So in this case, the choice was to either circulate coolant, or have a bent rod. Having a bent rod (and having it possibly exit the block) didn't sound like fun, so it sounds like I made the right choice.

Pretty sure it was not a external coolant leak. I've had 2 water pumps & 2 radiator's go & it's a slow & gradual process. And I would notice a gradual change in the temp guage. The temp guage was normal through out the day, then when it happened, it was pretty sudden & abrupt.

Don't think it was the radiator cap either... This was a new Toyota cap that was installed last year. Pretty rare that these things crap out within a year & when they do (usually after 5 years), the overflow tank is puking coolant after I shut it off. This is the first time I've heard of a overflow tank cap blow off!!! Even Keith Hart was surprised...

Senor Anders: Nope it was not the suicide hose under the intake plenium. Had that replaced within the last 2 years, so it should have been fine. All of the coolant that spewed out, came from the overflow tank, when the cap for the tank blew off.

P.S. Yes, I usually tend to bring my own food & avoid the overpriced PIR food. However, if I'm in a good mood for something decent, the Baxter's Wine & Cheese Tent has some EXCELLENT munchies (and Dove Bars), that I can scarf on... :0) It's worth the $12 to avoid the greasy overpriced PIR grub.

Seamus: At this point, it will depend on where the HG decided to let go. If it was in the middle of the block (like around 3 - 4 cyl) then the head might be warped beyond spec. If it was at the end (like around 5 - 6 cyl or 1 -2 cyl) then the head "might" be saved & it can be machined/decked. Then it will depend on how busy the machinist is & how backlogged he is (my mechanic outsources things like this). My mechanic said that both cams were still spinning around, so the head should'nt be too warped (crossing my fingers).

At this point, there is a 10% chance the Redpra will make it to Baxter's but I'm not holding my breath. Right now, I'll plan on bringing the Silver Slug & I'll go in the back of the pack when we do our parade lap... Right now, I feel VERY relieved that the Redpra is in good hands w/ my trusted mechanic that I've been going to for the last 18 years (he specializes in Japanese imports) and that I'll eventually get my baby back!!!! On the other hand, the Silver Slug is feeling quite happy, because she now get's to park in my carport space for the time being..
So now I have a nice covered place to finish getting it cleaned up for next week.

As I've always said throughout the past, the 5MGE is definitely one of the most RELIABLE motors when it comes to BHG's (compared to the 5ME & the 7M motors, where BHG's are more frequent), and to have a OE gasket last for 18 1/2 years & 278K miles, this to me is really impressive!!! (as that "Oh What a Feeling" jingle is ringing in my head....) :shock:

Hopefully tomorrow, I will have a update. I also plan on going back to my mechanic & hopefully getting some pics of the HG.

BTW!!!!!! The answer is NO!! I don't plan on using this opportunity as a excuse for a 7M upgrade.... For those of you who were thinking of it...

LOL!!!!!

Yeah right...... Don't get me started on that subject Mr. Wick!!!! Don Culbertson gives me enough grief as it is about doing a conversion!!!!!

ANYWHO........ The verdict is in!!!!!

Somehow today, I was able to time it just right, that I paid a visit to my mechanic just when he was ready to pull the head off...

In a nutshell, it appears that it was a "normal/typical" BHG. The water jackets on numbers 5 + 6 cyl's finally gave up. AND........ Numbers 1 + 2 were on their way out, but they didn't let go. Cyl's 3 + 4 were still intact. Cyl's 5 + 6 were wet inside w/ coolant and the cylinder ring (on the gasket) for #6 was pushed in. All of gasket & ring material that is BETWEEN all of the cylinders were intact, this was just the water jacket pieces that crapped out.

Both my mechanic Dave & his partner Pat agreed that I'm VERY VERY VERY lucky that the HG managed to last this long!!! Then again, THIS is the only 5MGE that they've worked on, that is close to pushing 300K miles (and they are the only ones that have worked on the car since I've owned it for the last 12 1/2 years). For them, this is definitely WAY above normal... Most motor's don't even make it this far, & they have seen their share of Supra's & Cressida's pass through the shop over the years.

The head is being sent to the machinist on Weds. A full Toyota gasket kit has already been ordered & is being sent to the machinist.

At this point, the head is going to get cleaned up & the surface is going to get decked so that it's flat again. Also, we've decided to have the machinist go ahead & do a overall cursory inspection on the entire head assembly to check for general wear & tear on everything. This is not based on the BHG, but on the fact that the head has 278K miles, so we're interested to see how much wear has occurred & if anything needs to be replaced. I had a discussion w/ my mechanic about the possibilities of a light P&P + a 3 angle grind, and I was basing my decision on doing this on any possible gains from it, $$$$$$$, and downtime needed. Since my mechanic indicated that there is a VERY EXCELLENT chance that the car will be ready in time for me to drive it to Baxters & that a better time to do this is when I finally get around to rebuilding this motor (when the results would be more beneficial), we decided to pass on doing this & concentrate more on what "possibly" needs to be replaced, due to the 278K high miles. Given the choice, I would rather like to drive the Redpra to Baxters, than the Silver Slug. So that's the goal that we're going for right now.

I did take pictures of the motor w/ the head off, but I forgot to take pics of the bottom of the head. I have the BHG in my possession, & I'll probably bring this w/ me to Baxters if anyone is interested.

Both the head & the piston tops have quite a bit of carbon build up on them & there is probably quite a bit behind the valve's as well. This is what happens when your valve stem seals don't get changed for 140K miles & you're burning oil for the last ~40K or so.

I have a pretty light shopping list for tomorrow when I go & visit Toyota. Toyota Red Antifreeze, Thermostat, the 2-piece lower heater hose (this has never been replaced), and the hidden lower intake hose (aka the suicide hose, we noticed that this hose felt pretty soft & it was sort of flopping around, despite the fact that it's been replaced within the last 2 years. We think the heat may have damaged the hose). And oil & filter (which I have already).

At this point, there is now a 60/40 chance that the Redpra might make it to Baxters after all this year!!!! YAY!!!! Will see what happens!!!!

LOL!!!!!

I'm still going to pass on the porting for now. When it's time for rebuilding this motor, then I will seriously consider it.

Bob. I "have" thought long & hard about the 7M conversion & what it will take & what I have to go through (Besides, Mr. Culbertson REMINDS me about it, everytime I see him)... The main problem at the moment is $$$$$$ I don't quite have the $5K+ to easily spend on it. Plus, after looking at all the little things that are done during the conversion & noticed that I will have to give up a few minor things (like functioning headlight washers), I'm still in the "I'll pass for now" stage. I've visited Shawn Pease's garage in Everett & have seen at least 4 - 5 conversions & I've asked questions along the way. The power is nice to have, but after thinking about it & looking at the total BIG picture, I've decided that I'm okay without it for now. I'm sure that I'll change my mind someday, but not at this moment. Thanks for asking tho!!! Am looking forward to actually racing this time in Vegas (now that you have a proper battery tie down & you'll pass Tech!!).

Last minute things from Keith. For all the newbies coming to the meet, read below.

---------------------

WOOHOO! I can't believe it is finally almost here.

The weather looks spectacular so far. Bring your sunscreen. Saturday currently looks like 85 and mostly clear. Sunday cools down a bit as the clouds come in to draw the temperatures down to the 70s.

What to bring:
Sunscreen
folding chair
Cooler with food and drinks (be sure to check the what not to bring list) Camera Two Way Radios etc

What NOT to bring:
NO glass bottles
NO alcohol
NO BBQ
NO hondas (oops)

There is food and drinks available at the track if you don't want to cart your cooler out.

There will be plenty of cars to see (both Supra and non-Supra).

Thanks again to Vince for coordinating this event for our group. BTW: the MR2 guys pay $40 + PayPal fees to participate in this weekend... hmmmm... maybe I should try that next year. $5 * 33 = a free pass for Keith + $130. hmmmmmmmm.....

See a bunch of you guys this weekend.

KeithH
89T

-----------------------

As I had sort of previously mentioned, you can either bring in your own munchies, or buy PIR's expensive & greasy burgers/hot dogs/fries, or spend the $$$$$ & check out the Baxters Wine tasting tent & eat some REAL food. Up to you.

DEFINITELY bring your 2-way radio's with you (go to any electronics store & look for the Motorola FSR radio's, we will be on channel 38, code 14) so that you can hear what is going on w/ the group.

Just in case our corral is out in the open & away from the trees, Keith will be bringing a canopy to set up, if needed.

Redpra status

Latest news on the MKII Redpra.

Heard back from my mechanic today, who had earlier heard from the machinist.

Head is going to get pressure tested to see if there are any cracks or leaks anywhere. If anything, it should be fine.

Unfortunately, due to the 278K miles, the valve guides are worn & need to be replaced.

I asked if the machinist will be able to squeeze in a possible port & polish on the head & he said, no, this is going to require at least another week of downtime. So I'm going to pass on this.

Any damage at this point from the BHG appears to be repairable, otherwise.

If things go well, my mechanic will get the head back on Thursday & will start reassembling the motor. Both my mechanic & the machinist know that I'm on a deadline for a car show event in Portland, so they will expidite this as quickly as possible. Hopefully I'll get the car back sometime on Friday & I'll be up late Friday night @ Keith's place trying to get the car cleaned up.

Will see what happens in the next few days. If all else fails, the Silver Slug is basically ready to take to Portland instead.