A few williams questions from a newbie

[will.i.am.s2]

Hi all completely new to williams so generaly no nothing about them! Ive got a few basic questions to ask.

Firstly what readings should i be getting from the oil gauge cluster, most importantly the oil pressure on tick over and readings when driving harder etc.

Secondly the throtte cable adjuster in the engine bay, were should the little clip be? ive tried it half way along and it just didnt feel the same, it was on the first notch when i bought it and is on that now.

And lastly im getting some puffs of smoke/soot from the exhaust on decelarating from high speeds i have had a look around the net and it could be the fact i have a decat pipe and stainless system fiited? I dont think it does it all the time. the exhaust also has a lot of bangs and pops on decelarating is all this normal for a decated williams? I hope so :D

Also do these cars run quite rich? as this one realy smells rich on tick over. Its got a green panel filter, scorpion decat and back box(standard centre section) and unknown chip with rev limit set at 7200rpm.

If any of you could help me out here i would be very gratful,
cheers

[Markic]

Oil press gauges are highly inaccurate tbh.

You shouldn't get any smoke on deceleration, sounds like valve seals, but more like piston rings.

Forgot the other questions, as i'm on a mobile :)

[16v_paddy]

All of that lot seems pretty normal & nothing to worry about

Bit of smoke on the over run would indicate valve stem seals starting to show their age

[will.i.am.s2]

Thanks for the replies :D I suspected the oil pressure gauge wouldnt be that accurate funnily enough! Oh well so looks like the smoke on the over run isnt normal like i was led to beleive, Sounds like it could get expensive :(

[will.i.am.s2]

I also get a bad oil smell in the car when its been driven hard, could this also be valve stem seal related? Also any idea how difficult or expensive it is to fix this? or is it just easier and cheaper to throw another engine in?

[JoaoC]

I wouldn't worry too much. My valver has been like that since I bought in 2008, has done roughly 30.000 miles since then with some track-days in between and it's still going strong.

Just keep a close eye on the oil level and you should be fine :wink:

[will.i.am.s2]

30k ay should be okay then :D Will look into it a bit more and as you say keep an eye on oil level more often! Certainly is nothing that effects the performance of it which is good at least

[16v_paddy]

I honestly wouldn't worry about the oil smell, smoke & stem seals, just make sure it's properly topped up & it'll be fine :wink:

The stem seals needs the head off & the valve springs removing to get at them, so if your thoughts drifted to a replacement engine I'd say go get 1 & rebuild it to a decent spec with a rebuilt & flowed head but do it a bit at a time then swap it over when you feel it's time to do it :wink:

[will.i.am.s2]

Thanks paddy thats a weight of my mind at least. I took it out last night and did a few tests on it for the symptoms of valve stem seals and it is almost cerainly that . Was probably the reasonwhy i got the car so cheap in the first place they obviously thought it was on its last legs :D

I like your idea of getting another good engine and slowly rebuilding it ready, great thinking and something i will be doing through the winter months.

[16v_paddy]

Doesn't really have to be a good engine to begin with as it wont really matter - unless it's got a hole in the side of the block or something equally silly :lol: - worst case is only really going to be a rebore and regrind of the crank to the next oversize thingymy

[Wobba]

The oil smell is probably the oil breather hose which normally fits to the airbox with an OEM filter. Without it you'll have increased hot oil smell. But also check the back of the engine where the camcover is. Check for fluid/oil there as it could be a new camcover gasket is needed. Cheap and easy to sort.

1 BAR at hot idle is ideal for oil pressure. I usually see 3 BAR on most of these engine at cold start. 4-5 is a good sign, but I wouldn't overly worry about it.

Oil temperature is important. Too hot and the oil breaks down and cant lubricate the bottom end. I think 110+ and its time to worry.

[Markic]

Oil temperature is important. Too hot and the oil breaks down and cant lubricate the bottom end. I think 110+ and its time to worry.

Willy's working oil temperature is between 100 - 120c. So 120 is normal if you floor it.
Everything until 125c is OK.

[will.i.am.s2]

looks like my oil pressure and temp are spot on according to the gauges. I get 1 bar when its hot on idel, 3.5 bar when driving from cold and it runs at a constant 3 bar when hot. Oil temp when its been driven hard reaches 110ish so looks to be a healthy engine except for the stem seals :)

As for the breather pipe off the airbox i will double check them as i had the airbox off and its a possiblity one has fallen off since or could maybe be blocked. They rocker gasket around the back looks damn but the oil doesnt seem to running down the block. On the left hand side of the block thow it is slightly leaking and they is some oil build up so maybe time for a new rocker gasket!

[Markic]

Oil temperature is important. Too hot and the oil breaks down and cant lubricate the bottom end. I think 110+ and its time to worry.

Willy's working oil temperature is between 100 - 120c. So 120 is normal if you floor it.
Everything until 125c is OK.
Especially in summertime. We have 40 degrees here in Croatia!