On a 1.4 K-series, is it worthwhile modifying the cylinder head? I've got to take the head off because of the dreaded head gasket failure, so I just wondered if it is worth doing some porting and polishing?
I'm not really intending to make many other mods, other than perhaps a K&N style induction kit and a free flow exhaust. So no high lift cams and big bore outs :-)
Port work alone will not achieve a lot. Bigger valves will IF the intake system and exhaust are not then the restrictive factor, and normally they are... Bumping up the compression a big dollop, (head skim) does always make a difference but you may need a cooler thermostat, and good quality fuel...
Have a look at
Dave andrews is The Man for K series tuning. Also have a look on
Hello,
On a 1.4 you wouldn't achieve any performance increase by adding a K&N type filter. The engine doesn't need more air than can be supplied by the paper element. Most normal car engines don't. Sucking in hot air from around the engine bay isn't a good idea as it will decrease performance. You will also need the smaller vent filters and in standing traffic the smell of fumes vented off might give you a headache! The exhaust will not do much either. People will make alsorts of mad claims about an extra 20BHP with the modifications you describe, but in reality it's closer to 2 if you're lucky. The car will sound louder with the induction noise and also exhaust note, so you might think it's faster. I would save your money and not fall for the marketing and advertising of some products - especially not those aimed at boy racers! Best advice is to leave the engine as it is, fit a decent exhaust but not a big horrible noisy thing, keep it well serviced and you can't go wrong. If you do fit all the bits then do a comparison for yourself with before and after figures. You will see they stay the same. I had a metro years ago and it was a great car, a really good engine but the thing that let it down badly was the gas suspension and radius arms. It was fairly quick for what it was (1.3HLS).
I'd expect more than 2bhp for what's going to cost him a grand if not more.
So if it's 2 bhp max, explain how mine was putting out 130bhp+ after filter, headwork, plugs & leads, etc etc...
Andy
PS, the 1.3 you had in your metro wouldn't have been a K.
In news:9y29e.101303$ snipped-for-privacy@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk, Andy Connolly decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows
*B O G G L E*
Because it was putting out 128bhp before ? :)
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