TimZ

Hazelnut.

I would posit that the problem sounds more like the oil cooler itself than the thermostat, although it certainly wouldn't hurt to check both. The t-stat bypasses the cooler when the oil is cold, which is where you are _not_ seeing a problem, and progressively routes more oil through the cooler as the oil gets hotter. This to me sounds consistent with a clogged/restrictive oil cooler - the hotter the oil gets, the more of it gets routed through the restriction. Oil t-stats are usually set to regulate around 170 or 180 degF, so by 230 degF you are probably routing pretty much all of the oil through the cooler. Also, if the oil looks black in the cooler and clean everywhere else, that sounds like not much is getting through the cooler. What cooler are you using? How big are its passages in the first place?

Well, that's it. It's ruined. Send it to me and I'll dispose of it properly. I'll even waive the disposal fee.

...So it's going to get plumbed to the stock external filler then? Or something else?

I don't consider myself a fuel cell expert, so maybe NewZed has better advice, but my initial reaction is that it's probably not a problem - the stock tank doesn't have one either. I would think that a bladder would be safer in a crash though. If you are planning on running E85 you will want a bladder - un-anodized aluminum doesn't fare well with ethanol. This does beg the question as to why you are using a fuel cell in the fist place, especially in a daily driver. It will work, but it's not likely to be any safer on the street, you don't have extreme fuel delivery demands, and depending on how you implement the filler it might actually be less convenient and less safe. "Race" stuff isn't always better for the street. That said, what _are_ you plans for getting fuel into the fuel cell? I'd be more worried about that for a street application at this point.

Sounds like you got lucky there! Regardless, Tony's advice on just changing one thing at a time is still the way to go.

^^^^What NewZed said ^^^^ The cavitation issues really mostly start cropping up when you start trying to flow a LOT more fuel than stock. A single Walbro likely won't have much trouble as long as the tank is properly vented so it doesn't pull a vacuum, and you aren't doing anything dumb like trying to feed it through a 1/4" fuel line or something. If you can get an in-tank setup for your fuel cell then that likely won't hurt anything - just be sure it has some sort of baffling around it as NewZed suggested.

I guess maybe I just didn't see it, but what problem are you trying to solve with this fuel system? Is this a mostly stock turbo engine swap that only requires stock-like fuel flow, or is it something else that requires more?

Ummm.... sorry but until until somebody figures out how to do a hydraulically actuated high res display, the standard computer is going to be faster. I don't know how to make hydraulics emit light - maybe if you use flammable hydraulic fluid... Also, I didn't read all of the comments but I'm pretty sure that hydraulic pressure waves don't propagate at the speed of light, or anywhere even close to it.

Those are the ones that I bought FWIW. Dimensions: Roughly (6.1in(L) x .9 IN(W) x .70 in (H)) 155mm(L) x 23mm(W) x 18mm(H))

Here: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/120739-zcar-source-head-gasket-limitation/?hl=%2Bhead+%2Bgasket did a search for "head gasket" in this forum - nothing tricky.

If I recall correctly 7 degrees is the preferred taper to avoid turbulence when increasing pipe id.

BTW - this indicates that the fuse shouldn't blow until you turn on the parking/headlights using the headlamp switch, a detail that you didn't mention having observed. Is that what you are observing? Edit: I just saw where you did indeed mention this. Check the gauge illumination bulb sockets, cigarette lighter illumination bulb socket and the glove box lamp socket for shorts to ground.

From looking through the schematics, here are the wires that could cause the Park/Tail fuse to blow (barring anything weird like a screw shot through the harness): Green/White wire in C6 gets power from the Park/Tail Fuse, fed through the headlamp switch when in either the Parking Light or Headlamp positions. It feeds all of the dash illumination lamps (gauge lamps, cigarette lighter lamp, and glove box lamp), any of which could short and blow the fuse. Side Marker and Clearance lamps (also Green/White from the HL Switch) get power from Park/Tail fuse, but do not go through C6. Center console illumination lamps (also Green/White from the HL Switch) also get fed from the Park/Tail fuse, but do not go through C6.

Welcome back Hoover! That looks like an pretty impressive project. Any links to the shop?

I was thinking maybe throwout bearing - does it still make the noise if you rev in neutral with your foot off the clutch pedal? Could also be fan belt as John said. That is definitely easier to fix. If you open the hood and listen you should be able to localize the sound to the front or rear of the engine. ...or just be able to see the fan belt flopping around.

Okay never mind this part - I found the source of my confusion after reading through everything again...

Okay, stop. Are you looking for help with a VG header or for the L-series header that you are showing pictures of? I was going to sit out when you said VG, but if we are talking L-series then I'll put in my $.02... I agree with the above comment regarding the flange. You'll have a lot of trouble getting getting everything to line up with the ports without one, especially after a heat cycle or two. Next, for an L-series, DON'T EVEN CONSIDER building this without expansion joints to accommodate the afore-mentioned expansion. The tubes always will take more heat than the flange and will therefore expand at a considerably different rate than the flange. If you don't have bellows or slip joints the header WILL warp and/or fatigue and fail. Here's a link that talks about a good OEM (Mercedes) source for a bellows: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/29475-problem-with-european-kn2-turbo-exhaust-manifold/?hl=+mercedes%20+bellows Burns Stainless used to source stainless slip joints - they probably still do, but you might have to call them. either will work.

That's true, but do your due diligence and check the fuel pressure first. If the fuel pressure is ok it's possible that your injectors need cleaning - I'd do that before applying any band-aids. Also, any idea as to whether we are talking about a stock engine or not? The factory EFI was really good for it's day but it did not handle changes to the engine's breathing capabilities gracefully at all. Aftermarket "hot" cams generally ran like crap and required band-aids like NewZed mentioned above to run at all.

FYI - I did totally just steal this idea. My Fiat X1/9 front bumper already had cutouts that these fit perfectly into. Thanks for the tip!

You sure it was from "boosting too much"? More likely detonating too much, or just plain poor assembly practices. I've seen too many people that don't understand how to properly torque/re-torque a head, or even why you might need to. That said, I think maybe you guys are looking at this wrong. First off, a properly installed and properly torqued stock head gasket should not have problems in a properly fueled and tuned 350hp L-series. Second, the factory cast pistons can support 350hp, but they aren't very mistake-tolerant. At all. And guess what - they are mostly intolerant to the same kind of mistakes that cause blown head gaskets. So when you put that "blow proof" head gasket in there and make the inevitable mistake, you are likely to just end up with a bunch of broken ring lands. Yay. As big of a pain in the ass it is to change out a head gasket, it's still cheaper and easier than broken pistons.

Glad I could Help! Ah the wonders of the "Global Team"

Look at this thread (especially the "off topic" bits) http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/106082-power-drain-from-timing-chain-valuable-build-tips-herein/

Also, this was why Tony was suggesting putting a fuel cooler in the fuel return to cool it back down before returning to the tank. My recollection is that those hose barbs are kinda tiny, so if you do this, you should keep an eye on your fuel pressure. If they put too much restriction in the return line your fuel pressure could rise. Simple remedy is to run a second return line in parallel - don't go too big on the second return, though, so as not to divert too much fuel away from the cooling bodies.

Looks like you are off a tooth - need to go one more in the clockwise direction: