Last Updated: 09/24/96

Here is what's on Justin's engine:
HKS exhaust, test pipe, DC Sports Max Air, CC header, forced air induction, JG #301 cams, Adj sprockets, ported TB, match ported intake, P&P head, racing valve springs, Magnecore 8.5mm wires, Redline MT-90, JE pistons, Crower rods, prepped block and crank, lightened flywheel, custom chip, AEM clutch. The engine is actually 1.9 liters and has an 11.7:1 compression ratio! It's one sweet sounding engine!....until......

As Justin was heading out to California from the Texas HP Convention, he apparently missed a shift. We later found out his shift linkage was loose. Instead of going to 4th gear at 90 mph, he went into 2nd. The engine speed shot up and then died. Fortunately, some girls stopped by to help him since he was in the middle of nowhere.

Justin: "Could you wait until I take off my valve cover?" Girls: "What's a valve cover?!?!?" Justin pointing to his engine: "The big red thing on top."

The next day, Justin has it towed over to my house and we work on removing the head off the engine. The damage was much worse than expected. There were valve indentations on all the JE pistons from the over-revving. One rocker arm piece was broken. Some valve springs were no longer around the valve stems. The engine block was cracked around the #3 piston and... yes, the oil was a nice puke green. The worst part was that the #3 piston was totally shredded! It looked like someone had crunched up some aluminum foil and placed it where the piston should be. The valves on the #3 pison were all mangled. One was bent at 90 degrees and shredded. The damage to the JE pistons was due to severe detonation, most likely caused by the previous use of 91 octane gas from Iowa.....Justin will now avoid Iowa like the plague. All the other valves suffered some damage too. Only 9 of 12 retaining clips for the valve springs were found. So apparently, even if he hadn't missed the shift, his engine had already been damaged. I hope this teaches a lesson to people not to run 91 octane gas on an 11.76:1 compression engine. Justin will also invest in a digital fuel management system next time too.

Damage?! What damage? I don't see anything wrong?

"Where's the damage?!"

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