🚗 The shortest road test ever! All ¼ mile of it! 😲
Remember the Seat Leon we posted about the other day? The one that had been sold to its new owner supposedly running an upgraded HPFP and Stage 2+ tuning?
Well, the story has taken another rather unfortunate turn! 🤦♂️
Our first head-scratching moment was discovering that the car was actually fitted with a completely stock HPFP.
Why would a car supposedly running Stage 2+ software with an upgraded fuel pump have a standard pump fitted? 🤔
Well, we think we've now found the answer!
After our tuning session, we headed out for a road test. Unfortunately, we managed all of about ¼ mile before the engine suddenly cut out and we coasted to a stop! 😬
Now, in situations like this, it's sometimes something relatively simple. A boost pipe popping off with the additional boost and movement during a tuning session isn't unheard of.
Normally, unplugging the MAF sensor allows us to restart the engine and limp the car back to the workshop.
So, MAF unplugged, ignition on, engine cranking...
Absolutely nothing! 😳
However, listening to the engine turning over, we could immediately hear from the compression note that something wasn't right.
This sounded like a mechanical timing issue, either on the chain or belt side.
Over the last 15 years, we've experienced something similar on three previous occasions, and every time it was down to a VVT bolt snapping because an old bolt had been reused.
But this time?
Something completely different!
🔍 Time to investigate...
Once we removed the cam cover, things started to make sense. Unfortunately, what we found wasn't pretty!
The inside was littered with metallic debris, including pieces of a damaged cam follower, fragments from the fuel pump failure and bits of broken casing.
From what we can establish, it appears the car had previously suffered a serious HPFP and cam follower failure.
Rather than the original damage being properly investigated and repaired, it looks as though a second-hand standard HPFP and replacement cam follower had simply been fitted before the car was sold on.
And all that leftover debris?
Well, it appears that a fragment of the original damaged cam follower had been bouncing around inside the timing chain area before eventually becoming trapped in the chain mechanism, resulting in the chain snapping. 😬
That would certainly explain the sudden engine shutdown and the rather unusual cranking sound!
It also potentially explains our original mystery of why a supposedly Stage 2+ tuned car had a stock HPFP fitted!
Of course, we can't say for certain who carried out the previous repairs or exactly when the damage occurred, but the evidence we've uncovered certainly raises some questions.
🔧 The lesson here?
When a mechanical component fails, especially something like a high-pressure fuel pump and cam follower, simply replacing the obviously damaged parts isn't always enough.
You need to establish where the broken pieces have gone and whether any secondary damage has occurred.
Otherwise, those little fragments can come back to cause some VERY expensive problems further down the line!
Fortunately, there's a little bit of good news...
The customer already has a replacement cylinder head! 🙏
So at least there's a way forward without having to source another one.
Just another day at R-Tech Performance!
Sometimes we wonder whether we're running a tuning workshop or filming the next episode of Car SOS! 😂
R-Tech Performance – Where even a ¼-mile road test can turn into a full-blown investigation! 🔧😂
Read original post: 🤦♂️ ANOTHER WTF MOMENT!! 😂
