help with rb20

[home13oy75]

I just swapped another stock RB20det turbo into my S13 w/ a RB20DET swap. Started up the car and had some idling issues - I also swapped in a nismo FPR. I wasn't plaing attention to the water temp and the temps hit 110 C at idle. I haven't driven the car yet since the turbo swap. I noticed a tea kettle sound coming behind the engine block by the firewall and saw a small round hole on the coolant hardline behind the block which connects to the intake manifold.

Do you think I could have blown the head gasket? I haven't restarted the car yet. Is the hole on the coolant hardline caused by the pressure or is it a factory bleed hole? I just can't imagine a perfect small hole being formed from the pressure - I'm sure the rubber hose connected to the hardline would have blown off first. I started filling the radiator up with antifreeze and coolant is flowing out of the hole. I'm so confused now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Joe]

First, Welcome to Nico

now onto the problem. that hole is not supposed to be there.

you had a tea kettle sound because you had air in your lines and it was all purging out when you heated everything up. now coolant is flowing out because the air is out of the system. you need to replace the hardline before you go worrying about the headgasket. the odds you blew the headgasket are SLIM but they ARE there.

its possible you damaged the hardline when you installed the engine OR it was already damaged when you put it in.

good luck! hope that helps.

[home13oy75]

The engine ran fine prior to the turbo swap. I just couldn't believe that a hole -about 4-5 times the size of a pin hole could have formed from justing pressurized air. I would have thought that the rubber connector would have popped off first. Thanks for the help! I think I'm going to try to cover uo the hole with the connected rubber connector - by advancing the connector forward and see if it takes care of the problem.

Thanks again!

[Joe]

hey sh*t happens haha. probably just a coincidence

i battled a LONG TERM problem with putting holes in rubber hoses while i was on track for about a year. every event i would seperate a different hose, or get a pinhole leak somewhere. its been good for almost a year now thankfully.

its a bi*ch

[themadscientist]

Japanese people are real religious about maintaining their cooling systems. At least from the cars I have dealt with over here in the past. Rust holes in hard lines and crunchy hoses are the norm.