mini spares +0.040 mega piston failure!!!!
Turbo Mini Forums

i've damaged mega pistons, cast omega's and forged omega's

if you give them the abuse they will break. what is abuse? too much boost, too small an intercooler etc etc etc

took some photos of damage , orderded some accralites , cant wait to get back on the road

Show us thew pics then!

Just for the record Æ have NEVER received a MEGA piston whose damage was material or production related. They are always destroyed because of fuelling/ignition. Send them to Minispares North to have them checked. If you don't you sort of admit that it's your own fault.

although on the photos the piston top look really black there not i will get a photo of the top

Here we go again... and once again - can you PLEASE return the pistons to MSC so they can have them inspected. The only way they are ever going to find out if there is a problem - and so perhaps curtail anybody else having issues with pistons bought in that period is if they can identify the problem. I posted this same request months agop after a similar thread was posted. result - no pistons turned up. So - ALL those out there with failed MSC Mega pistons - return them and the problem can be identified. Or else - like somebody else has already posted, there are those that wil lassume they were not returned because of a guilt complex. Do EVERYBODY running Mega pistons in turbo motors a favour and get those damaged pistons back to MSC.

KC

Well said

im going to take them back up maybe this sat morning

Possibly. If he doesn't send his pistons back, we'll never know.

OK On the piston returns Kieth

I asked Minispares about this last year and they did not seem interested..

However I still have most of them so as you say they should be returned. Does anyone have a name to return them to?? someone that will actually follow through? maybe I should return them directly to AE?

Terry

website:- http://www.terryhunt.co.uk

The fact that these others have since succesfully used accralites (a very expensive premium forged piston) is suggesting there MIGHT be an issue....

That for me though, is insufficient as the accralites are a deeper dish are they not - hence will have a lower CR from the outset. All I know is that unless someone who knows piston failures does a metalurgical inspection, we'll never REALLY know.

These need to be sent back to minispares / AE for review. Sure, maye one piston might get put aside and forgotten about, but imagine you are the quality control guy at AE - and a box of 7, 8, maybe 10 pistons turn up all with missing ring lands. These will get the attention of AE - but only if you three guys ALL send your failied items back.


I'm sure a credit against future purchases can be offered to help cover postage costs? (especially as Tel is in the USA for example)... Maybe?

Edited by TurboDave16V on 5th Aug, 2008.

Am sure we can sort something out, please can you send them to Neil at north, thanks

be interesting to see what mine look like when i strip the lump

will anybody who has had problems with the mega 22357-40 pistons please ring Neil Booth on (01423) 881800 and speak to him about it, if he is not in please leave your number and he will get back to you.

also, please send the faulty pistons back to mini spares north (att rich) with a letter explaining the problems and a copy invoice, we can then send them back to ae technical to get them inspected and have a proper technical report done on them.

we have only ever had one set of 22357-40 sent back here with broken ring lands, they where inspected by ae and the report clearly stated that detination was the root cause of the land failiure.

thank you

(edited as cause was detination, not overfueling as originally typed - sorry)

Edited by minisparesnorth on 5th Aug, 2008.

i'd expect that sort of reply and thats why i never bothered sending them back, i just purchased some decent pistons instead.

here is a copy of the report we received back from federal mougal concerning the one and only set of 22357-40 megas that have ever been sent back to us (by a user on this forum)
i cannot upload the pictures.


Mini Spares North
Unit 6
2 Freemans Way
Harrogate Business Park
Wetherby Road
Harrogate
HG3 1DH

FTAO Mr. Neil Booth

28th September 2007
Without Prejudice
Dear Sir

YOUR REF
F M CLAIM No: C-334343-GB
PART No: 2 x 22377@ .040
Reference the above-mentioned pistons returned via Mr. David Taylor with a complaint of land breakage after being fitted to a Mini ‘A’ series turbocharged engine.
Visual examination confirms land breakage between the top and second compression rings on both pistons with one piston also sustaining second to third ring land fracture. The piston with the double land fracture has run with a full fracture, evident by the presence of carbon across the fracture faces, suggesting these sections of the lands had totally detached during operation and had been trapped between the pistons rings. The second piston reveals a clean fracture with heavy indentations present on the second to third ring land, possibly suggesting the section of land had been partially fractured and forced out once removed from the engine. This piston also reveals carbon staining at the rear of the ring groove and erosion of the aluminum on the topside of the groove commonly a cause of excess fuel (see photograph).
These observations along with the angle of fracture, as per photograph, are classic examples of land fractures caused by detonation.
Enclosed is our service bulletin SB2105 which shows examples of how fractures occur.
Please find the pistons attached.


Yours Sincerely




Martin Wardle
Technical Services Warranty Engineer

once again, if anybody has further questions, please ring Neil (01423) 881800

I bet that was a heavy letter with pistons attached...

Drives
-Ford S-max Mk2 Ecoboost
-Rover 100 VVC #2 - track project

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sorry that i didnt explain. when pushing the limits of power, getting the fueling and ignition right become more and more esential. i'm sure with perfect fueling and ignition these can take large amounts of power without problem. but get one thing wrong and they will fail. my thougths are that there are other pistons out there that can take a little mis fueling or wrong ignition some what better

i actually think mini spares sell some of the best quality products available, thats why i tried there pistons.

Edited by Turbo Shed on 5th Aug, 2008.

i think i may still use them, if neil didnt have any problems with over 150hp then im sure i should be ok with them

Drives
-Ford S-max Mk2 Ecoboost
-Rover 100 VVC #2 - track project

Searching is all you need on TurboMinis