Beat Spotted in Newport, anyone on here?

[djdan210]

Hi everyone. Just joined your group although i don't actually own a Honda Beat. I have a suzuki Cappuccino and while out driving spotted a beat in newport. Was a bit gutted cause i though i was the only kei convertible owner here, lol. So anyone on here?

[professor]

Hi it's mine if it was the red one, but the silver one is a cardiff lad's, or so i've been told.
Is your cappuccino red?

[djdan210]

Yeah it was a red honda beat, seen it twice now. Once going past the train station when i was walking and another time it passed me when i was in my cappo waiting to turn at a junction. My cappo is red, its off the road at the moment having the head refurbished and the exhaust manifold replaced which blew up, lol

[professor]

I think i see you waiting to turn right behind the lesiure center just after the new foot bridge? I remember looking coz from a distance your car looked like a beat! how did you blow you manifold? Despite flying the welsh flag mine is off the road for a few day's haveing the radiator fixed. So when are you going to get a beat?

[djdan210]

Yeah thats where i spotted you, thought it was another cappo when you passed me. Was tempted to take chase, lol.

As for my manifold its bit of a long story. After watching an episode of top gear where clarkson was test driving the AMG Black on some pretty fun looking mountain roads in south wales near swansea. I managed to find out where it was so went for a drive there armed with my camera to get some good photos and put my cappo's handling to the test.

Here are a few of the pics, the best being my signature panoramic pic at the bottom.

On the way home i was pulling away from a junction going onto the motorway and the exhaust note dramatically changed into a loud unsilenied poping coming from under the bonnet. I decided to risk it and try and get home on the motorway so i could find the cause of the problem. The car sounded like a tank and could only just get of 50mph. My boost controler was showing i was getting only enough boost to counter act against the vacuum of the engine but not give positive pressure. I suspected it was a problem with my exhaust manifold and on getting home and getting to the manifold i found this.

After finding it hard to get the manifold so it could be replaced i decided the best route would be to take the head off. After removing the head i encountered another problem with my poor cappo.

A dreaded burnt exhaust valve!

While the head was off and it needed to be repaired i though it best give it clean

And also looking up at he different colour build up in the exhaust port where the burnt valve was located it apears escaping fuel/air had been combusting outside the cylinder. Im guessing this may have caused more stress on the manifold.

After a clean up!

better view of the burnt valve

Iv ordered all the parts from Japan and hopefully getting it back on the road by next weekend. Looking forward to driving it when it has full compression and no cracked manifold, hopefully it should go alot better.

I think ill stick to the Cappo to be honest. The beat is a pretty cool car and hats off to the guys at honda for squeezing 64bhp out of a naturally aspirated engine back then. To be honest though im rather fond of my alluminum roof and tiny turbo

[professor]

Looks nasty!!! Well untill you cleaned it up, looks like you realy know your stuff, fair play.
I've never really looked at Cappo's before, it look real nice in your pic's, and i was suprised it's a 3 cylinder. From you pic's it looks like your lucky you dident blow your engine lol. Also ask your contact in Japan to mark your goods as a gift or sample parts or you'll get charged vat when your parts come in. I resently got stiffed for £130 getting some parts from Japan when i snapped my cam belt arrrre. Nice pic's, i've lived hear all my life and i carn't say ive even see that part of wales.

[djdan210]

Yeah after a bit of work got it all cleaned up, thats the benefit of having a cylinder head that fits in the sink, lol. Was pretty lucky i didn't do any more damage to it to be honest. At least i found out about the burnt valve, if that got left too long it may have eventually dropped and made a mess of the piston heads.

Ouch that must have been an expensive job, what was the damage like? Have seen a few pics of the engine bay on a beat and look a pain in the ass to work on.

Thanks for the advice but getting the parts through a UK based company. There sorting all the shipping to the uk out. Found out the parts are in the UK and on the way now so should hopefully have her back together over the weekend.

[professor]

Ive blow a few engine's over the years, im suprised your's dident go!!!
All i did was bend the vales luckely, the tapets are ajustable so they were fine and luckely the valve guides were fine too, but i put a water pump, tensioner, idler, all the belts ac fan cam and a full set of gasgets and seals. You've got to drop the engine to do most things on it, its a pain but worth it. The beat comes with to inspection panels one under the roof and one in the boot.
Good luck putting your capo back together. Is the engine in the front?

[djdan210]

Well this is my first car so hopefully i dont wanna kill this one, although i was pretty close to it by the looks of it. Sounds like a big job

Cheers, still waiting on the bits but hopefully they should be here this week and have her back together by the weekend.

Yeah the cappo is front engine with rear wheel drive, means most work can be done without to much bother

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...57294_2479.jpg

Pic of my engine bay