Quad 4 Rods

R&C Lee,

Thanks for the info, I know why I missed it now. That was the issue with Ala Kart in it. I bought the frame and suspension from the guy in AZ that was going to rebuild the Kart and the SOB had it covered in his garage and would not let me see it. When I mentioned something about it, he just closed the door and said let's go out back and get the rest of the parts. I have and never will forgive him.

 

http://www.babcox.com/editorial/ar/ar49935.htm

 

tjm- You beat me to it!

stan55- this is the info I was going to send you. It's a great explanation of the evolution of the Quad4 and info on what to look for, depending upon your taste/needs.

In general, you want to look for a '96 or later 2.4l- they don't leak like the 2.3l engines do, and you can use a 2.3l HO head on a 2.4l block with a little work.

 

Yes, I found that site and now I am not sure, if that is the way I want to go. I want to do some more research and cost analysis.

 

I ordered one of their bell housing adapters 2 years ago to put a quad four in my Fiat Sedan Delivery. I was promised 3 week delivery, and finally received it 3 months later.

 

Rich, was it Quad4rods or Mantapart? I had heard that Manta was a real mess.

 

as much as i wish i could like quad 4's i just can't, they all seem to develop a rod knock as some point in their life. The Ecotec is sooo much nicer, such a better design id love to do an Ecotec rod.

 

HMMM. first time i've heard that one. how many miles does it typicaly take for that to happen?? anyone else had that problem or hear of it??

 

Quad4rods....for sure!

 

Two of my buddies with the 2.3L Quad one at like 160000KMS and the other at a little under 200000kms both developed a rod knock. On the J-body forums it appears to be quite common.

 

what is a "KMS"???

 

Alot of the "rod knock" in these cars is the BS counter balance shaft in them. Not a rod.

thats the only thing about them i didnt like.

 

Since he's in Canada, I'm assuming it means kilometers, so 160K km = 99419 miles and 200K km = 124274 miles

 

Indeed!



And it definitely wasnt the balance shafts

 

i was just being a smartass guys.

 

Yeah, but I wanted to know how many miles that was!

 

Try R & C Dec 08, John

 

I have one with about 250000 miles and have never had the engine open...no knocks, no head gaskets, nothing...the deepest I've been in it was a water pump

 

Another source is Mantapart. Just Google them.

 

Last I heard, Mantapart was not the most reputable company to deal with.

 

Manapart is a real crapshoot these days, folks. Go with Quad4Rods.

 

Thanks for the heads-up. I just knew they had parts for the Quad4...never worked with them.

 

Sorry to bring this thread down a bit....but, I had a girlfriend who had a 1994 (bought in 1996) Old Achieva with a Quad 4. Very peppy engine. It would roast the front tires. Unfortunaltely, the earlier Quad 4 engines used a certain type of head gasket (can't remember-think it was cork). Well, this gasket was recalled, and we didn't get the word (shady car dealer). ANYWHO, the gasket went out, and it cost me DEARLY! $400 for parts, $900 labor at the dealership (1996 rates). For a head gasket. I think the car had 60,000 miles on it. If you're gonna mess with one, I would definately do some research in that category.

They are very cool engines. And I had no idea people were still messing with them.

 

The Quad4 went through a series of modifications during it's lifetime. The '96 and later versions (2.4l) are the better engines in regard to quality.

There are articles on the net for mating the earlier head (there's a couple that are higher performance) with the later engine.

Brett- go with Quad4rods! The owner is very helpful and down to earth. I have NEVER heard a complaint about his business/product.

 

"And I had no idea people were still messing with them...."

Yeah, kind of like flatheads, bangers and buggy front ends right?

Check out http://www.quad4forums.com/forums/forums.php?

This forum covers the Quad4 and some Ecotec stuff.

There are only 4791 subscribers to quad4forums currently.

FWIW, any rebuild of the quad should include a top quality gasket set, ARP rod bolt kit, main stud and head stud kits that are available from Summit Racing and other fine suppliers, all three are currently available on ebay too. Search ebay for "ARP quad4"
The ARP numbers are:
rod bolts kit 181-6001
head studs kit 281-4301
main brg stud kit 281-5401

Oldsmobile sponsored an SCCA sports racer series in the early 90's. All cars were powered by the Q4. Many of these cars are still running in the SCCA regionally.

See pics here
http://www.teamlorenz.com/swift_race_car.htm
of an American made 16 valve DOHC 4 cyl motor in an American made Swift road racing chassis.

And the Q4 motors are still being used in dirt/asphalt midget cars at some oval tracks: www.dadanddaughtersracing.com

Who says the days of American motorsports inspired by the Offenhauser motors of days gone by are long gone?

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