POS starter, bad sounds

[SpeedingFirebird]

You'll never learn unless you do it. Take pics and notes so you can find your way back. For big jobs, I put nuts/bolts in bins with labels so I don't get stuff confused.

Consult your service manuals/chiltons/Haynes before starting. Familiarize yourself with the territory first. Take your time and ask questions.

Lastly, change your location in your profile so we can see where you are from. You might get some locals (as already offered) to stop in and drink beer..I mean help.

Good luck.

[BobbyZ72]

Torque specs?? whats that,, every thing on my car is done by feel. Ok, ive finished my upper and lower gaskets today, took about 8 total hours. Make sure when you take every thing off to clean it really good, i even took a wire brush and brushed the out side surfaces. Now when i pop the hood looks like i have a brand new engine. Now is also the time to clean the fuel injectors...look at my pics. I have also learned that fuel injector cleaners dont work, and ill never buy another, mine were a mess!

[slow6]

how am i supposed to clean the fuel injectors on the inside, without running cleaner through them? lol

I've asked a few people about my coolant in oil prob, a few have said its the intake gaskets, a few say no, its not, it is the head gaskets.
I dont think its possible for me to visually tell if its a gasket prob.

Do you think I should spend $175 on the Oreilly Head Gasket SET? and redo the head gaskets?

I've ACTUALLY got a Haynes!! for my year! and I love it!

[slow6]

Originally posted by BobbyZ72:
Torque specs?? whats that,, every thing on my car is done by feel.

I've broken sooooo many things that way, like: 2 thermostat housings, starter power bolt, etc...
Guess I dont know my own strength. ;)
My Torque Wrench IS CRAP, absolute CRAP

[BobbyZ72]

You are going to clean your fuel injectors with a strong cleaner,, i used carb cleaner spray and a old cotton t shirt. Your going to have to pull them all out to remove the intake..lol..thats why i said you now can clean them. If you look at my pics you can tell i removed all of them. Also when you tighen down just dont get carryed away, just snug will do it. As for the head gasket, i honisty have no idea. Now would be the time to do it. I have never seen, replaced, or know anyone with a bad head gasket, so i cant say anything about it.

[CDNFB]

Follow the procedure in your manual. Read it over a couple of times before starting to get familiar with it.

Use a torque wrench, a GOOD torque wrench, especially for the head bolts. If you dont, you will have to redo the head gaskets for sure!

You can't always pinpoint where the head gasket is actually leaking. When you have everything apart and before cleaning, examine the block and heads where the head gasket contacts, and the head gasket itself. Look for for dark or stained paths (from the combustion gases)in the area from the edge of the cylinder to the water jacket. If you see this that is where your leak is.

DZ

[slow6]

in the book it says to use NEW head bolts

[BobbyZ72]

OMG MY CAR RUNS SWEET WITH CLEAN INJECTORS!!! [img]graemlins/rock.gif[/img]

[slow6]

if i take off the cylinder heads, do I need new exhaust manifold gaskets?

my oil is so gunked up, but it still looks light chocolate milky.

[slow6]

maybe its just an oil additive instead of coolant?

[slow6]

do you need anything special for removing fuel injectors? or can I just remove the lower intake manifold?

do you need like a valve spring compressor to remove the valves? or any other tool?

[slow6]

So if I get a compression tester (0-300psi, 0-2100kpa) it can detect:
bad H/G
worn rings
burnt valves
sticking valves
carbon build-up in cylinder

do you need anything to remove fuel injectors?

[BobbyZ72]

only a screw driver to pop the clips off the injectors, then they just pull off.

[CDNFB]

Oil additive? I don’t think that an oil additive would do that to your oil. If it did, I sure wouldn’t use it!

Whenever I take anything apart, I always use new gaskets when re-assembling. I hate it when after everything is back together, I get a leak!

If the manual says use new bolts, then use new bolts. What is the listed torque of the head gasket bolts in your manual? I haven’t got my manuals yet so I don’t know if the head bolts are Torqued using a torque wrench or by using an angle gauge. Usually when bolts are torqued using an angle gauge they need to be replaced because this type of tightening more accurately utilizes the yield characteristics (stretch) of the bolt and once a bolt has been stretched, it doesn’t stretch the same the next time. The last 3.8 head gasket that I did (86 olds 98) the bolts didn’t need to be replaced and they were torqued.

Using a compression test gauge will not tell you if your head gasket is leaking, except in a very extreme case. It will tell you the pressure developed in the cylinder. If low it can be a sign of worn rings or valve. To determine leaking or sticking valves use a vacuum gauge. The way the needle of the vacuum gauge moves while the engine is at idle can tell you many different things about valves. Again, your manual should have a detailed description and figures explaining this. Look in the general chapters at the front of the book.

The best method (I think) to determine the condition of the cylinder/combustion chamber/valves is the cylinder leak down test. You need a special tool to do this test, but essentially you pressurize the cylinder with compressed air, then compare the air pressure on the gauge of the source with the air pressure on the gauge for the cylinder The difference between the 2 gauges shouldn’t be more than 20-30 psi (The GM Manual should have the exact pressures to use for source and cylinder, at least my 72’ service manual does) With the pressure applied you can isolate where the leak is. For example, if you hear air hissing in the intake manifold, it’s an intake valve. If it’s a head gasket you will hear gurgling and see air coming out of the reservoir. (How do you do that? Put a balloon over the reservoir filler neck and watch it fill up!)

[slow6]

head bolts are 41ft/lbs in the recommended sequence. Then twist another 90* in the recommended sequence.