| Re: Rebuild Time - First Startup Vid on Page 167!!! - The Speedfoos' Turbo Thread!! Well as Steve mentioned, something very bad and almost terminal happened on the way to the inspection today. I was just going through the village to get to the highway, puttering along at about 25mph when all of sudden the engine started making a really odd, awful sounding noise. I didn't like it so I pulled over immediately and cut the engine. Then called Mindy for a tow back home (only 1.5 miles away).
Got home and tried to start it. Nothing. Sounded really bad too.
My first thought was I dropped a valve. Pulled the VC off and everything looked OK.
Next thought was I spun a bearing. But my oil pressure was good the whole time. So I dropped the oil pan (with the oil still in it), pulled the baffle out and pawed through the oil. Nothing there but some fine shavings from the rings as they seat themselves. I looked at the rotating assembly and everything looked fine.
***The whole time I'm up in AIM with Steve giving him updates and bouncing ideas back and forth - this really helped and can't say thanks enough. But I had to degrease my laptop!***
Anyway, so I go back up to and rotate the crank a little. Sounds weird, raspy popping. I look at the cam while I rotate the crank. Yeah. It's not moving. WTF over?
I pull the crank pulley off, thinking maybe a lost coil pack nut got wedged in the timing assembly, gumming things up. Nope not there, but what I did see was the my timing belt tensioner is like hanging off. WTF would have caused that? I have no idea. I remember tightening it down, but I might not have. I don't remember exactly, I've been wrenching a lot lately.
Had two options at this point.
1. Pour gas on the car, light it on fire, and walk away.
2. See what can be done.
I was close to TDC anyway, so I set things back on TDC, smeared some JB Weld on the tensioner bolt and ran it back into the block. I set the timing and then went and checked all the valve lash. It was all fine and within spec still and the crank moved without any problems.
Hmm......I might be OK. Then I put enough stuff back on to allow the car to run. I figured if I bent some valves, I can't really hurt it anymore than it already is. Pulling the head off and taking it to a machine shop is not economically feasible in this country. I would be better just buying someone's used head and shipping it over here.
Anyway, started her up and ran fine considering there were no O2 sensors hooked up at all and was just running the downpipe for exhaust.
Holy sheepshit Batman. That was a close call today!! |