Some minor issues (end result = head gasket)

[DTMAce]

Yeah #1 was nice and steam cleaned in the cylinder... The compression ring was cracked and the head gasket was eaten away by coolant... also every one of the intake bolts was finger tight pretty much... Last person to do that job really f-ed it up so I'm sure it was leaking coolant in through those ports once it got pressure, if it ever got coolant pressure.

We started around 9:45-10 had it all apart by noon and had the whole thing back together by 4:30... We didn't have an empty drain pan to do the oil change and with me having a 3hr rid home we opted to quit then... so I never got to hear it run.... LOL I hope we got it all back together right! HAHA only kidding!

Honestly I do not know how anyone can mix up the pushrods... They don't even extend passed the pushrod guide if you install the short one on the exhaust!

Only casulty was the dipstick, broke the damn T-handle off when trying to get the fan back in.

Edit*
Ace, I'm not so sure this car is really safe to drive that distance... We did this to get them moving again but in the end the car will still need to be replaced soon after this winter unfortunately.

With a leak that bad (from the sound of it) sounds like terminal failure waiting to happen. Ugh.

Ah well.

[irelynx]

Lol, yea I didn't plan to drive it to the next bfest regardless. We would just rent a car if we don't have one able to go that distance. I can always record the first startup & upload it to youtube for the masses, lol.

[DTMAce]

You know, I have this 94 Z I could unload... LOL

[berettaboi]

well, really good to see a good knowledgeable bnet veterans helping out some people (on a personal, and actually mechanical level) when really needed. good job mr. pink!

[irelynx]

First startup after the repairs went well. It started right up, ran a little rough for a few secs, and then smoothed right out. Oil looked like mud when it drained out. I'll drive it a short bit before we swap out the oil again (for a half/half mix to idle in the driveway), and then yet again for a final time.

The car feels so much smoother while idling/reving.

Edit: Went out and bought more coolant. I'll toss it in in the morning, let it idle out any air, and then we'll take it to the store to grab fluids and stuff for the multiple change-outs.

[irelynx]

Edit: False alarm. It was just a bunch of air & the level sensor being fickle. We ran it again, and as soon as the radiator fan kicked in (3/4) and the temp dropped down to 1/4, I had heat. I was going to let it run until the fan kicked on again, but it leveled out around half and probably wouldn't hit 3/4 again without an air bubble or actually driving. I'm still not really comfortable with oil reading 20psi (when all these years it read 40), but if people say that's normal, then I guess I'll have to get used to it. I'll go out again later, check the coolant level again, and probably drive it to the store to get oil (and filters for both changes I assume).


I'm about to start assuming something else is wrong. -_-

I bought more coolant, filled it up to full cold (took maybe a quart), and figured I'd let it run to workout any air & add more if it needed it (because I expected to need to add more than a qt). I let it run until it got up to the halfway mark for temp, which took maybe 10min, heater fan full blast. It was still blowing out cold air. Then the low coolant light came on so I decided to turn it off & I'll go back out later to add more. Either way, it seems like it should have been blowing warm by that point, unless there was a massive air pocket at the heater core that wasn't going to budge until the t-stat opens...? Do I assume it's cold from air pockets since it still needs more coolant... or do I have to start assuming there's a blockage?

[DTMAce]

You may also need to open the bleeder while it runs (right on top of the water pump) to let air out of the system. That will prevent the heater core from getting any heat too if I recall. I had to bleed mine like 4 times, after replacing the rad. I know the system holds approx 2 gallons of coolant.

[irelynx]

I worked out a small remaining amount of air when I drove it to the store. It seemed fine overall. Temp was steady, heat worked, no jumpy temp needle. Bought the mystery oil along with cheap oil/filter for the oil change. And also bought my usual oil/filter for the final oil change. Hopefully this gets any remaining sludge out.

Edit: Warmed it up, drained the oil (still somewhat hazy) for an hour or so, and filled it up with about half/half of Marvel & oil. We let it run for about 15min like that (until it warmed up) before draining it out and putting in the normal filter & oil. It drives really nice now.