The Z26 you all wanted to see

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Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

Over my Easter break, I did the LIMG again, fixing the leak. I probably used 3/4 the tube of RTV to make sure it doesnt leak again, and after cleaning it off with brake clean, and driving, there is ZERO oil leaking from there!!! The only oil now is from the frame, which I don't care about. I also seem to be leaking a little coolant, but that's a problem for another time!

Also, the first time I did not spill any coolant when I took the LIMG off and was confused at what you all meant, but this time, I made a mess and ended up using a vacuum and a straw to suck a lot of coolants out, then I changed my oil as I didn't want to, but 30 dollars for Valvoline full synthetic and a filter is a small price to pay VS more engine damage

Update: I also am leaking coolant. So need to figure that out too :x


Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

Ok. So I went to get the headlights and header panel out of a camaro today, and also grabbed the spoiler light, and from what I can see, it is the same size, which means my search is finally over. Will get back once I install but as of now,

Turns out the light is too big. Ugh back to square 1


Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

Did my tranny fluid today. Car seems to be shifting better than ever!

Made an absolute mess of it like always, but it's done now. Brake fluid is next on the list. But will probably do my calipers when I do. That wont be for a long time though.

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Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

Also found that there is more rust on the passenger side, same location as driver side, and probably worse. This car isnt going to last much longer frame wise. A shame as its perfect everywhere else. I need it to last a few more years until I can get another one with a clean frame and make one perfect retta out of 2


Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

Got a cutlass supreme shift handle at the junkyard thr other day. Also got a z24 strut bar. I dont have pics of the bar, but it looks good. The handle tho. That is by far my favorite mod to this car. It looks amazing!Image

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Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

The end of a legend. My engine is toasted. Started with rod knock, then clunkiing and knock, then it was just seized. And this all happened over 3 days, and it wasnt being driven once it started misfiring. I believe a bad injector is to blame, but I dont know if other stuff was going on and this is just a sad coincidence. So time to 3400 swap it!


heavywoody
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by heavywoody »

Wow... that took a turn for the worse quick.

At least this way, you can do a reseal/rebuild on the motor and ensure that everything is new or rebuilt and should, in theory, be trusted.


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95 Z26 Turbo 3400 5spd - R&D Project
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Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

heavywoody wrote:Wow... that took a turn for the worse quick.

At least this way, you can do a reseal/rebuild on the motor and ensure that everything is new or rebuilt and should, in theory, be trusted.
Really did. But thats the plan! I'm going to redo the timing chain/sprockets, head gaskets, intake gaskets, every other engine gasket, water pump, thermostat, plugs, wires, everything else thats easy. I figured it is out, should just do it while I can. I will do an autopsy of my engine then to figure out what actually happened. So this will be fun! I hope to try and get it done in a month so I can have my car back. And hopefully, this will finally improve my MPG lol.


Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

3400 swap is underway! Took engine out last night. Man it is dirtyyy in there. I definitely plan to pressure wash it out!


Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

Got the new engine on saturday. Took is apart down to the block. Pistons and shafts are still in, but oil pan, tiing cover and heads up are all off. Engine seems to be in very good shape, much much less sludge in the pan vs my beretta. I will post pictures later of it.

The only concern is there is a tiny bit of side to side motion in the piston bearings. When I wiggle the endcaps, there is a little bit of movement, maybe a millimeter or less. I think this is ok, but just want to make sure. There is no up and down movement tho.


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Rettax3
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Rettax3 »

Minor lateral play is normal on the piston rods -they actually need a little room to move or they would grind at the sibling rod. Check specifications on the engine and use a feeler-gauge to make sure it isn't excessive.


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
Cam2363
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Re: RE: Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

Rettax3 wrote:Minor lateral play is normal on the piston rods -they actually need a little room to move or they would grind at the sibling rod. Check specifications on the engine and use a feeler-gauge to make sure it isn't excessive.
Ok. That's what I thought. I put a piston on my old crankshaft and it has a little bit of play too. So I assumed it was ok. Just wanted to double check


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Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

You can see the progress. My engine is all covered to keep it warm while it's being worked on[emoji23]. You can also see the difference in the sludge. The one with the cardboard on it is from my beretta. ImageImageImageImageImage

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Rettax3
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Rettax3 »

It is nice when you unbutton the new engine and find it clean inside -just about anyone can pressure-wash a used engine to make it look decent for a sale, but inside is a different story. I was so happy to find a zero-sludge engine when I dropped the pan on my "new" '95 Z-26's 3.4 LQ1. Granted, with around 60k miles, it should have been clean inside, but you still never know until you are in there, and the engine is the same age as the car (coincidentally).


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
Cam2363
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Re: The Z26 you all wanted to see

Post by Cam2363 »

Yeah. According to the site, it had 73k on it, which is low. I plan to clean all the carbon off the pistons to make them look good as new!

I was also thinking about cleaning the gunk out of the coolant jackets, how would you recommend I do this? I was thinking of just moving it outside and running hose water through the passages to clean them out, but Im worried about it getting water where there shouldn't be.


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