ClarkKent

I've been a complete jerk to my girl and I want to
make up for being a lazy ****.
I've gotten great Info from this forum.
(saved me more than once.)

Thanks everyone for all the information!

2k4CamkilA

...flowers and a lil muff diving

ClarkKent

how about I just massage her tires?

joewitafro

Completely lost on what you're trying to ask here... And I don't think its me being drunk this fine thanksgiving

ClarkKent

Replaced:
Water Pump
Thermostat
Coolant Temperature Sensor
Heater Control Valve
Radiator Cap

It will run a little warm and then get off the highway and bam! Shoots straight up. I've pressure tested the system to 17 lbs. The tube on the top of the water pump started leaking at 18 and I resealed that up with some metric O-rings.
I know it could be the dreaded Head Gasket but there has never been any oil on the dipstick or under the fill cap.
Today I'm going to check if my new thermostat is stuck open, reseal that inlet tube and see what happens.

If it turns out to be the head gasket I need some help on how to make it happen with a daily driver. I figured I would buy an old head off someone and have the machine shop here in town work it over. Then I could just take a few days off and stick a new head on it.

joewitafro

Is it pushing water out of your overflow? Do you see bubbling in your radiator..?

A head gasket can fail and still not allow oil into the coolant system but also not be able to hold pressure because of **** being forced through on a cylinder. You can get this tested by going to an automotive store and having them test your coolant.

Did your replace the coolant temp sensor on the front, underside of the intake manifold?

ClarkKent

Not sure I want to go diving into her muff just yet, hence the tire massage

ClarkKent

Yeah it pushes water into the reservoir with some high pressure. Through all of this I haven't had the car completely cold to check see if the bubbling is happening at idle. (Head Gasket Check) I'll do that next also.

I did replace the coolant temp sensor under the intake manifold.

joewitafro

call around and see if you can have a block check done. this is testing the coolant to see how much air is in it. it sounds to me like your head gasket is shot though, and any overheating can potentially warp your head.

ClarkKent

I decided to go ahead and see about the head gasket.

Here is the block:



Here is the Head which I inadvertently lost the caps off of the valves when it slipped and turned over.



Therefor I had no idea which went where. I just stuck them all back in no particular order. How bad did I mess up here? Is it a devastating mistake?

Right now I'm getting a hesitation from Idle when I goose it. I was wondering if anyone would know a checklist to follow.

The good news is the car is no longer overheating or leaking fluid.

Titten

How is she idling? What torque specs did u use on the e head bolts? What head gasket did u use? How much vaccum she running warm?

ClarkKent

Running pretty good. It goes through a 'spell' every now and then. It will just start bucking and sputtering.

I torqued the head bolts per spec. 26 lbf and then painted the heads. 90 turn -> 90 turn.

FelPro Gasket Set and New FelPro Head Bolts

Idles fine except for the unexpected 'spells'. It seemed to be hesitating so I advanced the timing a degree or two and that seemed to stop the hesitation.

What is the best way to check the vacuum? I can get a vacuum test kit if needed.

Thanks for the reply!

Salcedo90

Fakk I'm running hot in seems lake the same symptoms u had heeee gota check the gasket b4i warp my ishhhh

ClarkKent

I figured out the problem.

1. Exhaust leak. I needed 2 1/2 more turns on the rear manifold to get it tight.
2. Idle Air Control Valve Connector was loose. Pushed it back in and she is now purring...=]

Special thanks to Joe who helped me through the head gasket change.

I now have to continue to make up for lost time with her...

I have the upper ball joints ready to install. Not many write-ups on that. I'll just go by the manual.

Cheers!

ClarkKent

It has gotten really cold here. This morning when I started the car the oil light came on and wouldn't go off.

I turned the car off and restarted a couple times and the light finally went off.

Has anyone heard of the oil light coming on in cold weather? I recently replaced the switch due to a leak.

Thanks