Changing my head gasket, me asking for your help while doing this

J

jonahs_supra

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May 17, 2011
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take #1 spark plug out...gently place a long screw driver into hole(gently) and make sure its straight...to prevent screw driver from binding up on piston and creating damage
then rotate crank til number 1 is all the way up...if your not on compression stroke then notches on cam gears will be pointing down
watch screw driver very close. once your close to TDC. while rotating slowly the screwdriver doesnt move for a slow turn then stop...your at TDC
or what i always do. watch screw driver and once it begins to go back down then i reverse the crank and little bit to where TDC is
once you have it on correct stroke and piston up then check your markings
over the years the dampner(crank pulley) dry rots and the rubber becomes weak
its possible for the pulley grooves to rotate
 
Cyrus

Cyrus

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Apr 21, 2008
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hate to say it, but this has already all been covered. go back and read your own thread. i know it is 43 pages, but tough shit; you done it to yourself! ;)

you need a timing light. no 2 ways around it. other than that, you can double check 1) your timing belt install and 2) your cps install.

also, any kind of "guessing" is dumb when tuning a car. good luck!
 
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D

Doat

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Feb 6, 2012
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My suspicion was spot on, I re adjusted the timing belt and started the car then adjusted the CPS and the car ran smoothly and did not stall. After that I took it to my friend's shop and timed it at 10 degrees now she runs beautifully. I saved myself a trip back home to adjust the belt lol.

I will post up exterior shots after I give the car a good washing and vacuum later today.
 
D

Doat

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Feb 6, 2012
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Well I didn't get to washing the car today but everything is working fine except for the A/C lol
Here are a couple of shots I took after putting the engine and timing covers back on.
7777731858_a7440fe563_h.jpg

7777732700_cbbebf79b3_h.jpg
 
D

Doat

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Feb 6, 2012
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I fixed it hahahaha I did not notice that.

I ended up driving like 80 miles today across Houston I was going to a car meet with some friends and when we got to the meeting point almost everyone there stared at me as I pulled into the parking lot then parked next to my friend in the middle of the group of people and my car got swarmed. Everyone was looking inside and outside saying badass MK3, very clean man, that is awesome, etc. I practically stole the show at the meeting point lol. Also when I was vacuuming the interior earlier today some old guy who was in the middle of washing his car came up to me and told me how he used to have the same MK3 but N/A and he bought it brand new for $28k and I told him this one cost $30k new and showed him the copy of the car ad I have in the glove box from the previous owner lol.

Also in those ~80 miles the car did not miss a beat nothing went wrong the radiator coolant light flashed throughout the night but I still need to finish burping it. The temp gauge held steady just below halfway, turbo still spools quickly and pulls hard, the marlin crawler shifter bushing is AMAZING I just love shifting lol. I feel like I have never driven this car it's been so long, on the way home I was on the highway cruising and since the AC doesn't work I had the windows down so I wanted to see how quiet it would be with the windows up and it's so quiet you can have a conversation at normal speaking volume. This still car surprises me every time I drive it and I drove it for long periods and my back does not hurt at all and I am not even tired after tonight, so comfortable.

Thank you guys again for all of your help and advice y'all really helped me get to this point of thoroughly enjoying the car and loving it even more. You guys are the best.
 
D

Doat

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Feb 6, 2012
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I have a question in regards to my oil leak. I am 98% sure it's from my oil dipstick because when i remove the bolt that holds it to the turbo I can push it in further and I can feel it seat but if I leave it there I can't bolt it to the turbo because the bracket is too low, so I am thinking since I replaced the O ring with an OEM O ring and it still dribbles a little bit of oil. Can I extend the bracket so i can keep the dip stick in place or would that be a bad idea? The reason why I am pretty sure it's the dipstick is because if it was oil filter or turbo oil drain then it would be leaking massively instead of a tiny dribble because those two are pressurized also the splash pattern from what I can see leads me to thinking it's the dipstick as well. So basically I am asking is would it be a good idea to make an extension for the bracket or find another way to stop my leak?
 
Cyrus

Cyrus

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Apr 21, 2008
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can you bend or slide the mounting tab on the dipstick tube into the appropriate spot to get it to mount correctly? or maybe you have the mounting plate upside down on the turbo?
 
D

Doat

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Feb 6, 2012
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Houston, TX
Cyrus;1867130 said:
can you bend or slide the mounting tab on the dipstick tube into the appropriate spot to get it to mount correctly? or maybe you have the mounting plate upside down on the turbo?
Click to expand...
There is no mounting plate on the turbo it's just a screw hole in the turbo housing, I can't move the mounting plate on the dipstick because it's welded.
 
D

Doat

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Feb 6, 2012
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Houston, TX
Any ideas on how I can fix this dipstick issue? I am leaning toward grinding the bracket on the dipstick so I can push it into the block for it to seat and bolt it to the turbo but I want to have that as a last resort because obviously something is not quite right since I did not have this issue before.
 
J

jonahs_supra

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May 17, 2011
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Lancaster, Ohio, United States
seeing as the metal doesnt shrink or extend under its own power
i would have to say crawl under there and get a bird eye view of the alignment

im just confused on your problem
dipstick tube slide into block, then bolts to side of turbo

not trying to be a dick but you should try and fix it on your own
i mean its only a metal tube :)
 
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