Quoterkj Have you been driving the car?, smoking stopped? So, I actually have stuff to report, but was waiting until I had my oxygen sensor replaced so that I could comment on everything. But you asked so nicely, and I'm not busy, so here it goes More good and bad. The Good: Nothing visible out the tail pipe. Seems to run a little rough when cold (like it's missing). And sometby Earendil - Technical Forum
QuoteMichiel 318iS Or is every classic Porsche a Beetle? So now I'm confused by what you're saying Seriously, is the car at 1:33 a Beettle or a Porsche? Because to me it looks like a Beetle... But I'm always open to learning. I only play a car nut on TV. In reality I'm just a US spec E30 M20 after 1989 nut, with no real knowledge outside of thatby Earendil - Community Forum
QuoteMichiel 318iS I never understood why people put music over such movies. The soundtracks of intake and exhaust sound combined with a bit of mechanical rattle is still the best to me. I especially liked the slow motion on the Audi taking off. Tyler: rally Beetle = Porsche? :-p Are you telling me the car at 1:33 is a Porsche?by Earendil - Community Forum
You just made my morning Favorite car: The rally Beetle. Second favorite, the 2002by Earendil - Community Forum
Black + Clear coat Spray Paint: $10 Time spent painting while waiting for other things: 15 minutes Looking at a shiny engine, that can be cleaned with a wet rag: Priceless. And the manifolds are now reattached to the head. Tuesday night. I really wanted to get done with this!! Sorry, there is no video. By the time I started her up it was near dark, and nothiby Earendil - Technical Forum
Thank you everyone who had advice or kind words for me during this very trying experience. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart. A fellow software engineer who has a car mechanic as a brother told me today that he can't stand working on cars. I told him that I didn't much like it either, but I *loved* learning, and would do anything at least once if it meant better understanding tby Earendil - Technical Forum
QuoteJohn Yust That residue doesn't mean anything by itself. It's time to take a couple of deep breaths, or do whatever it is you do to calm down. Quotealanrw Pull the plugs and see what they look like. You might have fouled plugs. QuoteRick Might the exhaust be full of old antifreeze from the pull down? Thanks guys, you're always the slow to judge, quick to wisdom. You alby Earendil - Technical Forum
Now I'm more scared, and a little confused. The biggest headache and pain for me, is not knowing how this is all going to turn out. So I took it for a 2.5 mile drive up and around a hill during lunch. Before starting the car, I checked the dip stick and oil cap for signs of coolant, none found. Checked my coolant level, and made sure it was spot on. Bled the system of air one more time, anby Earendil - Technical Forum
Been doing some reading and thinking... I suppose I could have cracked my head somehow, aye? Maybe I'll do a compression test and see what that reveals. I can also check spark plug colors when I'm doing this. After about 20 minutes of total driving, I didn't see coolant in the oil, or oil in the coolant last night. I'll double check that again too.by Earendil - Technical Forum
We're going to do this in the good news/bad news style of story telling. The good news. Despite mother nature deciding to SNOW on me while I wrapped up my car last night, I managed to do it. After charging a dead battery, my car fired up after 3 or 4 cranks. For some reason I was expecting either a ball of flame, or the sound of a Ferrari engine. I got nothing so exciting. The engine rby Earendil - Technical Forum
QuoteFerdinand QuoteEarendilI'll be recording the start up, so that if she bursts into flames I at least have a good video to show for it. Oh ya. THAT will make it all worthwhile. Yeah, I thought so QuoteFuel-in goes directly to the injector manifold. Fuel-return comes out of the regulator. At the other end, the fuel is coming from the fuel filter, whereas the fuel-return line goesby Earendil - Technical Forum
Okay, my update is lacking fun pictures and a conclusion, so I'll keep it brief for now. I was sick all weekend, but that didn't keep me from trying to complete. Put most everything back together on saturday, everything that didn't require a torque wrench. Sunday morning I finally got the torque wrench, and it finally started raining. So with a giant trash bag over the hood, I sby Earendil - Technical Forum
You don't need power steering I've been running 3 years without it, and the only time miss it is when I'm holding coffee and trying to back out of my driveway. Good luck! Welcome back and keep is postedby Earendil - Technical Forum
QuoteArcheo-peteriX Quotealanrw Well, after 26 years, she hiccuped a little yesterday and today. When sitting at idle, I get a burble that causes the rpms to drop about 300 rpm and then it goes right back up. The car is a 1984 5 speed 325E. It is not all the time which tends to make me think it is not a vacuum leak as I would expect that to be constant. At this point do I take out the Idle Controby Earendil - Technical Forum
Quoterkj Yes, side to side is what we're testing (wiggling the valve stem in the guide back and forth). You need to check the play both when the valves are closed and the open position. 1mm sounds excessive, the play should be all most imperceptible for a seal to hold oil from getting in to the cylinder but, you might have to chance it- oil the stems up good when you're assembling. I usby Earendil - Technical Forum
Awesome, I would take a day off work (tomorrow) and end up getting sick (yesterday) :? I did however start on the reconstruction tonight. I put all the new valve seals in! yay! I also attempted to get the left over gasket off with gasket remover that I bought at Napa... no effect. Hours of soaking, multiple soaks, nothing. I guess I'll take the chisel to it one last time and see if I can&by Earendil - Technical Forum
Well congrats for even trying! The electronics class I took while studying Computer Science was one of the few that left me gasping for air and sanity. Circuits were cool up until the point where they introduced imaginary numbers as a way to solve them. From then on in my brain checked out Hopefully you can use it in your career. However, continuing to learn complicated concepts is never aby Earendil - Community Forum
Quoterkj That one damaged shaft end; It's a plug in there I think- check the parts books, if it's a plug trash that shaft, it's a goner. Any rocker with marks on them I'd toss too; like Ferdy sez, those scratches or marks set up weak spots that break later. Make sure the riding surfaces on the rockers are not flattened out, that goes for the adjusting wheels too. The surfacby Earendil - Technical Forum
QuoteCab Treadway The only reason we foresee needing a new car is our second child is almost here, and the E46 is not exactly ultra roomy, particularly with two very tall passengers in the front and two car seats in the back. If you ever feel the need to give it to a new and loving home, that will appreciate the room it provides, you know how to find meby Earendil - Community Forum
QuoteFerdinand If you're buying the complete "Head Gasket Set", you might want to check, but when I bought mine it included a full set of Valve Stem Seals. That's them in the top middle of this photo. Also included are three re-useable yellow "condoms", that you slip over the top of the valve stem before pressing the new valve seal down the stem. Those prevent theby Earendil - Technical Forum
A few questions on parts: Right now the only parts I intend to replace inside the head, besides gaskets and springs, are the "Valve Stem Seals" I'm only replacing the spring seats (top and bottom) and the spring holder (valve collet) on the two valves with broken springs. See Real OEM for a reference picture. I've also just noticed that what I damaged on the rocker shby Earendil - Technical Forum
More Pictures! A few from last weekend, and a few from tonight. Here we see what a normal and undamaged rocker shaft looks like when using a 9mm socket to pound it out with. And here we see what a BMW plastic covered tire tool does to it. Whoops... Thoughts on that dmg? It doesn't seem like it should have any ill effect what so ever, but perhaps I'm not thinking of soby Earendil - Technical Forum
QuoteJohn Yust What you're seeing on your cylinder walls is just exactly what you want to see. It is scoring and it was put there when the block was machined as a brand new engine (or at rebuild time, but I doubt that's been done yet). It looks like something spiraled up and down the cylinder wall because that's exactly how it was made. After the cylinder is bored to the correct siby Earendil - Technical Forum
Quoterkj Hey Tyler, You're feeling for scores with your nail, not your fingers I did that too QuoteJohn's right about the honing marks, if they're cross hatch they are in fact a good thing to see but I'm sure you're just seeing them in the lower reach's of the jug, the top half I'm sure have been wiped out long ago. The fact that you can move the pistonsby Earendil - Technical Forum
Depends on how old. The online version of the Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) has just about every car sold in the US back to 1990. Older than that, perhaps just spend time on google? Hopefully someone has some better ideas than mine.by Earendil - Community Forum
QuoteJohn Yust Rub a little motor oil on the cylinder walls if you got brake cleaner on them. You need to keep a little oil on them to prevent corrosion while they're exposed to moist air and it'll be good to have some oil on there when you start the engine. John Done! So if the block is aluminum, what are the pistons and rods made from? Is the inside of the cylinder aluminum as welby Earendil - Technical Forum
Quoterkj I've been watching your progress and I must say, for a newbie you're doing well, of course the real test is yet to come so go slow and if you're in doubt about something ask first and make as little damage as you can (sounds like you're doing that anyway). Taking the head off was a good choice grasshopper Thanks for the kind words The real test is yet to come, oby Earendil - Technical Forum
Don't have time to do much besides post these pictures. I'll post again this evening. Building a work bench. Carpentry! Something I know and have all the tools for The slightly cleaner head Time to start on the cylinders. I've already started on the right most one. After cleaning I used a nylon bristle brush with a wood top, a small plasticby Earendil - Technical Forum
QuoteMichiel 318iS In order not to damage parts, when putting it down (like the cylinder head on your workbench) or when hitting it (your rocker shaft), use softer materials, so you don't damage it. A piece of wood, a nylon block, a copper hammer, they're all being used such that deformations will be taken by the wood/nylon/copper instead of the valuable part you're hitting. Iby Earendil - Technical Forum