Near disaster wrenching tonight...

IdahoDoug · 10-25-09, 09:27 PM

So I'm finally getting time to put the head back on my wife's 80 today. It was tough walking past that pristine head sitting on the workbench all shined up and wrapped in plastic from the machine shop all week. My brother in law walked over to help me get the head set in place on the new gasket and hung around to yak for a minute. Good thing, too.

While putting washers on head bolts and dropping them into the bolt holes, I picked up a washer and another stuck to it briefly. It fell off, bounced off the radiator tank and landed right in the timing chain opening. We listened as it ricocheted its way down into the bowels of the engine. You could have heard a pin drop. I deadpanned "Well, guess you're about to see me pull the front of the engine off rather than put the head back on...". Unbelievable - the odds that it fell off at just the right moment, then bounced the right direction and went right down that slot.

I couldn't see it looking down through the head slot, so we pulled the few bolts and lifted the head back off the engine and put it on the bench. I could then see the washer precariously balanced against the timing chain down near the lower timing gear. I extended my little magnet retriever thing fully and was just able to get it. Then just a bit of drama as it kept grabbing onto every steel projection on the way up, including the chain. I got it back out and I don't think I've held my breath that long in a while.

I was planning to button it up tonight but friends stopped by unexpectedly for dinner so I had to put the tools down and get cleaned up. Got the cams installed, so now it's just assemble a bunch of bolts and set the timing tomorrow. A big "WHEWWWWWWWW!!!....." here in N. Idaho tonight.

Michael Hanson · 10-25-09, 09:33 PM

Bad luck turned into good luck. Mike

kup99 · 10-25-09, 09:34 PM

Glad you were able to fish it out and the story has a happy ending.... almost.... it's not put together yet, but at least it will be now!!

Good Luck!

beno · 10-25-09, 09:42 PM

About time you got working on that "pristine" head....

Good stuff Doug.

IdahoDoug · 10-25-09, 09:49 PM

Yeah, it is. It's been killing me walking past it and all my tools laid out, favorite CDs ready to jam, etc.

I'm just glad someone was there to witness the incredible "hole in one" of a lifetime!

DougM

firetruck41 · 10-25-09, 10:09 PM

Now remember to be careful with those washers when you reassemble... again.

Ebag333 · 10-25-09, 10:21 PM

Pics or it didn't happen.

IdahoDoug · 10-25-09, 10:48 PM

Those washers are currently pinned in place with about 125lb-ft of torque so they're not going anywhere. Ever.

DougM

medtro · 10-25-09, 11:26 PM

Will this be added to the tips for DVD?

tdkhelene · 10-26-09, 12:05 AM

I had the nut off of a feeler gauge pop off at the same, inappropriate moment and it did the pin-ball ricochet all the way down the timing chain opening too... i must have spent hours fishing from the top, and from the bottom with my magnet... no luck. I finally turned the motor over by hand a couple of times to make sure nothing was binding up, buttoned it back up and fired it up with a baited breath...

Only the sound of a smooth running motor...

I've been running it for about 3 months now and have done 2 oil changes... It's still down there somewhere! Talk about avoiding disaster!

arndog123 · 10-26-09, 12:33 AM

I dropped a feeler gauge down my '86 22RE while doing a valve clearance check. Tried using a magnet for about an hour and gave up. The next day I had to drop the front diff in order to get the oil pan off.

landtank · 10-26-09, 05:54 AM

any chance you got those measurements for me?

alia176 · 10-26-09, 11:08 AM

Doug,

I'm not in the loop. Why did you have to pull the head? Didn't you go through both engines couple of years back?

KliersLC · 10-27-09, 03:46 AM

X2 /\

IdahoDoug · 10-27-09, 10:40 PM

Rick,

I got a note on the head from the shop that the head bolt washers are 920 thousandths of an inch outside diameter (OD) and that they could not get a measurement on the recess the washers sit in because of the depth. I have a head sitting here now, so if you can think of an instrument that would be able to measure something down 6" into the head I'll see if I can locate one and get the measurement.

Alia/Dan/others:

The 97 which we bought used and had the cracked head (fiasco thread a few years ago) started drinking coolant again a few weeks ago after 58,000 miles. Pulled the head and the head was cracked in the identical spot one cylinder over (#4). So, rather than work on an obviously stressed head, I got a used one from Beno and had it rebuilt and milled by the same shop here that's done such a great job on 80 heads. Got it back a week ago and finally had time to put it together. Started it this evening and it's humming nicely. Will drive it tomorrow, then flush the coolant system and oil change. Whew. I'm tired, but glad it's all together. Did a bunch of things while in there, and learned that if you want to clean the head bolt threads on your 80 block you need a 1.25 pitch which nobody around has. 'Cept me, now....

Also discovered the entire fuel system can remain intact - I just shoved the entire intake manifold and EFI system out of the way and yanked the hread. Limited usefulness as if you're up in miles it makes sense to renew the injector seals but big time saver in right circumstances (like if you've just done it 58,000 miles ago...).

DougM

KliersLC · 10-28-09, 03:34 AM

Sorry to hear about that Doug, but I am glad you got it back together. Perhaps this was a result of all of your April Fools threads claiming "another head gasket blew"

j/k

-Dan

landtank · 10-28-09, 06:05 AM

thanks Doug!

IdahoDoug · 10-28-09, 10:38 PM

She's running better than ever. Took the opportunity to replace the fusible links as I had the battery connections off, and a couple other little things along the way. Added several more items to the Tip Sheet that goes out with each Head Gasket DVD. Like finally noticing that the exhaust manifolds each have one set of tighter holes when you install studs. Do them first and all is well. Don't and you'll be puzzled why it was such a fight to get the others aligned....

Got new winter Michelins ready to put on and I'm going to flush the coolant before giving her back to my wife again. I'm driving it for a few days. Engine seems inordinately smooth now and starts instantly.

DougM

Beowulf · 11-09-09, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdahoDoug

The 97 which we bought used and had the cracked head (fiasco thread a few years ago) started drinking coolant again a few weeks ago after 58,000 miles. Pulled the head and the head was cracked in the identical spot one cylinder over (#4).

Just caught this thread and was wondering the same thing. Thanks for filling us in.

-B-

freshspecbluegt · 11-09-09, 04:21 PM

I read this two weeks ago when you posted this and though wow that was lucky.

Fast forward to Saturday. I'm rebuilding a 3.slow and have it on a stand, I was putting the driver side head on and my finger retaining the washer on the headbolt slipped and and washer fell right off bounced and went right through the oil return on the head through the block and into the pan. Then I got the end of my magnet stuck in there trying to fish it out. Now I get to take the pan off and clean up all that FIPG again. Wish my luck had been as good as yours!

Ross