Severe Engine/Compression Issue - Next Steps? (1 Viewer)

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Have you thought about sending your injectors out to be cleaned and serviced? Inspect your wire harness especially near the egr valve. Should probably put some extra insulation near that spot.

And wrap it with heat tape.
 
And wrap it with heat tape.

Agree, but it's more important that it's tied in place. With age the factory clips break, can replace or just use zip-ties. Wherever there are tabs the harness should be tied down, if not will rub on things that it shouldn't and will be supported by the connectors, not a good plan, causes broken wires, connectors, etc.
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Update time! Spent around 5 hours tonight finishing the tear down. To cut to the chase, the head gasket has failed between 5 & 6. Hats off to the guys who called it from the get-go. Taking a look at these pictures, I have a couple of questions and observations:

-the camshafts, timing chain, valve tops, etc look and feel VERY clean and tight - almost impossibly so. Anyone who can compare theirs with mileage and let me know if it seems like a previous owner has been in here? On the bottom side of the head, things seem a little aged but nothing seems at all worn out - again, this is from my extensive zero experience inside a large engine so keep me honest ;)

-I don't see any cracks, warping, etc - I am going to take a very careful look tomorrow. With this obvious of a head gasket failure, would you guys still take it to a machine shop and have it checked out? From experience, do the valves look like they need attention? I can get more pictures if something specific is helpful.

- the cylinders heads and walls don't have any obvious issues or wear - don't know where I'm going with this one, other than looking for any feedback people might have from their experience.

- I have a big list of things I want to replace while I'm in here - but I have a question about whether I need some specific things:

Do all of the small exhaust pipings need new gaskets? Same goes for the throttle body where it mates to the manifold, and the intake manifold>head and exhaust manifold >head - they're all metal gaskets but not sure if they're one time use. Same goes for the valve cover gasket. Also, the half- circle knockout in the head in front of the distributor sprocket and the water intake into the head had some blue gasket-y type of glue stuff on them - any idea what specifically that is for when I go back in?

Are the spark plug hole gaskets supposed to be "dry" when the valve cover is on, or is it normal for them to be oily? Not sure if they need changed - you can see them in the previous post pics.

One of my head bolts randomly had two washers, and the others all had one....anyone else run into that?

Is the timing chain tensioner supposed to have that little hook and pin, and only one of each? Seems like maybe something is missing.

Sorry for the rapid fire questions, but I really appreciate any previous wisdom that will help me avoid silly mistakes! Thanks again for all of your help!

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More pictures.

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With the compression numbers on the other holes, would expect stuff to look good. Found the smoking gun, the first priority is to determine if there is any metal lost where the gasket is missing. Clean the surfaces, use a straight edge to be sure they are flat in the area of failure, head and block. Likely best to take the head to an automotive machine shop, have it checked, if needed surface decked.

The gaskets that you are talking about will be in the head gasket set that you need to put it back together.
 
Get NEW head bolts too. There should NOT be extra washers under any. I'll bet the one with the extra washer was near where the failure was!

These are torque to stretch bolts and are designed for maximum of two uses.

That looks VERY clean in there, so I'm positive someone has been in there recently.

Otherwise, as @Tools R Us stated. Straight edge and a feeler gauge. Should not get even 0.001" under it across the failure point.
 
Took all the ancillary parts and lifter buckets off and took the head into a reputable machine shop, they're going to clean it, pressure test it, do a leak down test, and resurface it - bill will be $180 but I figured this is worth it since I'm already going to all the trouble of getting in here.

I cleaned the block with a razor blade and checked around with a straightedge and a feeler gauge, the area of head gasket failure doesn't have any more variation than the area between the other cylinders.

Barring any bad news with the head test, my next concern is all the parts I need to reassemble it. Can someone recommend me whatever is considered the best option for the gasket set and bolts? Brands and part numbers would be great - I just dropped by the local stealership and they quoted me $750 for the oem gasket set, bolts, and washers. Obviously, that's insane. If oem is the only decent thing out there, I'll find it discounted but wondering what you guys think. Are the washers one time use? Don't see why they would be as long as they're not deformed. In addition to that, I'm planning to replace/correct the following:

-Any various hosing that can't be easily gotten to
-Distributor o-ring
-several intake and exhaust manifold studs that are deformed on their heads
-1 missing cam knuckle/bracket bolt
-1 missing valve cover bolt
-gaskets between exhaust downpipe and header
-throttle cable

And possibly these:
-Spark plug tube gaskets?
-Fuel injector seals?

Is it vital that any of the above are oem/specific brand?

The other thing I want to do while I've got the room in the engine bay is to get everything nice and clean - lots of years of grime, oil, etc - any tips or chemicals of choice? I'll tape the block off first so nothing gets grime in it. Also, does the block need to be prepped in any other way besides a good razored smooth finish before going on with the new head gasket?
 
As mentioned earlier my hands on experience with this engine is limited, so I will go with my own build ideas.

Always use new head bolts, I am not a lover of the thought 'if they are in spec' , my reasoning is they have undergone thousands of heat cycles, so their integrity can not be guaranteed.

Next the bolt holes, run a bottoming tap down them, there will be crud in there which will affect initial torque settings, I also lightly oil the threads, don't go mad here.

Next cuts the heads off a couple of the old bolts, grind a slot in the top, then screw into the block, this will keep the gasket in place, it will also guide the head down straight preventing getting a nick in the gasket.

Clean all mating surfaces with a solvent and allow to dry, many gaskets have a sealer that activates when first heated, it will not reliably adhere if surfaces are not clean.

Apply initial torque in stages, when you have reached the setting, go have a beer and leave to settle, go back and loosen the bolts and retorque, a dab of typex on the same position on the heads of the bolts, this ensures each one is pulled down and not missed. If you are not good with guessing angles, then borrow an angular gauge.

Regards

Dave
 
Took all the ancillary parts and lifter buckets off and took the head into a reputable machine shop, they're going to clean it, pressure test it, do a leak down test, and resurface it - bill will be $180 but I figured this is worth it since I'm already going to all the trouble of getting in here.

I cleaned the block with a razor blade and checked around with a straightedge and a feeler gauge, the area of head gasket failure doesn't have any more variation than the area between the other cylinders.

Barring any bad news with the head test, my next concern is all the parts I need to reassemble it. Can someone recommend me whatever is considered the best option for the gasket set and bolts? Brands and part numbers would be great - I just dropped by the local stealership and they quoted me $750 for the oem gasket set, bolts, and washers. Obviously, that's insane. If oem is the only decent thing out there, I'll find it discounted but wondering what you guys think. Are the washers one time use? Don't see why they would be as long as they're not deformed. In addition to that, I'm planning to replace/correct the following:

-Any various hosing that can't be easily gotten to
-Distributor o-ring
-several intake and exhaust manifold studs that are deformed on their heads
-1 missing cam knuckle/bracket bolt
-1 missing valve cover bolt
-gaskets between exhaust downpipe and header
-throttle cable

And possibly these:
-Spark plug tube gaskets?
-Fuel injector seals?

Is it vital that any of the above are oem/specific brand?

The other thing I want to do while I've got the room in the engine bay is to get everything nice and clean - lots of years of grime, oil, etc - any tips or chemicals of choice? I'll tape the block off first so nothing gets grime in it. Also, does the block need to be prepped in any other way besides a good razored smooth finish before going on with the new head gasket?


If your local is that much and you don;t feel it's right, compare it to this one. Just shipping and no sales tax depending on where you are. Usually those two offset each other.
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Picking up the head from the Machine shop this morning; they said the pressure test was successful and there was only slight warping (7 thousandths), which they corrected.

I was getting some cleanup done while waiting for the head, and noticed that my drivers side timing chain guide looks as if it had plastic or paint on it which is peeling/wearing off and flaking down in there - has anyone ever seen this? Should I spend the time and money while I'm this deep to go ahead and do the timing chain and guides, front and rear main seals, etc?

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Alright, so after spending all evening looking up part numbers and details, I am at a crossroads. I do not know whether I should get the full gasket kit and do all the lower stuff and the timing chain, or just stick with the head for now. The part that is "peeling" is
13561-66010, and it seems like it has some kind of coating on it so this might just be due to age, but I'm not sure if its going to be an issue. The timing chain and upper timing gear are both in really great condition, and I really hate to think about pulling off all the lower engine stuff when I don't have a problem. Thoughts??

I am currently planning to order and install:
-Fuel Filter
-Gasket Set - Going OEM as it seems like people aren't really getting good results with anything else.
-Head Bolts - planning to go with beck arnley as they have good reviews and are 1/3 the price of the OEM ones and seem identical
-Throttle Cable
-New Fuel Injector Connectors - several of mine were brittle and the tabs cracked off
-Various Missing Bolts from valve cover and inside head
-Missing knock sensor and new knock sensor connectors
-New Intake and Exhaust Manifold studs

-Timing Chain, guides, and tensioner, if I decide to do it...

I have a spreadsheet with all the part numbers and price info I came up with - is there a good place I can upload that so that someone else doesn't have to go digging when they want/need part numbers for their head rebuild?
 
Glad you are digging in. I say go all oem and all bew with gaskets, bolts, valve seals and new valve guides. You only want to do this once.

The problem with othet people doing this job is that the devil is in the details. They skip little things or just dont clean things well or torque things right. And you see what happens. Dont cut any corners. Rebuild the the head right.

Also most "burning oil" issues are related to valve seals. So fixing this (doing a GOOD top end rebuld) can fix this as well. I was burning qt every 800 miles. After the hg and top end rebuild i can go 5000 and not add a drop.
 
Alright, update time! Ordered all my parts - went oem with the majority:

Valve grind gasket set
Head bolts
Fuel Filter
Throttle Cable
Throttle Cable Bracket
Fuel Injector Plugs
Valve Cover Bolts
Camshaft Bolts
Exhaust Flange Nuts
Timing Chain Parts(chain, slipper, guide, and tensioner)
Knock Sensor
Knock Sensor Connectors
Gasket Maker(Permatex Ultra Black)
Spark Plugs
Intake Manifold Studs
Exhaust Manifold Studs
Thermostat
Loom
Heater Hose
Vacuum Hose
Oil cooler seal
Front main seal
Parts for PAIR and EGR delete

I got the crank bolt, oil pans, and timing cover off after about 6 hours of angry manipulation - will be doing a write up on the crank bolt and oil pans because its insanely complicated when it should be super simple. I broke off one of the oil sensor bolts(anyone have a part number??) and broke my dipstick guide in the process.

The lower components all seem clean and I don't see any wear. Anything I should be checking while I'm in there?

My plan is to clean everything well tonight, replace my valve stem seals, and get set up to start going back in with everything new tomorrow evening.
 
Good job so far! I'd suggest replacing the water pump (get a new one not rebuilt!), maybe the radiator too as they sometimes fail (read: get plugged up, get a Koyo), and do not forget the PHH! (do a search here on Mud). Get all that stuff done and she's good for another 200,000-300,000 miles!
Ned
 
Alright, update time! She's alive. Started her up this evening. It seems like everything is working just fine as far as what I replaced, but there is still a rough idle and what sounds like a little high speed backfire under acceleration. The rough has two specific qualities - on start up it seems to be fluctuating several hundred rpms (between like 700 and 400) and it wants to, and occasionally will stall if I don't give it some pedal. After it's been running a few minutes, it's more of a slight shudder, but definitely still there. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to make a difference if I unplug spark plug #1 like it does if I unplug the others, but I swapped out that plug and wire(both were brand new but I had extras) but it didnt make a difference so I'm not sure if the miss/whatever is going on is just in time with that stroke so it's not as noticeable. I spent several hours making sure the timing was right, everything was connected properly, etc...I'm not sure why it's running like this. Ive read other posts about the computer needing to re-learn, but does this require distance driving or just idling for some time? I let her run for over an hour probably all together and it's pretty much just as bad - it did seem to get better when was wrapping up and drove around the neighborhood, but there's still a definite miss or roughness or something. If I understand correctly, the tightness of my throttle cables shouldn't have any effect on this as long as they aren't too tight, right? Any ideas??? Super bummed that she isn't just purring like a kitten. It won't let me upload a video, but the sound is almost like a diesel...am I expecting too much and it's actually normal??

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Oh and a few more things - there's no codes, I tried another afm, tried cleaning the IAC valve, and did check the timing which i adjusted to the 3 deg mark on the timing cover per the FSM. Also, adjusting the TPS side to side changed the idle speed but did not fix the roughness. Here is a video of the "hunting" idle(towards the end):
It's almost like a pulsing noise.
 
Double check your firing order and be sure you have spark to each cylinder and check your injectors (especially the plug ends).
 
You can use a stethoscope to double check all injectors are firing.
 
Alright, spent some more time troubleshooting tonight. I replaced the PCV valve and grommet because I thought I might have a vacuum leak somewhere. I used a piece of heater hose as a poor man's stethoscope since I don't have one, and all 6 injectors are ticking and sound the same. I did a bunch more poking, prodding, adjusting timing and TPS, test driving, etc - it seemed like some progress was made but there is still a definite issue. When I turn over the ignition, it will fluctuate between 1000 and 300 Rpms in a pulsing manner until I give it some throttle. At that point, it evens out to a pretty decent idle, but it still feels rough and has some hesitation/pinging when idling and accelerating. I pulled my wires off my distributor one at a time, and there is no noticeable difference when disconnecting #1, whereas #2-6 definitely make things rougher. The #1 plug is noticeably different looking, brownish, than the other 5 which all look white(see pic). The plugs, wires, distributor cap, and rotor are all brand new. I also tried swapping the plug and wire with the old one and looked inside my cap to make sure nothing is funky. There's still no difference whether I connect it, or don't. This makes me feel like it's a fuel injector issue - is there anything else you guys can think of, and how can I test that? I REALLY don't want to remove the intake manifold that I just put on there. I replaced the injector seals/spacers/orings and 4 of the plastic connectors since their clips were cracked. Is there a way that I can test the injector while installed? Is there a way I can get some seafoam in there while installed? Thanks for your continued tips!!

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You said that it doesn't have any trouble codes set. Question, have you driven it any distance? Just as an FYI, some trouble codes need to go through a 2 trip detection cycle in order to set a trouble code. As for cylinder #1 not changing the idle when you pull the plug wire tells me that it's not adding any power. Could be one, or both of that's cylinders valves not shutting all the way, or it could have a bent or sticking valve. Next question, when you put the head back together, are you sure that you put all the valve shims back in the right place?
 

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