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Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa PowerDork
8/10/21 10:34 p.m.

I knew a guy at Andrews AFB that rebuilt the engine in his Civic.  Torqued the main caps down so much that the starter wouldn't turn the engine over.

Kind of wonder if there is something similar going on here.

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
8/11/21 5:58 a.m.
Mr_Asa said:

I knew a guy at Andrews AFB that rebuilt the engine in his Civic.  Torqued the main caps down so much that the starter wouldn't turn the engine over.

Kind of wonder if there is something similar going on here.

I'm ready for it to be anything, but this engine has run.
Could be a factor in the overheating problem, although I've already recognized a few other likely reasons for that. 

Stampie
Stampie MegaDork
8/11/21 9:30 a.m.

How was the oil when drained?  Any chance water displaced the oil and got into the main bearings?  Maybe rusted there?  I'm clutching for straws. 

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
8/11/21 12:37 p.m.

In reply to Stampie :

Oil had no water. The only thing that didn't belong there was the tiny spring from the valve seal. Speaking of which, I wonder if the rest of that seal is jammed into part of the crank or a rod.

Either way, after finding all of the loose head bolts, I think I'm going to have to fully dismantle it so that I know that things are torqued properly.

Too soon to buy another engine though. I haven't found any reason yet to write this one off, so I'm going to cancel for our junkyard excursion on Friday.

Stampie
Stampie MegaDork
8/17/21 1:02 p.m.

I don't want to seem impatient so can someone else ask what happened to pulling the other head?

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa PowerDork
8/17/21 1:08 p.m.

In reply to Stampie :

Both heads are off in this pic, right?

 

Stampie
Stampie MegaDork
8/17/21 1:18 p.m.

In reply to Mr_Asa :

Damn I must be getting old and forgot that.  Well E36 M3 now I want to know when the engine is coming out.

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
8/20/21 8:45 a.m.

Haven't updated, sorry. It's just that all of my posts are some version of, "I took off more parts, everything looks good, it still won't turn over normally."

Obviously, engine needs to come out. Buying tools has set me back some, I've got an engine stand but not a hoist yet. While tools don't count against the Challenge budget, they still count against my budget. 
 

An explanation for the slow progress: The original plan when buying the car did not include working on it here, and shouldering all costs alone. The rest of the fleet has been sucking up a lot of the time and money over the past few months as well.

Good news on the tool front though, I am going to be able to borrow a hoist, engine stand (mine's still in the box, will return it), plus a full set of Gojacks.  Six hours away, so logistics are a factor. Time is not not my friend. 
 

Bores look very good. That discoloration and rust staining wipes off with a finger tip.



 

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
9/5/21 12:06 p.m.

I've been putting off the inevitable, facing up to the fact that I'm not going to be ready for the challenge this year. Family budget crunch and time limits have been too much to overcome. 
 

I'm not canceling my reservations at the hotel. Planning to come for a mini vacation with the wife and to volunteer to work again. Also I will be available to drive in the autocross if that's allowed. 
 

All this depends on pandemic levels as well. We've already decided that we're not going to do any indoor meals in public. 

Stampie
Stampie MegaDork
9/5/21 3:50 p.m.

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

Wanna drive the baddest ass 85 Buick Rivera there?

 

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
9/5/21 5:34 p.m.
Stampie said:

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

Wanna drive the baddest ass 85 Buick Rivera there?

 

I sure do!

Usually I drive my Miata, but a couple of weeks ago I got some practice driving a low power, automatic transmission/open differential front wheel drive car. 
 

I took my Ralliart wagon to the annual night event at Amelia Island. 
It had to be the slowest car there, but I wasn't last. My fastest raw time (with only 340 TW tires) beat several cars that I shouldn't have been close to: BRZ with header, exhaust, coilovers and a tune, both drivers in an 18 camaro SS, a factory 5 cobra, Fiat 500 Abarth...

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa PowerDork
9/5/21 5:36 p.m.
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

I've been putting off the inevitable, facing up to the fact that I'm not going to be ready for the challenge this year. Family budget crunch and time limits have been too much to overcome.

E36 M3 happens, and that's cool 
I just want to know why the stupid thing won't turn over!

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
9/5/21 6:01 p.m.
Mr_Asa said:
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

I've been putting off the inevitable, facing up to the fact that I'm not going to be ready for the challenge this year. Family budget crunch and time limits have been too much to overcome.

E36 M3 happens, and that's cool 
I just want to know why the stupid thing won't turn over!

The first thing I'm going to do when I have the answer is post it here. 
 

I had bought an engine stand, and was about to buy or borrow a hoist, but reality stopped me. I returned the stand still in the box. 
 

My originally intended teammate has all of that stuff, I just have to get to Crestview to pick it up. It's about an 11-12 hour round trip. The hoist is a 5000 pound one that doesn't fold, so I don't think I'll get it. I'd need to rent a trailer. 
 

I haven't stopped working, though. What color should I paint these, for a blue car? I'm leaning towards black spokes and center for the contrast with the machined surfaces.

Two have a grey finish that the paint remover didn't touch.

The other two, plus an unpainted extra wheel, are bare alloy.

I'm still working over them to get all of the yellow paint off and polishing the machined surfaces. I will mask the polished parts off when I paint them. 
 

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa PowerDork
9/5/21 6:12 p.m.

I know you'll post it when you get it, I'm just impatient.

 

Wheels: white with blue highlights?

Stampie
Stampie MegaDork
9/6/21 5:49 p.m.

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

For that car I'd want something bright.  I liked the yellow but maybe something that makes it look like a clown car.

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
9/7/21 8:47 p.m.

Ever think about what happens to all of those ladders that blow off of work trucks? Sometimes they might end up as part of a challenge car!

Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter)
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
9/8/21 9:12 a.m.

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

Going to build some ladder bars for it?

I'll show myself out...

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
9/8/21 8:59 p.m.
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

Going to build some ladder bars for it?

I'll show myself out...

That deserves some acknowledgment!

a_florida_man
a_florida_man HalfDork
9/16/21 8:13 p.m.

I was thinking, did anyone R and R  the transmission since it was last cranked?

If so could they have managed to bolt the transmission up without properly engaging the converter?

 

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa PowerDork
9/16/21 8:22 p.m.

In reply to a_florida_man :

OOOOoooo... nice thought.  I can't remember if anyone said it ever ran or turned over since the trans was installed. 

a_florida_man
a_florida_man HalfDork
9/16/21 8:27 p.m.

In reply to Mr_Asa :

If that is possible, be certain to let the tension off of the bell housing bolts as evenly as possible.

The bell housing usually breaks when converters aren't engaged, and if that's the case here, try to let it apart carefully.

a_florida_man
a_florida_man HalfDork
9/16/21 8:32 p.m.

In reply to Mr_Asa :

Could also be a backwards flexplate.

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
9/16/21 9:09 p.m.

To my knowledge, it hadn't been apart since it ran at the 2013 Challenge. Video of the autocross run shows it pulling up in a cloud of steam. The vortec heads don't tolerate that well, and several of the head bolts were not fully tight when I pulled the heads. I'm taking that to possibly be a result of overheating. 
 

Block damage is a possibility. If it got hot enough, could even have a cylinder out of round. 
 

I haven't checked the heads for cracks yet. I've hit a financial roadblock, in part due to greater priorities from other parts of the fleet. 

Stampie
Stampie MegaDork
10/17/21 7:44 a.m.

I got to see this one in person again yesterday. Still think it's a great car. Can't wait to see it done.

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
10/17/21 9:10 a.m.
Stampie said:

I got to see this one in person again yesterday. Still think it's a great car. Can't wait to see it done.

Great having you look it over and getting the chance to ask questions and get advice. Definitely want to get it running this winter. 

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