Pierrel

Yeah i saw that, looked nasty!

Well i can't say I'm not afraid to mess things up, maybe ill just wait until the title gets here and try to sell it :/

Stocker

How long will you be here for school? It may be worth the expense of buying tools and fixing a relatively minor problem if this car is in otherwise fairly decent working condition. Remember any car you will get for cheap will have minor problems.

Pierrel

Ill be here for at least another 2 years, so ill stay a while

Got it for 2600, with an empty AC (Aircon) and semi bad paint, but with "only" 98k miles on the engine and trans. The car itself is straight and with very few minor dents. Its really just the paint (clear coat peeling off), and the knocking engine thats bad.



Yea maybe it is, i guess ill gain some experience from the work done to it as well.

You'd say that this fix is a minor fix? I know it requires some taking apart and putting together, but it doesn't sound to be impossible to do by an average joe?



I really appreciate your help guys, i really do!



Edit: How far will i get with a torque wrench (about 30 dollars at O'Reilly, and a set of sockets to match? Im guessing that would total at about 50 dollars, and if thats basically what i need maybe ill go through with replacing the HLA's.



Would like to find out if the oil pump is bad before though, just need to find myself an oil gauge...

Stocker

A couple of screwdrivers and a metric wrench set will get the whole car to its nuts and bolts and back again. If you are able to follow instructions and can manage to not screw up removing and replacing bolts, these are pretty simple cars to work on. Also easy to take apart so you need a very good mechanic to put back together working so be sure what you are doing before you begin!

Pierrel

Okey, then ill do some searching looking for a possible DIY or some other guide on how to replace the HLA's

Well, yes i can follow instructions and should manage not to screw up bolts etc, but the way i read it i need to be a good mechanic to put it back together in working condition? Or did i not get that sentence?

Found a service manual for the RD at Newtonnet, which looks good. Just need to figure out what parts of it that applies to removing the HLA's



Edit: Think I've found what I'm looking for: How-To Remove Camshafts

Stocker

You are picking on my pet peeve . . . instead of using the "Reply" button to respond to the last post in a thread, please use scroll down just another few inches and use the Add Reply or Fast Reply instead. That way, we don't have to read the same post twice in a row. Responses are assumed to be directed at the last post in a thread anyway.





The last link is what you were looking for. It even shows how to test the HLAs and gives torque specifications. Be very careful to adhere to MINIMUM torque specifications. These bolts break easily. It also mentions the oil level TWICE . . . you are sure you have enough oil in the engine, right?



If you take it all apart, and don't keep track of what goes where and what does what, you might need a good mechanic to get it back working again . . . and these cars are easy to take apart. I think if you are persistent to find the information you want (and it is almost all out there on the web) you will find these cars are pretty easy to work on for most problems.

SR Tech

i didn't read the whole thread but judging by the video you need to bleed the hla's.

Pierrel

Ah okey Stocker, i didn't notice you "unqouted" my replies. Sorry about that.



Yes I'm sure i have the right amount of oil in the car, have been checking it a few times since i changed the oil.

Ive read through the instructions a couple of times now, and it doesn't seem to hard to do. I think ill simply remove them and bleed them before buying a set of new ones. Maybe they can be rescued.



Just two more question, will i have to replace the head gasket no matter what? Or can i put the same one back if its in a good condition? And do i need to get the Cylinder head bolt wrench & Camshaft oil seal installer or can i just use ordinary sockets to remove the bolts and to somehow fit the oil seal again?



Will get the proper tools this coming week and maybe get the work done next weekend. Then i have plenty of time to get the guts to do it :thumb up:



Edit: Was thinking i should check the oil pressure first since its cheaper than a set of HLA's. Question is though if i should take the car to a shop for a quick check, or simply buy a cheap oil pressure tester, like this? Cheap Oil Pressure Tester

Stocker

How you check the oil pressure is up to you. If the cost is similar, I'd rather have a tool than have someone else use their tool . . . because next time you can do it yourself also, free! In this case it's probably cheaper to buy the tool so I would probably at least try that first.



For checking the HLAs, no head gasket is required, because the head can stay on the engine. Look here again at the photo SpoolinShark posted - this is work you can do without removing the cylinder head. I've had the cams out on my car repeatedly, and never replaced the oil seal on the exhaust cam and it doesn't leak. Just be careful.



One bright side: they improved the part, so theoretically if you do end up replacing HLAs, you'll get better performance out of the new ones.

Pierrel

Yea, maybe ill get myself a oil pressure test kit, since i doubt a shop will do the check for only 30 bucks.



Okey, i understand that i don't have to take the complete head of the engine, but theres a gasket between the top of the cylinder head and the cylinder head cover. But I'm guessing i won't need to replace that if I'm just cautious when removing the cover.



Yea, if i replace them i hope i won't have to do it again as long as i own and drive the car



Since you've had the cams out do you know if the smallest size of the sockets needed are 10mm? Seems like the kits are from 10-18mm or from like 4-12mm. Ive seen on the site how to remove the cams that its 10 and 12 mm thats used, but will i need anything smaller (to remove the cover or anything).



Sorry if I'm being tedious, but id like to research a lot before doing things like this...