Hey all,

I'm attempting a head gasket job on a 96 Lancer 4G93 SOHC engine. It was leaking a LOT of oil, like gushing/squirting out from what looked like the head gasket below the pressure switch.

I've never done this before but I have already managed to get the head off the car without stuffing anything up (i think)

I have a few newbie questions:

1.The cam pulley is suspended up high to keep the timing. The auto tensioner has come all the way out and I think when i go to put the pulley back on it will no longer reach. The book says to pull off crankshaft pulley and then the tensioner, then push it back in a vice and reinstall it with a pin to hold it back. Is there any way to get the tensioner back in without pulling it all off, has anyone done this? I haven't tried too much force just pushing the tensioner pulley as i didn't want to bend/break the pulley, but it does seem very hard to push it back. Access is very restricted since the lower timing belt cover is still on.

2. I have to replace the radiator, it is cracked and leaking and badly corroded, but being an auto it has 2 connectors where the oil cooler pipes come in from the tranny. A new radiator should come with these connectors right? I'm guessing the auto radiator is different to the manual's radiator as a manual wouldn't need these connectors?

3. I have the workshop manual for 4g93 DOHC it doesn't seem to have torque specs for the 4g93SOHC. Does anyone know if the head bolt torque specs for my engine 4g93SOHC are the same as that of the DOHC?

4. How important is it to get a valve regrind done, the engine has done 190000k's and was running nicely(apart from the major oil leak!!), i'm going to get the head resurfaced, but a valve job is about $200 more, is it really worth it?

Sorry for the long winded questions, I really want to get it purring along again!

 

No you need to remove the tensoiner and do it with the pin as they say, then once the belt is in place you pull the pin.

Yes you will need an auto radiator and it should come with whatever you need.

Not really necessary. I wouldnt bother

 

I agree with everything "the enginer" said, but I would replace the valve seals in the head. Get the mating surfaces really clean before reassembly, take care to tourque everything correctly and you will have a clean, tight, leak free car.

Rebuilt my sons 96 Eclipse 2.0L DOHC 25,000 miles ago. Did not touch the head. Runs great, but ended up smoking a bit due to oil leaking through the seals.

Just (last weekend 7/11-12/09) pulled it back apart and replaced the valve seals. The cross-scoring from the honing of the cylinders looks like we just did it. The piston tops were coated with carbon/oil build-up that required scraping and polishing to get off. Valves were coated quite heavily, too. Pulled the head, removed all the valves, cleaned them up, reinstalled with new valve seals.

Purchase a spring compressor - you will need it!!! We had one, the wrong one, and could not get the right one for 3 days. Couldn't wait, so we ended up making a contraption that would allow us to get the springs out using an angle bolted on the head and a modified breaker bar. Between pulling springs, cleaning valves and reassemlby we spent 7 hours getting the head done. With the right spring compressor, could have been about 2 hours.

Double check the timing before you reassemble the front of the engine. The tensioner is not a hard thing. Follow the instructions in the book - it works! Been there, done that, twice. Didn't do it right the first time and it jumped time by one tooth. Had to take the front apart and do it again - ugh!

Take your time, be patient, and double check your work. It will come out fine.

Good Luck,

Mike

 

Thanks for the replies guys, I guess i'll go with the book approach and try to take the tensioner out. I've never removed a crankshaft pulley nut and am preparing mentally to do battle with it! Been experimenting with a few ways to hold the crank pulley and think i've managed to work something out with a really long woodworking clamp(it's made of seemingly solid metal) with one end hooked to the crank pulley and the other braced against the alternator bracket. Hopefully the clamp won't snap I've been reading those nuts can be dang hard. If that doesn't work i've got a few more ideas:

Some rope through the holes in the pulley and fixed to something solid(probably won't work)

Try to fashion a tool to hold the pulley out of metal and bolts, though i've no experience fabricating stuff nor do i have a welder..

Last ditch is to buy a big air compressor and rattle gun which probably wouldn't require too much holding of the pulley, but this might be expensive as i would imagine you need a big a$$ gun and compressor..

Will double and triple check the cam timing before starting, having nightmares about bent/broken valves..

hmm, I'm guessing the valve seals are one of the things they change when doing a 'valve regrind' job? If so i might just get them to do it, managed to get the head off but don't want to push my luck too much trying to take it apart

 

Ok spent the weekend bending and breaking every tool that would fit through the holes in the crank pulley, how tight is it!!!! The book doesn't say anything about it being reverse threaded, can I confirm it opens anti-clockwise, the engine turns clockwise?? I'm putting together a Y shaped tool out of pre-cut steel pieces from the hardware shop with 2 bolts sticking out and into the pulley holes, they're 10mm(bolt size not head size) high tensile bolts, at this point I can't imagine anything holding against that force and I rekon the bolts will bend or break.. might have to order a bigger breaker bar!!

Anyone got any tips??

 

YEEEEEEEEHAAW!! Managed to get the crank pulley bolt off, had to fashion a frankenstein of a tool to hold the pulley still. Made it out of pre cut pre drilled steel pieces available at Bunnings(Australia) which I bolted together into a Y shape.. worked a treat, in the end with the pulley held solid it wasn't even that tight.. might post some pics of the tool later..