all i wanted was an oil change......

[dewkie]

And i end up having to conplete my summer project earlier than expected.

Went to drain my oil and noticed a puddle under the wagen. Thought i might have busted hose or leaky flnage. Nope, def the pass side rear corner of my HG pissing its pants. I was planning on doing chains after i find a new apartment (lease is up in july) now i have to do the HG and chains this week. I knew it was only a metter of time at 177k and original hg and chains.

One up side is i get to perform my second mod with the mk4 HG. Only other mod is a g60 trans mount.

Going to find some reasonably priced parts tonite and enjoy a red stripe.



To add a question, now that i am going to replace the majority of the seals in the VR would i be making the right choice switching to mobil1 syn??

[dewkie]

So i gather some prices and it looks like MJM is the winner.
$319.85 shipped for the gasket set, chain/tensioner set, and new headbolts.

I already have oil change supplies, and all the other odds and ends.

If anyone can direct me to cheaper prices for oem gear let me know

[Bozwell]

make sure to have a machine shop resurface the head, unless you wanna do the job twice....

[riotbeast]

Or at the very least take a stright edge and make sure you have zero warp to the head.... Only time i would ever say you would be ok not bringing it to a machine shop... And if it has zero warp you still need to replace the valve seals........ Just a tid bit to think about

[dewkie]

The only seals not getting changed are the bottom end( rear main will be changed)

I am confident the head is ok though it will be checked. No shortcuts on this car, i fell in love when i found her 3 years ago and i plan an having it until a few sets of chains need replaced.

[Bozwell]

I am confident the head is ok though it will be checked.

in my experience as a professional technician ive found that head gaskets generally dont go bad by themselves, something else causes it to fail. in most cases its the cyl head warping. in any case, def not a step to overlook, good luck

[dewkie]

Got my cooling system, wiring, and upper manifold apart this after noon got a look down the lower manifold into the ports. The ports for cyl 1 3 & 5 dont seem to line up very well. I never had plans to modify this car other than some susp and wheels but i might have to port match the intake side. It looks pretty crappy. And i think i will invest in a catch can some time in the future, the PCV system blows. Really suprised i wasnt blowing smoke.

Went and talked to the local machine shop and got what i think is a pretty good estimate. Steam clean, deck and reassemble w/ new valve seals for $100.

Found a vacuum hose came off of my cruise control solenoid, hopefully that fixes that issue.


The only crappy news is that MJM doesnt have lower chains in stock (was told no suppliers have them right now) world impex has them though.
But i will use my extra time and get started on a thorough cleaning of the engine bay.

[For Seeking Heat]

The only crappy news is that MJM doesnt have lower chains in stock (was told no suppliers have them right now) world impex has them though.

They have 'em:
http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-...Engine/Timing/

[dewkie]

Weather forecast is not looking promising for outdoor work. Starting tomorrow there is at least a 50% chance of rain everyday until next sunday. Don't know if i can take an extra week of putting gas into a thirsty v8 durango. 15mpg is just sad.

[dewkie]

All my exhaust manifold nuts came off and no broken studs!!! Might be able to get the head off in the morning before it starts raining.

Snapped off the oil cooler hose nipple on my crack pipe, which sucks since it was fairly new.

Once the rain comes i'll be cleaning parts. My girlfriend is gonna kill me since we live in an apartment and have to do my cleaning in the kitchen sink. I was gonna do it in the bathtub but it might never be white again.

[dewkie]

The rain finally stopped. Will have the head off and at the machine shop by lunch time.

Been debating using top end cleaner for my pistons/chambers. Havent seen any negative reviewws but the process seems sketchy to me. Anyone have any horror stories from doing it?

[riotbeast]

The rain finally stopped. Will have the head off and at the machine shop by lunch time.

Been debating using top end cleaner for my pistons/chambers. Havent seen any negative reviewws but the process seems sketchy to me. Anyone have any horror stories from doing it?

Some carb clean will do... But make sure you oil the cylinder walls right after or it will rust..... Real fast

[dewkie]

My machinist said specifically not to use carb cleaner with the block assembled. It can get trapped in the ring grooves for a while.


Got the head to his shop today, will be getting the sauna treatment in the morning and measured afterwards.
And i ordered the rear main seal i forgot last week as well as made my own valve spring compressor and cam locking plate.


Head came off with no pitting or corrosion. The gasket failer next cyl 1 between the coolant passages and the side of the head. There were several places near coolant pasages that layers were seperating. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow. Will be cleaning the block gasket surface in the morning and doing some engine bay cleaning( its really bad)

[Bozwell]

for cleaning carbon from pistons i usually set the piston at the top of the cylinder then use a wire brush on a drill until i start seein the metal. then i finish them up with brake or carb cleaner. just spray it on a rag or towel rather than puddling it in the cylinder.

for the cylinder i use compressed air then a clean dry paper towel

[dewkie]

I was thinking of using seafoam and letting it soak for a while. One of the only good carbon cleaners thats safe in your crankcase.

Does the bristle material matter?

[Bozwell]

i always used steel bristles. as long as you dont use a crazy high speed drill youll be ok. most drills run between 1500-3000 rpm, at those speeds you wont remove and metal from the pistons. just make sure when you do it the piston is at TDC so theres less chance of hitting the cyl walls with the wire wheel

[dewkie]

Head came back clean and flat. No machining required. Less than 0.0015" variance which is less than half of the 0.1mm that VW considers warped. Just waiting on MJM to get me the rest of my parts.

Does anyone know what the "7" and "8" in the exhaust ports signifies??
And are the tiny holes in the exhaust ports part of the SAI system??



my $18 spring compressor and a clean head.

[dewkie]

So i started cleaning my pistons,

Cyl 1



Cyl 6





I used seafoam and let it soak for maybe 5 minutes. I filled just the cupped part of the piston and used a small plastic brush to cover the rest. You could see the carbon swirling around in the seafoam after about a minute. I wiped out the liquid then used a fairlt soft stainless brush by hand. Spent maybe 10 minutes per piston scrubbind in small circles. To finish i got a rag damp with the seafoam and wiped them out. Quite impressed for 30 minutes of work.

Being as the seafoam was on sale for $7.50 and i barely used any at all I think it was a good investment. Just have to see how bad she smoke on start-up. ( hopefully monday or tuesday)

[dewkie]

Finally got my parts. Gonna lap some valves and reassemble the head tomorrow. Hope fully get the head installed saturday and then get to working on removing trans. Looking to be done on tuesday.

In case anyone didnt know removing VR6 valve seals really blows. Never needed a puller before but will buy one if/when i need to work on a VR head again.

[dewkie]

Got the head reassembled (minus lifters and cams) last night. went to work cleaning the last 4 pistons and cleaning the block surface this morning. Gonna give my back a rest for a few and try and get to bolting down the head later. Gonna put up a some picters of the cleaned pistons later.

Would be nice to be doing this in a garage, apartment parking lots requires a lot of planning.

[riotbeast]

Got the head reassembled (minus lifters and cams) last night. went to work cleaning the last 4 pistons and cleaning the block surface this morning. Gonna give my back a rest for a few and try and get to bolting down the head later. Gonna put up a some picters of the cleaned pistons later.

Would be nice to be doing this in a garage, apartment parking lots requires a lot of planning.

Props to you for doing it in a parking lot i could t imagine not haveing the shop i work at to work in

[dewkie]

It def forces you to use your brain and keep things very organized. Luckily i have a wagon so the was space to lay everything out. My machinist said i was lucky to have a place to live after cleaning parts in the kitchen sink, the GF wasn't thrilled. The hard part is still to come, trans removal. I'll prob drop the front subframe to sneak it out. I am going to try and just lay the trans on the ground but still under the car.

On to some picters.

Got all the pistons done, got the deck nice and clean too just didn't get any pics



Head torqued down and ready to do chains

[riotbeast]

It def forces you to use your brain and keep things very organized. Luckily i have a wagon so the was space to lay everything out. My machinist said i was lucky to have a place to live after cleaning parts in the kitchen sink, the GF wasn't thrilled. The hard part is still to come, trans removal. I'll prob drop the front subframe to sneak it out. I am going to try and just lay the trans on the ground but still under the car.

On to some picters.

Got all the pistons done, got the deck nice and clean too just didn't get any pics



Head torqued down and ready to do chains

Nice cleaning
Job.... Just a small thing i learned tho if you dont want the hassle of the rags falling out or worring things sneak in around them i usually use green autobody tape to block off intake/ exhaust
Ports... Not that rags dont do the job... Ive just never trusted them
Personally ... Good luck with the tranny

[dewkie]

Since it rained buckets last night and there puddles under the car IDK how far i can get removing the trans. I was hoping to get the trans out and clean mt timing covers today, i have to figure out how wet i want to get.

At the very least i'll get the axles out of the way and the trans drained.

[dewkie]

Havent gotten anything done in the past 2 days, complete laziness.

Did go to the junkyard today, got a new temp sensor connector, 1.8t IAT w/ pigtail, and a couple interior pieces.
The passat i found was owned by a B4 lover. Green sedan w/ tan leather, smacked in the RF corner. Engine in great condition, coolant looked brand new, and judging by the sealant on the timing cover, chains had been done recently. Also had a digi camo headliner, looked really nice with the tan interior.


There were also a few b5 1.8Ts and a mkIII vr, if anyone needs some parts in the winchester VA area go to G&G on rt50. They have a pile of VW window reg w/ motors and tail/headlamps too

[dewkie]

So i decided to do some work yesterday. After it stopped raining i got my left axle out and my right axle off the trans and hung. Removed my trans mount and got the trans ready to be taken out. Had to order a clutch tool and crack pipe too.

Since i have had my lifters in a container of oil for nearly 2 weeks now all of the old oil has come out of them. It looks like a cloud of black smoke in the clean oil now. And the mess from my old hydro trans mount is incredible, that snot is every where. Gonna get that cleaned up once the trans is out

[dewkie]

Removing this trans is a big PITA. The bolt that goes from the block to the trans is retardedly difficult to remove with the exhaust mani installed. Got it and all but the top bolt out. Gonna need another floor jack to get this thing out(i dont have a hoist). 2 ton jacks are on sale at autozone for $25 right now. So i suppose i'll pick one up in the morning

[dewkie]

Removing the trans wasnt too bad. Got it done by myself and didnt even need to move the subframe.

With the engine and trans up fairly high(rean eng mount still in) you can pull the trans out just enough to clear the timing cover. Then rotate towards the firewall. Slide out enough to clear clutch/PP and then drop it out. Had to gradually let it down to make sure i stayed clear of the inner fender. Once the diff housing hit the ground i held the trans up with the starter hole. Pulled the jack out and set it down. Def tricky but not at all difficult. Now getting it back in may prove a challenge.


Not bad for an hours work. Really suprized my clutch is OK with all the oil leaking from my lower timing cover.

[dewkie]

Seems like when i start making good progress the rain comes.

Couple pics of todays work



I am not pointing to anything here just wanted my finger in the picture

[dewkie]

Got some more done after the rain stopped. Removed clutch/flywheel, lower timing cover and upper chain parts.
Clutch still looks brand new. My upper tensioner/rail is absolutely hammered, it really wasnt too noisy though. Def needed to be changed though.


Chain obliterated the tensioner rail all the way through the rivets. Plastic hanging on for dear life. Rivets scraped up the chain pretty good too



Only a little worn





Rivets started eating into tensioner bolt







4x4 staus






Hoping to have lifters cams and chains on tomorrow

[dewkie]

Its been a few days and ive actually gotten some work done. Chains went together ridiculously easy. Trans going back in.....not so much. Def got my ass kicked on that one. She is back in after 6 hours (over 2days) and everything is slowly getting reconnected. Hopinh to be driving by tomorrow after noon.


Overall chains and HG aren't too bad just time consuming and tedious. Def need a decent set of tools and patience.

[dewkie]

So it is done. Got her running sat night, and got everything buttoned up sunday marning. Have put about 200 miles on since and everything seems on thee money. The car feels much smoother now (even my GF could notice a big difference). I am pretty sure its because the carban build up is gone from the head and all the oil is out of the intake system.

I installed a 1.8t IAT in my intake just after the airbox but havent wired it up yet. I wanted her running before i changed anything. Also thinking about a ford coil pack, just have to find a decent coil to hack up so i can keep a spare.

Now that my chains are quiet it sounds like i have a little input shaft noise. Gonna try some fresh fluid and see if there is any improvement. And while putting my axles back in i noticed i am gonna need a tierod end to pass insp in a couple months.



So for ~$600 i got new chains, HG, a few new tools, a floor jack, lots of knowledge, and a few lost HP.