frag

Yes.

One more thing. I've read time and again people telling about having trouble filling their cooling system to capacity and getting rid of air pockets. Here's what I've always done and never had any trouble. The key of the matter is first installing (it stays there afterwards) a plastic T fitting in one of the heater radiator (I dont remember if it's in ou out but I could find out. It's the one on top of the other) hose with a garden hose fitting on it with screw cap. It's sold in evey car parts store for flushing the cooling system. I first open the bleed fitting on top on the right side of the radiator and the garden hose fitting , then pour coolant down the rad till it overflows the bleed hole. At that point I put a funnel in the garden hose fitting opening and pour more prestone till it overflows. Doing it that way you fill both side of the closed thermostat with no need to start the engine, bring everything to temp and have coolant gushing all over the place. I then close eveything and drive the car for a while. Let cool and most of the time you need only a couple of ounces of coolant to bring the rad to the top fill line. FWIW.

I'm just back from 7 days of real shade tree mechanical work. Rented a engine hoist, worked outside surrounded by trees, had to move the car back and forth since the engine hoist steel wheels where dug in the turf. I was blessed cause the weather was fine the whole time. In fact it started raining just as, having finished, I was pouring the prestone down the new radiator. I replace all the clutch components, all of the timing belt components (except the cam sprockets). I put in a new radiator (new thermostat) and had the valves done in the left head of the engine. 1) Like I tought, there was one burnt exhaust valve in cyl no 2, but the cause was a dropped guide that had broken and was preventing the valve to close completely (maybe by a thousandt or two). One side of the valve had a small flat on it. I was also lucky to find an excellent machine shop in Thetford, a former small mining town (asbestos) 250 kilometers from Montreal ( I was working at the cottage). They resurfaced the flywheel for approx. 50$ USD, and did the left head valves for approx. 150$ USD. That included replacing a broken valve guide. I gave them one exhaust valve and all the seals. I removed and replaced the rockers and cam myself. The idle is now silky smooth like it was a couple of years ago. I think this valve condition had been developping for quite a while. I also feel a little more power at cruising speed. 2) I had trouble - like everyone else I think - separating the engine from the trans. I think I found a new twist to a known trick: after having prudently banged the trans and the engine with a hammer,lifted and lowerd and twisted to no avail, as I was walking towards the neighbour's house, a 70 year old former mechanic, for help, I had an idea. I turned back, took a plaster spatula (very thin and sharp blade about one inch and a half wide and succeeded without damaging anything to get it between the eng. and trans at the top. I then took another one and slid it against the first blade into the small crack that then became a little wider. Then I pushed a big screwdriver between the blades preventing any damage to the mating surface (not that it matters a lot, but I like neat work). The two parts craked open and that was it. The machine shop removed a few thousandts more (I dont know exactly how much) to the outer crown of the flywheel to give the cluch more grab when I'm stuck in snow or mud. The new cluch is a silk, grabs smoothly without any jerking or chattering. The resistance of the clutch pedal is so much less than it was before that I first tought I had done something wrong. To finish by bragging a little, since I was alone there ( The neighbor helped only to connect back the engine to the trans) three mornings in a row, I had to bicycle to and fro Thetford by very hilly dirt roads with first the flywheel (around 30 pounds ?) and then the head ,which is lighter, in a back pack. I may be old but I'm far from dead yet. That was 100 kilometers total of hilly dirt roads bicycling with weight in the pack in three consecutive mornings rides. The rest of the day's work seemed a little easier for it. That's it.

Not a bad idea at all. Being constantly watched might incite those idle pulleys to work a little harder.

Anyone knows the answers to the questions asked in my last post?

When I made the compression test, the plugs were all of a light tan color and the gap was at .045 just one mil out of specs (Ngk iridium) About the wet test on cyls no 1, 3 and 4. Just the fact that they are à 195 dry and that this is high, is that not proof the rings are good ? Just want to understand what and why I doing things. Maybe the fact that I reved the engine until the compression would not go any higher ( 8 to 10 revs IIRC) is responsible for the high figure. I think I remember having read somewhere that one should no go over 4 revs of the engine to have a significant compression reading. Is that so?

Here's a recap of all I know about the problem including the vac figures. Vaccum readings. 1) At idle, the needle vibrates about 1/2 inch Hg on each side of the 20 inches Hg mark. Not more than 1 inch Hg in all. 2) At around 2K, 2 1/2K rpm, the gauge shows 22 inches of mercury. when I let go of the throttle, the needle jumps to 25 inches Hg and comes back rapidly to 20. At those rpms (2K), the rapid fluctuation of the needle stops. Compression tests readings 1, 3 and 4 = 195 psi dry. 2 = 120 psi dry and 140 psi wet. Additionnal test When i disconnect the plug wires or the injector one by one, the rpm slows for every cylinders, but the effect is less at cyl no 2. EXTERNAL SYMPTOMS THAT LED ME TO INVESTIGATE 1)The car drives perfect except for a medium but very distinct shake (when I look at the external mirror at idle I see it shake and I feel the shake thru the seat of my pants) at idle rpm (700). That doe'nt throw a misfire code. 2) At higher idle rpm (750-800) the shake subsides almost completely. 3) At idle I distincly can hear and feel (at the tailpipe) a very audible put, put, put that sound like a miss About the wet numbers for the other cylinders (those at 195 psi) What do you have in mind ? Just would like to know what I'm doing before removing all the plugs again. Thanks.

Just found the vac gauge. Had been looking for it for days. Il trow it at the engine tomorrow. If by wet compression test you mean after having spayed oil into the cylinder, i've already done it. Cyl no 2 : dry = 120 psi; wet = 140 psi. All other cyl are 195 psi dry. I'l get back with the vac numbers tomorrow.

Thanks for the answer. Could it be a sticking valve instead of a burnt valve? The sound would be the valve closing suddenly after having stuck open for a fraction of a second? Is there a way to decide if it's a sticking valve or a bad valve? What is the best method to get a sticking valve unstuck? I have all the parts for the clutch and belt change and the valve repair, but If I could I would be very glad to not to have to remove and replace the head. I remember reading here about an instrument to look into the cylinder. Is this something not overly expensive? Thanks in advance for your answers.

A few days ago I made a compression check on my engine to confirm I had a leaking valve in cyl no 2. While I did the check (around 8 revs of the engine for each cyl) I heard, each time and only once) a loud TACK! after the second or third rev. (like a sharp blow on a hard wood table with a steel ruler) It did it for each time and only once each time. Has anyone an idea of what this could be? All the plugs were removed during the check and I had the intake butterfly fully open. I was using a manual starting switch, so ignition and fuel were off. When I normaly start, it does'nt make the sound.

Here's what's in Haynes Same bolt patern as in previous post. 3 1 6 5 2 4 1) All to 22 ft-lbs 2) All to 51 ft-lbs 3) Loosen all 180 degrees 4) Loosen all additionnal 180 degrees 5) 1 and 2 only to 25 ft-lbs (non turbo charged, 27 if turboed) 6) 3, 4, 5 and 6 132 in-lbs (non turboed, 168 in-lbs if turboed) 7) Tighten all bolts an additionnal 90 degrees 8) Tighten all bolts an additionnal 90 degrees NOTE THAT (6) IS IN IN-LBS AND NOT FT-LBS. Same thing as in Chilton's it seems. Since I'm about to remove and replace the left head of my engine, I also would like to know if those numbers are good. Hope that helps.

Dry numbers: 1, 3 and 4 = 195 psi ; 2 = 120 psi Wet number for cyl no 2 = 140 psi. I was thinking that driving with even a moderately burnt valve might also burn the seat (probably that has already happened) and I wanted to know if it were possible for that to progress so far as to prevent repair (regrinding) of the seat. I have no reason to think the valve is bent. Nipper, what would a vac reading tell me that a compression reading has'nt already? Just asking. Thanks.

Thanks to both of you. Another question : For the time being, the valve seems to be slightly damaged (140 psi compression and a light shake of the engine at idle). If I were to postpone the repair, how long (miles) can I drive the car like this (drives perfect except for the shake at idle) before the valve seat become impossible to regrind? Thanks in advance.

96 2.2 L, manual trans. Just as I'm about to replace the clutch and the timing belt (+ all the goodies), I find out I have probably one toast exhaust valve in cyl 2. Compression readings : 1,3 and 4 at 195 psi, 2 at 120 psi. Adding oil in the no. 2 cyl boost compression to 140 psi, no more. So it's a valve. Here are the questions for which i would need answers fast from those who know. CLUTCH: 1) How do I know where to bolt the new pressure plate on the flywheel (which will be resurfaced)? At exactly the same place as the old one? Do I have to presume it's balanced exactly the same way? 2) The two lower bolts holding the trans to the engine (I'm pulling the engien) seem to be non accessible from below (I would have to remove both half shafts to gain access to them). From above, there's no place to fit a ratchet or a torque wrench, only a thin breaker bar and i have but a few degrees of movement on the right side. Is there something I'm missing? Is there a trick to it? LEFT HEAD (that I have to remove and replace to have the valves in no 2 cyl replaced and regrinded( 3) What do I need beside new valves and a head gasket ? Are there valve seals to replace. O rings? I'm bringing the head to a local machine shop. Never touched an engine head before. 4) Can I reuse the old head bolts or is it better to buy new ones? 5) The engine never overheated. Do I need to have the head resurfaced or do I just replace the gasket? 6) I'm open to any other advice anyone is willing to give me. I'm really eager to have answers to those questions or to be redirected to where I can find them. Thanks in advance

I would add the non-EGR EJ22 from 1996 MY. Still non interference also. That's the motor in my 96 Brighton.

Thanks to you both. I'll do exactly as you say.

I would have liked more responses to my previous post but, «boring» is not very good advertisement. Some here have asked in the past if it was indeed profitable to order parts from a discount seller in the U.S. instead of buying in Canada. I'm buying some parts from Jason in Auburn and here are some costs comparison. From Jason: One timing belt One tensioner One tensioner pulley Three idlers (two smooth and one toothed) Total: 389$ USD + 7% exchange = 417.02 Can + TPS (6%) and (here in Québec) TVQ (7.5%) = 475$ Can + 6% duty charges (Worst case, cause zero% if they think parts were made in the US) = 503$ Can + 25$ for UPS delivery = 528$ Can. Price for exact same parts at a canadian dealer (Scotti here in Montreal) = 857.82 CAN Draw your own conclusions.

In my car I installed a cheap volt meter with parts from Radio-shack. It's connected to the cigarette lighter receptacle. I'm sure it would give me advance warning if the alt shoul fail. But of course an audible alarm would be best, same thing with the oil pressure and water temp. You don't always keep you eyes on the gauges. Failed alt gives more time to be aware of the problem than zero oil pressure or overheating though. Good luck!

Hi, I'm about to replace those on my 96 Legacy Brighton 245,000 kilometers (152 K miles). A) Clutch. I'm replacing everything, pressure plate, disc, pilot and throw out bearings, cable, fork. I already have those parts. Questions: (1) I made a search and found reference to two retaining clips. Are those the fork retaining clips and are'nt the old one reusable? I dont have those in my clutch kit (OEM). (2) My clutch has started slipping (very lightly) but is engaging smoothly. Can I get by with sanding the flywheel with fine emery paper or do I HAVE to have the flyweel machined ? Timing belt. I replaced it at 112 K miles) and it has still 20 K miles to go. But I decided to replace it at the same time (I'm pulling the engine). When I did the belt at 112 K miles, i replaced the water pump, crank and cam seals and the oil pump O ring (back cover screws were tight). But I did not replace any idlers nor the belt tensioner. I will certainly replace the tensionner and the separator cover (baffle plate). Questions: (3) At 152 K miles, should I order the three idlers now or wait to see how they are ? They will be in there another 60 K miles before the next belt change (212 K miles altogether). (4) Can the three front oil seals (replaced with new brown kind 40 K miles ago) can withstand 60 K more miles (100 K miles total) without problems or should I replace them ? (5) Should I replace the back crankshaft oil seal? Never been replaced. (6) Should I replace the water pump (OEM) that I replaced 40K miles ago and that will have to stay in there another 60 K miles (100 K miles total) ? C) Radiator: I already have one waiting (preventive maintenance) and one OEM thermostat. I want also to replace both metal tubes connecting to both heater hoses: they are almost rusted through. Questions: 7) What is the exact name of those pipes (for ordering) ? One is short and connects to the intake manifold, the other is long and circonvoluted and connects to the water pump housing. 8) Am I forgetting something ? Thanks in advance! Gilles

And I have a fuel pressure gauge that tells me there's is no residual pressure left after three hours. If you want to be absolutely safe do it after the car as sat thru the night.

Since this is becoming a deversion, this is going to be my last post on the subject, but the first poster said his vaccuum readings were made in Bushkill the lowest point in the area and not on a Pocono's peak. My info comes from The Bushkill's Chamber of commerce site.

Since I started this altitude thing, might as well take it to its conclusion. Bushkill is only 340 feet above sea level, so the effect on the vac reading would be no more than a third of an inch of HG.

:-p

I think one has also to take into account the altitude. If you live higher than sea level the «normal» HG reading will be lower. One inch lower for each 1K feet above sea level. And then there is barometric pressure, but I don't know how much a factor that can be.