98sub2500leg

Removed the pan again, stout seal all the way around. No squeeze out problems. The strainer is clean, all ports very clean. when I removed gasket the 1st time, I spent a few hours time, doing it slowly and making sure not a piece dropped in the pan. Afterwards, cleaned out the pan with carb cleaner. It was very clean. Spent a lot of extra time inspecting it before sealing. The O ring was installed, No clogs so far in any ports. Haven't run air through them yet. I removed the oil pump, again great seal, no squeezeout there either. The o ring was installed and in good shape. So far everything seems to check out ok. Still have to check the clearance on the oil pump, although I probably isn't very likely it is bad. I will check it and repost later. The tiny ports on the oil pump and the cylinder head were all open so far from visual inspection. I will be running air through and possibly some monofiliment if necessary. What is the procedure (if any) when it comes to priming the oil pump after it has been drained? Is it ok to start out with 5w30? I asked this before, but no replies. Maybe I should have used thinner viscosity oil to start out with to make the prime easier,then removed the plugs, then bump the starter several times for to prime it. Responses would be really appreciated here. The saga continues.

Removed the right cylinder head, the piston heads & walls were nicely coated with oil. The pistons are in good shape, move freely. When standing in front of the right cylinder, the lower right oil passage is dry, the lower left passage has some oil, but not saturated like one would expect. With a flashlight I can see into the pan- no blockage from the pan through the passage to the cylinder. Still a mystery, why oil pressure seems to only be building up in one cylinder. I was hoping I wouldn't have to remove the oil pump and pan again. :-\

Thanks Dave I may need it. In retrospect, the pump worked fine before tear down, but should still be good and has relatively low miles (108k). Does anyone have an oil flow diagram, or can do me a favor & describe the flow cycle.

EJ25 engine, DOHC Is there a way to test the oil pump? If so, how? Also, anyone know how to do an oil flow test? Keep in mind, the engine is on the stand again. Ready to remove heads again to have retested. Just purchased new OEM HG's, which weren't cheap, can those be re-used. There is a total of about 3 minutes of idle run time use on them.

Update: Got the resevoir cleaned before engine install yesterday by using mineral spirits, clean 5/8" gravel, shook it up, drained out and flushed with hot water. Then used a bunch of fast orange as this stuff works the best as a grease cutter. Shook with gravel & hot water, drained, then used paper towels to clean out residual sludge on inside walls with a long screwdriver, worked good.

I haven't seen the Volvos but would say these are completely overdesigned or poor design to put it better. A better method would have been to design 2 notches and use an external retaining spring clip to hold it on. I bought all OEM Sub parts from the dealer-negotiated a discount since I bought so many parts. I have to find the invoice, but I think both were something like $30-$35 each. I will get back to you on it. I have used aftermarket before with good results. I may have saved $15-$20, but didn't want to take the chance with having an incompatable fit. Still need to figure out how to separate the ball from the socket.

Latest update: Removed left (drivers side) valve cover, which was loaded with oil. However, to me this isn't conclusive that the pump is working because the oil spout(fill) is on that side. The right side never saw a drop of oil. The oil filter was loaded with oil, but it's on the low side so I would expect it to fill regardless of pump operation. Still not sure if the pump just failed or just never primed. Maybe the oil was too thick to prime, I used 5w30. The lower cylinder oil passages are too huge to be clogged though and there is 2 of them on each side approx 1/2" x 1.25" on each port. Only lube that kept the right side going was the assembly lube I used, which on the bearing surfaces pretty much dried up. The lifters or buckets seem ok and still had a lot of grease on them. Their duty cycle is a fraction of that of the bearing surfaces. As scored as the bearing surfaces are, looks like the head needs replacing.

Thanks for the info. The upper 2 bolts are removed and when I rotate the cylinder, the ball joint-nut(or bolt) is unscrewing. Have not touched it other than that, it is still hanging there. Also that ball joint screw is rusted so it should also be changed out, but still need to know how to remove the ball joint from the cylinder socket. Something locks it in there. It looks like the new one has a spring clip inside it.

Update: Engine is out, rt (passenger) valve cvr removed -right side cylinder is oil starved(haven't got to left side yet, but expect the same). Valves themselves seem ok from initial inspection. Front cam cap is scored, mid & end cam caps seems ok. The right exhaust front cam cap froze to the cam front bearing journal. Initial visual inspection of the Rt Ex. cam lobes look ok (haven't yet measured them) and the bearing journals also look ok except from the front which looks like aluminum residue from the scoring. I believe these only come in a set (cam & bearing caps). So far suspect oil pump or clogged oil passages. Anyone have this happen before with an oil pump where it fails to work after changing out the o ring? Since it worked before, I failed somewhere, and there is no way to test the system before install. I am leaning towards either a new pump or rebuilt. Anyone know a reliable source(s) for rebuilt oil pumps? or is there a reliable way to test the existing one? I'm sure a new one is an arm & a leg. Since I already lost my arm in when the cam seized I only have a leg left (just joking).

I appreciate the thought. What would you say is the best way to check mine? If there is one or more bent valves, that is one thing, but if the head is damaged, I am resigned to buying used.

I am still deciding on either replacing with a used head, or repairing existing. By the time I pay to have the existing one tested then fixed, it would probably be way more cost effective to replace with a used head. What would be the best way to go, try to find a sprocket, re-install the TB and dry test the engine with it still in or remove it, pull the heads and have them tested? Last time it was pulled, I should have tried to rig up the starter with the one bolt to the block and tested it at higher revs. Not sure if it is achievable with only the one starter bolt, but I believe that the torque on the one bolt should hold it. With the valve stuck, I figure a valve must be bent and can't clear the cylinder wall. If the cylinder wall is not scored the head may still be useable. Any ideas on the best way to go about this dilema? Has anyone ever re-used a new head gasket? Those weren't exactly cheap. Hate to have to buy new ones.

Had the same exact problem on my 98 Outback.The problem was intermittant, pedal would stick about 1/2- 3/4 way down, had to use toe to spring it back while driving which was really annoying, but otherwise worked fine. Mostly seemed temperature related, then the clutch started to slip, then it went altogether. New clutch -problem fixed. I was convinced it was the spring for sure before the clutch failed. Thats not to say it isn't your cylinders. How many miles are on the clutch?

Sounds like the same event here. The right intake cam sprocket exploded, but the right lower cam is locked. The left intake & exhaust cams seem ok. It's hard to tell what happened. I can't help wonder if it misfired (faulty crank or cam connection to ecu), stress on sprocket, bad tensioner? Thanks for the input Ron. Everything disconnected again, almost ready to pull engine. Has to come out in light of the stuck cam. This is a puzzle to me though why only one cam is stuck. I suppose it would depend on where in the stroke the valves hit. I would think both upper & lower would be bent. I suppose it would be more cost effective to buy a used head than have the one fixed if it can be fixed and also if it is only the one side.

Yes, I did remove the pin, in fact I spent an extra day making sure everything was in check; cam sprocket positions, timing marks, tooth count, pulled pin, rotated at least 2 full rev's. The car seemed to run well when I started it. I am thinking it either misfired and the force of the opposing sprockets jammed into that pulley or possibly the pulley was not quite seated all the way on the key way. They were all a tight fit. I'm talking maybe a few thousands of an inch then the bolt when torqued possibly could have put undue pressure on it. They seem to be made of phenolic material. Phenolic is stout, but brittle. It obviously broke due to some stress, question is from what. Since the cams are currently not at TDC position, I will have to wait until I get a new sprocket, then reinstall TB and position crank to TDC. I can probably move them by hand a little bit in the current position to see if they are frozen I still have my old TB, just need another right intake sprocket. I will test remove the old & repost. Thanks for the offer Dave, I will check if there is any locally first and get back with you.

This can be useful info here, did it shatter after a short period of time when it was removed then reinstalled? What happened to the engine? the new TB was compromised a little bit, enough to replace. I took a break, getting back on the job. I will repost on update soon. Thanks for the input.

This is the hydrolic type, align belt, pull pin. So far there is still tension on the belt (as much as I can see).

Yeah, quite the bum deal. I pulled the left(passenger) side TC to find the left intake cam sprocket completely shattered, and that shattered the rear TC. All that started to puch the timing belt onto the cylinder head, but to my amazement, the TB may not have skipped, it actually looks like it may be held in place. Not sure if the new TB is compomised also. It only had 2-3 minutes of time on it. I did read from one post somewhere that someone recommended changing the cam sprockets when doing the TB. That was the only one, seemed that replacing them would have been overkill so I didn't. Anyone ever hear of them shattering before. I more of wonder why it would have shattered. There must have been something else wrong for that to happen. Too much of a coincidence for it to happen just after replacement.

NO, removed the 2 top bolts. The other end is the socket joint, which is won't release from the ball. The new one has a internal spring clamp inside the socket. Where is the nut?

Thanks, yes I did replace the tensioner, used all OEM. Well the only consolation is that I have been through the learning curve. Spent a lot of time researching,documenting and cleaning engine & parts. Tear down should go a lot quicker.

It was great for a short time. I posted too soon, see new thread.

After all that work, engine was being warmed up at idle, tb came off & broke the top left (passenger) side cover car stopped. Car stopped, heard a winding down like TB was skipping on the cam sprockets (it was pretty fast). Most likely have bent valves. Other than removing the timing covers for initial inspection, what is the best way to test it, compression, vacuum, both?

Having trouble removing the ball end of the strut off the ball joint. Whats the trick to removing this.

Car 1st started up within 3rd start at 2-3 sec intervals, runs great. Started much quicker than I expected. Thought I would have to crank it for a minute or two. Restarts on a dime. Idle is a bit higher than used to be. Was 800 RPM, now 1000 RPM. Clutch needs adjustment. Haven't done that on this car before. :banana::headbang: Thanks again to all who replied & helped.

Actually, i believe it was done at the 60k mile service. Yes, I do my own service, right now I have 3 vehicles and a 40HP tractor that all needs the same service. I'm planning on loading up all the garage bays and doing them in a line. Most oil, change shops get the cheap stuff. If you bring in your own there is no break on the price. On pan oil changes, what's worse is at some places they use inexperienced labor who a lot of times really over torques the pan bolts. I have heard (but not confirmed because it is hard to believe) that some use a impact wrench to tighten them. I am just getting ready to restart my Sub after a 3 week Hg & semi re-build. I filled the block from the upper rad. hose, and still need to fill the radiator. Before I can do that I want to clean the resevoir tank. I found it to work fairly well as a good blown head gasket indicator. Then I have to fill the crankcase with oil, install battery then pray. Did you mean to say after you knew better?

Any input on the change intervals would be appreciated. The more input the better. So far at 107+k miles and haven't them changed yet.