I appreciate it Trax. Thanks for your patience. I guess a really stupid question here, should i turn the engine over until i get the highest compression or should i turn it over for like five compression strokes per cylinder? Really been wanting to pull the head and see whether or not its a head or gasket. It would be easier than swapping engines. If gasket them I would have two running engines and then I would be in need of a tranny. This one is shot I think.
Alright guys i got the truck in the garage and going to pull the head to determine whether its a cracked head (my luck it will be) or a gasket. that said i plan to get motor to TDC so i can pull timing belt and such. In doing so i need to remove the crank pully and the question i have is, the bolt holding the crank pully on, is it left hand treads? Any insight or direction is most appreciated.
No it is right hand but you will need a pretty tourqey impact to get it off without moving the shaft.The first one I did Harbor Freight had a deal on their earthquake model and it worked real well as it has pleanty of torque and a pretty short body to get in there. While you are in there take a good look at the freeze plugs.I had a problem with one rusting through.
Thanks Jim but I want to just make sure were on the same page, if im looking straight at the pully from the front, the bolt would turn counter clockwise to back out. Just want to make sure before i assume something that costs me down the road. Also two more questions. Do i need a pully puller to get it off? and the center console thing with brake and gear shifter, can it be removed where i can get to everything easier? Thanks again I also took this picture and I'm assuming the T and line is the TDC mark. That said what is the 5 line? I feel 5 degrees but what and when would you use them.
Yes ccw to back out,no puller needed.I don't know that you would gain that much by removing the center console and then you have to deal with all the cables.On the flywheel the T is top dead center and the numbers are degrees of advancement and they are used to set the timing.The manual says 7 Degrees advanced but most of us agree that 9 is better.On all that I have seen there is a white paint mark near where 7 would be.
About to pull head so here is the next question I have in this series, it looks like I will have to pull the cam to get to the bolts under it to remove the head. Is this correct and if so any advice? Thanks again for all your help.
I got one off without pulling the cam but it is really tight and easier to just pull it first.Be careful to note how everything goes back together,I take lots of pics,the biggest problem is the "intimidation factor" and once you have done it and get over being intimidated it's pretty simple.Just take your time and pay attention most parts are well marked for position and direction.Good luck.
Alright Mr. Jim, you are starting to sound exactly like my dad. he has stressed over and over to to note now things come apart so i can put it back together. he has even stressed taking pictures. he has even given me a paint pen to mark all the parts and such so that I know where they go back. How in the world did you get to the bolts under the cam? I guess the another question i have is it has a timing mark on the cover behind the cam pully so I really dont need to mark where my cam position is now because it will go back and then set the cam marks to tdc and re install the belt and it should be timed correctly. or am i missing something? Im ready to see if its a gasket, cracked head or a warped head. hopefully i will know by tomorrow. Thanks again for all your help
Your dad and I have probably screwed up enough jobs to have finally learned to be careful,on that note I didn't take pics of how I got the bolts from under the cam but I think I just loosened it up enough to get to them.I know for sure that afterward I felt like a fool for being afraid to take the cam out. On the timing marks just be sure that everything is lined up right and don't move the crank while it's apart.I always use one of those marking pens,the silver one, like your dad gave you,to mark the timing belt before removing it just because it makes me feel better.Good luck I hope it's just a gasket and obvious where it's bad, there's nothing worse than not being really sure if you found the problem.
Thanks Mr Jim. If the crank does move wouldn't getting the peep hole in the tranny to TDC be right back into time? Also if the crank and cam were not properly in sync could this put pressure into the coolant system? Reason I ask is because the timing belt had a great deal of slack and it seems that the cam may have been a couple of notches out. Not 100% but looked as if it could have been.
You can always start from scratch and line things up I just like to keep things like I found them if possible.That slack in the belt isn't unusual with these engines.Most people don't bother to set the tension idler periodically but I don't know how it would increase cooling system pressure.
One last question thinking about all this. Will I need to take the distributor off in order to get the cam off? If so how do you make sure they go back together properly?
You don't have to but the cam will rotate a little because of the angle of the gear so you have to consider that when putting it back.Doing it in the truck it would probably be easier to take the dizzy out,here again I always mark the body where it seats just to have it close to in time even though the rotor will be pointing at #1.The teeth are small and it's easy to get it 1 tooth off so give yourself all the help you can.
HELP!!! I planned to take the cam out to get to the bolts underneath but now I've gotten to another issue. Do I have to do anything with the valve rockers as they are sitting on the cam which in turn are pressing down on the cam making it impossible to remove.
You've probably figured it out by now but you can loosen them up enough to make room but you can also take them out.If you take pics they aren't as bad as they seem just watch for the little spring washers.
If the timing belt had a bit of slack it would jump time. Then the valves could be open on a compression stroke instead of when their supposed too. If I was you I would line everything up and put the belt on and make sure its tight and all the marks line up. Then do another compression test before I took the head off. Might get really lucky and not have to remove the head!!! This just happened to a friend of mine the other day with his jeep. The chain jumped time and left him stranded. I towed him home and in the process if diagnosing discovered that it was a 30 dollar fix. Good luck bud
First I'd make sure that the belt has all of it's teeth, yea, for sure right, just saying. That's why you write stuff down, like the compression test history numbers; instead of trying to remember what they were, and then comparing to what they progress to, if at all. I once got stranded in the middle of nowhere with my swat-team P30. Running up to the north for moose season through a rain storm and a bad road. The truck just stopped, engine died. After about an hour of roadside diagnostic, turned out that a propane control unit had been replaced sometime in the past with a new one, and the guy that did it just hand twisted the wires together under the hood. Two wires hanging, put them together, back in bidness... That's the whole point, to find that little nothing that is making the whole truck unusable. Then, after a while, you'll figure out that you can fix it anywhere. Mini truck self training program...
Alright guys here is the latest, i got the head off the truck only to find nothing, or at least as I can see. I cleaned all the carbon off the cylinders and i cant find a crack at all in the head. While upside down I put gas in the dome of cylinder one to see if it would leak out and it didn't. Remember this is the cylinder that had the lowest compression and the one that actually looked as if it has some rust . I then put gas in cylinder one and cylinder two dome and both held gas but the second cylinder eventually leaked out around one of the intake valves i assume because eventually leaked out of the intake. Any thoughts or suggestions? Trying to post pics but it doesn't seem to be working. I will try and get them loaded. i will post more pics with the carbon removed so you can see them.
Loads of fun hahaha.....I've seen rings slip on pistons and the grooves line up cause measurable compression loss.....I usually use an air hose and a buddy and do a leak down test before I pull the head. Just to figure out where the air in the cylinder is going. Sometimes doesn't help sometimes does. Look at the head gasket really good. Maybe a small leak between cylinders......
MM, the reason I pulled the head is because when I bought this particular truck the owner told me it either had a cracked head or blown head gasket. I got the truck running and found it to be pressurizing the coolant system forcing water back out if the radiator so I decided to pressure check them to see which cylinder it could possibly be. Conclusion I came to was cylinder one because it has the lowest compression.
Right on!! Sorry bud.....must have missed that part. You can put the head on a table. Use a inner tube cut open to set it on. Have a friend hold it down. Then take an air hose and put a rubber grommet on the end the air comes out of. Put it in the spark plug hole. Then you can pressure up that spot to see where the air comes out. I have used twisted toilet paper. Light it on fire and it smolders. Great little smoke maker. Put a small piece and let it burn till smoke comes out the plug hole then add a bit of air. Smoke is easily seen if there is a crack but it does stink and takes a bit of practice to get to work Hahaha.could also be a crack in a cylinder wall.
MM, those are really cool ideas and good stuff to know. On another note, how in the world would you check the cylinder wall for cracks? My luck that is what it will be, do i just look for visual cracks? Problem I have with visually inspecting is that it is the number one cylinder and to pull belt and head and such i had to get the engine to TDC. Also another question is if its a cylinder wall wouldn't i be getting water in the oil? Right now there is no water in the oil.
Don't have to worry about the timing of the cylinders now that the head is off. All ya have to do is put number one back to the top when your done. Wouldn't get water in oil if the crack is above the piston. It would get burned unless was a huge crack. I've used a razor blade and ran the tip around the cylinders. Magnaflux works too but messy and hard to get out. Its just magnet dust. I used to have some dye that I used to find cracks.......I'll have to try and figure out what it was called. How does the block look where the head gasket was? Is it all shiny all the way around or is there a tiny spot where its brownish or black
These engines are pretty bullet proof and I don't think you have a cracked block,just look at what spaner has put his truck through with no failure, and I've worked on 3 that have been terribly neglected with no failures.You have something much simpler going on and it will just be tough to find.Your compression #'s were too high to be anything major.How much back pressure did you have in the cooling system?I would be more suspicious of valve adjustment than anything else but at this point you will probably never be satisfied in your mind til you do a total tear down.
Well my dad seems to think there is nothing wrong with the head and thinks it is the gasket. Y'all see what y'all think.
Dad actually thinks is on the bottom left corner close to the water jacket on the left at about 8 o'clock. I didn't see it (Wasnt sure what I was looking for) but he noticed the brown rusty looking spot on the ring around cylinder. It corresponds to a place on the head that was a little rusty when I pulled it. We will see. Surely hoping that its a gasket rather than the head.
I think your father is wright.. A cracked block would cause coolant to mix with oil (most of the time) A smal gap in your head gasket would explain your blow-back in your cooling system. A smal gap wil cause some pressure from the explotion cycle to leak in your coolant circuit. The gap is small enoughf that the low coolant pressur (7psi) does not send coolant in your cylinder. It could explain why your ingine does not smooke like crazy (like a normal head gasket failiure) Maybe you should mesure your head and block surface to make sure it is not warped. Maybe have the head shaved , I hope its only your gasket, good luck
I agree. Couldn't tell if that rust was from leak or touching it Hahaha these little engines are tough. They wouldn't have used them in a snowmachine with a turbo if they weren't. Too bad for arctic cat......Suzuki no longer makes their engines. Was the only good thing about and arctic cat, everything but the engine breaks on em Hahaha. The pou is right. Have the head checked to make sure its not warped. Doesn't cost very much to have a head shaved a bit. Added benefit......higher compression
Thanks guys, dad dropped it off today to be checked. Do they clean them at all while they have them? Dad said he thought they dipped them in a vat to clean them up. Any idea?
