Enough to make it run like ****. Sounds like a 2-stroke when I started it up briefly. I need to inspect it more closely and take it off probably to see if I could repair it or just get this one.

 

200 miles is a nice ride on a motorcycle.

Just sayin.

 

you started her up? and she ran rough, huh? hmm...wish i was there, i love this stuff as much as i hate it. double check your timing, and should crank it 360 degrees by hand 6 times before you start it, that way you know if you run into a valve or something.

Hope it's not pistons...keep us posted.

 

Quote of the Year!

 

Alright, got the head pulled last night thanks to the heroic help of my neighbor. No piston damage to speak of #1 and #4 had some light dents from the intake valves. At least one valve was bent enough to be noticeable. Now I need to call around and see what a head job is gonna run and how long I'll be down for. I'd like to go ahead and replace all the valves, but I was hoping to avoid spending and extra $500 for the valves alone.

Anyone got the hookup on a cheap set of valves? Should I just go for the salvage head and be done with it? I'm not really sure what's the best way to proceed so give me some options!

 

Well $200 for a head, valves etc sounds like a steal vs $500 for valves.

 

Agreed , that seems pretty self explanatory. You can get +1mm valves made of stainless steel and coated for 400 usd.

 

Seems, but that head is off an engine that cracked a block at 85k miles. No telling how it really looks until it's in my hands. I went the safe route and ordered new valves ($11/each) gaskets and head bolts and I'm going to take the head to a local machine shop that will clean and rebuild it for $200 so for ~$550 I'll have essentially a brand new head to put back on there. There is another local guy who offers port/polish service and I'm e-mailing him for a quote on doing the rebuild as well as a port/polish on the head and intake just to see what my options are. If I go that route I suppose I'll have to throw some headers on as well, but all I find besides RRM are the ebay "OBX" headers that seem to have a bad reputation around here. I'll keep searching...

 

Sorry to bump my old thread, but I think my latest problem is related. I pulled the head and had it repaired. All new valves, cleaned up, etc. I installed in about 2 months ago and have put about 1500 miles on the car since then. As of Saturday though my car is making a horrific chattering noise above 2000 rpms but moreso when it's warmed up than when it's cold. I was driving it down the highway at about 70 when this started so I pulled over and as soon as I pulled it out gear the car died and when I popped the hood the coolant reservoir was damn near overflowing and bubbling. I called Progressive roadside and got a tow truck on the way and once it cooled down enough to open the radiator cap, the coolant reservoir was back down to a normal level and the radiator was full of coolant. It didn't appear there was any oil in it either. After having the car towed home I started it up and let it idle for about 10 minutes, it sounded fine. As soon as I give it some gas and it goes above 2000 rpm the horrible noise starts again and now when it warms up the oil pressure light flickers at idle and it wants to die. I changed the oil and it's full so I'm at a loss as to what to do. I took it to a local shop and they basically told me I needed a new short block rebuild and that would cost upwards of $3000. Does that sound accurate? Is there anything else it could be that I could check out and possibly get the car running again? It has 125,500 miles on it and the head was just rebuilt 1500 miles ago. I'd really like to keep the car as it's totally paid off now but if I have to rebuild the entire engine I think I might just part it out or sell it for cheap.

Pleas help!

 

wow bummer sorry to hear that hope it all work out for you

 

did they say why it needs a rebuild? did you replace the water pump and thermostat when you put it back together? can you post a video of the noise?

 

Dude said it sounded like a rod/bearing was shot or something. The water pump was replaced along with the timing belt and tensioners. I'll get a video this evening when I get home. Could it somehow be out of time by a tooth? I wouldn't think it would start at all if that were the case though.

 

off by a tooth...should run, but would sound like garbage even at idle...bearings shouldn't just go at your mileage unless it's been starved of oil...although that would make a hell of a racket...

 

If it turns out your engine is toast, I would drop in a used engine for $500-800 before letting the hacks who quoted you $3000 touch my car.


Danny's Auto Salvage in Tulsa lists three compatible engines, two for $500 each, one for $750. Yank your old motor, drop in one of these, and be back on the road for well under a grand.

 

could be spun bearing and rod knock... that really would suck though

drop the oil pan and see what you're looking at