Rebuilding the engine - what parts to use?

[alimonos]

oldeskewltoy Wrote:You can.... but the thinner you go... the more you will change camshaft timing.. now if you added cam gears and adjusted the thinner head gasket out of the equasion...

can you be more specific on this one oldeskewltoy???

[Apolan]

Tnx ivan, i thought so myself, just needed to be sure.

alimonos, when you put thiner headgasket you change camshaft timing.. but i talked to my friend and he said that putting 0.6mm (compared to 1.2 stock) headgasket will not affect timing so much that you would need adjustable cam sprockets. Can somebody verify that?

Still wondering about this:

Quote:Once i have the engine outside (without oil and water in it), i will flick it upside down, put it on the cam-covers, unbolt the oilpan etc.. then disconnect the con-rods. Can i just lay them gently down on the valves or will that damage guides or whatever? The idea is to replace just the bearings without oppening the head or taking it off. Also can i re-use all of the bolts or do i need some new (for the con-rods..)?

[Ivan141]

I dont think you'd bend the valves that easily, just by the weight of the piston/rod assy pressing on them.
I think you can reuse the bolts if they havent stretched beyond a certain point, but I wouldnt recommend it. It's a high-revving engine, and conrod bolt failure is not uncommon @ high revs.

[dreja]

Apolan, according to the manual, page EM-47, you should do the following when doing a compression check:

disconnect solenoid resistor connector
disconnect cold start injector connector
disconnect distributor connector

[Apolan]

Jep thanx i've read the whole manual just yesterday Hopefully tomorrow i'll have my engine out so i can get on it. I really hope that crankshaft and rods are okay..

[oldeskewltoy]

Look at the front of the 4AGE engine.... the camshafts are set at a specific gap from the crankshaft. Part of this gap is a 1.2mm head gasket. By using a thinner head gasket the gap is narrowed. The timing belt is NOT shorter, that means for the timing belt to now engage the timing gear, the timing gear has to be moved. Moving the cam gear to accomodate the narrower gap tosses cam timing off. There was a recent article in one of the Peterson publishing group magazines testing if this really had an effect. They tested on a Eclipse turbo... and sure enough, the narrower head gasket did bump compression, but cam timing change. the net result I believe was a 1.6hp LOSS!


Apolan - no worries... the rings will hold the pistons in their bores. Amazing how much resistance rings actually add. And on that note... BE careful!!!! a nick in the crank journal caused by a rod bolt is COMMON! Once you have the cap off... IMMEDIATELY fit rubber hose over each rod bolt... this will prevent any damage if the rod end should slip a bit and hit the crank

Concerning reusing rod bolts/nuts... I refuse to do it... but I understand your need. Use the factory torque spec... and keep your fingers crossed

You can NOT refit new bolts unless the rod is out of the engine...

[Apolan]

Thanx Dan, i either wont do any tunning or do everything from scrach and do it right. First i have to see what condition my engine is in, then decide what to do. Appreciate the help!

[oldeskewltoy]

came across this pic in my old photos... 4AGE LOOSENING guide!!!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/oldeskewlt...2ecscd.jpg