WTF! (nothing ever goes wrong)

[datzenmike]

Finally! After having my 620 for at least 13 years, the motor and the tail lights are the only thing left of the original '78. Other than oil changes and valve adjustments, I've never touched the motor. That is until Monday night when I took the head off to find the gasket cracked from #4 through the water jacket and outside just below the heater hose outlet. Sunday night a cloud of steam had followed me home.

 

Number four piston was absolutely spotless!! The head was clean with some deposits that were cracked and loose to the touch on #4 and the others were tan and brick colored. I used a wire wheel and an angle grinder to lightly polish the chambers and the head and block surfaces. All ready. Wrapped in plastic. Ordered gasket Mon, in on Tues, rain, rain, rain. Was hoping to have this done by now. Would have been a perfect time to EFI it, but it needs to be available. Oh well. More later.

[Icehouse]

If it makes you feel any better mike L motors don't like me either :( I had a steam cloud follow in my 620 to.... O well it motivated me to do the KA :D

[]2eDeYe]

13 years sounds like a good run to me :D

[Bleach]

I've had pretty good luck with L-motors.

The gakets on the front cover and manual fuel pump always give me trouble but that's the worst of it for me. :D

 

oh, and I ran out of oil once and seized an engine but that was partly my fault...

[datzenmike]

2eDeYe;4189'']13 years sounds like a good run to me :D

 

...and 300,000 Kms on it, not all by me. I got an L20B for my 521 once. It had overheating issues, but I threw it in any ways after the p/o changed the gasket and within a few months it blew and I changed it. It blew shortly after and in order to keep on truckin', I put an L16 head on and got the other milled flat and then switched back. So three times before I got my shit together and did it right.

[datzenmike]

Weather good enough to replace gasket and get her going today. Within a min. of starting a huge, huge cloud of anti-freeze smelling cloud of steam came out the pipe, filling the driveway. The ol' lady says sarcastically, "That's better". (I didn't tell her it was all the coolant still in the pipe and muffler just boiling off) Runs good, seems better even. Thermostat has failed in the open position as it doesn't fully warm up like it used to. Check to-morrow.

[datzenmike]

Bought a new thermostat that locks in the open position if it overheats. Turns out that was what was in it. When the gasket failed and it over heated it locked open. I just unlocked it and put it back in, works just fine. Going to keep the new one in case. By the way its a 190 degree and works fine in the summer.

[datzenmike]

Didn't drive my truck until Thurs cause I have a cold and don't feel up to biking. The old reset thermostat works fine and the engine seems to warm faster. (maybe the warmer weather) Drove truck on the weekend and have to say there's definitely more pull than before changing the head gasket! More oomph noticeable low down and can up shift sooner. I can stay in 5th and accelerate without downshifting as much. I'm not imagining this.

 

Maybe the timing chain was stretched and now is right. If it's making more power, maybe that's why is seems to warm up faster? This is fun to drive.

[]2eDeYe]

Glad to hear it's up and running again :D