B25 Posted October 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 woohoo! finally got the engine together! I got the chain sorted, front cover on and head torqued down last night. I stuck a hose in the top cover oil hole and sprayed the gunk off, while checking everything for leaks. there was a small leak in between the head and top cover which would spit drops of water every so often , so I RTV'd the shit out of it and it doesnt seem to be leaking anymore. for some reason I couldnt get the front cover bolts to torque past 28 ft. lbs...they would just rotate infinitely after that.. they would back out, so I dont think they were stripped, but they just wouldnt go any tighter. I need to buy some more bolts to get the water pump on fully and whatever the pump at the lower left corner of the front cover is needs to be tightened some more as well.. I got the pan on with a gasket and another shitload of RTV and torqued it in a pattern to around 10 ft lbs per bolt. what do you guys torque your pan bolts to? PICS: Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us Im thinking if they sell complete bolt kits for ka's Im gonna pick one up, just to make it that much safer as an engine. a new clutch, and a new timing kit are in the future as well, but thats after I get the god damn car running. main things still needed for engine: 44mm quad carbs alternator trigger wheel and VR sensor for ignition intake mani exhaust mani transmission radiator, and all assosciated tubing stay tuned... Quote Link to comment
hobbes_the_cat Posted October 31, 2011 Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 Quote: for some reason I couldnt get the front cover bolts to torque past 28 ft. lbs...they would just rotate infinitely after that.. they would back out, so I dont think they were stripped, but they just wouldnt go any tighter. Just because they back out doesn't mean they are not stripped. You will probably need to helicoil those threads. I am not familiar with the KA but on an L motor if the front cover is not tight it will leak coolant and/or oil pretty bad. just a warning. On another note, this looks like a big project, it's good to see your making some progress! Quote Link to comment
philcas1987 Posted October 31, 2011 Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 You sure that wasn't inch pounds? Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted November 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 You sure that wasn't inch pounds? completely positive Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted November 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Quote: for some reason I couldnt get the front cover bolts to torque past 28 ft. lbs...they would just rotate infinitely after that.. they would back out, so I dont think they were stripped, but they just wouldnt go any tighter. Just because they back out doesn't mean they are not stripped. You will probably need to helicoil those threads. I am not familiar with the KA but on an L motor if the front cover is not tight it will leak coolant and/or oil pretty bad. just a warning. On another note, this looks like a big project, it's good to see your making some progress! thats bad news. I agree though, the block is just under 200,000 miles and the threads are probably getting old. I will look into helicoiling the front cover bolts. thanks for the positivity, I will continue updating as things gradually happen. Im currently negotiating a large loan from the rents to buy the rest of the big parts I need, so there may be some interesting happenings next month, or so. Quote Link to comment
H5WAGON Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 When you say front cover bolts, do you mean the 4 little 10mm ones around the front of the head? Or the ones holding the front cover to the block? Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted November 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 all the bolts that hold teh front cover to the block are doing this. Im looking into helicoiling all of them. Quote Link to comment
mike Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Since youre taking it apart anyways... Use RTV or any silicon sealant stuff VERY SPARINGLY!!! If you "goop the shit out of it" all the crap that squeezes to the outside of the gasket is doing the exact same thing inside your engine. It WILL come loose and float around inside your engine. Odds are good that the RTV will clog your heater core and possibly even oil passages (even worse your oil pickup screen)inside your block. Clean the shit out of all gasket surfaces when you take it back apart, only use RTV on the corners of the gaskets or a VERY small amount, literally a thin even film that you can just about see through to hold it in place. Realistically you should be able to assemble your ENTIRE engine with less than an inch or two bead of RTV and have NO leaks... seriously, less is more. If you need to goop the shit out of something to make it not leak something is wrong. When youre reassembling the stuff with small bolts and nuts use a nut driver or a 1/4" ratchet. You will be WAY less likely to strip and or break shit. Run the bolts in with your fingers first to see if the holes are clean first, this will also let you check to make sure that you are using the right length bolt. Tighten them all evenly to JUST barely snug and go back around and snug them up. Certain things like head bolts and flywheel bolts NEED to be torqued to spec, most others (timing covers and oil pans) just need to be tightened evenly so that they hold whatever in place and dont leak. DONT OVERTIGHTEN THE BOLTS... just a 1/4 turn or so past snug. Go around it a few times using the same pattern to make sure they are all snug. On your oilpan or any other gasket, you dont want to crush the gasket when your tightening the bolts, you will most likely tweak the shit out of all the bolt holes in the pan and every place that the gasket is crushed will be the first place the engine will leak. On your stripped bolts, instead of putting helicoils in all the holes, try getting a tap and moving up to the next larger bolt you can find... even if its SAE instead of metric... It will be cheaper and easier than helicoils. You might have to clearance the holes in your timing cover with a drill bit in order to let the bolts to pass through. If youre looking at a large loan from the parents, make DAMN sure that you will be able to get your car running and driving with it... nothing sucks worse than owing money on a project that is no where near completion... especially to your parents. Whats your location? Im sure that theres a handful of Ratsuners in your area that would be more than happy to lend a hand and give you a few pointers. Also... search on here for Hainz's video on how to replace a timing chain on an L motor, an L isnt a whole lot different than a KA, and he has a lot of good info that will help on any engine you touch. Keep at her and dont give up. Youll get there and youre going to enjoy the fuck out of it once its done :cool: Quote Link to comment
H5WAGON Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 When you get this apart, let me know...I can stop by and check it out.. Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted November 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 you guys are angels, thanks mike! thanks other mike! and errbody else thanks! I like the idea of tapping the holes out to the next size up. seems like an all around good idea. I know a guy a couple doors down with a set of taps, I'll grab the phone and bother the fuck out of him after school today. overall, after listening to you guys, I think the first assembly of the engine I did was a "rough draft" I think Im going to drain it, tap the bolts and rebuild it with a new headgasket. Thats really good advice on the oil pan, mike, I torqued the pan bolts to 10 ft lbs and the gasket literally half squeezed out of the engine. I feel like it did the same on the inside as well, which could cause problems. on the loan, I will make sure I have a plan to get it R&D if I take them up. I sure as hell dont want to owe my parents money for the rest of my highschool experience for nothing haha. Im in NE Portland, anyone who wants to come by can shoot me PM. story time: I got my driving permit a couple weeks ago, and I have logged about 5 hours of driving time on our Honda Passport. the truck steers like a truck, and handles like a truck. and just yesterday I was sitting in my 510 in my driveway and realised how badly I want to drive it. the driving position of the 510, the steering, the looks, everything about it is so much more exciting than the truck. I guess actually driving has renewed my dedication to finishing the 2dr. stay tuned.. Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted November 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 When you get this apart, let me know...I can stop by and check it out.. I will hit you up man, Im thinking today or tomorrow I will put in some time. Quote Link to comment
B25 Posted November 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 yoooooooo Im back, sorry for not updating but I havent really done shit since last post. I got the engine back together and bought an oil filter, which isnt interesting enough to take pics of, I think I got the brakes sort of working, since when I depress the pedal I cant turn the rotor, but the brakes are so misaligned the rotor gets stuck on the pads all the time anyway, so it could just be my imagination. My problem is that I have 13" wheels, which obviously wont fit over the 280zx calipers, so I need to find a set of the cheapest 14's 15's or 16's imaginable until I get enough money for a decent set of 3 pieces. in other news, I hit my thumb with a good sized hammer and shattered the nail.. pics soon, unless you guys are averse to nasty wound pics haha. If anyone has some spare wheels they want to loan/trade me for my current wheels, let me know! my current wheels are american racing spectres, 13x5.5, 4x114.3mm pretty much no offset basically, it will take me 10 years to finish the damn car unless I get a job, so the job hunt is on in a big way! stay tuned... Quote Link to comment
Z chopper Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 look for some 280zx rims they even look nice Quote Link to comment
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