DIY Car Maintenance
- Thread starter mountainaire
- Start date
I just ordered the parts that Mrs SP needs to service her car.
100 dollars more or less all in plus an hour or so of my time, since obvious she won't be climbing under the car herself.
Either way, with mechanics labour rates here at least being 150dollars an hour, you can see the economics of how this saves money.
The only thing you have to have is a spare morning to do it, which I will have in the autumn before it gets too crazy for the next 6 months.
Depends on how you value your time I guess but I get a great deal of satisfaction from doing practical things like this.
100 dollars more or less all in plus an hour or so of my time, since obvious she won't be climbing under the car herself.
Either way, with mechanics labour rates here at least being 150dollars an hour, you can see the economics of how this saves money.
The only thing you have to have is a spare morning to do it, which I will have in the autumn before it gets too crazy for the next 6 months.
Depends on how you value your time I guess but I get a great deal of satisfaction from doing practical things like this.
I have recently had multiple OEM parts that have not worked or are broken out the box. Particularly keyless access units or multiplex units. I was doing a clutch rebuild about a month ago and had the out and opened up and I pulled the new clutch plate out wouldn't you know it? It was cracked and looked like someone hit it with a hammer.
It's a real gamble nowadays.
That's a low labor rate for my area. We are about 190hr now and that's absolutely insane since I get paid about 20% of that. I wonder where the money goes sometimes. Because it sure does not go into our shop equipment.
Discovered that my exhaust manifold was cracked, I don't like exhaust leaks so I went to replace the manifold.
All was going well. The nuts and bolts holding the manifolds on all came out without any trouble.
Thought I was in the clear, until it came time to torque down the very last one, the exhaust manifold stud on the far side of the engine, right up against the firewall, snapped. I was tightening it with a wrench, and it just wasn't tightening. Didn't even take much force, it just snapped off. Brittle from decades of heat cycles I suppose.
Unfortunately the remainder of the stud is recessed inside the head, so welding a bolt on there to get it off is not an option. Clearance is very limited back there against a the firewall. A regular drill won't fit back there. I do however have a compact cordless impact driver with 1/4" shank, so my plan is to use that with a stubby drill bit to drill a hole into the broken stud so I can get an easy out (bolt extractor) in there to get that broken stud out....
Hopefully the cobalt bits I ordered and my Ryobi bolt extractors are up to the task. I guess the main concern is breaking off a bolt extractor inside the stud.
@Gazeebo Any tips on completing a successful bolt extraction are greatly appreciated. Haven't has much luck with them in the past but this is a must-do.
All was going well. The nuts and bolts holding the manifolds on all came out without any trouble.
Thought I was in the clear, until it came time to torque down the very last one, the exhaust manifold stud on the far side of the engine, right up against the firewall, snapped. I was tightening it with a wrench, and it just wasn't tightening. Didn't even take much force, it just snapped off. Brittle from decades of heat cycles I suppose.
Unfortunately the remainder of the stud is recessed inside the head, so welding a bolt on there to get it off is not an option. Clearance is very limited back there against a the firewall. A regular drill won't fit back there. I do however have a compact cordless impact driver with 1/4" shank, so my plan is to use that with a stubby drill bit to drill a hole into the broken stud so I can get an easy out (bolt extractor) in there to get that broken stud out....
Hopefully the cobalt bits I ordered and my Ryobi bolt extractors are up to the task. I guess the main concern is breaking off a bolt extractor inside the stud.
@Gazeebo Any tips on completing a successful bolt extraction are greatly appreciated. Haven't has much luck with them in the past but this is a must-do.
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That sucks. Happens so often huh, you just think you're on top of a job and then something goes wrong.
I would start by blowing out the hole with some compressed air (cover the manifold or shield it somehow) and inspect the situation. From what I'm seeing the bolt in your hand is not sheered in an awkward way but it's best to see the stuck portion inside to verify.
Next, I highly recommend using a punch to put a pilot hole in the center as best as you can in the stuck broken bolt. A good one you can hit with a hammer. I think you got the clearance for that from the photo you have shown. That will help you drill a hole strait.
The challenging part will be that drill angle. You may just be best off buying an angle drill If that angle is as small as it looks.
And just be patient with it make sure that get a good bite with the exatror as well and maybe leave some rust pen down the bolt hole overnight.
And also when you do get it out maybe get a thread cleaner set and chase the threads a bit and clean them up. Apply a small coat of oil may help the bolts torque as well.
Good luck. As my mentor always told me when I would have a mess up
"Its gonna be, alright."
Indeed.
I was able to drill a nice hole in the center of the stud, and I was able to get an extractor bit to bite, so well, in fact, that the extractor head broke off in the hole.
After many curse words and other failed attempts at extraction using a welder, I threw in the towel and just sprayed the new gasket with permatex copper spray to help it seal and reinstalled the manifolds sans the one broken stud on the end.
Upon starting and running the engine, I was expecting to hear loud ticking from an exhaust leaks, but no such noises are present. If anything it's a bit quieter than before. I just hear the normal fuel injector and valvetrain noise. Maybe I got lucky and the remaining bolts provided enough clamping force on the gasket to seal it up. The flange that sits against the head is thick steel...
Took the tyres off to change to winters and have found that the geometry is out. I think maybe you guys call this tracking in english. Brand new set of tyres in April and now the fronts look like this. 
I type this from their waiting room where they are fixing it. Photo bomb of Italian penny loafers you can have for free.
I type this from their waiting room where they are fixing it. Photo bomb of Italian penny loafers you can have for free.
Looks like you have some camber issues which has caused your tires to wear prematurely. Not sure what vehicle you drive but your struts may be wearing out or leaking which can cause camber to degrade and cause such issues. Do you feel like your bouncing sometimes instead of a smooth ride? Do you rotate your tires every oil change? If it's rear wheel drive vehicle I would cross rotate them to even our their longevity.Took the tyres off to change to winters and have found that the geometry is out. I think maybe you guys call this tracking in english. Brand new set of tyres in April and now the fronts look like this.
View attachment 12794
I type this from their waiting room where they are fixing it. Photo bomb of Italian penny loafers you can have for free.
What I mean by that is. Driver rear goes passenger front. Pass rear goes drive front and front tires just go strait back no crossing.
If you live in a rough road area I would align around 10k miles (every 15-16k km).
I remember my first beer.Indeed.
I was able to drill a nice hole in the center of the stud, and I was able to get an extractor bit to bite, so well, in fact, that the extractor head broke off in the hole.
After many curse words and other failed attempts at extraction using a welder, I threw in the towel and just sprayed the new gasket with permatex copper spray to help it seal and reinstalled the manifolds sans the one broken stud on the end.
Upon starting and running the engine, I was expecting to hear loud ticking from an exhaust leaks, but no such noises are present. If anything it's a bit quieter than before. I just hear the normal fuel injector and valvetrain noise. Maybe I got lucky and the remaining bolts provided enough clamping force on the gasket to seal it up. The flange that sits against the head is thick steel...
And yes sir if it does not sound funny don't worry about it. If you're worried about it down the road use some washers and use a shorter bolt size to keep it tight even with the broken part in it still.
Yes, getting there. It's better now but still not right. I'll be taking it back there next week for them to look at all of the joints etc.
I just started following this thread and @mountainaire I'm glad you figured it out. It was fun and a bit anxiety/cringe-inducing reading along with your progress. I've been in that situation before many times with broken bolts, extraction bits, etc. Before you even started when I saw the picture of your manifold I was thinking "just JB Weld it and move on". Unless it's a forced induction application it would be plenty strong enough, and even then it would probably have worked. That stuff is highly under-rated (when used correctly) imho.
A few other suggestions - if you don't already have some, get yourself a can of SeaFoam Deep Creep (or equivalent, but that is the gold standard in my garage) and use it any time you're working with old or rusty or heat cycled parts, nuts & bolts, etc. It seeps into the thread and will flow up-hill and helps a ton with rusted or siezed stuff. Give it a good 15-30 mins to soak and blast it again if need be. I often would leave it over night if I knew something was going to be difficult, like a suspension or brake or exhaust bolt, or something very rusty.
Also from my experience your solution of Permatex Ultra Copper on the manifold is a good one. As long as you let it cure sufficiently it will hold really well and that's what I would have suggested in your situation. I would have probably done that even if the bolt didn't break as I always use it on my exhaust joints. Another thing, if you don't have it get some Permatex Copper Anti-Sieze. It comes in a stick (like a glue stick that you twist) and a jar with a brush; the stick is less messy and easier to use, imho.
Any time you mess with something that is likely to rust or sieze like nuts & bolts, wheel studs, etc do yourself a huge favor and blast it with a bit of brake cleaner spray, dry and clean thoroughly with wire brush & paper towel, then apply a bit of anti-sieze before you re-assemble. Turn it on threads with a paper towel so you get nice light, even coating. Be careful not to over-tighten and always check and re-torque after 100 miles or so, due to heat cycling.
You will be thanking yourself the next time you have to mess with it and between that and Deep Creep it will save you SO many headaches and hours and money on broken parts.
A few other suggestions - if you don't already have some, get yourself a can of SeaFoam Deep Creep (or equivalent, but that is the gold standard in my garage) and use it any time you're working with old or rusty or heat cycled parts, nuts & bolts, etc. It seeps into the thread and will flow up-hill and helps a ton with rusted or siezed stuff. Give it a good 15-30 mins to soak and blast it again if need be. I often would leave it over night if I knew something was going to be difficult, like a suspension or brake or exhaust bolt, or something very rusty.
Also from my experience your solution of Permatex Ultra Copper on the manifold is a good one. As long as you let it cure sufficiently it will hold really well and that's what I would have suggested in your situation. I would have probably done that even if the bolt didn't break as I always use it on my exhaust joints. Another thing, if you don't have it get some Permatex Copper Anti-Sieze. It comes in a stick (like a glue stick that you twist) and a jar with a brush; the stick is less messy and easier to use, imho.
Any time you mess with something that is likely to rust or sieze like nuts & bolts, wheel studs, etc do yourself a huge favor and blast it with a bit of brake cleaner spray, dry and clean thoroughly with wire brush & paper towel, then apply a bit of anti-sieze before you re-assemble. Turn it on threads with a paper towel so you get nice light, even coating. Be careful not to over-tighten and always check and re-torque after 100 miles or so, due to heat cycling.
You will be thanking yourself the next time you have to mess with it and between that and Deep Creep it will save you SO many headaches and hours and money on broken parts.
The old heep has 250,000 miles now, still running, still being driven regularly. However, lately I've noticed it has a decent amount of blow-by, and is a little down on power and MPGs, so I want to breathe some life into the tired engine. This will be my first time doing major internal engine work.
I thought about just buying a remanufactured long block, but those are expensive and where's the fun in that?
Instead, I'm going to do an old school in-frame refresh. Pull the head, drop the oil pan, hone the cylinders, clean and inspect pistons, and install new rings. With the head off I can finally take care of that broken exhaust stud, lap the valves the old school way with some lapping compound, install new valve seals, inspect the lifters, pushrods, rocker arms, all that stuff.
I plan on reusing everything that is still in serviceable condition to keep costs down. Since I won't be pulling the block, the original camshaft is staying in, can't get it out without pulling the block. The main question is what should be done with the bottom end. I wont be using a machine shop. With the oil pan off I have access to the bearings. These engines have seven main bearings supporting the crank, they get oiled first, and they rarely ever go bad. I pulled one main bearing cap when I replaced the rear main seal a couple years ago and the bearing looked fine to my eyes, no copper showing:
So with the main bearings likely being perfectly fine, and the fact that I wont be pulling the crank to have it machined, I'm thinking leaving them alone is probably the best move. Rod bearings, I'm not as sure about. The rod bearings are probably more likely to wear out, so I'm leaning toward replacing them. I'll also toss in a new oil pump while I'm down there.
I thought about just buying a remanufactured long block, but those are expensive and where's the fun in that?
Instead, I'm going to do an old school in-frame refresh. Pull the head, drop the oil pan, hone the cylinders, clean and inspect pistons, and install new rings. With the head off I can finally take care of that broken exhaust stud, lap the valves the old school way with some lapping compound, install new valve seals, inspect the lifters, pushrods, rocker arms, all that stuff.
I plan on reusing everything that is still in serviceable condition to keep costs down. Since I won't be pulling the block, the original camshaft is staying in, can't get it out without pulling the block. The main question is what should be done with the bottom end. I wont be using a machine shop. With the oil pan off I have access to the bearings. These engines have seven main bearings supporting the crank, they get oiled first, and they rarely ever go bad. I pulled one main bearing cap when I replaced the rear main seal a couple years ago and the bearing looked fine to my eyes, no copper showing:
So with the main bearings likely being perfectly fine, and the fact that I wont be pulling the crank to have it machined, I'm thinking leaving them alone is probably the best move. Rod bearings, I'm not as sure about. The rod bearings are probably more likely to wear out, so I'm leaning toward replacing them. I'll also toss in a new oil pump while I'm down there.
Good project! I've done this twice, and it made a real improvent.
Was the scoring (which is visible in your picture on the bearing surface) able to be felt when scraping a fingernail over it laterally?
If so, I'd be replacing those bearings for sure.
If not, and you're okay with it possibly being an issue down the line, I might consider skipping it.. but I'm autistic so I'd probably replace them anyway.
On a related note, I would also give the corresponding crankshaft journal bearing surface the fingernail scape test. Those scoring marks came from somewhere.
The rule as I understand it is as follows:
If you can feel it with your nail, replace it.
If not, thoroughly clean and very lightly polish it.
However my personal rule would probably be if I'm already in there, and there is any signs of wear, it's getting replaced anyway.
Good luck! I am looking forward to hearing how it goes.
Was the scoring (which is visible in your picture on the bearing surface) able to be felt when scraping a fingernail over it laterally?
If so, I'd be replacing those bearings for sure.
If not, and you're okay with it possibly being an issue down the line, I might consider skipping it.. but I'm autistic so I'd probably replace them anyway.
On a related note, I would also give the corresponding crankshaft journal bearing surface the fingernail scape test. Those scoring marks came from somewhere.
The rule as I understand it is as follows:
If you can feel it with your nail, replace it.
If not, thoroughly clean and very lightly polish it.
However my personal rule would probably be if I'm already in there, and there is any signs of wear, it's getting replaced anyway.
Good luck! I am looking forward to hearing how it goes.
Just wait until he hears I'm planning on reusing the head bolts
.Ring set, rod bearings, high volume oil pump, and master gasket/seal kit was about $200 including shipping.
It's already driven to the moon, let's see if this $200 engine refresh can get it back to Earth.
My man that's a clean main bearing for 250k. Some would say it's still new. Here are some example of connecting rod bearing and main bearings that are smoked. You can see the deamination od then bearings in the first photo and the scoring on the second photo. We have pulled bearing out of these engines that are so thin the will snap under light pressure. If you replace the rod bearings look at your crank there should be a code on it (probably on first counterweight by crank pulley) take a photo of it is your journal codes you will need it for your con rod bearings.
I believe you could get away with reusing your oil pump long as there is no sludge in it. Just blast brake cleaner into it for let it sit for a while. And as always take your time and good luck I know you can do it.
Make sure you leave those head bolts in from the time you remove them to the time you install them. I would recommend an angle torque wrench but it's not necessary.
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Since no one here is yet tired of me talking about my love for Honda ill tell yall a recently story that happened to me. I was picking my daughter up from school and my 05 pilot died coming to a stop. Could not start it or anything. Towed it to work and found the timing belt broke and wrapped around the crankshaft cog. We'll the biggest fear was that since they are interference motors that a valve bent and I would have to replace a head or more. I was able to pry off the cog and belt and re time the cams. Put a new belt on and would you believe it she ran no valves bent. The J series is a monster that has to be massively abused before it fails.
