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The Moose
Alces alces


Registered: 08/31/15
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Oh what a good car day
#22364900 - 10/11/15 06:48 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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I'm pretty sure my head gasket is blown. /my finances 
I'm almost inclined to do it myself...
Have any shroomerites ever done this job themselves? How long did it take you? It's a Chrysler 420a 4 Cylinder 2.0L N/T engine.
Edited by The Moose (10/11/15 06:48 PM)
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Shroomslip
Architekt



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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22364915 - 10/11/15 06:52 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Done valve covers, never had to do head gasket. Will probably take you a few hours. Make sure you have a torque wrench and get the manual or look up the specs online for torque. Don't just free hand it.
EDIT: N/m I just looked it up, apparently the "few hours" I've always read in relation to it is wrong and it could take days.
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With my face against the floor I can’t see who knocked me out of the way. I don’t want to get back up but I have to so it might as well be today. Nothing appeals to me no one feels like me, I’m too busy being calm to disappear. I’m in no shape to be alone contrary to the shit that you might hear. You can't wake up, this is not a dream. You're part of a machine, you are not a human being With your face all made up, living on a screen. Low on self esteem, so you run on gasoline
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The Moose
Alces alces


Registered: 08/31/15
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: Shroomslip]
#22364922 - 10/11/15 06:53 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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How was the valve covers? I understand this is a several hour job haha.
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Shroomslip
Architekt



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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22364930 - 10/11/15 06:55 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Easy honestly. I mean there's not really much technical to it, you're just getting stuff outta the way so you can remove bolts, remove old gasket and scrape off the gunk that didn't peel away, and then putting in a new one and putting it all back together. Anything that is pure bolt off bolt on stuff is easy to do usually. Short of ease of access anyways.
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With my face against the floor I can’t see who knocked me out of the way. I don’t want to get back up but I have to so it might as well be today. Nothing appeals to me no one feels like me, I’m too busy being calm to disappear. I’m in no shape to be alone contrary to the shit that you might hear. You can't wake up, this is not a dream. You're part of a machine, you are not a human being With your face all made up, living on a screen. Low on self esteem, so you run on gasoline
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The Moose
Alces alces


Registered: 08/31/15
Posts: 2,389
Last seen: 1 year, 10 months
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: Shroomslip]
#22364965 - 10/11/15 07:02 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Yea I mean the thing is I have to drop the whole timing, exhaust & intake manifold, dump and remove the radiator hoses, then actually remove the head.
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Shroomslip
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22365008 - 10/11/15 07:08 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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I meant that for the valve covers, not the head gasket. I know they're more in depth and are more technical. That's why it takes so much longer. I hate fucking with the timing. Exhaust is always a bitch and a half to take apart as well.
 http://www.lowes.com/pd_577634-281-394001_0__?productId=50146292 Get those if you find your exhaust nuts don't want to come off. I just had to change out the cat in our Mazda a few weeks back and spent half a day under the car working on just one damn nut and could not get it to budge no matter what I did. I got these, and had it off in less than a minute. Keep it in mind.
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With my face against the floor I can’t see who knocked me out of the way. I don’t want to get back up but I have to so it might as well be today. Nothing appeals to me no one feels like me, I’m too busy being calm to disappear. I’m in no shape to be alone contrary to the shit that you might hear. You can't wake up, this is not a dream. You're part of a machine, you are not a human being With your face all made up, living on a screen. Low on self esteem, so you run on gasoline
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The Moose
Alces alces


Registered: 08/31/15
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: Shroomslip]
#22365028 - 10/11/15 07:12 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Yea timing is scary because worst case scenario... "fuck there went my valves "
I will definitely remember those if it comes to it haha
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Shiithead
Your Huckleberry



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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22365034 - 10/11/15 07:13 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
The Moose said: I'm pretty sure my head gasket is blown. /my finances 
I'm almost inclined to do it myself...
Have any shroomerites ever done this job themselves? How long did it take you? It's a Chrysler 420a 4 Cylinder 2.0L N/T engine.
Do it yourself. Should take a day if you have a day.
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Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Psalm 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Revelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
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The Moose
Alces alces


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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: Shiithead]
#22365042 - 10/11/15 07:14 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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But... I can't smelt steel...
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Shiithead
Your Huckleberry



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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22365089 - 10/11/15 07:21 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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I was thinking of the actual engine block. If it's a head gasket just find the right one and place it on there. Might want to clean up around the engine block and cylinder head before you mount the gasket.
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Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Psalm 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Revelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
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SuperFly
Still in the Space Race



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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22365112 - 10/11/15 07:29 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Looks a little tight in there but 4 cylinders are a lot easier then a v6 or a v8. When I replaced my Miata head gasket it was easy as hell but when we did our 4-runner for get about it.... What a pain in the ass that engine was.
Before you tackle this make sure you have all of the tools needed, at least 2 days free unless you work on engines a lot. Watch the videos on how to change the head gasket on your engine.
Find somebody who can reserface the head to make sure it didn't warp from the over heating, if it didn't over heat I would still do it anyways to make sure you start of with a flat surface. I got my Miata head rebuilt for $150.
if you have a mechanic friend have him/her help you. Might as well change the timing belt while you are down there too.
Engines can get frustrating if you don't organize your bolts and pieces, try not to throw all of the bolts in one bucket because I've worked with people that have a habit of doing this and there is always extra bolts.
In the end it's not that hard if you can follow directions and keep your stuff organized when you take it apart.. If you do take it all apart and feel like it's to hard it will be more expensive to find somebody to put it all back together vs paying somebody to do it in the first place.
Good luck sir
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Shiithead
Your Huckleberry



Registered: 04/05/13
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: SuperFly]
#22365124 - 10/11/15 07:35 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
SuperFly said: Looks a little tight in there but 4 cylinders are a lot easier then a v6 or a v8. When I replaced my Miata head gasket it was easy as hell but when we did our 4-runner for get about it.... What a pain in the ass that engine was.
Before you tackle this make sure you have all of the tools needed, at least 2 days free unless you work on engines a lot. Watch the videos on how to change the head gasket on your engine.
Find somebody who can reserface the head to make sure it didn't warp from the over heating, if it didn't over heat I would still do it anyways to make sure you start of with a flat surface. I got my Miata head rebuilt for $150.
if you have a mechanic friend have him/her help you. Might as well change the timing belt while you are down there too.
Engines can get frustrating if you don't organize your bolts and pieces, try not to throw all of the bolts in one bucket because I've worked with people that have a habit of doing this and there is always extra bolts.
In the end it's not that hard if you can follow directions and keep your stuff organized when you take it apart.. If you do take it all apart and feel like it's to hard it will be more expensive to find somebody to put it all back together vs paying somebody to do it in the first place.
Good luck sir
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Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Psalm 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Revelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
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Prisoner#1
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose] 1
#22365139 - 10/11/15 07:39 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
The Moose said: But... I can't smelt steel... 
that's because jet fuel cant smelt steel beams
seriously, if you're familiar with a car and not afraid of tackling a big job, this wont be hard, the haynes or chiltons manual will have all the vital info like the torque specs and sequence and the timing info
you'll need basic hand tools and a torque wrench but theyre may be a few other things you'll need such as a few specialty tools to disconnect the fuel lines and shit and if they've done some king of specialty fasteners like the head bolts... all of this will add t the cost if you dont already have the stuff and it may be cheaper to have it replaced
now, if the car is blowing a lot of steam out of the tail pipe or the oil looks like a chocolate shake or there's oil in your coolant, you know it's blown. if you see none of these things then you have to test the compression to see if it's blown between cylinders
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lets drive around
That kid with a stupid low Jetta



Registered: 07/25/13
Posts: 1,060
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22365142 - 10/11/15 07:39 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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I have on my 1.8t jetta.
Honestly if you have to ask these kinda questions then you are not ready to tackle a job like this. I'm not at all being condescending btw.
I would only advise you to do this yourself if you have the right tools, an in depth manual and have done your research and have the entire process pretty much memorized, otherwise take it to a shop.
It's not a hard job, but it is time consuming and technical. Most vehicles have TDC marks on cam/crank gears and flywheels so it's really hard to fuck up the timing unless you're not at all remotely mechanically inclined.
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Shroomslip
Architekt



Registered: 11/25/12
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I disagree (on if you have to ask you shouldn't do it) I'd probably be asking too, but I know I can handle it. Would be a huge pain in the ass I'm sure, and probably wouldn't go as smoothly as someone with experience, but that just means I have to devote more time to reading on it or watching videos to figure it out.
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With my face against the floor I can’t see who knocked me out of the way. I don’t want to get back up but I have to so it might as well be today. Nothing appeals to me no one feels like me, I’m too busy being calm to disappear. I’m in no shape to be alone contrary to the shit that you might hear. You can't wake up, this is not a dream. You're part of a machine, you are not a human being With your face all made up, living on a screen. Low on self esteem, so you run on gasoline
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The Moose
Alces alces


Registered: 08/31/15
Posts: 2,389
Last seen: 1 year, 10 months
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Quote:
SuperFly said: Looks a little tight in there but 4 cylinders are a lot easier then a v6 or a v8. When I replaced my Miata head gasket it was easy as hell but when we did our 4-runner for get about it.... What a pain in the ass that engine was.
Before you tackle this make sure you have all of the tools needed, at least 2 days free unless you work on engines a lot. Watch the videos on how to change the head gasket on your engine.
Find somebody who can reserface the head to make sure it didn't warp from the over heating, if it didn't over heat I would still do it anyways to make sure you start of with a flat surface. I got my Miata head rebuilt for $150.
if you have a mechanic friend have him/her help you. Might as well change the timing belt while you are down there too.
Engines can get frustrating if you don't organize your bolts and pieces, try not to throw all of the bolts in one bucket because I've worked with people that have a habit of doing this and there is always extra bolts.
In the end it's not that hard if you can follow directions and keep your stuff organized when you take it apart.. If you do take it all apart and feel like it's to hard it will be more expensive to find somebody to put it all back together vs paying somebody to do it in the first place.
Good luck sir
Yea if it was a V engine... Nah. Yea I would definitely consider just buying a timing kit to do that as well. Thanks!
Quote:
Prisoner#1 said:
Quote:
The Moose said: But... I can't smelt steel... 
that's because jet fuel cant smelt steel beams
seriously, if you're familiar with a car and not afraid of tackling a big job, this wont be hard, the haynes or chiltons manual will have all the vital info like the torque specs and sequence and the timing info
you'll need basic hand tools and a torque wrench but theyre may be a few other things you'll need such as a few specialty tools to disconnect the fuel lines and shit and if they've done some king of specialty fasteners like the head bolts... all of this will add t the cost if you dont already have the stuff and it may be cheaper to have it replaced
now, if the car is blowing a lot of steam out of the tail pipe or the oil looks like a chocolate shake or there's oil in your coolant, you know it's blown. if you see none of these things then you have to test the compression to see if it's blown between cylinders
It won't smelt but it will melt steel beams 
I've got the tools I would just need a torque wrench so I can get it right on spec and obviously the replacement gasket as well and the head should be machined but...
It would be quite difficult for me to need to purchase enough shit that a DIY would out-cost a mechanic lol. I'm familiar with the fuel system and I'm not worried about that.
What's been happening is...
I loose a shit ton of coolant, no leaks it just is gone.
If I run the car up to op temp, remove the radiator cap, and rev it, I get a fucking rocket of coolant.
Twice now I've had an ugly start where it shudders down a 200-400 RPM and pours a bunch of white smoke out of the exhaust and the throttle is completely unresponsive which points that its leaking back in after I turn the car off. This is presenting an issue I don't want to escalate any further...
My oil looks fine but that isn't definitive...
I would still need to run a compression or leak down test to see as well. I'd also consider getting one of those tests for CO2 (they use bromythol blue, I assume, which is a chemical that changes color in the presence of CO/CO2)
Quote:
lets drive around said: I have on my 1.8t jetta.
Honestly if you have to ask these kinda questions then you are not ready to tackle a job like this. I'm not at all being condescending btw.
I would only advise you to do this yourself if you have the right tools, an in depth manual and have done your research and have the entire process pretty much memorized, otherwise take it to a shop.
It's not a hard job, but it is time consuming and technical. Most vehicles have TDC marks on cam/crank gears and flywheels so it's really hard to fuck up the timing unless you're not at all remotely mechanically inclined.
I appreciate you being frank about it. I understand the steps and I don't think asking for peoples experience with it means I'm incapable. I'm really at the point of do I want to spend an entire weekend on this or drop a few hundo because it'd be more worth it.
I know it'd probably take several hours if not two days. I know about the TDC marks and how to line up the cam/crank - doesn't mean it isn't a fucking pain (imo) though! Especially the crank and be shitty angles lying on my back...
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The Moose
Alces alces


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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22374606 - 10/13/15 05:34 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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I'm boned. Compression test and my Cylinder 3 will not hold enough to fill the gauge 
1, 2, and 4 were well below spec (about 120 each) but within the service limit (100).
Fuck.
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rackem



Registered: 11/27/09
Posts: 14,024
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22374624 - 10/13/15 05:38 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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does your car blow out white smoke in the morning? or when driving at all?
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The Moose
Alces alces


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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: rackem]
#22374629 - 10/13/15 05:39 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Rarely, but it seems to be becoming much more frequent.
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rackem



Registered: 11/27/09
Posts: 14,024
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22374647 - 10/13/15 05:42 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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frequent with weather change? or frequent as in most start ups?
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The Moose
Alces alces


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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: rackem]
#22374668 - 10/13/15 05:45 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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No the weather is still fairly consistent, frequent as in more often on start ups.
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rackem



Registered: 11/27/09
Posts: 14,024
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22374691 - 10/13/15 05:49 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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well man, you know as well as i do, you have blown head gasket. constant low coolant levels, white smoke, low compression test, minus a cylinder leak down test, not much more diagnosis you can perform on it.
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The Moose
Alces alces


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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: rackem]
#22374700 - 10/13/15 05:50 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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yea. Not really in a situation to pay for it up front... :\
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rackem



Registered: 11/27/09
Posts: 14,024
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22374717 - 10/13/15 05:52 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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well man before you make a decision.. whats your tool inventory look like?
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The Moose
Alces alces


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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: rackem]
#22374735 - 10/13/15 05:55 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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For a head job I don't own a torque wrench. I've got regular tools such as sockets, screwdrivers, etc. There's also the issue if I need the head machined because its my DD and I don't have time to just mail it off to a shop somewhere. I'd definitely have to go pick up a copy or at least the pages for a service manual.
Edited by The Moose (10/13/15 05:55 PM)
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rackem



Registered: 11/27/09
Posts: 14,024
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: The Moose]
#22374758 - 10/13/15 05:59 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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you can always rent a torque wrench when the time comes.. i wouldnt recommend it but, it will get you in the ball park..
has the vehicle overheated? unless you live in some small as town (which would probably still be ok) anybody with a feeler gauge and a straight edge would be able to tell you if the heads are warped.
if the vehicle hasnt gone full blown red on the coolant temp scale, i wouldnt worry about it.. i would still have them checked though
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FruitOfLife
Professional Package Handler


Registered: 05/21/12
Posts: 4,832
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: rackem]
#22374765 - 10/13/15 06:00 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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I had a shit car day too I went to leave for work and my truck wouldn't start. Someone tried to give me a jump, but no go. I have no idea whats wrong with it but the check engine light has been on for a few weeks so I assume my truck is fucked.
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The Moose
Alces alces


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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: rackem]
#22374784 - 10/13/15 06:04 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
rackem said: you can always rent a torque wrench when the time comes.. i wouldnt recommend it but, it will get you in the ball park..
has the vehicle overheated? unless you live in some small as town (which would probably still be ok) anybody with a feeler gauge and a straight edge would be able to tell you if the heads are warped.
if the vehicle hasnt gone full blown red on the coolant temp scale, i wouldnt worry about it.. i would still have them checked though
It's gotten hot before but I never let it go full blown red. On the 420a there is this dumbass little piece of heater hose they put in right over the exhaust manifold instead of just making in a solid pipe. It goes to the heater core and that thing at it while I was driving to work one day. Other times it's gotten hot but no more than 3/4 and that's because I keep losing coolant but now I top it off very regularly. 
I also don't know how the car was before I owned it, but probably not treated too well.
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rackem



Registered: 11/27/09
Posts: 14,024
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dude, your truck isnt fucked.
get your battery tested... it may be beyond the quick jump limits.
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The Moose
Alces alces


Registered: 08/31/15
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Sorry man that's a bummer. Hey it could be something super easy like a coil pack!!
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rackem



Registered: 11/27/09
Posts: 14,024
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if your check engine light was on and the vehicle was still running fine, the check engine and the no start are two different issues.
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FruitOfLife
Professional Package Handler


Registered: 05/21/12
Posts: 4,832
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: rackem]
#22374832 - 10/13/15 06:13 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Are you sure? Either way its time for me to get a new truck so this is the sign I needed to go get a new one
My truck isnt worth enough to take it to the mechanic to find out whats wrong lol
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iSmkGrnBud
Psychonaut



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Quote:
FruitOfLife said: Are you sure? Either way its time for me to get a new truck so this is the sign I needed to go get a new one
My truck isnt worth enough to take it to the mechanic to find out whats wrong lol
Where you live, I'll diagnose that shit. I got a Solus Ultra Pro. Bitch CELs fear me.
-------------------- iSmkGrnBud's Teks iSmkGrnBud's Wild Mushroom Finds  The Noob Forum's List of Teks “The probability of success is difficult to estimate; but if we never search the chance of success is zero.” -Giuseppe Cocconi
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FruitOfLife
Professional Package Handler


Registered: 05/21/12
Posts: 4,832
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: iSmkGrnBud]
#22374867 - 10/13/15 06:19 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Haha I live in Montana, let me know when you get here
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iSmkGrnBud
Psychonaut



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-------------------- iSmkGrnBud's Teks iSmkGrnBud's Wild Mushroom Finds  The Noob Forum's List of Teks “The probability of success is difficult to estimate; but if we never search the chance of success is zero.” -Giuseppe Cocconi
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rackem



Registered: 11/27/09
Posts: 14,024
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yeah man.. i stand true to what i say... this isnt my first rodeo with a cel and a no start.
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Shroomslip
Architekt



Registered: 11/25/12
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Re: Oh what a good car day [Re: rackem]
#22375141 - 10/13/15 07:08 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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I can vouch for that
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With my face against the floor I can’t see who knocked me out of the way. I don’t want to get back up but I have to so it might as well be today. Nothing appeals to me no one feels like me, I’m too busy being calm to disappear. I’m in no shape to be alone contrary to the shit that you might hear. You can't wake up, this is not a dream. You're part of a machine, you are not a human being With your face all made up, living on a screen. Low on self esteem, so you run on gasoline
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