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I know this isn't a Saab question, but I thought with so many home mechanics on here, somebody might have some ideas.
I just bought an '84 AMC Eagle (4wd with the I6-258) for $100. It's in surprisingly good condition aside from the fact that the engine doesn't run and the A/C is partially disassembled. The (sleazy) dealer I bought it from said it was running recently then suddenly quit and that they didn't want to bother fixing it. I figured that for $100 and a tow home on AAA's dime, I couldn't really lose. Anyway, there was almost no coolant in the tank or in the radiator when I got it. I couldn't get any combustion with starting fluid sprayed directly into the cylinders even though the ignition system seemed to work fine, so I assumed that compression must be the problem. When I pulled the head, I expected to find a completely toasted engine or at least a blown head gasket. Surprisingly, the valves, pistons, cylinders, and gasket all look good plus there wasn't any rust that would indicate water leaking into the cylinders. There is some pretty nasty coked-up oil in the area around the valvetrain and where the pushrods pass through the block and head, but the pivots and rockers look to be well-oiled.
So I guess that the only problems could be piston rings (severe washdown? I didn't try putting oil into the cylinders before trying to start it, probably should have) or valve timing. The distributor rotor moves with the crankshaft, so the chain is intact. Still, if it slipped a few notches, this could cause the engine not to start, right? Is there any way to crudely check valve timing without actually removing the timing cover? (According to my Chilton's manual, you need a few special tools that I don't have to uninstall/reinstall this cover unless you want it to leak oil like a sieve.) Is there anything else I could be missing? I've never actually done anything like this before and am really just guessing!
Thanks in advance.
posted by 63.224.211...
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