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About 2 weeks ago my 94 Saab convertible blew a head gasket. The shop said $2000, so I decided to try doing it myself. The gaskets and other parts for a basic head gasket replacement are only like $250 and my business partner Marvin is a weekend mechanic and said he would help me.
Well, it took like 4-5 days work from me and 3-4 days from Marvin to get the engine apart and back together. Along the way I discovered various things to replace. (I decided to replace the timing chain based on it being over the Saab-recommended maximum 11mm chain tensioner gap.) Plus, I needed to buy tools. I also had the head pressure-tested and the valve seats reground at a machine shop. So I spent like $900.
But the car had trouble starting up when we finished putting it back together. We took another stab at it yesterday and finally, reluctantly, had to start taking it apart to find out what was wrong.
We did.
The cam gears had the splines that connect them to the cam shafts sheared off. Evidently, I had put something together incorrectly. Probably all my valves are bent and the pistons may be busted up too. I won't know until I take the head off again.
My best guess is that while I was replacing the timing chain and setting the cam marks, I ended up with the flywheel at 0 degrees but in the exhaust position, instead of compression. If someone has a better notion of what I did, please let me know, I'm not eager to repeat my mistake.
What puzzles me is that I rotated the flywheel by hand a couple of times after installing the chain to make sure that the cam marks and flywheel stayed co-ordinated and there wasn't any resistance, like I would expect from valves and pistons clunking together.
I'm a little gloomy at the moment.
berkeleybull
posted by 63.192.196...
, Fri, 11 Feb 2005 17:09:33
, Fri, 11 Feb 2005 19:30:03, Sat, 12 Feb 2005 05:36:12
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