Party Wagon head gasket thread

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irowiki
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by irowiki »

So in your experience I can get 80 foot pounds out of the rope method?
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by Gottolovem »

Yes

Not sure how pulling the crank pully will make it easier to get the belt on you should be able to back off the tensioner
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by irowiki »

I backed off the tensioner all the way with a long screw driver and the belt still doesn't seem long enough.

Will fiddle with it a bit more before taking the pulley off.
Former Tercel Enthusiast (not a practical family car anymore but they still have a place in my heart)

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87 Corolla FX16, 105k
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by Gottolovem »

Is it a new belt? Could it be the wrong belt?
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by irowiki »

Old belt. I did the petros method of not touching the crank pulley and just took the belt off the cam pulley before taking the head off. Now it doesn't want to easily go around the cam pulley. That and trying to get the timing marks to match up seems like it'd just be easier to take it apart.
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87 Corolla FX16, 105k
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95 Camry Wagon, 170k
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by Gottolovem »

Strange if it was on it should go back on :|
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by irowiki »

I know we spent an hour messing with it last night
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by Gottolovem »

Perhaps this is a dumb question but could you have gone the wrong way with the tensioner?
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by Vienna »

Nah, we went the right way, but as paul said "We're crazy but not quite that crazy".
The little troll wagon decided to let us pop the belt back on this morning with minimal fuss. No idea what her issue was last night unless the ongoing bad karma from selling sassy is plaguing us. I swear that car put a curse on us the moment we sold her. Since that night everything's been going backwards.
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by Vienna »

http://youtu.be/hgcWi-nDEe0 she lives again! She's sounded slightly loud and after checking we found her new muffler had rusted a hole through the back. I assume that was likely the coolant in the exhaust rotting it out. It's under warranty so time to bug Midas about it.
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by Gottolovem »

Feels good to do a job your self the someone else would charge around a grand for hugh :oldgeek:


Thank's Petros for the detailed wright up :mrgreen:
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by irowiki »

Feeling pretty stoked! Nice to have a fully running car again. She has more power than she ever has and is nice and smooth :mrgreen:

Thank you Peter, Dan, David and of course the wife!
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87 Corolla FX16, 105k
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by irowiki »

Update 2: Drove car about 125 miles today, it feels like a new car!
Former Tercel Enthusiast (not a practical family car anymore but they still have a place in my heart)

Site administrator, if something is broken, PM me!

87 Corolla FX16, 105k
94 Jamboree RV (Ford E-350), 90k
95 Camry Wagon, 170k
97 4runner, 275k
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by dlb »

that's great news, glad to hear it.
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Re: Party Wagon head gasket thread

Post by Petros »

I hear a lot of valve chatter in your vid. when you retorque the head gasket (highly recommended), you might also check the valve clearnace (warn engine is best).

I have found that sometimes the timing belt does not always mesh the sprocket teeth down on the crank pulley, making seems like the belt is too short. It is hard to tell if it is fully seated into the teeth or not, when I suspect this I pull up on the belt by hand, first pulling one side and than the other so it rotates the crank slightly back and forth, you will feel it pop into place that way. Likely that is what happened to make it hard to get the belt back on, it is frustrating when it happens.
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