The Tersailor (REBUILDING)

[Tersailor]

The only experience i have is playing a game called car mechanic simulator, so I appreciated to those who took the time to respond.

Chris, The 250$ master rebuild kit in ebay will come with the piston head and rings. My brother has the tools to measure the bore so ill see if he can help.

As for Petros, Thanks for the super long and specific but extremely helpful responses. I try not to always pick the Chinese brands, because i know they are junk. But I'm a cheapskate so it is a bit hard to resist...

I mostly buy from rockauto because the parts are cheap and tend to last pretty long, but some can be communist made. I found a clutch kit in ebay for for less 40 dollars and it the same model as most expensive clutch kit on rockauto (100$). But I recently just found out they are made in china... I also did research on the aisin and probably have not seen a car product with so much good reviews. They are the manufacturer that build clutches for Toyota. I dont have a driver license yet because i plan on showing off my manual driving skills to my driver teacher so Ill need a dependable clutch.

I did also read a lot of your replies such as the wood chisel technique to clean the block which save me alot of time. Thanks again petros for the info.

[NWMO]

#3 looks suspect to me. It looks like I can see a “rust” colored line vertically down the cylinder wall?

Chris

[Tersailor]

Yeah its some flash rust because i cleaned it with water then put wd-40. But its not deep enough to be a problem but we will still clean it out and measure it.

[Tersailor]

This tercel keeps surprising me in the best ways. Turns out it a 4AC Block!

I watched a couple videos and manuals on measuring the bores, i kept hitting around 81mm instead of the 3AC std 77mm. I checked for any previous reboring marks then thought i measured it wrong. My brother confirmed it was 81mm, exceeding the maximum Oversize options. I thought this will cost more time and money to find a new engine block until he also found a "4A" print in block. The 4AC std size is 81mm so it checks out. I am relieved and happy that the tercel has a better, faster, efficient engine.

I always wanted the 4AC but as a cheapskate I decided to rebuild the NOT ANYMORE 3ac. Thanks to you guys I did not buy the master rebuild kit yet and instead found a DNJ 4AC engine kit. Only problem now is if to check if my engine head is a 3A or a 4A. Also is there any other things i should be aware of? I don't want to buy 3ac parts that wont fit properly in a 4ac because that will cost me money...

[NWMO]

Almost anything you purchase will work 3A or 4A, excluding pistons, rings, etc. The exterior of the block is the same. As a matter of fact, I purchased a 272 regrind cam when I rebuilt the 4A 70,000 miles ago. I didn’t know I needed either heavier OR double valve springs but used std springs. After breaking my second valve spring, I pulled the 4A head and have been running a used 3A head I got from my buddy Keegan right before last year’s Meet & Greet.

Chris

[Tersailor]

Alright so the my master DNJ rebuild kit from partsology finally came, but im not too excited about it for a reason. Most of the products are "made in Taiwan" which are communist but they tend to have better quality reputation than china but not as good like usa or japan. But im not too worried since many mechanics including my brother use DNJ kits before as well as decent reviews i read in reddit and other car forums. Quality doesn't seem to be poor. I compared the new oil pump to the old one, they weigh and feel pretty much the same besides the 3ac and 4ac frame style differences. Same goes for the gaskets. But Ill probably go for better japan head gasket.. The only thing im skeptical about is the timing belt that's made in china that i might not use. Hope these parts will last enough for the money. As for my not yet arrived parts such as the clutch kit, thermostat, etc, I will be getting good brands from japan or usa. Again, these are not bad, rather pretty decent parts but just to give heads up to any future DNJ rebuild kit buyers. if I encounter any mechanical issues with these parts, i will will share it unless i forget to.

[dlb]

I personally don't put a lot of stock in where something was made, because I've bought plenty of good China, Taiwan, etc-made parts. I think it's more a matter of you get what you pay for -- if you buy something that is cheap, it's going to be cheaply made, regardless of whether it was built here or there.

Also, be aware that lots of brands will do deceptive marketing like

883f5832-93b2-4a2b-86a4-9db4649051c7.jpg

which looks good at a glance but means 'the components are built who knows where and we just put them all together here in the US.' Again, this doesn't mean an item is necessarily going to be lousy, but it's something to be aware of. If you're looking to support your domestic economy, this isn't a great way to do it IMO.

Anyway, my advice is to stay away from the cheapest options. I usually go aim for stuff somewhere in the middle price range.

[Tersailor]

It wasn't really the cheapest option for a rebuild kit, like the ones in eBay were. I simply got this DNJ because of the reviews. Couple of people in a different forum used the 22R DNJ rebuild kits. They been driving for a while now and faced no problems, as for as my brother subaru baja that hasnt had a problem with the kit also. always try to do research, Some expensive parts last as long as the cheapest Parts. I really think that the reputation and previous reviews of the company is the best bet for me. But thanks for the info dlb.

[dlb]

Sorry, to clarify I wasn't suggesting you bought the cheapest kit. I was saying that if it wasn't the cheapest one on Rock Auto, I would imagine the kit you bought is probably just fine. Agreed on product reviews, as long as you can be relatively sure the reviews aren't written by bots.

You mentioned the timing belt in your kit earlier. I haven't heard anyone here complain about any particular brand of timing belts, they all seem to last as long as anyone can ever hope for one to. On top of that, this is a non-interference engine so if the timing belt ever does break (I've only heard of that happening in ancient belts that were overdue to be replaced anyway), no damage should occur to the engine. It would just mean you would need a tow home to replace the belt.

[Tersailor]

No need to apologize, rather I should be thanking you for your time.

[Tersailor]

I am deciding whether to file out the sharp edges on my chipped crankshaft pulley (harmonic balancer), or wait days looking for a used pulley for sale. What do you guys think, does it look reusable?

Either the last owners were clumsy or simply road damage, But I am concerned if it can cause major problems in my engine. Any tips is appreciated.

[NWMO]

Tersailor,

I would likely try to “fill” the broken area with JB Weld or even JB Weld a little piece in there. I don’t think it would create a problem for the belt either way, but it might not “balance” as well.

Chris

[Tersailor]

Thanks NWMO

I decided to pull the trigger on JB weld and on the photo I used a broken piston ring to fill the gap, its not perfect but it gives more peace of mind.

As for progress on the engine, crankshaft is installed and the cylinder head is ready. Simply waiting for some Rockauto rod bearings to come so I can continue. If anyone plans on buying some bearings I recommend comparing the photos to the OEM so as not to buy the wrong one (which i did )

[Tersailor]

Alright been while since I did a update but the rebuild is almost complete! Engine was placed in the car and now all i need to do is figure out where the wires go and putting the radiator and ac components and etc.

[NWMO]

Nice work!