Started my Head Gasket repair

[Real1shepherd]

Originally Posted by latief

So I need some help ASAP

My timing does not seem right even before i take it apart ..

first, the TDC mark is not correct at the position i put it yesterday . the closest i could bring the timing dowels to the surface of the head is with the marking as in the picture below.




with this (the (0T) in the middle of the location of the TDC sensor hole....the dowels on the cams are the closest to the head surface but not even..so what gives ??? I need some knowledgeable feedback on this before something goes horribly wrong. see below for what i mean ..



the other side



so what is the deal? aren't these supposed to be exactly at the surface level of the head (where you insert the 4mm drill-bit and it touches the head)....? i saw some previous previous paint marks on the chain and the cam-gears and they are not aligning accurately ....

I am confused?????

on another note, the head seems very clean with nothing out of the ordinary. i will have it checked though once i take to the machine shop...

It's a bit different than the SOHC m103, so I'm not going to extrapolate. Hopefully, Clark will take an interest in your thread and reply. He's a good as they get, so pay attention to his reply.

Kevin

[Real1shepherd]

Originally Posted by latief

As some of you my remember, i bought a cheap 1993-300e a few weeks ago. the car was not "meticulously" maintained, not even close . but i bought as a project, and have already fixed a couple of small issues at minimal cost....

anyhow, now starts the fixing of the main problem: a leaky head gasket....

I started yesterday taking apart some of the easier parts such as radiator hoses (i am changing the water pump as there is a massive leak around it), some of the plastic covers and radiator shroud.....today i started digging even deeper, i unpluged connectors and started removing the front timing cover...

here are some of my questions:

1-why the hell do they use hex-style bolts instead of regular bolts? i had to run to the store a couple of times just to get the right sizes as each seems to be different?

2-when pulling the 104 head with the intake attached, the throttle-body remains in the car...is this correct?

3-My serpentine belt tensioner seems to be messed up. i tried releasing tension as recommended by the manual, but that did not work? i loosened the bolt on the side, and turned the upper dial/ bolt but nothing moved and the tension remained the same...any ideas? the arrow indicator on it seems to be missing , so i think a previous mechanic handled it roughly...i will be replacing it ....

4-I removed the wiring harness from the injector area. it seems the harness has been changed as i have not seen any falling-apart insulation...how do you get the harness out of the way? do you loosen it at the PCM?

these are some of my questions, and i will update this thread with more as the time goes. i have been burying my self in the forum and in the manuals trying to learn as much as i can.. it is at the points where the manual becomes unclear that i run into trouble...

As a FYI for anybody else going down to suppliers to buy metric hex and star drives a few at a time....check out this line that Sears now carries-"evolv". They are guaranteed for life like Craftsman. I've used the crap out of them without mishap....you can buy sets for what you'll pay for a few individual Craftsman. Sure helped me out after all my mechanic tools were stolen. They're decent tools, at least the sets I've bought. After being wiped out, I'm now more inclined to just buy tools that work, not ones that I'll pass down

Kevin

[necromancer]

Uh, you do know that both the m103 and m104 engines are canted 15 degrees towards the passenger side for hood clearance right? The valve cover tops are parallel with the ground only. You have to tilt your perspective 15 degrees CC (looking from the front) to evaluate TDC. Perhaps that's your dilemma?

[latief]

Originally Posted by necromancer

Uh, you do know that both the m103 and m104 engines are canted 15 degrees towards the passenger side for hood clearance right? The valve cover tops are parallel with the ground only. You have to tilt your perspective 15 degrees CC (looking from the front) to evaluate TDC. Perhaps that's your dilemma?

yes, i realize that.. as i understand this, the timing marks (holes) in the cams should be level with the surface of the head at TDC. in my case, they are not even though i rotated the engine a number of times trying to see when they would be at that point...

I guess either i am miss understanding something, or this has to with the retarding of the intake cam (i am really not 100% clear on how to do that).....

so now i need to mark the chains and take this apart, i just want to make sure that the chain-marking i will be putting in are actually helpful and not confuse this even more....

[Real1shepherd]

Originally Posted by latief

yes, i realize that.. as i understand this, the timing marks (holes) in the cams should be level with the surface of the head at TDC. in my case, they are not even though i rotated the engine a number of times trying to see when they would be at that point...

I guess either i am miss understanding something, or this has to with the retarding of the intake cam (i am really not 100% clear on how to do that).....

so now i need to mark the chains and take this apart, i just want to make sure that the chain-marking i will be putting in are actually helpful and not confuse this even more....

I read somewhere that you can be off quite a few degrees....however, once the head is off, I'd put everything back exactly to factory spec/illustration for your engine. Did you TDC #1 with a tool of some kind and then compare the cams position to what they are supposed to be at TDC #1? If you want more confusion, replace the timing chain...

Kevin

[Clarkz71]

First, your not at TDC on the crank. That's why that 4mm
holes in the cam flanges don't line up.

Here's what you line up the 0T line with. (red line)

I'll post the WIS intructions in a few minutes.

[Clarkz71]

As you can see, with the crank balancer lined up correctly with 0T
you should be able to install 2 4mm pins (drill bits) into the
flange holes.

[Real1shepherd]

Originally Posted by Clarkz71

As you can see, with the crank balancer lined up correctly with 0T
yo should be able to install 2 4mm pins (drill bits) into the
flange holes.

Makes sense now...with a CPS in place, the pointer on the left looks exactly like the m103 pointer. Great info, Clark!!

Kevin

[latief]

Ok, so here is where it stands now....

I adjusted the TDC according to the document as you suggested Clarkz ....





I inserted an allen-wrench into the cam holes. one of them is at the surface level(although very slightly lower)..



the other side is higher than the first one???? is this because it has be retarded?



don't forget, this is how the car is running currently, i still have not performed the head gasket replacement yet ...

let me know what you think!!! i appreciate it !! I will be taking off the chain tomorrow ..

[Clarkz71]

Looks good. Your just a touch past the TDC mark on the crank
That's why the allen on the intake cam is a little above the head.

How many mile on this car?

Does the engine seem to run well?