'88 GT Convertible - Croatia, Europe

@jrichker thank You for detailed post. Gone thru half of that...still to do...

Anyways, I done like dozen of Cylinder Balance Test and every time I get 9 9.

Done something this weekend.
I changed sparkplugs from Motorcraft 42 to NGK UR45. Old sparkplugs by the book, perfect... Picture attached.
Inspected all pistons. See attached pictures, seems to me like carbon buildup. I hope so. Getting worse to back of engine. Clogged PCV may contributed this buildup...dunno if PO knew that. I am a little bit worried, Pistons 3 and 4 scared me to bone, but compression test follows...

What I found out on testdrive is that I got more backfire with new spark plugs, and I can hear pumping hiss from passanger side when under WOT (was there before but not so noticable), or low RPM push. Exhaust manifold or gasket leak could be a real cause of 41, not vacuum leak??! Possible?
Would it cause rough idle also?

Passanger side still 41 (lean), but I must check mentioned exhaust for leak. I learned nothing from vacuum leak. Blocked all hoses, no change, neither slight. For test I made vacuum leak intentionally, and it was obvious. Either under manifolds or not existing, must borrow dial for vacuum. After my PCV fix, sucking really well.

Tomorrow we will do a good compression test.

Have a Nice afternoon all!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20201101_222729.jpg
    IMG_20201101_222729.jpg
    165 KB · Views: 166
  • IMG_20201101_222649.jpg
    IMG_20201101_222649.jpg
    138.9 KB · Views: 166
  • IMG_20201031_104332.jpg
    IMG_20201031_104332.jpg
    324.3 KB · Views: 169
  • Sponsors (?)


Cold engine compression test done:
1: 9bar - 130psi
2: 9bar - 130psi
3: 9.5bar - 138psi
4: 9bar - 130psi
5: 9bar - 130psi
6: 9.5bar - 138psi
7: 9bar - 130psi
8: 9.5 - 138psi
I would say okay.

Complete engine seals are in trunk allready.
Sometime in next two weeks we will lift both intakes, valve covers, try to change valve seals, check and rehaul coolant pump and lurk into timing chain when we will be down there... anybody has anything else to recommend around that construction sites? :)

In between I will try to blow that carbon out with driving :)

Cheers!
 
Okay, today I found interesting stuff:

1. Lean 41 caused may be:
As the smog pump is not working anyway, I took off all smog pump stuff. Tab/tad left powered but I took vacuum off. I started plugging head and exhaust pipes when I heard rrrrring. Shaked exhaust air pipe again ringggg. Went under car and smog air pipe is broken off exhaust. Hole on exhaust. This could cause 41, lean passanger bank I suppose?
Question arrises, shall I try to fix smog/air pump on future or just dump it in box with installation? I dont need to pass emissions never again as this is official historic vehicle now...
I know as I red that there are supporters of smog here as are haters. One pump less, few solenoids and vacuum valves less means a lot... To keep the car as stock as possible is my goal, but not getting loan cause of less importaint parts also :)

2. Code 87, reason found
Went to check FP relay, but to my surprise there is NO relay, just empty plug!!! Explains a lot, just not the nightmare how will I find where someone made bypass, cause car is working.... Question in my head is to revert this to factory or not and why they did this....

I notice less and less oil spot on cardbox in garage. Maybe all oil pushed out was really from clogged breather and thrown out PCV valve....

Greetings to all from cold and foggy Croatia!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Cold engine compression test done:
1: 9bar - 130psi
2: 9bar - 130psi
3: 9.5bar - 138psi
4: 9bar - 130psi
5: 9bar - 130psi
6: 9.5bar - 138psi
7: 9bar - 130psi
8: 9.5 - 138psi
I would say okay.

Complete engine seals are in trunk allready.
Sometime in next two weeks we will lift both intakes, valve covers, try to change valve seals, check and rehaul coolant pump and lurk into timing chain when we will be down there... anybody has anything else to recommend around that construction sites? :)

In between I will try to blow that carbon out with driving :)

Cheers!
Timing cover/harmonic balancer removal and replacement

The first steps are the same as replacing a water pump, but for reference I will include them too.
You will notice the phrase “ in a zip bag or your loose parts bin” gets lots of repetition. This is an important concept to embrace, especially if the project stretches out more than a day or two. Some of us are neat and organized and work that way. Congratulations go out to you, because most of the hobbyist mechanics are not members of that elite group. You will need a box of sturdy quart size zip bags and a Sharpie marker to label them with along with the normal range of sockets and wrenches used in auto repair.
Time to complete this job will be 10-12 hours, maybe less if you are fast and don’t stop to take breaks.

Water pump removal
1.) Disconnect the battery negative terminal and cover the battery with heavy cardboard or at least 2 shop towels. You’ll thank me for this suggestion about the time you lay a long wrench or screwdriver over on top of the battery.

2.) Drain the radiator; most radiators have a drain valve or drain plug on the lower passenger side of the radiator. In most cases you either have to have really long skinny arms or have to jack the car up to get to it.
Plan B is a little simpler, but it involves more equipment: an air compressor, some air hose, a blowgun with a long skinny nozzle, and 6 ft. of scrap garden hose. A small diameter garden hose works better than large hose because you have to thread it through the radiator filler opening and past the transmission cooler. Cut a small hole just big enough to stick the blow gun nozzle in the garden hose about 6”-12” from the end, Stick the other end of the garden hose in the radiator as far down as you can get it. Stick the free end of the hose in your bucket or whatever container you are going to use. You’ll need to be able to capture about 1 ½ - 2 gallons of coolant. Stick the blowgun in the cut you made in the hose and give it a squeeze. If you are careful, it will start to siphon all of the coolant out the radiator and not spray coolant everywhere.

3.) Now comes the messy part; crawl under the car and remove the lower radiator hose clamp, radiator hose and then the radiator. Plan on spilling some coolant and getting wet in the process. I have done it 3 times over the last year and have always got a bath in coolant and a big spill to rinse down when I finished.

4.) Disconnect the upper radiator hose and the auto transmission cooler lines if this is an auto transmission car; be sure to cap the transmission cooler lines on the radiator and the lines to keep dirt and trash out of them.

5.) Remove the two10MM hex head radiator hold down bolts and brackets and put them in your parts bucket.

If this the first time you have done this job, put each set of fasters or small parts in individual zip bags and mark the bag with a description of where they came from with a sharpie marker. About the time you go to putting it back together, you’ll be glad that you took the time to do this. This is a good habit to develop if your project looks like it will stretch out longer than a day or two.

6.) Remove the fan shroud bolts that secure the fan shroud to the radiator and put them in you parts storage container or zip bag. Lift the radiator shroud clear of the slip clips that hold it to the bottom of the radiator and move it as far back away from the radiator as possible. Trim a large piece of cardboard to the width of the radiator and about 6” taller than the radiator. Now slide the cardboard down between the radiator and the fan shroud and lift the radiator out. You have prevented dinging the radiator or poking holes in it with this simple step. Save the cardboard, you will use it again when you put the radiator back in the car. Remove the radiator shroud and put it in a safe place along with the radiator. Watch out for the coolant in the overflow tank; a pan or jug needs to be handy to drain the coolant stored in it.

7.) Serpentine belt; if you have anything other than the stock arrangement, take a picture of how it fits around the pulleys BEFORE doing anything else.
Use a 17 MM socket and a long breaker bar to lift the belt tensioner off the serpentine belt. Remove the belt from the pulleys and check it over for frayed places or cracks; replace it now while you have it off and in hand. This is especially true if you have a non- stock belt arrangement.

8.) Use a 7/16” flat ratchet or gearwrench to remove the 4 bolts that hold the fan on the water pump. Remove the nuts from the 3 studs on the water pump, and the 2 power steering mount bolts and the 3 bolts that secure the A/C compressor (if present) to the A/C & PS mount plate. Loosen one bolt on the rear of the lower A/C mount; this will require a long extension and maybe universal joint socket. Put the bolt and the nuts in a zip bag or your loose parts bin.

9.) Remove the lower radiator hose from the water pump and put both hose clamps in a zip bag or loose parts bin.
Take a cardboard box, and turn it upside down. Count the number of bolts that hold the water pump on, don’t forget to count the 4 funny looking studs. Poke a hole in the box for each bolt/stud. Arrange the holes in a circular formation, and mark the box at the 12:00 point. When you remove a water pump bolt, put it in one of the holes in the box according to where it came out of the water pump. When you are done, all bolts will be arranged it the exact same order and position that you removed them from the water pump. That makes re-installing them easy, no wondering where does this bolt go. Put the cardboard with the bolts in it out of the way with the rest of the larger parts.

10.) Loosen the 4 hose clamps on the water pump heater and thermostat bypass hoses. Pull the water pump down and remove the hoses from the water pump and from the engine mounted plumbing that that they connect to. Set the water pump aside with the rest of the large parts.
Take note that the upper thermostat bypass hose goes to the thermostat housing and the lower hose goes to the heater return feed tubing. Put the hoses and hose clamps in a zip bag or your loose parts bin.

This is the end of the water pump removal section.

11.) Now that the water pump is out of the way, remove the harmonic balancer pulley – there are 4 bolts that need to come out. Take note that the bolts are grade 8 and have 6 radial marks stamped on their heads. Don’t lose them and don’t replace them with any bolt of lesser grade.
You’ll need a very long breaker bar and a 15/16” socket and a short extension for the harmonic balancer mount bolt. The breaker bar and socket need to be ½” drive because you will probably need a cheater bar on the breaker bar to get the harmonic balancer bolt loose. If your car is a 5 speed, put it in 5th gear and set the parking brake so that the harmonic balancer doesn’t turn when you try to loosen the bolt. If your car has an auto trans, a chain wrench like those used to remove oil filters may do the trick. Apply it to the harmonic balancer ribs that protrude from the rear of the balancer. A long pipe wrench may also be applied to the same ribs to prevent the engine from turning. A harmonic balancer puller is needed to remove the balancer. If you don’t own one, the auto parts store will loan or rent one to you. Remove the harmonic balancer bolt and washer then put the bolt back in and turn it 4-5 turns back into the crankshaft. The harmonic balancer puller needs to push on the bolt and not on the crankshaft threads. Thread the harmonic balancer puller mount bolts into the holes for the pulley mount until they bottom out; make sure that the bolts are about the same length and not obviously too long or too short. Crank away on the harmonic balancer puller center bolt until the puller hits the balancer mount bolt. You’ll notice a sudden increase in effort to turn the puller center bolt. Remove the puller and then remove the balancer mount bolt. In most cases, the balancer can now be removed by hand and will slide off the crankshaft with a little effort. If not, several washers placed inside the balancer hub and resting upon the end of the crankshaft will do the job. The object is to give the harmonic balancer puller center bolt something to push on and not damage the crankshaft internal threads. At some point, the harmonic balancer will be loose enough to slide off the reset of the way by using only hand power.
When the harmonic balancer is off, examine the surface where the timing cover seal rides. It should be smooth without any noticeable ridges or groves. If it is damaged, here are sleeves available at the local auto parts store that are a hand press fit to cover the damaged area and provide a proper surface for the seal to ride on. Examine the balancer for damage to the thin rubber ring that mounts the outer hub to the inner hub. If you see any damage or deterioration, now is the time to replace the balancer. Your local auto parts store can provide a stock replacement or Summit Racing has aftermarket replacements. Put the harmonic balancer pulley bolts and the balancer mount bolt in a zip bag or your loose parts bin and store them along with the harmonic balancer and the pulley with the rest of the large parts.

End of harmonic balancer removal

12.) Timing cover removal[/b] Take a picture of the timing pointer and how it is mounted before removing the nuts that secure it to the timing cover. You’ll be glad you did when it comes time to reassemble things. Done incorrectly the timing pointer will get bent and mangled the first time the engine cranks over…Don’t ask me how I know…

13.) Remove the bolts that hold the timing cover in place; don’t forget the 2 small bolts that are on the bottom of the oil pan. There may be 2 locator bushings on the lower part of the timing cover that are pressed into the engine block. Some tugging and wiggling will be necessary to get the timing cover off of them; leave them stuck in the engine block if possible. Put the timing cover bolts in a zip bag or your loose parts bin. Take a box cutter or similar tool and cut off the exposed pan gasket where it disappears under the engine block and throw it away. This is part of the preparation for the new gasket that will go here.

14.) Now for the most tiring, time consuming and demanding part of this job; removing ALL of the old gasket traces from the engine block and timing chain cover. Scrape and clean until you are bored, scrape and clean until you are tired of it and then scrape and clean some more. In order to seal properly, gaskets have to seat against clean, bare metal. A thin film of silicone gasket sealer helps, but is not a proper substitute for clean mating surfaces for the gaskets. The scraping and cleaning is tiresome, but it is less work than having to do it all over again because the gaskets didn’t seat and seal properly in spite of the excess amount of silicone sealer you applied to all the surfaces.
Set the timing cover aside with the rest of the large parts. Take some plastic sheeting or newspaper and cover the timing chain and the crankshaft to keep the mess you are going to make scraping the old hardened gasket remnants off the engine block out of the timing chain and oil pan. A single edge razor blade scraper is the preferred tool for this job, and you’ll need some quality spare blades. Hopefully, most of the sticking gasket remnants are on the engine block and not on the soft aluminum timing chain cover and water pump.
A stainless steel rotary wire brush in an electric or air drill will be needed to get the really hard gasket material off the iron parts. DO NOT use it on aluminum parts!!! The cast iron resists the cutting action of the rotary brush well enough that it will not remove a significant amount of metal or make any groves or scratches that will cause leaks. DO NOT use ScotchBrite or similar scrubber pads because they can leave behind significant amounts of abrasive grit that can find its way into the engine oiling system and wreak havoc on the engine’s internal parts.

15.) Cleaning, inspection, and preassembly.
Now it’s time to clean and inspect all the parts you removed for damage and corrosion. The rubber hoses connected to the water pump may have become casualties of time, wear and of being removed, so be prepared to buy new ones. Replace all of the non-worm gear type hose clamps with new hose clamps. Home Depot or Lowes plumbing dept. will have them cheaper than the auto parts stores. Buy a 5 or even 10 clamp package of the smaller size hose clamps as shop supplies; you’ll be glad you did. Check the fan clutch to make sure that it has some resistance against being turned with you holding the hub that bolts to the water pump flange. Check the plastic fan blades for cracks and damage. Having a fan blade fly off at 5000 RPM can surely ruin the radiator, the hood and maybe even your whole day. Check the belt for cracks, frayed spots and other visible damage. Turn all the accessory drive pulleys by hand to make sure that they run true and turn smoothly; make sure that they are not bent or cracked. Check the belt tensioner pulley; it should run true and turn smoothly. Check the radiator and fan shroud for evidence of cracks, broken mounts and check the radiator for evidence of leaks. There is a rubber cushion on each of the radiator hold down brackets and another set of cushions where the bottom of the radiator sits in the radiator mount frame. If you remove the bottom cushions, mark which side they came from and their orientation; they are side specific due to the rubber alignment bumps on the side that mounts to the metal support brackets they fit in. Inspect them to make sure that they are present and in good condition. Crawl under the car and spray some non-flammable brake parts cleaner over all the parts that have any oil on the outside. While you are under the car, wipe away and blot up any evidence of coolant leaks you find. This will save you time later on trying to chase leaks that you fixed but didn’t clean up after you fixed them.

Now it is time to take s short break and paint ALL of the bolts under the heads and on the threads with a generous amount of anti-seize. A 1 pound, brush top can of Never Seez is one of the best investments you can make in shop supplies. It costs $20-$25, but it will save you countless hours when you disassemble things next time. Bolts don’t corrode, freeze up or break off if you coat them with generous amounts of Never Seez. And yes, as long as you own the car, there will be a next time…

16.) REASSEMBLY:
It’s time to double check the parts and gasket mating surfaces to make sure that they are clean and have no bits of leftover gasket material, damage to the mating surfaces, dirt or debris. I recommend that you use the following stay in place gasket trick to keep the gasket from shifting out of place during installation. Wipe down the gasket mating surfaces with acetone so that they are perfectly free of oil, debris and dirt. Mock fit the gasket so that you know which side faces the water pump. Spray the gasket mating surface of the water pump with weather strip adhesive and also spray the pump gasket side that mates to the water pump. Follow the instructions on the can as to drying time; the surfaces should be tacky, but not damp or dry. CAREFULLY align the gasket with the holes on the water pump; you will have a very limited opportunity to reposition the gasket once it is pressed in place. Apply a thin coat of silicone gasket sealer to the timing cover face around the water passages. Remember that the silicone sealer starts to set within 3-5 minutes and you want to assemble it while it is still soft and sticky. Bolt the water pump to the timing cover using the 3 short bolts across the top of the water pump; torque to 15-18 ft/lbs or 180-210 in/lbs.

17.) Now comes the fun part: assembling the timing cover. If you are reusing your old timing cover, use a punch and hammer to drive the harmonic balancer old seal out from the inside. Apply a thin coat of silicone sealer to the timing cover where the new seal will sit. Use a 2x4 block of wood larger than the seal or a seal driver to tap the seal in place. The block of wood method works good, but you have to watch carefully to make sure that the seal is going in straight. When the metal flange of the seal is flush all around with the face of the timing cover, you are done with the seal. Make sure that the timing cover and pan gasket surfaces are absolutely clean. Use a paper towel or clean rag saturated with acetone to wipe them down. Make two or more passes until the rag or paper towel comes away perfectly clean. Make careful note of which side of the gasket mate with the timing chain cover. Take some weather strip adhesive and spray the timing chain cover and the timing chain cover gasket side that mates with the timing chain cover. Let it get tacky as you did with the water pump gasket. CAREFULLY line the gasket up with the timing chain cover and then press it in place. Make sure of the alignment is correct, because you won’t have much opportunity to move it once it is pressed in place.

I’m going to make some of you cringe, but the next step will help insure a leak free installation. Remember that I told you to cut away the old pan gasket flush with the engine block? Here’s why…

Take a Felpro OS 34508 R one piece silicone rubber pan gasket and mock fit it to the timing cover. Be sure to press it tightly into the curved bottom of the timing cover; when you are satisfied that it fits perfectly, then proceed to the next step. Stand the assembly on the workbench and press the assembled timing cover and gasket down on the bench. When you have it positioned correctly, the flat bottom end of the timing cover is firmly pressing down on the pan gasket. Use a box cutter knife or ball point pen to mark the place where the pan gasket extends beyond the timing cover. Do the same thing to the other side; the closer you are to having the cut or mark exactly at the edge of the timing cover flange where it meets the engine block, the better results you are going to have. Next take a pair of sheet metal shears and cut the gasket where you made the mark. The gasket has a metal core, so a good pair of sheet metal shears is needed to do the job properly. Now you have horseshoe piece of the gasket that perfectly fits the timing cover. Take a tube of regular superglue and run a stream of it around the edges of the timing cover gasket surfaces. Then press the horseshoe shaped section of the pan gasket into place; start with center piece first and work towards the ends. Press hard, keep the gasket lined up with the sides and the holes. When done correctly, the gasket looks like it was made as part of the timing chain cover; no gaps, no out of place holes, all the edges line up perfectly. The superglue may be slow to completely set, but you can use that to your advantage. Some small pinch clamps or clothes pins (remember those?) may be useful to hold the gasket in place until the superglue completely sets, so be sure to have them close at hand. Set the timing chain cover aside for 30 minutes or more to give the superglue time to set. Once it sets, the gasket isn’t moving or slipping out of place no matter what you do. You’ll welcome that assurance about the time you try to maneuver the timing chain cover in place while working to get it lined up properly. Take your silicone sealer and make 2 good size streams where you cut the old pan gasket off at the engine block; that will seal the new gasket to the old gasket, engine block and oil pan. Smear a thin layer of your silicone sealer all along the oil pan mating surfaces, with a little extra added to the curved section of the oil pan where it fits to the timing chain cover. Smear some more of the silicone sealer on the engine block where the timing chain cover fits and especially around the water port openings.

18.) Put the short heater feed hose and thermostat bypass hose on the water pump along with the 4 hose clamps. All of the hose clamps will need to be oriented so that the screw head is on the driver’s side facing forward or up. Some twisting and turning will be needed to get the hoses in place. Before you tighten any hose clamps, work on getting the timing chain cover in place. The silicone sealer is setting while you are working to get the hoses properly installed and positioned. Some extra effort will be needed to get the timing cover in place to slide over the locator dowel sleeves, but keep at it. You may find that using the long bolts to pull everything in place works or putting the bolts in the lower part of the timing chain works best. A 2x4 wooden block may be used along with a hammer to help seat the timing chain cover in place over the alignment dowels. Put the rest of the 5/16” water pump and timing cover bolts in place and torque them all down 180-210 in/lbs. The 2 smaller oil pan bolts get tightened to72–108 in/lbs. The timing pointer uses 2 studs to mount it, if you were smart; you took a picture of it before you removed it. Bolt back on in the same manner shown in the picture.

19.) Harmonic balancer installation
Use a clean paper towel to apply a film of motor oil to the crankshaft and to the harmonic balancer surface where the seal rides; wipe it on and spread it all around. Line the keyway slot in the balancer up with the crankshaft key. Slide the harmonic balancer on the crankshaft and install the bolt and washer. If your car is a 5 speed, put it in 5th gear and set the parking brake so that the harmonic balancer doesn’t turn when you try to tighten the bolt. If your car has an auto trans, a chain wrench like those used to remove oil filters may do the trick. Apply it to the harmonic balancer ribs that protrude from the rear of the balancer. A long pipe wrench may also be applied to the same ribs to prevent the engine from turning. Use a 15/16” socket and a short extension for the harmonic balancer mount bolt; tighten it to 70-90 ft/lbs. Now is the time to use the harmonic balancer bolt & the 15/16” socket to rotate the engine through at least 2 revolutions while you watch the clearance between the harmonic balancer and the timing pointer is sufficient to prevent damage to the timing pointer. DON’T try to use the starter to turn the engine when you do this; you may damage the pointer before you can stop cranking the engine.
Install the harmonic balancer pulley and secure it in place with the 4 grade 8 bolts; they will have 6 radial marks stamped on their heads. Tighten the bolts to 35-50 ft/lbs.

20.) Now that you have timing chain cover/water pump assembly bolted in place, go back and move the 4 hose clamps into their final positions and tighten them securely. You may need to twist, turn and tug to get the clamps properly positioned, but do it now because it gets harder with the fan blades and radiator shroud in place Install the lower radiator hose on the water pump and position the clamp so that it is easily accessible. Some tape with one end folded over to make a pull tab is one way to secure the clamp in position so that it doesn’t turn or slide out of position. When you have the hose and clamp just like you want it and don’t plan of moving them when the work is done, tighten the clamp and pull the tape off.

21.) Install the power steering and A/C compressor mount plate, and coat the studs with Never Seez if you haven’t already done so. Put on the nuts from the 3 studs on the water pump, and the 2 power steering mount bolts and the 3 bolts that secure the A/C compressor (if present) to the A/C & PS mount plate. Tighten one bolt on the rear of the lower A/C mount; this will require a long extension and maybe a universal joint socket.

22.) Mount the fan/clutch assembly on the water pump shaft. A 5/16” fine thread bolt with the head cut off makes an excellent alignment aid; screw it into one of the bolt holes. I usually file the end of the bolt to a smooth point to assist in getting it started in a blind location where it is hard to see where the tapped hole is located. Once you have the bolt holes lined up, install the water pump pulley, fan assembly and then fan mount bolts. A 7/16” flat ratchet or gearwrench is a handy tool to use about this time. The alignment aid bolt is usually the last thing you remove when mounting the fan assembly in place.

Install the fan shroud and set it as far back as you can get it. Put the cardboard in front of the fan and shroud and put the lower radiator support cushions back in place if you removed the. Remember that they are side specific and only properly fit one way. Position the radiator and lower it in place; the cardboard will protect the radiator from dings and other damage. Then install the upper radiator hold down brackets and cushions and install the bolts. Don’t tighten them until you are absolutely certain that the radiator is correctly seated in the lower radiator mount cushions. You’ll have to crawl under the car to see if the radiator is sitting perfectly in them. Move the radiator side to side until it is seated squarely in both cushions. Fail to do this and you will rub a hole in the radiator tanks and possibly damage one or more to the tubes.

The fan shroud bottom fits into 2 slip clips that are part of the lower radiator cross brace. They position the shroud so that it doesn’t move forward or backward. The top of the shroud bolts to the upper radiator top cross brace; there is a little maneuver room to move the shroud side to side and up and down. This is the crucial point because there is limited clearance between the tips of the fan blades and the radiator shroud. Rotate the fan blades and make sure that there is at least a finger width of space between the fan blade tips and the shroud. On my car, the shroud set a little bit high and it took some effort to get the shroud pushed down enough so that the fan blade tips didn’t scrape the bottom shroud opening. It is worthy to note that engine torque will lift the engine and decrease the clearance between the top of the shroud opening and the fan blades. Try to keep that in mind when you are bolting everything up after a final fitting.

23.) Now that the radiator is bolted in place, connect the upper and lower radiator hoses and tighten the hose clamps. Remember the tape trick to hold the lower clamp in place so that when you put a socket or screwdriver on them that the clamp doesn’t move out of position. I prefer to have the screw heads facing either up or forward so that they can be tightened without having to crawl under the car to get to them. If you have transmission cooler lines, uncap them along with the fittings on the radiator and install the lines at this time.
Install the serpentine belt; if you have anything but a stock belt routing, now this time to refer to the picture you took of the belt routing. Otherwise, use the belt routing diagram that is on the front radiator cross brace. Make sure that the belt fits inside the pulley flanges and isn’t hanging off the edge of any of the pulleys.

Take a survey of the engine compartment; you should have picked up and accounted for all of the tools, fasteners and miscellaneous stuff and stored it out of the way. Connect the battery and watch out for big sparks when you do. Big sparks or loud pops are an indication that you either left something turned on or there is a tool, nut or bolt lying on top of a bare electrical connector or wire. You may see a small spark due to the radio and computer memory powering on. If there are no big sparks or indication of an excessive electrical draw, then tighten down the negative battery cable.

Make sure that if you drained the radiator by using the removable plug or drain valve that it is plugged or tightened properly so that the coolant will not leak out. It takes somewhere around 2 -3 gallons of coolant depending on the radiator size and how much coolant drains out of the engine block while you are working on the engine.

24.) Final inspection time
Check all the bolts, screws and clamps to make sure that they are all properly tightened, and the fan blade turns freely without scraping the fan shroud. There should be no loose hoses or disconnected electrical components and no tools or other items left lying on top of the engine. Crank it up and listen for any unusual noises (I heard the timing pointer as it repeatedly hit the harmonic balancer); hopefully there will only the normal sounds of the engine running. Add coolant if necessary and then run the engine up to operating temperature to check the coolant level again. Look for leaks and be prepared to crawl under the car to do so. If there are no leaks, no unusual noises and nothing catches your eye or ear, take it for a short test drive. Keep an eye on the temp gauge, you may find that the coolant level is little low. When you get back, let the engine cool to the point where it is safe to remove the radiator cap and check the coolant level. Add coolant to the radiator and overflow tank to bring them up to the correct level. Do a second leak inspection, crawl under the car to check it out. Put the large piece of cardboard you used to protect the radiator during removal and installation under the engine to act as a drip indicator. No drip marks on the cardboard over the next few days is a good thing; you have fixed your leak or leaks.

25.) Follow up:
After 10 or so hours of engine operation, change the oil and oil filter. All the debris from scraping and removing the old gasket pieces have made their way down into the oil pan and oil filter, so it is recommended to change them. Look for evidence of coolant contaminating the oil; milky oil is not good. It may be due to the coolant that dripped into the open oil pan while the timing cover was off. Or you may have a hidden leak from a gasket that got damaged during installation. Do another leak inspection while you are draining the oil, hopefully it will all be clean and dry. You may also want to change the coolant if you reused it. No problems found and no drips on the cardboard mean a happy owner :D. Enjoy driving a leak free 5.0 Mustang!
 
Howdy!

Code 41 - resolved!!!
For future reference: Before You tare Your car apart (as I did half a way), check Your O2 sensors with ONLY ONE side lean. I found my passanger side O2 sensors with bad connection on connector itself. Clearly it was oiled thru years. Cleaned it to the bone, used contact spray as final step and BAM, code 41 gone.
Engine is smoooooth, way better than before. Think I can do a penny balance on manifold now....
I still need check where my ignition is and to measure vacuum and hunt it down. There is a small leak somewhere.

As I dismantled smog system in previous steps to remove that as a source of problem (smog pump is eitherway not working and bypassed by belt) now I got codes 44 and 94.
Curious thing is that I drowe ~20 miles and then checked and only 94 was yelling out, 44 was gone.... maybe O2 are stock ones and returning marginal values....

I made a lot of idling in looking for above errors. Questions arrised:

Q1: Metallic chirping, occassional. I cant pinpoint the source. Could it be belt tensioner or some od the pulleys? I listened to them by vac line pipe in ear, but the sound is not audiable. Seems as it is transfered or resonated from somewhere.... occassional, comes and goes away, cant provoce or replicate... I assume ball bearing somewhere went south....

Q2: wof,wof,wof rhytmic pumping sound when engine is hot. Not always. Didn't check spark plugs since the change....possible loose?

Q3: A thump/pop sound at WOT in 1/2gear. So I drive like granny and then suddenly floor it. Sometimes I get this POP, like a detonation sound but more like comming from torque converter...

Ooooh, finally - My fox is for :poo:. 2.73:1 stock ratio, but I cant turn the tyres on pavement. On US movies with muscle cars they get tyres squeal on gravel, grass, mud, metal, wood, road, everywhere :D :) :D
(this one is a joke only)

Have a nice weekend!
 
Q3: does the pop come from or feel like it is under the car? Possiblly a trans mount or engine mount,
Squeaks and such could be as simple as a belt or random like a engine/trans mount causing part of the drive train to rub against another metal part of the car.
When these cars get to this age even if they do not have a lot of miles, need things replaced like: plug wires, fuel filters/pumps, rubber stuff (vacuum lines) and some brake parts just because they get degraded and brittle.
Some car owners don't know there is a rubber hose inside the fuel tank that can split with age and cause fuel pressure fluctuations. A bad plug wire can cause the engine to shake at idle and also may be the 'pop' you are hearing occasionally.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
@General karthief the pop comes something like under dashboard. First few times I went to check if my PCV blow out, but wasn't. Pop goes from that area.
Spark plug wires are not so bar. I cleaned them, silicone threated and contact lubed. Wire from coil was full of white mass/dust like limescale. That was cleaned to the bone, and it has metal to metal contact now. Wires checked, oldschool in dark, no sparkout.
Spark plugs are new, NGK 6945 (UR45). Choose NGK due to good experience from motorbikes.
Fuel filter is on the way from USA (rockauto), and fuel pressure will be checked then (still was not).

Vacuum gauge quick test shows 20" initially, then it drops to ~17" after a while and engine starts to stumble a little bit as it is heating. I push a throttle a little and it stabilizes to 20" then it drops again indicating a obvious vacuum leak which I chase for a month now.
I will repeat vacuum gauge test again today, to see if it is stable at 2500rpm or I maybe have exhaust blockage what also crossed my mind: PO had smog pump off I dont know since when, so maybe cats are clogged...
 
Okay, here is the result:

Exhaust/cat not clogged. 2500rpm pushing 20-21" steady. On idle it drops from 20-21 to roughly 17" (vacuum leak present).

Ignition is set to 12, checked that also when I was there.

Pop went south:
I went to heat up slowly in 1st in my street, saw some people walking dog and raised foot from pedal. Pass them and touched pedal - POP. Let it off for a few seconds, put foot on and behale POP, POP, POP three times in a row.
From that point when i drive slow and in low rpm, i get hesistation on throttle, POP and then it pulls away.
I blow it a little round city and was better. As soon as I drive like grandma it appears again. Even if You drive 50mph with feather foot You will feel buckle. Push throttle, pop and it will takeoff....

I fixed lean, now I got another problem. This is wast I asked for buying a fox in first place :).
Vacuum leak could cause this?
Ignition components?
I also have "Euro super 100" (EU RON 100=US PON 93) in tank, as a part of fuel system cleaning from 41 lean problem. It is not clean 100 octane, just more purified gasoline than normal "Euro 95" (EU RON 95=US PON 91 I belive).
 
Last edited:
Parts on the way from USA (ETA start of December) are complete new distributor, spark plug cables, additional seals and gasket if we will need to lift again, fuel filter, set of injector seals (complete), EEC relay, FP relay (to revert to stock)... I hope I wont need additional parts cause it will take awhile. Cost of owning a fox in Europe :-(

Update... enough of asking the patient where hurts, we opened the guts.... :)

We took upper and lower intake away:
Clearly, estimated from outside, front and back gaskets were leaking badly. Nickname "Open-to-air 302" :).
Then, under lower intake in filter gallery, just above and behind pushrod we found half-a-diamond sludge. Intake passages are all black as exhaust.
Pushrods, notice the goldy/yellowish color on first pictures. They are sticky. I don't know if I shall even touch lifters.... I get occasionally a little bit ticking sourcing from cyl #3 and #4. There is an evidence of tiny little bit of leak (maybe in past, not fresh) of coolant passage to cyl #5, and that explains why it is to clean when it was inspected by boroscope.
I suppose the mess was made by PCV valve out of it's place and clogged breather which I found few days after I bought the car. Hard slugde was collected around what I suppose is head gasket area. Is that normally beeing pushed upward by oilflow in valve gallery?

We also took valve covers away:
Under covers, there is a sign that machine started to clean itself (crud missing from covers). That may have been initiated when I cleaned the hell out of PCV breather and fixed PCV valve itself (connected to vacuum and lower intake)?
They were also loose bolts in places (stupid me, didn't even check when I saw back intake seal leak). Valvetrain is not 'so bad' IMHO, hard slugde was collected mostly in three freeze plugs, and a tiny bits in rockerarm (arount nut bottom).

Injectors testing:
While they are not so bad, I gave three of them with lowest value to ultrasound cleaning. No significant change what raises a question maybe due to age holes are a little bit wide on rest of them. It is not so bad, so I pan to reuse them with new set of seals (all four of them per injector).

I started to clean gasket area for lower intake: Scraper did not give me metal shine, so I am using 500 grit sanding paper carefully to remove black spots, and I plan to use use dremel today on some spots (nylon and brass disc). Should be safe with common sense I suppose.

I am tempted to try to clean valvetrain and pushrods as much as possible without removing any of them.... petrol, brake cleaner, thinner... give them some shine and oil them back.
Last picture, under bolt and rag you can see what kind of crud I am pulling out...


I will check oil passages with boroscope, with naked eye they seem okay. This what I am collecting can travel to a lot of places in crankcase.
My suspicion is also that PO possibly used some seafom/engine cleaning agent or maybe some sealant fix.... there way aprox at least handfull of this coal dust I took out from valve lifter gallery itself.
BTW I've seen much worse dirtiness in 4-in-line engines in my younger ages, but they were more like oil mud sludge, not hardened. Usually we didn't touch that cause tearing apart would exceed car value - just carefully closed it back with new seals and the engines were running ages after that.

Shall we even touch (or clean) hydraulic lifers? Valvetrain? Engine was working... just leave it like it is and use HQ synthetic oil....?!
Shall we open timing chain cover to inspect/check for sludge also?
I try to help motor as much as possible with "small upper part cleaning" BUT not provoking possible further damage... Any recommendations from experienced 302 HO mechanics/users?


Stay healthy, thank You for Your help and greetings from Croatia!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20201118_120017.jpg
    IMG_20201118_120017.jpg
    527.6 KB · Views: 111
  • IMG_20201119_132639.jpg
    IMG_20201119_132639.jpg
    294.3 KB · Views: 113
  • IMG_20201119_133334.jpg
    IMG_20201119_133334.jpg
    346.6 KB · Views: 127
  • IMG_20201119_160307.jpg
    IMG_20201119_160307.jpg
    394.3 KB · Views: 116
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
To hell with it, this morning I decided to clean it all.
A lot of small crud from cleaning lifters gallery was on top of lifters so I decided fast to take them out all clean that #$&@ out.

Rockers are sticky like they were in honey, at the bottom surrounded with black crud. I may release 50 ponies only by cleaning this sticky mess.
I sincerely hope that the situation is better in crankcase!

Lifters seem okay from outside. I will tear them one by one and clean inside in diesel and then dry them and put together in fresh new oil.
Wear is visible, but not harsh.
Still need to check rudimental function.... I hope all of them are okay, else I will need to wait for 2021 due to delivery from USA :-(

Pushrods look okay. Still need to check runout on flat surface.

Everything is marked and will be put back at exact spot. Dont want to disturb old man 32 year habbit :)

This engine has a combination of small problems, but I dont understand what PO put in oil that valvetrain is so sticky... Bad oil and OCI? Coke? :)
A lot of short runs?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20201121_114428.jpg
    IMG_20201121_114428.jpg
    243.1 KB · Views: 120
  • IMG_20201121_114409.jpg
    IMG_20201121_114409.jpg
    149.9 KB · Views: 109
  • IMG_20201121_113932.jpg
    IMG_20201121_113932.jpg
    309 KB · Views: 112
  • IMG_20201121_113921.jpg
    IMG_20201121_113921.jpg
    250.3 KB · Views: 130
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Are you familiar with pre oiling an engine?

Priming, like spinning oil pump with drill is it?
Was thinking about it... I will need to warmup with this suspicious oil before draining eitherway...

I will check also oil passages, maybe rinse them with little bit diesel/petrol on plastic brush for tubes cleaning just as precaution.

After that I have ready cheapo filter + 5-30 synthetic for few hundred miles flush and after that nice shiny Mobile 1 esp 5-30 for finish with k&n pro filter.
This oil should also start it's job of cleaning in normal usage...

I will do all what I can with upper part without removing heads to make it easier for this old pal...
Let's hope he will appreciate it with gratitude and perform good :)
 
My opinion, don't get too crazy cleaning oil passages and stuff, and don't circulate any oil thats in the pan now, use the 5w30 for the prime and first start up. Maybe use a bottle of seafoam to help clean up the sludge. Then change it after it gets up to temp and use 10w30. I would pull the pan and replace the pump and clean the pan and pickup tube/screen but that requires removing the engine, some claim to be able to take the pan off without pulling the engine but I'm skeptical, you can make that decision.
I believe synthetic oil will not clean any sludge that's in there. Maybe cycle a few oil changes with inexpensive oil and seafoam, see how it acts,sounds before committing to synthetic, you don't know what shape the bearings and stuff is after cleaning up it previous sludge life, it may develop a knock or the lifters may not work well after cleaning.
Just some stuff to think about.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
My opinion, don't get too crazy cleaning oil passages and stuff, and don't circulate any oil thats in the pan now, use the 5w30 for the prime and first start up. Maybe use a bottle of seafoam to help clean up the sludge. Then change it after it gets up to temp and use 10w30. I would pull the pan and replace the pump and clean the pan and pickup tube/screen but that requires removing the engine, some claim to be able to take the pan off without pulling the engine but I'm skeptical, you can make that decision.
I believe synthetic oil will not clean any sludge that's in there. Maybe cycle a few oil changes with inexpensive oil and seafoam, see how it acts,sounds before committing to synthetic, you don't know what shape the bearings and stuff is after cleaning up it previous sludge life, it may develop a knock or the lifters may not work well after cleaning.
Just some stuff to think about.
What he said...... :nice:

@snovak
YES YES YES.... Too many people believe that a full synthetic will be a good "Cleaner" It is not, It will maintain a cleaner engine but wont do the work for you.

Cycling through a few lower grade fossil fuel oil changes with seafoam in EACH change will do a lot better for you and after the 3rd change, then go to the oil you prefer and get a better life expectancy.

Pulling the pan is a PITA either route you choose. If your doing a lot to the engine already, it makes more sense to pull the engine and transmission at the same time and do all the work and be a happier mechanic/owner/driver
 
  • Useful
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
@General karthief & @kiddiccarus thanks, yes, 100% agree that would be the proper way, but at this point is actually the stuff I am avodinig now.
It is in a long-term plan with AOD rehaul.

What I am doing now is as much as I can with this kind of stripping (intakes and valve covers off). Cant go deeper in this garage. Not sure if we can drop the pan only in this place...
In start I went down to fix lower intake leak and then see how the engine is breathing in summer.

Now if You count in above mentioned, I am scared to use engine flush until we do it the proper way, as You instructed. I have chills that flush could clogg something from passages or pickup. If there is only a part of a stuff like there was in lifter gallery and valvetrain, it will get messy.

I would flush with fresh oil regulary as soon as it starts to get dark and leave as it is until proper pan cleaning. Use few times 5-30 as long as possible to make it go where possible. After that, if needed I would switch to thicker as You suggested...
Is it a kind of a safe way in this point (counting I wont pull Pan/pump/pickup)?

One thing is unclear: So You recommend between the lines to flush this current crap PO oil out eitherway, COLD as it is, with no cranking?

Thank You for Your support and greetings from cold Croatia!
 
Seafoam is good engine cleaner. I used it for oil flushes on customers cars for years. Just add a bottle to the old oil and let car idle for about 10 to 15 mins. You'd be surprised how it desolves all that crud.

Sand paper makes me very nervous around engines. Those grains of sand can find there way to places you don't want them to be. Be very very careful. Emry cloth is ok...but sandpaper is dangerous. Clean everything thoroughly anywhere near that area.

Years ago we used to add a quart of transmission fluid to the oil to clean the engine out...never had an issue but wouldn't do it now that I know a little more.

That sticky mess sounds like Lucas oil stabilizer or motor honey. That stuff cakes up pretty bad.