2.216VTurbo
05-04-2007, 11:44 AM
So I have been putting in some serious late nights to get the Rampage RT to the first Thursday of the month SD/TD meeting, mostly beacuse a couple of the guys said I wouldn't make it:evil: I usually leave for our 8pm meeting about 7, around 6:30 everything is buttoned up and fluids are in the motor. IT FIRED UP FIRST CRANK!!:partywoot: This is especially exciting because the thing would never start with the key in the 8+ years I've owned it, always would bump start though so that what I've done every time for the 5K or so miles I've driven it.
Anyway, fired up but coolant is poring out over the trans. ACK, coolant temp sensor not there, the little one for the gauge:o Machine shop must have spaced it because it didn't come back with the extra bits and pieces... Screwed in another one and fired again noticing two things. 1) the oil pressure is sky high (like above 60-65 on my Autometer gauge) and the valvetrain is clattering. Figured the lifters needed time to pump up so I let it idle until the fan came on. But the clatter was getting louder if anything and coming from the rear (EX) valve cover. Shut er down and pulled that cover to find that there is NO OIL seeping from the rocker holes:( Combined with the high oil pressure it tells me something is blocking the oiling to the backside of the head.
Some head scratching ensued and then neighbor guy (who is not really a car guy) came over and I showed him the problem. He say's, "does it have anything to do with those steam holes you had welded?"
He hit the nail on the head on that one. While all the welding was being done I got a tip from another TIII owner that it's a good time to weld up that little cap/plug thingy that makes the HG weak in that back corner. So the head shop obliged my request, but they welded so deep, the oil gally to the exhuast valvetrain got welded shut too:o
So I am either pulling the head to drill out the galley (from that pesky little Allen plug on the cam gear side of the head if I can get it out!) or I'll take off the motor mounts and lfte the motor/trans up high enough with the cherry picker to do the drilling.
It will have to wait a couple weeks now though, if I get caught putting any more time into after the last few weeks of non stop wrenching on it, well, it would be bad for my sex life:whip:
Anyway, fired up but coolant is poring out over the trans. ACK, coolant temp sensor not there, the little one for the gauge:o Machine shop must have spaced it because it didn't come back with the extra bits and pieces... Screwed in another one and fired again noticing two things. 1) the oil pressure is sky high (like above 60-65 on my Autometer gauge) and the valvetrain is clattering. Figured the lifters needed time to pump up so I let it idle until the fan came on. But the clatter was getting louder if anything and coming from the rear (EX) valve cover. Shut er down and pulled that cover to find that there is NO OIL seeping from the rocker holes:( Combined with the high oil pressure it tells me something is blocking the oiling to the backside of the head.
Some head scratching ensued and then neighbor guy (who is not really a car guy) came over and I showed him the problem. He say's, "does it have anything to do with those steam holes you had welded?"
He hit the nail on the head on that one. While all the welding was being done I got a tip from another TIII owner that it's a good time to weld up that little cap/plug thingy that makes the HG weak in that back corner. So the head shop obliged my request, but they welded so deep, the oil gally to the exhuast valvetrain got welded shut too:o
So I am either pulling the head to drill out the galley (from that pesky little Allen plug on the cam gear side of the head if I can get it out!) or I'll take off the motor mounts and lfte the motor/trans up high enough with the cherry picker to do the drilling.
It will have to wait a couple weeks now though, if I get caught putting any more time into after the last few weeks of non stop wrenching on it, well, it would be bad for my sex life:whip: