Neon headgasket?

[turboshadow]

My neon decided to start oozing oil from the back right corner pretty bad the past few days. I looked into and its for sure from the gasket I have done plenty of these on the 8 valves is there any tricks with a neon? Its a SOHC by the way.

[Orangetona]

Not really, its pretty straight forward. The DOHC is kinda a biatch doing it for the first time.

[shadow88]

Leaking cam sensor seals look like leaking head gaskets too. Just wanted to add that.

Special tools include, but are not limited to a 3 jaw puller for the crank pulley and a pin or very small drill bit to hold the hydraulic belt tensioner. If you get a new one, it comes with a pin (get a new one)

If nobody chimes in by the time I get back here tomorrow night, I can probably give you a step by step just going by memory.

[csxtra]

Have your dad fix it as a wedding present...

[thedon809]

Oil pressure sensors on the back of the block always go bad. They cost under 20 dollars at the dealership.

[shadow88]

From memory. I'm going to assume you have a relatively well equipped repair shop with air tools.
Raise the car and support it properly and safely. Disconnect negative battery post.
Remove 2 exhaust flange bolts and nuts and springs --13mm heads
Drain cooling system with the pet---- at the bottom of the rad, passenger side.
Remove right front wheel and inner splash sheild -- 3/8 bolt heads
Remove upper rad hose and fuel supply line
remove air intake tube and air box cover with pcv vent hose
remove airbox from cylinder head --13mm Notice the ground strap!!!! it's gotta go back.
disconnect o2 sensor connector, egr connector, coil pack connector, purge solenoid and vacuum lines (the lines can stay put and the lower one is the one that goes to the engine.)
remove 3 bolts that hold the power steering resevoir to the head --10mm Raise it and hook it into the power steering hard lines.
push in the clips that hold the fuse box to the battery tray, unhook the wires that go around the hook and re use the hook onto the windsheild washer hose to keep it out of the way.
remove intake manifold bolts including the one at the bottom under runner #1 -- all 10mm
remover egr valve to head --bolts -- 10mm
remover the wire loom holders from the head --10mm
cam sensor connector and coolant sensor connector.
passenger engine mount to body 2 bolts --15mm
raise engine with a jack and a block of wood as far as you need to to access the 18mm bolt that holds the engine mount to the mount bracket.
remove mount.
remover power steering belt adjusting bolts 2 --13mm
remove the 15mm bolt that holds the rest of the power steering pump. It's a long bolt. Place the pump up on the fender.
remove the other 2 15mm bolts that hold the mount bracket to the engine. You'll have to get one of them when the engine's all the way up, and the other when it's all the way down. and remove the triangle shaped bracket.
loosen the 15mm alternator mounting nut, just the top one should work.
loosen the alternator belt adjusting bolt at the back of the alternator bracket. --13mm. Don;t take it all the way out, just enough to remove the belt.
remove crank pulley 19mm retaining bolt and remove the pulley with a 3 jaw puller and a suitable spacer to pull against.
2 8mm bolts that hold the outer timing belt cover and remove cover.
some people like to time the engine here. If you want to, the crank mark is on the oil pump housing at about 1 o'clock. The crank sprocket has a small arrow as well.
The cam mark is a small notch on the sprocket and a notch at 12 o'clock on the rear timing belt cover.
remove cam sprocket bolt --18mm an impact gun is best here with a flex socket.
remove the timing belt hydraulic tensioner with 2 13mm bolts, take note of what one is longer!!!!
remove the idler pulley with 2 13mm bolts. These would fail from time to time and it's probably a good idea to get a new one.
with the belt off, cam sprocket off and timing tensioner and idler off, remove the 4 8mm bolts holding the rear timing cover to the engine.
Slide the clamp off the heater outlet hose just under the thermostat and be sure the hose can remove itself from the nipple. They like to stick to it and tear the hose. Also, not a bad idea to get a new hose. it's 5/8 heater hose, but the clamps are a pain to slip on and you have to get the length right.
remove the ingition wires and coil pack with 10mm bolts.
remove valve cover --10mm
remover head bolts --15mm
pull the head.

Install requires nothing too special, except for torquing the head bolts to 50+90degrees, timing belt is worth spinning the engine 720 degrees after setting the timing belt tensioner to double check the marks. Oh, also that tensioner is oil filled and needs to be collapsed slowly in a vise to reinsert the tensioner pin through the housing and the pin, but just enough to hold the plunger, not so far it will hit the rear timing cover when you put it on. Also, the holes are slotted, so you're supposed to pretension the belt with the tensioner and remove the pin only after you have double checked the marks.

What else.... The crank pulley can be reinstalled with a hammer, but be carefull not to peen over the metal to cover the hole. Trying the use the bolt to pull it in will usually pull the threads out of the crank. you'll know when it's on far enough because the hammer will tend to bounce back.

I guess that's about it. It's never a bad idea to replace the water pump while you're in there. Well, I ohjpe that works. It was a rough night last night so I may have missed something, but after reading it a couple times, I think I caught all the points.

[thedon809]

Lol at forum blocking the word pet----.

[shadow88]

lol, ah hell. Should have said drain.

[turboshadow]

Have your dad fix it as a wedding present...

Ha I'm trying. Its not coming from the oil sensor its pretty clean when I had it running it was seeping pretty bad from the back right corner of the head. I did the timing belt and water pump a few years ago so I have an idea of what taking it apart is like.