Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2015 18:47:38 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: '91 Carat - maintenance report
In-Reply-To: <CA+az7_4yEq5oLpFXR=iKTvff2YznV5sAT9zvpJ81WFDKoZWXMA@mail.gmail.com>
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A valve sticking in the guide will cause the same symptoms as a lifter not pumping up. You need to check that.
If you still need to source the Muffler consider the GW muffler, tailpipe, and brackets.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of John Rodgers
Sent: Friday, March 6, 2015 5:33 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: '91 Carat - maintenance report
Finally opened up both sides of the 2.1 L WBX to see what was going on.
Ultimately, four push rods were bent - all on the exhaust valves. It makes sense. Results of an overheat incident. The heads got hot, the exhaust valves always being the hottest even in normal operation, suffered a tightening of the guides under the stress of overheating, and they in turn seized upon the valve stems, there by stressing the rockers, The rocker arms, being loaded by the friction induced, pushed extra hard on the pushrods. The push rods, being squeezed extra hard by the lifters at the botton of the valve train and the rockers at the top, had nowhere to releive the extra forces applied on them so the weakest link in the valve train failed by bending, ejecting the force sideways. The forces were so great on one of them as to bend hard enough to strike the side of the pushrod tube and split it, thus causing my oil leak.
New pushrods, and valve adjustments took care of it almost. One lifter will not pump up. It gets replaced shortly.
I'm sure this episode shorted the life of the engine considerablely. But, I will drive it in the meantime. It seems to be running well inspite of the over heat episode.
The oil light started flickering at idle. My hat is off to DENNIS HAYNES for solving that one. Boosting engine speed to idle at 950 RPM solved the problem.
Discovered the boss for the security bolt securing the alternator tension was stripped. Required a thread insert. Worked well. That bolt is 8 mm for those intere sted
During the inspection for the work, it was discovered the muffler and tail pipe were in really bad shape. Both get replaced next week.
CV'S are also scheduled to be done shortly.
John