Live and learn;

Van project week one:

The 1994 (white) is stripped down. Finally...

Lost three days to pouring rain.

Score:

-One broken 1/2 in. ratchet. I dropped it, and it literally flew apart.

-One broken exhaust flange bolt. Brute force and ignorance triumphs again!

-Broken corner on timing belt cover. Not bad...a little duct tape should cover it.

-TWO useless tools purchased. A one piece cam sprocket tool bought from Lordco for 60$ and subsequently returned again. A two piece tool bought from princess auto...which I still haven't got 'round to returning.

-A bodged-together cam sprocket tool made from some angle bracket and some high tensile allen bolts. Should last long enough to get the cam sprockets off of (and back onto) both engines.

I have marks on various engine parts for re-assembly...and an already assembled engine to look at if I need to. The only difficult part about the job thus far has been trying to follow the procedure(s) in the Chilton's Manual I got from the Library. I may have to use the new copier/printer that came with this laptop to copy the relevant pages with the specs and torque settings I need. Having Lorne Kintrea here earlier this week was great. He really knows his way around an engine! I just hope I can get 'er all back together again before I forget how.

It was gratifying to find I was right about the cause of the flooded cylinders: a head gasket breached right over the #1 cylinder. This explains the coolant in the inboard side of the block...but not the water I found in the outboard side!. There are no obvious cracks in the heads or block...and no connection between that #1 cylinder and the other side of the engine thru the intake...that I know of. There is a connection thru the exhaust, of course, but I don't see any traces of water inside the manifolds, or the crossover pipe.

I return to work next Monday...unless I pull a fast one and request a 3rd week of vacation. I need to finish the white van and get it running. I can then switch my insurance from the Junk Tank to the van, and move the 1995 (green) van into the driveway...where I will proceed to DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN...