CC Coupe engine repairs...

[Lancer1993]

So some good news/bad news again.

This happened to the fuel O ring at some point... weird it was fine Sunday with no leaking. But today I had the car running and noticed fuel leaking out the line just before the furl rail.
Easy fix as one of the O rings in the gasket kit was for this, back on and running, no signs of leaking further.


So timing cover off while running, no vissable signs of a leak around the cam shaft or at the head gasket, that I could see.


But there is a visible sheen one side of the timing belt you can see here.


There is still a leak but it doesn't seem to be as bad, weird.

Oh and one more thing, I think the thermostat is stuck or needs replace. After a few minutes of running the top hose and take of the radiator are warm, while the long lower hose running to the thermostat is cool to the touch. Also there is smoke coming from around the exhaust manifold, Sunday I put this down to oil and degreeser burning off but now I just think it's getting hot, too hot.

Replacing the thermostat shouldn't be too hard even if it means removing the air box.

BTW - I didn't check the hoses Sunday as I was more worried about the oil leak so I don't know if it was the same then, but given the smoke I'm thinking it was likely the same.

Also just read if the upper hose is warm it means water is circulating so the thermo is open, is this true on the 4G93? And with that while the lower hose is cool around the thermo housing it's warm at the very top of the hose.

Some helpful advice would be welcome about now.

[himynameisdaniel]

get a thermometer and a container filled with water.
ensure the thermostat is closed.
heat the water and wait for the thermostat to open. this the definitive way to test if it is working.

Also i only buy OEM thermostats there are sometimes quite a difference in temp variations with other brands.

[Lancer1993]

Thanks, I'll do that in the next few days. Will probably just get a new one.

Just wondering, when should the fan kick in? If the thermo is not working will the fan still fire up? As it was not coming on today.

[himynameisdaniel]

this depends on how the fan is controlled.
you may have a separate issue here.

Pull the thermostat out and see if it opens up at the pre-set temp.

if it opens at the right temp then its not a thermostat issue.

[Lancer1993]

Thanks, still need to flush the coolant (including block) since the bits that would have gone in the system when cleaning the block for the new head gasket.

Just wondering if I should do that before or after checking the thermostat?

Right now I've got the time to do a bit each day, elimate the problems as they come up. Maybe the oil leak was a byproduct of the engine getting to hot? When I check the temp gauge it was okay, but I guess that depends where it takes the reading from?

I'll ask the guy who skimmed the head for some advice today when in town.

[Lancer1993]

Okay did another test run but first did a check on all connections and found this one I forgot about, its an earth wire from the wiring harness behind the intake. It was down the wire wall when I found it.



Don't think it had much impact on things.

Checked the coolant and added a little bit, maybe a cup full. Run went fine at first but again the lower hose stayed cool even after 10 minutes when things were getting hot and some vapors were coming from around the exhaust again. Also at first there was no oil leaking, that doesn't seam to happen until it was warming up...



That's a 8" Angle Square on the floor to give an idea of the leak, after about 13 min running, before I switched it off.

Also the fan(s) only came on when I turned on the AC.

I'll take out the thermostat over the weekend and test it.

FYI shopped around for a new one today, SCA was the cheapest as low as $25 but they don't keep them in stock so you need to pay shipping. Repco was about $45 (they have one) and a genuine Mitsy one will cost $78 out of Brisbane.

Is there really a need to go genuine for this part?

[Lancer1993]

Okay so cooked up myself some thermostat on the stove...


And it opened, once I worked out where to look


But I think I'll replace it just to be safe, since I have it apart right now and this is it's condition.


The focus now turns to the oil leak(s), I'll tackle the cam shaft first and see if that does anything.

[Lancer1993]

Spent the afternoon changing the cam seals, the big O ring was for the dizzy so I did that too.



Got the lid back on but have to wait until next week to get a thermo and test the engine again.

[Lancer1993]

This was relatively easy to do but would have been a whole lot easier to do last week end the head was off the engine.

My only concern now is I didn't turn the dizzy 180 deg and screw up the timing, I did take a photo of the end that goes to the cam shaft right after taking it off so I'm pretty sure it's on the right way.
Whats the worse that can happen?

The cam should be right as I tied up the top pulley and it can only go on at the same point it was before.

I'm enjoying this work and just hope it's solved the leak issue as I didn't see much oil on the under side of the cam seal on the timing end.

[Lancer1993]

Couple of thing I forgot to ask in the last post.

a) how much coolant do I need for a full rad/block flush.
b) which coolant do I need, think it's Type B for cars after 1984.
c) what is the best method to flush it?

I know the block drain point is at the front of the block so should I undo that and the rad and run some water through the system?

[Lancer1993]

Okay just put in the new thermo and it started right away, must have put the dizzy back on the right way

But again with an oil leak on the timing end. I'm really disappointed with that, I can only assume it's one of the other seals leaking. It takes about 5 min to start leaking.

Advice and help would be nice. Should I get a mechanic to check it out? Just remember this car is out of rego so I'd need to sort that first to take it anywhere legally that doesn't include a tow truck.

Also when I drained the coolant this time only half the amount I put in came out (photos later) and about the same amount went back in, will check the rad level after lunch so see if it needs a top up. Only had it running 10 min so the thermo didn't open up to get the water circulating again.

I'm really disappointed and kinda wish I went with my first plan and dropped in the twincam 4G93.

[lancerdarryl]

Did you check the front crankshaft seal?

[Lancer1993]

Not yet and right now it looks like the likely culprit.

I did the cam shaft seals, both ends as I had them and knew how to get them off.

Now working out my next move, read up on doing the crankshaft seal, any help would be appreciated. I know you need to access it from inside the wheel arch and all the belts need to come off but them I'm out.

How much would a work shop charge v a DIY fix with parts?

Also is there any way to check the seal short of replacing it?

On a good note I let it run longer when moving the car and finally the thermo kicked in and the fan came on so looks like that's all working. I'll recheck the coolant level in the morning. And I think some of the smoke I've seen coming off the engine might be a slight leak around the top cover as it's the ONLY seal I'm yet to replace as I was planning to do it when I repaint the cover.

[Lancer1993]

What would be the cost of just doing the crankshaft seal?

I've seen a mechanic and if they were doing the job they would recommend doing the timing belt and water pump at the same time as the seals, as they could fail and the labor costs are a high part of the repairs cost.

Parts around $350, labor about 3 hours.

LOL it would take me 3 hours just to get the thing apart.

I know the costs are adding up to more than I planned but I feel I'm too deep in now to use the other engine given that would require timing belt and water pump along with thermo and most important a new clutch. Not to mention needed an engine hoist and changing the electric to make the whole thing work.

Time I have but the cost of parts is the main reason I went with the head fix in the first place.

[Lancer1993]

Spoke to the Mitsy dealer, which was a waste of time. They can't give a quote without checking the problem, which would cost me $99 before they start. And I know that involves taking parts of the engine, which means your basically screwed as they would then need to fix the problem.

Think I'll take a look my self, parts will cost just $15 if I get just the seal. But not this weekend as we have the Sandown 500 Sunday!

So basically my choice is clear, just do the seal for about $15 or do the timing belt as well as the water pump for around $250 in parts, or about $650 to get a mechanic to do the work.