Hi everyone!
So...I'm at sea and preparing for my next project. As usual, rather than just fix the thing that's broken I'm preparing for a major overhaul.
Right before I left, I got the early Christmas present of low power steering fluid coupled with the "rocks under the hood" rattle. No squeal/whine, oddly enough.
Filling the fluid and driving a bunch of zigzag/figure 8s in the parking lot quieted it back down.
I haven't lost any more fluid and I can't find any leaks. The rattle returns sometimes and a little lock-to-lock steering silences it. I figure I've got a leaky return hose sucking air in.
I've also got a brake leak, rear circuit, no visible fluid loss. I redid the lines (including rubber line) last year, so it's either a wheel cylinder seeping or in the master cylinder. Hopefully wheel cylinder, I have a box of them and I was planning to do the shoes/drums this spring.
So, here are the questions:
1. Did the '86 (car built 06/86) engines have the plastic timing chain parts? That would accelerate my desire to replace the timing set; the power steering then being an incidental part of the job.
2. Is the "box of rocks" likely to be a rapid failure, or will getting the air out/replacing any air leaks be fine for a while?
3. I can look and find out, but I'm at sea and the car is in Maine; is the '86 a roller block?
3a. What's a good cam grind for a mild '86 SD car that is mostly used for commuting/light towing? I don't want to tank my fuel mileage, but moving the torque down range a bit would be handy. I don't rev a lot.
3b. Would 3.55s and the stock cam be better than 2.73s or 3.55s and an upgraded cam? I have enough power for most stuff, I just feel like the first couple seconds in traffic with a trailer full of firewood takes a lot more throttle than I like, which is unpleasant in stop-and-go traffic.
The reasons for asking are that any work I do in the winter requires paying/doing favors for friends with heated garages, but I'm perfectly comfortable doing a power steering hose in the yard if it's warm enough out. I'd like to save my emergency favors for the brake work. And lastly, I'm debating putting a cam/lifters/etc in the engine while I've got the timing chain off; so I'd need to pick the right parts and make sure I've got an SD friendly grind.
So...I'm at sea and preparing for my next project. As usual, rather than just fix the thing that's broken I'm preparing for a major overhaul.
Right before I left, I got the early Christmas present of low power steering fluid coupled with the "rocks under the hood" rattle. No squeal/whine, oddly enough.
Filling the fluid and driving a bunch of zigzag/figure 8s in the parking lot quieted it back down.
I haven't lost any more fluid and I can't find any leaks. The rattle returns sometimes and a little lock-to-lock steering silences it. I figure I've got a leaky return hose sucking air in.
I've also got a brake leak, rear circuit, no visible fluid loss. I redid the lines (including rubber line) last year, so it's either a wheel cylinder seeping or in the master cylinder. Hopefully wheel cylinder, I have a box of them and I was planning to do the shoes/drums this spring.
So, here are the questions:
1. Did the '86 (car built 06/86) engines have the plastic timing chain parts? That would accelerate my desire to replace the timing set; the power steering then being an incidental part of the job.
2. Is the "box of rocks" likely to be a rapid failure, or will getting the air out/replacing any air leaks be fine for a while?
3. I can look and find out, but I'm at sea and the car is in Maine; is the '86 a roller block?
3a. What's a good cam grind for a mild '86 SD car that is mostly used for commuting/light towing? I don't want to tank my fuel mileage, but moving the torque down range a bit would be handy. I don't rev a lot.
3b. Would 3.55s and the stock cam be better than 2.73s or 3.55s and an upgraded cam? I have enough power for most stuff, I just feel like the first couple seconds in traffic with a trailer full of firewood takes a lot more throttle than I like, which is unpleasant in stop-and-go traffic.
The reasons for asking are that any work I do in the winter requires paying/doing favors for friends with heated garages, but I'm perfectly comfortable doing a power steering hose in the yard if it's warm enough out. I'd like to save my emergency favors for the brake work. And lastly, I'm debating putting a cam/lifters/etc in the engine while I've got the timing chain off; so I'd need to pick the right parts and make sure I've got an SD friendly grind.
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