Okay Dokie

[Nathan in MI]

And whats that der round ring looking thing?

I'm guessing you're talking about this piece right on the front of the cam gear?


That's somewhat of a vestigial organ, I guess you'd say-- it's the drive for the mechanical fuel pump, but it doesn't apply for you since you have an electric fuel pump. The only purpose it serves now is as a big washer so the bolt can hold the cam gear in place.

And now where is this bloody t stat ?

Right where the top radiator hose connects (at the engine end) there's a small aluminum housing that bolts to the front of the intake manifold. Unbolt that, and you'll find the thermostat inside there.

[1987cp]

Right where the top radiator hose connects (at the engine end) there's a small aluminum housing that bolts to the front of the intake manifold. Unbolt that, and you'll find the thermostat inside there.

Or many stock ones may be cast iron as well. Only factory aluminum one I've seen so far came off my '79 351 and has a C9AE part number and lots of pitting.

Stock-replacement cast iron:



Polished O-ring water neck that I prefer to use:

[DarkKnight]

Well mangs. Got a dilumia, just got off work. And started to do the turning on the timing chain. I hear a Hissing sound when i turn it... is that normal?

Anyways. what i been getting at is my "dots" arnt lining up.. Ones a little to the left of the other it seems. .

Shoul i just keep turning and turning it? Also. Ar they suposed to both face upwards or towrds each other hehe? Cause it's kinda hard to see with that big organ washer ring thing.

O and thanks mangs hehe for all that info!

[351wcrayz]

well DK, the "Hissing" you heard, is in reality the engine sucking air/expelling it as the valves open/close, and as fer the dots, they should be directly straight up/down.....

[gadget73]

Yes, its the engine compressing air. Nothing to worry about.

I'm not a big fan of those chrome water necks. Theres nothing for the hose to grab on with that smooth surface. Possible to blow them off if something goes wrong. My stock neck is aluminum, but I do have a factory aluminum intake. The iron ones are usually found on iron intakes. As long as the gasket surface is smooth, and the groove the thermostat sits in is cleaned out, they usually don't leak.

The dots will point at one another. Rotate the engine till they line up.

[1987cp]

Well mangs. Got a dilumia, just got off work. And started to do the turning on the timing chain. I hear a Hissing sound when i turn it... is that normal?

Anyways. what i been getting at is my "dots" arnt lining up.. Ones a little to the left of the other it seems. .

Shoul i just keep turning and turning it? Also. Ar they suposed to both face upwards or towrds each other hehe? Cause it's kinda hard to see with that big organ washer ring thing.

O and thanks mangs hehe for all that info!

I always try to line up the dots before installing the chain - if you're off a tooth or two, the dots will never line up exactly and funky performance may result. Just place the sprockets in place and spin 'em till they line up right, then try to pull the top one out and install the chain without moving the camshaft. Yes, it's much easier to see the dots without the vestigial fuel pump eccentric in place.

The dotted sides of the sprockets will face each other - the one on the crank gear (lower) will point up, the one on the cam gear (upper) will point down.

[DarkKnight]

Why doesn't anyone ever bother cleaning the engine compartment first? Makes for a much nicer experience...

First time tearing into a engine mang ) I know of two mistakes so far...

#1 not keeping the bolts intacket of what they came out of ( Or made not of the bolt patern vs size of bolt.)

#2 on that second to last bolt that was in the wp. i thought i needed to pull it. and well a bit of the tread is now striped. and i pray that it will still work. ( It's right behind teh nut )


Side not that i have already taken ofc is what your pointing out hehe. But i plan on taking my scraper and scraping all that sluge off.

O and mang's yall kick me in the ass if after i get her back together i dont go buy some new valve cover gaskets! hehehehe.
--------------------------------------------

Thanks mang's for your responses hehehehe.

[gadget73]

Carb cleaner works well to clean out the sludge.

If the timing marks won't line up, its possible someone had it apart before and got the chain in a tooth off, or the slop in the chain is messing you up. Either way it would probably explain some of why your car runs funny. I've installed them a tooth off myself, it runs but not quite right. If its not quite exact before pulling it, just get it close, and fix it when you put the new set on.

[1987cp]

I always just yank the timing set however, and then spin the cam and crank separately to align the marks using the new gears.

[DarkKnight]

yay

hehe, well. As Scott mang suggested. I worked on her tonight.
Riged up a old light fixture from a uhh.. vacent room. to a extension cord. And a 100 watt bulb.. And if i would have something to blind the light from going in my eye's I would still be out there.

Anyways. So I took the old one off. Well i was surprised to see it come off very very easily. then i noticed that wasn't just sludge built up on her.. that the gears where metal. UGHA this ment one thing to me at the moment, and later two.

The first thing that ment to me was HEY, someone been here. Meaning dumb dumb Sure nuff might have put a different cam in. I sure as hell hope he didn't.

And two. ( The lator as I give Credit agine to Scott mang ) was that this engine could be really really old. And if you actually put a light in that oil pan.. Will second the motion!

Now before i had the timing chain off i put some shop rags waded up in the first couple inches of the oil pan, got my scraping knife and took the old gasket off. which.. was a pita imo but not horrible. Wasn't to much glue used last time thats for sure..

Well, i started at 8, and it is now 11:16 eh. Pretty bad i think. But for a first timer, maybe not.

Ill get you mang's some pics as soon as I get some good strong batteries.


Mmm, I didnt expect this tread to actually have a ton of pics on it.. Could one of you mang's put DUW tag on my tread name?

fuuun.

[torquelover]

Good to hear your progress. Now would be a good time to yank the cam if you wanted to check it. Not all 302's came with plastic gears, so it could be the stock cam in there.

[DarkKnight]

Ok, got the god awfull timing cover degreased MAN, anyone else that happens to do this job, i recomend just buying a brand new timing cover!. Way i add it up is how many hours it takes me to clean it vs how much a new one cost... 3 - 4 hours toatole. But i did get it on there as well. And i have a toatole of 5 bolts in. all the oil pan one's. and one on the side.

Now the fun parts begins as i get to guesing which bolts go where ect.

[86VickyLX]

Aye hehe. before tomarow get's here i got another question.

I don't have a "Flared wrench" ( i don't think ) I know i don't have two. How would you guys recommend disconnecting. the trany lines?

And what do you mang's use to plug the trany lines?

two wrenches. one for the nut on the lines and one for the thing on the rad. Keep the wrench for the one on the rad in the same place. That wrench is to keep the thing in place so your rad doesn't leak tranny fluid. just remember which line went in which hole.

[86VickyLX]

Ok, got the god awfull timing cover degreased MAN, anyone else that happens to do this job, i recomend just buying a brand new timing cover!. Way i add it up is how many hours it takes me to clean it vs how much a new one cost... 3 - 4 hours toatole. But i did get it on there as well. And i have a toatole of 5 bolts in. all the oil pan one's. and one on the side.

Now the fun parts begins as i get to guesing which bolts go where ect.

must've had a dirty greasy engine mang. I didn't have that problem

[86VickyLX]

I unbolted the wrong ones hehe. I was suposed to unbolt the ones behind the fan not on the fan hehe. O well easy fix i thinks.

That's the fan clutch, that only bolts the fan blade to the clutch. The clutch is the whole thing and it connects to the water pump held by four bolts. These are the four bolts that must be removed. right on the water pump pulley. they are one in the same held by the same four bolts