Why fixing your car is fun
 

Because you get to uncover even bigger problems than you thought possible! HURRAY!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...X/IMG_4238.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...X/IMG_4234.jpg

Yes yes, I know the front of my engine is messy beyond belief. This project was 3 fold: Replace the timing belt, replace the front crankshaft seal (the coolant is just from me accidentally kicking the pan I drained it into, got everywhere. Leaks oil out the front bad like.) and reset my crank timing because it apparently slipped, which is what's been keeping the car from being on the road now for almost a year (been busy and broke). Idled fine, but damned if it would accelerate. The crank timing pulley was off its notch, at TDC, by about 0.75 of an inch. ANNYYWHOO.

Well behold, the reason for the slippage! The pulley key broke, snap in half, and took a chunk of metal from the crankshaft, with it! You can still see a piece of the key stuck in the crank pulley. :cry: :cry:

Basically I can't see putting the pulley back on as doing any good. It'll just slip again as long as it can't settle properly on the key. I was thinking maybe torquing down the crank bolt to astronomical amounts?

Any ideas? The AE86 would be much appreciated for your input.

yikes. it's hard to tell from the pictures, but is there any way you could get a new key and make it work with what's there??

it would suck to have to replace the crank. :(

If it comes down to replacing the crank then the economical thing to do would be just to source a JDM MR-2 16v and put that in there. Cranks aren't cheap, and the 4A-GE's is no different (esp. since its forged, not cast).

How would I put a new key on there? From the looks of it the key is a literal part of the crankshaft. You mean like...dremmel down the remaining stub then somehow weld a new key on? If that's possible, its not a skill thats down my alley. I'm a shade-tree mechanic at best, and can do some things most people would consider 'hard'. But that type of work I have no experience with.

Keys should be just pressed into a slot that is milled on the journal/shaft to a specific size for it. Funny thing is (but probably not for you at the moment), the purpose of a key is to break first as an inexpensive fix.

Edit: What about a FWD GT-S's motor, they had a small-port 4AGE right? So did the 4WD Corolla wagons I believe. Or do they not like being turned to the proper orientation?

Weld it, but just make sure its perfectly aligned or it may vibrate, is it hard to find a 4ag on your area?

Nah, there's an MR-2 in a pull-a-part yard about 2 miles away. Its 4A-GE doesn't look much better than mine, but I have been meaning to go down there with a compression checker to see if it at least checks out ok...always nice to have a spare 4A-GE. Never welded before though, so dunno how good I'll be able to do that. Will the MR-2 crank pulley work on the AE86? Something tells me it won't...cause its technically a FWD crank pulley. Are you suggesting taking the key off another 4A-GE and welding that on? Or just slapping another 4A in my car?

@dimman: Yeah, the AE92's came with the bigports, AWD wagons didn't come with a 4A-GE though. AE92 GT-S' are becoming just as hard to find as the AE86, at least around here. MR-2's are much more common in yards. You can use a 4A-GE out of the MR-2 or AE92, but you have to replace certain parts. Its not a big deal, just things like RWD water pump, RWD alt/alt bracket (don't need PS/AC, since I took those off), you have to use the intake/exhaust manifold's from the RWD 4A-GE you're taking out....errr, RWD flywheel...and I'm pretty damned sure you use the RWD crank pulley (hur hur, lucky me), probably a few other things I'm forgetting...RWD dizzy I think...thermostat housing, maybe.

The only real thing thats got me worried is that when the key snapped, it took a chunk of metal of the crankshaft, with it. It looks like where that divot in the shaft is, is where part of the key used to be. Replacing the pulley and the key is fine for me, but I'm left wondering if it'll do any good with the shaft damaged like that.

If you ask me its time for a rebuild, cuz you'll need to change alot of seals anyways get a used crank on club4ag member and a light weight crank pully.

Eh-heh....yes, the undeniable truth I've been trying to put off for far too long...I knew that's what it needed...just needed someone else to say "rebuild it".

Hookay, think what Imma do is go down to the pull-a-part with a compression checker and take a closer look at that 4A. Its dirty, but that doesn't mean much. If the compression checks out, I'd say its worth the $150 gamble...if not...ugh, the pains of being poor.

It sucks going an entire spring/summer/autumn cycle without your 8-6 drivable. :cry:

My plan, if it came to this, was to find a way to get another 4A-GE in there cheaply to get it at least driving, and take the car's original 4A-GE, and build it slowly, exactly how I want it. ~140hp light tune street friendly, plenty of power for the 8-6, but still reliable, using the cars original heart. I'm too damned sentimental for my own good.

I want to learn about fixin my car and so fourth. :( Don't know anything about the innards of my car. *embarrassed*

HOWEVER. I do know I screwed up my suspension a bit.. or shock-absorber thingy. :>

I think you are down to either rebuild motor or crush vehicle into a cube...

:slap:

Its easy enough to get started learning. Begin with doing basic maintenance yourself, like oil changes, spark plugs/wires, air filter, then change to slightly more complex maintenance, like brake pads,wheel bearings, etc. (honestly pads are easier than some oil changes, NOT kidding), and continue to go down in difficulty. You'll slowly build up your confidence and your skill with basic tools. How far you can go is really dependent on how much you wish to learn, and the tools / work environment accessible. If you do decide to start at least get a Haynes/Chilton manual. They're good for the general stuff, and making sure you do things right when you're first learning. Honestly though I'd just go ahead and get the FSM. Worth more than its weight in gold.

Again, I'm no master mechanic. I've done a few engine swaps (KA24E -> KA24DE, one example), but never a rebuild. This would be my first. Again, I think I'm going to go with a simple swap to get the car up and running in factory form, and take this first rebuild of mine slowly, so I can make sure I do it right / learn properly, and build it exactly the way I want (no shortcuts, and no super cheapo parts).

yeah, pretty much what Oldskooltoys said.

i *am* a master mechanic (ASE certified since 2007), but back when i was in high school, i could barely change oil. as you start to collect tools, for some things you can go cheap, but for certain items i would spend the extra money and get NICE tools. ratchets are one place where extra money is well-placed. torque wrenches are another. get 6 point sockets instead of 12.

if you'd like, i could make a more comprehensive list of what's useful when starting out. :)

I was late in the game also, but I got the basics from my dad I use to change his oil. College years stoped cant even oil change on the apt., but I'm a reader first so I started reading FSM then apply that on my car, thats why now I collected alot of FSM.

Here:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=507

tuning & rebuilding learned that from friends, so it help when you have friends who already have experience on what your trying to do. So advice go to meets its not just a place to show off your car its also a great way to be friends or know people who can help you.

That sucks OST!


:paddle::sm3:

+1... collecting tools seems to be an ongoing thing! Nice tools are one thing but then there are those specialty tools. It seems that I always have to make a trip to Sears.

As other mentioned, I definitely recommend a shop manual and the right tools. Start with the basic maintenance as a starting point.

Having an extra pair of hands is a plus and that usually works by offering some pizza n brew! :happy0180:

Ooo. Thanks guys. I'll start by.. buying a funnel. LOL. :> And a jack.. since I tend to ruin the trend on my tires from power sliding. :>

So... If I offer a minature bbq and lots of beer. I receive help?! :)

I don't know if this will help...The first 2 years of the miata were notorious for the same issue.

http://www.miata.net/garage/hsue/LoctiteCrank1.html

Here's a tool that you can try to use to hold the crank in place while you tighten the bolt down.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?...00%20%20PRETTY

sounds like a good start. also make sure to get jack stands. NEVER get under a car that doesn't have jack stands supporting it. period. safety first. :)

and yes, bbq and beer = help from friends.

Imma go ahead and say this....its not my most proud moment, but NEVER jack up a car in the middle of the car. I learned this the hard way. Always jack the car up as close as you can to the axle / wheel. Make sure you place the stands on the actual chassis as well. Once the car is rested on the stand, do a 'bump' test to make sure its stable, by literally bumping the car with your body. If it wobbles, its not stable, and not safe to get under. Also, if you're going to be doing simplistic wheel changing (from burning tread) go ahead and get yourself a good shop jack. 2 ton should suffice for any car, but if you want more, there's always 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4....lol

The BBQ and beer bit is just common sense manners, much the same as when you're friends help you move or something, you buy dinner and beer, etc.

Most Japanese cars can have the majority of their maintenance issues taken care of with 8,10,12,14, and 17 mm wrenches and sockets / w 3 8ths ratchet, and at least 2 flat head and 2 phillips head. 1 of each should be small, the other, obviously, big (talking about the ends of the screwdrivers). Its also very handy to have a stubby of each. The name is literal, they're extremely short screwdrivers.

On-topic: It seems my friend sold a spare RWD 4A-GE he had sitting in his storage unit (from my other friends AE86) without asking me if I wanted it first. It kinda seriously steams me, as if it were me in that situation, I would've had the respect to ask him first. That engine was still a longblock, and had a perfectly fine crank pulley still on it (and crankshaft, should I rebuild). I was going to attempt to replace the key (As best as possible) and fit a non-damaged pulley back on and see if it would sit put. Oh well...so much for the quick route.

Hmm...

Filet Migon.. ribs and steak at my house with beer for those who can come and teach me how to work on cars.

Deal? :P

:happy0180::drinking:

i'm there, haha. will all that food, it looks like it might be worth the drive for me, lol :happy0180:

Lol. I'm also near all the car-meets and the beach. :P Drunken photoshoots! Lol

My own dad yelled at me for not knowing anything about a car. lol
"You're basically a pre-med student and you don't even know a damn thing about your car?! GO FIND A BOYFRIEND THAT CAN TEACH YOU. I'M DISSAPOINTED."

:cry:

LMAO sounds like my father's side of family. They'll not approve any GF/BF if they don't know anything bout cars or bikes. Few yrs back, one of my cousin brought her BF to one of big family dinner and man, I felt sorry for that kid. He got flamed left and right from uncles and my father. Even aunt (which married into the family) was flaming him. Of course few weeks later they broke up. LOL

^Damn...

Yup, that's what I was saying when he was getting flamed

Hahahaha, you know, it would be awesome to find a girl who would consider learning to work on my AE86 as a "date". Best date ever! Pretty sure I'd screw it up somewhere along the line by tossing a ring at her and asking what kind of invitations we should get.

This isn't funny, it's just sad... makes you look... needy.

You don't own an AE86....if you can get a girl to sit in it, -comfortably and without whining about it-, let alone WORK on it and get to know it....well....struck gold m'friend. Besides...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../meinfront.jpg

You can't really see it, but there's a girl riding shotgun in that pic. I didn't toss a ring at her!

uhh, okay I see her.

...was it because she was your sister?

Sorry I couldn't resist :bellyroll:.

On a more serious note...was she already married?

Hey in the Initial D movie the girl didn't mind the AE86 ride lol

Sister? No, this isn't Kentucky sir.:respekt:

Can't remember which one it was...if it was the first I'm thinking, no, just a close friend who was already in a serious relationship. If it was the second, no, because she was psycho. Honestly both were just there to take rides in our cars (the group of friends) at the drift event. I think I got 1, maybe 2 go's just solo in the car. Women love da sliding.

We all can't be as smoooooth as Takumi is with the women.:bellyroll:

If she was your sister I was gonna ask you to hook me up :D. I think you misunderstood what I said anyway. Do you really think I made a vulgar joke there http://allch-chcar.com/saved/sweatdrop.jpg?

Well yeah...its cool though, a jokes a joke...just like my comment on that being a kentucky thing.


Everyone knows its cousins, not sisters, in Kentucky.:respekt::respekt:

Incest isn't a joke man... cousins is legitimate.

If I had realize this thread became alive again... I would have been a bit more careful with my words. haha

Another reason why I kinda want to learn about cars is.. well.. I'm getting sick of going.. "yea I know a friend who can just fix it" I wanna be able to do my own damn work sometimes. Lol Med school then... you gotta get a stress reliever somewhere! So.. Computers.. then.. Cameras.. now cars since I'm getting sick of calling my friends and asking them why certain things happen and how do I fix it. LOL

I was only kidding about the cousins BTW...

Most the time working on your car is a stress activator....unless you relieve stress by hammering your wrench onto the engine over and over....then yeah, sure, stress reliever.

I kept the alternator in my Mk3 Supra working like that actually...it would stop working, car would start to die....pull over, get out with my 9-iron from the back seat, pop the hood, and then WHACK! Slap the alternator with the golf club and it would start working again. The alternator lasted about 6 months with me doing that a couple times a week. Eventually, no amount of golf club smashing would make it work.:cry: The top of the alternator looked like the surface of the moon with all the divots in it.

As was I....though honestly, a few smartasses have said "you live in TN? Where people marry their cousins?" and I'd go "No no, you're thinking of Kentucky!"

I'd love to hit my Yaris's Engine sometimes... Just want to yell at it and say.. MORE POWER DAMMIT! >:l I went from an 09 Audi TTS 265HP to a gas saving hamster 106HP. Lol :<


Plus I always thought cousins marrying each other were like in.. Kansas.. Missouri.. or Georgia. Lol

But I'm sure they gotta have that incest stuff in Utah. :l

That's actually Virginia, esp west Viriginia, that does that. But I get what you're saying. haha

And most certainly working on engines is stressful. Just today I was pulling apart a single cylinder lawnmower engine. OHV, carb, possibly 2 stroke, basically dead simple. I unbolt a half dozen parts and I pulled the head off and rotated the flywheel and sure enough the piston won't move. I unbolt the engine from the mower(because the flywheel needs a puller to remove which is a very basic tool that I don't have), and unbolt the oil pan to find that the rod, which is as big as my leg bone, snapped in half and shattered all over the place and even hit the bottom of the sleeve putting a pretty big indentation in the cylinder wall and even partially crushing the oil passage for the head http://allch-chcar.com/saved/faceplamsm2.png... That was just to figure out why the crank wouldn't spin after somebody hit another rock/stump/branch with it.

And there was my truck which froze with just water in it and popped a freeze plug out that was between the engine and the transmission and under broke another plug under the exhaust manifold which was harder to put in since there was only 6" of clearance to hammer in the new plug. That was actually my fault though for cheaping out on anti-freeze and the forgetting about it until after it froze.

Nevertheless it's hard to beat working on something you'd actually like to do rather than have to do. The lawnmower will be more fun when I can get to putting it together again :happyanim:. A good pair of mechanics gloves help too, even sticking your hand into the engine bay can be filthy, bloody work with bare hands. I still have some engine oil on my hands :cry: and the worst part was I spilt gasoline on a pair of my clean polyester pants :mad0260:.

:bellyroll::bellyroll::bellyroll::bellyroll::belly roll::bellyroll::bellyroll::bellyroll::bellyroll:: bellyroll::bellyroll::bellyroll::bellyroll::bellyr oll::bellyroll:

Watch this ENTIRELY.

http://video.adultswim.com/aqua-teen.../hotwad-3.html
(warning, some vulgar language in it, should only be viewed by adults)

"Are you sure he should be using a saw?"
"Well not a plastic one."
"I knew that looked wrong! You need this drill!"

"Its not metric!?"

Haha, yeah man, you don't skimp on the coolant!

There are turbo kits for the Yaris. You could DIY or ask/get some help with that if you wanted more power.

Utah is infamous for having polygamy sects not incest. Cults etc so it's probably extensively reported when it actually happens. Incest is both taboo/illegal all over the US and unlike polygamy there is no organized support for it at all. Kansas and Missouri are not backwards from what I know. Georgia is ol' South, but if anything they would be more modern than some states. Alabama has a bad reputation for alot of things including being completely backwards but reputations can be exaggerated. So I would imagine Alabama would be more likely a place to hear rumors about.

Marrying cousins is more the Appalachian mountains like East Kentucky/Tennessee, and West Virginian territory. But I'm not sure how much of that is just another stab at people who live in the back country and exaggerated. The Royal families of Europe were inbred(cousins and such) to the point that the King of Spain was the brother of the Queen of England at one point.

I'm not surprised that you got the states mixed up though. That tends to be par for people from Cali (zing!) or somesuch. My uncle to this day believes that Kentucky is a completely backwards redneck dreamland. Even if he has visited he hasn't lived out here for 10 years like I have. It's not as educated or advanced as Cali but there is plenty of good, honest people out here and the pollution is far less except maybe for the major rivers(like the Ohio and barge rivers) and sometimes the highways have a lot of trash :(.

I know right? I was unemployed, in college, and was borrowing money for gas. Otherwise I wouldn't have skimped on such a little thing. To make it worse it was burning coolant so it was too expensive to refill with coolant every week.