1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Profile/Gallery]
, Sat, 1 Dec 2007 12:50:15
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Thanks to Anders for that small comment about checking the timing. Where we left the car it was assembled, but wouldn't start and had no compression. I'd cranked enough that any oil should be squeezed out of the lifters, so I started disassembling the left side of the motor to get to the timing gear. Off comes the motor mounts, serpentine belt, pulleys, and the timing cover. I also removed the crankshaft damper, as the drawing in the manual didn't show it. That was key, as under the damper was the TDC mark on the end of the crankshaft. I don't have the special setting tools, so I was just rolling the crank to TDC by eye.
I'll back up at this point and say that the only cars that I've delved deeply into the engine before have been Jaguars. The damper on Jaguars is mounted on a key, so it can only fit in one orientation, and the TDC marks are on the damper. This has been true on my 1964 E Types 3.8 litre I6, though to my 1992 V12, with a copule of others inbetween. There was a nice mark on the damper of the Saab, so I used it as teh TDC mark. That was the mistake, as the mark on the Saab's damper is about 120 degrees out from the mark on the crankshaft. I had assembled the engine the wrong way!
So I pulled apart the timing gear, pulled off the intake manifold (again!) and took off the ignition module and the cam covers to get to the cams. I gently rolled them around to where the lobes don't open any valve, and pulled out the spark plugs. Then I jury rigged up a rubber hose that I could jam into the spark plug hole and blow into it. This would allow me to determine, in a crude way, if I had bent any valves when I was cranking the engine with it mistimed. I got lucky, and the valves were all holding pressure.
Then, I rolled the crankshaft to where it should have been, and refit the timing belt, tensioned it, and then rolled the engine over by hand. This time I could feel the compression as I turned the engine with the spark plugs in, so I was feeling much better. I reassembled everything again and cranked it. What a wonderful feeling to have it fire right up! With all the oil that I had put in the cylinders it filled the garage with smoke, but it runs, and runs well. It was nice and smooth, and seemed to run just like it did before. Thank goodness!
Thanks for all you help here, I couldn't have done it without the knowledge here. Thanks Anders for the diagram of the position of the timing belt rollers, that was very useful.
Now the car can go into the body shop to get the bumper fixed from where I got rear ended 2 days before the belt failed!
Photos of the project are here: http://community.webshots.com/user/Jagboi64
posted by 205.206.21...
, Sat, 1 Dec 2007 08:22:01, Sat, 1 Dec 2007 12:50:15
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
