1991 Q45a Oil Leak

[azskygod]

SOCAL91Q45a, no problem. I'd love to see a Q engine out with the heads off sometime, as long as it's not mine!

Heath, it's kind of surprising how this thread went from an innocent oil leak to a complete chain guide replacement and retime, huh? I expected the worst too after the first try. You can't believe how satisfying it was to hear the engine purr after the second try. It took 2 months from start to finish, weekends only. (Many days spent waiting for paychecks, tools, parts, etc.)

I am so done working on the Q, at least for a while I hope. All I want to do now is DRIVE! (300k, here I come... )

AZSKYGOD

[maxnix]

It is an awe inspiring accomplishment, and the fact it was an active model makes it even sweeter.

Congratulations again.
Modified by maxnix at 5:00 PM 3/22/2005

[VA99Q45]

Congratulation!!

You should consider open up your own shop now

[Jesda]

I am amazed at how you guys do it. I look at those pictures and see nothing but a massive mess of hoses, chains, and other components. I cant even remove and install a speaker without leftover screws.

I second that... you should open your own shop!

-Jesda

[ardvarkus]

Very cool. Impressive pics- I don't have the self control to stop, wash up, and pic up the camera!

Did you measure the chain stretch? (Compare the new and old lengths?)

Congrats!

Adam

PS I am convinced that a careful DIYer can do a good job-

[maxnix]

Good to see you back in the neighborhood, Ardvarkus!
Modified by maxnix at 5:01 PM 3/22/2005

[azskygod]

The amount of stretch on the oil pump chain was pretty obvious. Check out that photo of the 1/2" gap between the old chain and the oil pump chain tensioner.

The timing chains were a little harder to compare -- they appeared to be the same length old vs. new. The timing chains are very heavy and robust compared to the oil pump chain though. The old chains definitely had more side-to-side play than the new ones. If mine hadn't been damaged, I would have expected the original timing chains to easily go another 100k miles.

I am not a mechanic. I'm the slow-and-methodical type of DIY'er, and I think anyone here could do a chain guide replacement given enough time and support. (The sheer volume of information available on NICO is priceless!) Besides, I think the quality of a DIY job far surpasses anything you will get from an uninterested 3rd party or repair shop...

AZSKYGOD

[ardvarkus]

Just FYI-

My timing chains were around 4-5mm longer than the new ones I put in.

I took the new and old and laid them out on top of each other- the new one was 2-2.5mm shorter 9and the chain was in a loop, so double that)... a not-insignificant effect on timing.

A