McDave

Thank you. Thank you very much.

It's been so long since I've seen a Courier I forgot what they look like. How about a photo? (sorry for the hijack)

Crap, nipper was right again! PS Glad you got it fixed cheap!

Well that settles that. Thanks for the info. That explains why it's still for sale. Move along... nothing to see here.

I wouldn't trust your new, now old head gaskets either. They have likely seen all the crush they can stand. Sorry.

Mods please move to the Old Generation forum. Thanks

The '87 RX for sale nearby has a toasted ea82T motor. I'm just wondering what my options are as far as replacing the longblock, or the shortblock plus one head, with something used? I know the SPFI motors have too much compression and the carb motors have closer to what's needed in that area. But do the carb longblocks have the guts to handle a turbo, or is the turbo longblock a much different and better piece? I need a link.

Take the heads with you.

I got mine today. The spring washers listed for $9.95ea, and the cone washers ('center piece', according to the fsm) were $10.85ea. My shop discount is only 10% off that but that includes the 55 mile delivery service. I was just glad to get them!

(I added a bit to #8) The head wouldn't get stripped because the threads are in the block, but it sure could have damaged and/or warped the head(s). They need to be checked by a machine shop. Also, the block deck needs to be checked for straightness too. Use a good metal straight edge from several different angles, up/down, left/right, and crossways across the deck.Your thinnest feeler gauge shouldn't fit anywhere under the straight edge (other than the cylinders).

Any auto parts store can order a remanufactured ecm for you. Here's what the ones sold at NAPA have to say about them... "Features & Benefits 100% Full-function, Computer Tested Under Simulated Engine Environment. Ensures Unit Functions Properly Under Real Life Conditions.; 100% Resolder Of Critical Components. Ensures Superior Electrical Connections, No Intermittent Failures And Longer Product Life. Attributes Flash Reprogramming : Yes Level of Quality : Meets Or Exceeds OE Specifications. Warranty 12 Months/18,000 Miles, Replacement Will Be Issued for the Vehicle on Which It Was Originally Installed. Extended Only to the Owner of the Vehicle-Not Transferable. See Complete Warranty Statement for Details. Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) There is no MSDS for this item." BTW... even though it was built in 1983, your car is an '84. All manufacturers start their model year in August and date them the following year... generally, there are exceptions.

Or his alternator is overcharging.

So this was from a potential buyer? You better block his username from bidding or you'll have nothing but trouble from him.

Oh man, this just reminded me of a story. One day me and a buddy, who has a birthday a couple days apart from mine, had to go get our drivers licenses renewed. As we came out of the DPS office there was a State Trooper about to give a middle aged oriental lady her drivers test. He was doing the pre-test inspection of her car to make sure the blinkers and horn and such worked. He would tell her to turn on the left turn signal, and since she didn't understand or speak English very well, she would just throw up her hands, look all over the dash like she had never seen it before, all the while talking and asking questions in her native tongue. This goes on for several minutes through several attempts to get her to do SOMETHING. Me and my buddy are just cracking up (quietly) and practically rolling on the floor of the truck laughing. The poor trooper just drops his head and shakes it. You could tell he is having a baaad day. Finally he looks over at us and tells us to "go on". So we left knowing he was about to fail her and it likely wasn't going to be a pretty scene.

You can go to the beginning of that thread where they they discuss the type of Rislone - Lightweight Shockproof. Says you can order it through Amazon.com. (assuming anyone still wants to try it)

Sorry Nipper. I didn't mean to leave you speechless.

How does it idle while it's sitting still? Will it idle back up when you put a load on it like turning the headlights and a/c on all at once? If it does recover from the load quickly, I believe all is well and fixing the speedometer should fix it. I believe while rolling along, a correct speed input would lead to the ecu increasing the rpms enough to compensate for sudden loads from the power steering, among others. But I've been wrong before!

Cut a piece off the new hose you bought and plug it into one end of your tee. Plug the gauge hose into the middle wing of the tee. Pull a vacuum hose off the intake manifold that is about the same size as the tee and plug it into the last port on the tee. Now plug the first hose that you put on the tee into the intake port you just unplugged. You are now tee-ed in and whatever thing you tapped into will continue to work as before. Start it up. If the gauge doesn't move, the port you tapped into isn't manifold vacuum. Rev the engine a bit and if the gauge moves, you tapped into ported vacuum. If so, move your tee to a different port making sure it is downstream of the throttle blade. It's all really much simpler than it sounds. We're talking analog here.

I hope not. I ordered a couple on Monday from the local dealer, along with a few other items. I'll know in a couple days when my order shows up.

It's better that the mechanic supplies the parts. If a part that you supplied is defective, you'll have to pay him to replace it again. If the part you supplied is the wrong one, it's a hassle to have a stall tied up with your car while he waits for you to bring the right part. If you bring your own parts and can convince me to use them, I'm going to charge more labor, not just because of the potential hassles, but because I, as a shop owner marks up a percentage on the parts. It's what pays the overhead on the shop. And with my jobber discount on parts, what I end up charging you is usually not that much higher, and sometimes even cheaper that what you would pay at the dealer or parts store. And the best response to this question I've ever heard (by a smart alec ex boss) is: "Do you take your own bacon and eggs to the restaurant to have them cook your breakfast with?" PS You can ask that he only use dealer parts if at all possible. As a flat rate mechanic I would rather use the best parts available anyway. Chances are I will only have to do the job once if we do.

In that case it may be easier to disconnect all those hoses and plug them temporarily, then start it and see if it will idle. A vacuum gauge will quickly tell you if the head or valvetrain is causing the driveability problems, just like the combustion tester will tell you if the bubbles in the coolant are a problem (assuming the same car). PS I know I sound like a broken record, but those two tools should be in every mechanic's toolbox. They're cheap, easy to use, and great time savers when diagnosing problems. Honest!

You might want to pinch off the vacuum lines leading to the canister purge one at a time with the engine running. A change in rpms would indicate a vacuum leak.

He's getting close at 94k, but has plenty of time to shop for a good mechanic, or save up for the job if his current mechanic is up to the task. (it can be a tricky job even for experienced techs)

Yep, and even though it had slipped, it just didn't wobble. Good call Nipper.

If/when you do get to this point, go ahead and take the rotors to someone that has a brake lathe (preferably the parts store you bought them from) and have them chuck up the rotors onto their lathe and have them checked for runout. If there's more than a couple thousandths runout, then I would return the rotors(s) rather than resurface it/them.