edrach Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 I'm helping a neighbor replace the clutch on his son's '84 Hatch. We'll have the engine out shortly and he's thinking of doing the headgaskets since the coolent keeps "disappearing." I'm not so sure the head gaskets are bad since the engine looks good externally and seems to run okay and reportedly doesn't (hasn't) overheat. Would an air impact tool on the crank pulley turn the engine over fast enough to check the compression? Or does anyone have a junk mechanical tranny we can cut the bellhousing off so we can re-install the starter motor to check the compression. Or we can just check the compression before we actually pull the transmission? Sorry, answered my own question. Funny how that goes sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 I'm helping a neighbor replace the clutch on his son's '84 Hatch. We'll have the engine out shortly and he's thinking of doing the headgaskets since the coolent keeps "disappearing." I'm not so sure the head gaskets are bad since the engine looks good externally and seems to run okay and reportedly doesn't (hasn't) overheat. Would an air impact tool on the crank pulley turn the engine over fast enough to check the compression? Or does anyone have a junk mechanical tranny we can cut the bellhousing off so we can re-install the starter motor to check the compression. Or we can just check the compression before we actually pull the transmission? Sorry, answered my own question. Funny how that goes sometime. there is one more option (since you already answered.....) You said there is compressed air. You can pressurize the cylinders and look for a leakdown of the air pressure. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Or we can just check the compression before we actually pull the transmission? Sorry, answered my own question. Funny how that goes sometime. Funny, I saw this post and your name as the poster.. and I thought, "He should be able to figure that out, he is one of the guys usually dispensing advice not asking for it..." Obviously, I was right. Its interesting how running your thoughts through the communication or speech centers of your brains often shakes the answer you are searching for loose. "What was the name of that actress in Spaceballs again?? Oh yah, Daphne Zuniga.. I knew it was SOMEthing weird..." For some strange reason, though.. The idea of cutting off an old bellhousing to make a "jig" for the starter on an engine stand just appeals to me. My old man has a sawn-off driveshaft spline end for a datsun transmission, just to plug the nose up so a loose tranny keeps its oil where it belongs. No great intellectual feat, but a similar concept of hacking parts into tools... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted January 8, 2007 Author Share Posted January 8, 2007 My old man has a sawn-off driveshaft spline end for a datsun transmission, just to plug the nose up so a loose tranny keeps its oil where it belongs.Funny, I have the "snout" of a driveshaft from an EA81 tranny so I can use it to keep the oil from running out if I have the driveshaft removed. Someday, I'll cut off the tranny input shaft so I have an alignment tool for centering the clutch disk. Thanks for the feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted January 8, 2007 Author Share Posted January 8, 2007 Funny, I saw this post and your name as the poster.. and I thought, "He should be able to figure that out, he is one of the guys usually dispensing advice not asking for it..." Obviously, I was right. Thanks for the compliment, but I'm really a pretty inexperienced mechanic. I can do enough to keep myself out of trouble, but I'm certainly not in the same league as qman or Dr. RX or some others on the USMB. They can tell you I'm not afraid to ask for help or info when it's something I've never done before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Thanks for the compliment, but I'm really a pretty inexperienced mechanic. I can do enough to keep myself out of trouble, but I'm certainly not in the same league as qman or Dr. RX or some others on the USMB. They can tell you I'm not afraid to ask for help or info when it's something I've never done before. Maybe that "elite master of the subaru" user title just gave me a false impression Nothing like a "duh" moment like that, though. I like reading people's posts when they are stream-of-consciousness like that.. I have this odd idea about how neat it would be to see an engine running on a stand. I have seen many running engines taken and put on stands.. and seen many engines built on stands installed, and run.. seen engines go from one car, to a stand, to another car.. but i have never seen an engine running outside of a car. (a car engine.. pumps, generators, boat engines etc don't count.) Thats probly why the idea appeals to me. It would make me feel like i was in a lab, and since I have spent many hours in a laboratory setting, and many hours in a garage setting, combining the two appeals to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted January 8, 2007 Author Share Posted January 8, 2007 Maybe that "elite master of the subaru" user title just gave me a false impression You know that somehow is a default title likely due to my large number of posts. I certainly wouldn't describe myself as that. I'm going to have to think about editing that with something more appropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 You know that somehow is a default title likely due to my large number of posts. I certainly wouldn't describe myself as that. I'm going to have to think about editing that with something more appropriate. Is editing your usuer title a privilege of being a USMB donor? because I have been wondering that since about post #500.. I figured at some point I might "unlock" it. The closest thing to an answer I got was a mod changing his user title to "Custom User titles for sale, $4.99" That literally made me laugh out loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoostedBalls Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Get a "leakdown checker" $50, it's a way better test than a compression test anyway. You will need an air compressor though. This will isolate the test to rings, valve seats and head gaskets. A regular compression test throws in some variables like cam condition, lifter pumping action, etc; makes it kinda hard to tell if there is a problem and what the problem might be. You don't to crank the engine with the leakdown test, just rotate the engine 2 turns, checking each cylinder at compression TDC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Ed, have a look at this link Building and Using a Leak Down Tester I built one and it worked fine but.... I have been known to have bit more "stuff" laying around than some people do. ..................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 And thats just one bay:eek: Nice tool collection:headbang: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I have this odd idea about how neat it would be to see an engine running on a stand. I made one. Rebuilt engine, mount to a spare tranny, fired it up. Makes retorqueing the heads easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffast Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Is editing your usuer title a privilege of being a USMB donor? because I have been wondering that since about post #500.. I figured at some point I might "unlock" it. The closest thing to an answer I got was a mod changing his user title to "Custom User titles for sale, $4.99" That literally made me laugh out loud. mine unlocked itself at 700 posts its in your user control panel under edit profile and it should say custom user title, /hijack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 mine unlocked itself at 700 postsits in your user control panel under edit profile and it should say custom user title, /hijack [HIJACK]Donating money also immediately unlocks it, plus it gives you warm fuzzy feelings in side (I donated only like $5, so it doesn't matter how much). [/HIJACK] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Hey Ed, if you need an adapter in the future, I got one (from Subarutex IIRC). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 [HIJACK]Donating money also immediately unlocks it, plus it gives you warm fuzzy feelings in side (I donated only like $5, so it doesn't matter how much).[/HIJACK] thanks for the guilt trip believe me, I wish I had it to spare.. maintaining my subaru's legal status as a road vehicle takes fiscal priority though.. :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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