So, today I had some time to work on my $100 Ea82 DL wagon. I got it cheap because the owner said it popped a head gasket.

 

So I bought a head gasket kit and had the engine almost ready to pull, just had to drop the y pipe and engine mounts. Then I called my friend to see if he could help, he asked if I did the typical checks...like compression test and check the timing belts. I did do those and the left bank had no compression what-so-ever. Then I checked the disty to see if it was spinning...it was so I knew that belt was intact and I pulled the cover of the right belt, it was intact. So...must be a head gasket or hole in a piston or something. Then he asked if I actually check the valve timing...I did not.

 

So I pulled the left cover and turned the car over, I noticed the belt was slapping...what the hell...I pulled the center cover and noticed the tensioner bolts came loose...so I reset the timing and reassembled the engine enough to test start it...and after a couple minutes of coaxing, it fired up.

So, tomorrow, I'm going to bust out a comp test again and see where to go from there.

Keeping fingers crossed that its something so simple. Its always a wonderful thing ..when you get something cheap cause of a problem that the PO thinks is major...only to find its something minor:clap:

Update: I can't find a thing wrong with it. Other than it has some minor mold in it and the P.O. decided to spray paint some of the exterior with an outline of cat and some weird symbol. Not to mention all the damn stickers...especially the "organic cottage cheese" stickers...that tells ya about the prior.

organic cottage cheese stickers???

 

rofl!!!

 

i think the best one i've seen was an old chevy celebrity with every square inch of paint covered under brightly colored children's stickers of flowers, smiley faces, compliments, valentine's designs, christmas designs, etc., etc.

 

saw it parked at a stop-and-rob liquor store. i had to quit staring when i realized it was being driven by an old mexican tweeker dude gettin some 40's...

I guess organic cheese is better than

 

GOVERNMENT CHEESE

One time I picked up an 86' GL for 50 bucks that ran like a$$, had little power and had a strange rpm related rattle/clunk/knock and threw mad flames out the intake. The owner said a the motor's shot and a rod is about to go so he sold it for the price of the D/R 5-speed. I slowly drove it home and drank a root beer and started thinkin about the flames from the intake thing. That just doesn't fit the loose rod idea. I pulled the valve covers and saw that the exhaust rocker on #3 somehow twisted off the lifter and cam and was floppin around on the rocker stud:banana: The exhaust valve was never lifting. I forcfully forced it back on the cam-lifter and it had full power, no weird noises and ran like a Subaru I eventually blew a head gasked to where it wasn't road worthy and gave the car away......