spark plugs.... Over thinking!

[SirRobyn0]

And then the next day I'm so sore and "stove" up I can't move for 3 days without pain.lol
An excellent description of what the repair is like.

Yea, I can really relate to this. Generally not to that degree, but I did have some pain yesterday and today from the work I did on Friday. One of the reasons at shop, I don't do much of the actual work anymore. It also slows me down.

Despite that I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning to get the job finished up and hopefully do the water pump as well.

 

[MrMarty51]

I popped in this thread.
Probably totally off topic, here is a short clip of an old AC sparking plug tester I acquired. Sends juice to the plug then turn up the air pressure to see if they will fire under compression.
A lot of times, once a plug has been gasoline fouled, it will break down under compression.
I have never had a plug that tested good with this old machine fail once it was installed. Watch closely into the little chrome mirror device.

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[SirRobyn0]

@MrMarty51 I think that's a pretty neat tester and I'd love to play around with that. I have to tell the guys at the shop that sometimes. Just because a plug will fire when grounded out doesn't mean it'll fire in a the cylinder.

 

[SirRobyn0]

Job update: Done. Maybe I'll take some engine bay pics for ya'll later but I needed to make speedy progress today and didn't take any pictures along the way. Which is ok ya'll got to see the insides any way. Honestly there isn't much to report on putting it back together it went fine.

Then replaced the water pump. If your interested I choose a GMB water pump, Autozone's Duralast pumps are made by GMB, but this was a wholesale purchased GMB branded unit. We've had pretty good luck with them, and I like them over Murray or Masterpro. Nothing exciting happened during the pump change, no stuck bolts or anything like that. Of course I put a little right stuff on the pump to block bolts.

Filled the coolant, drained a little oil out incase I'd put coolant in the crankcase, topped it off and fired it. One pump and one short crank and she sprang to life. Warmed it up a bit and set the timing, I was a couple degrees retarded when I stabbed it. Shut it off and changed the oil.

Oh, I put a new plug in cylinder #7 so I should be able to pull it tomorrow at work and see how it looks. Of course I realize that plug has some gunk to burn off. So I'll run it a few hundred miles see how it does and, retorque the intake gaskets, and valve covers and change the oil again. By the way if any of you followed my valve cover gasket thread (link): https://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/valve-cover-gaskets.34219/ I tossed the expensive rubber coated metal valve cover gaskets and went back to cork.

Opening the EGR at idle will kill the engine now, so that's a plus.

 

[SirRobyn0]

Oh, I almost forgot @SquareRoot So I started at 8AM this morning and had the intake part of the job done in about an hour. Probably about another hour into the water pump, then fill fluids run the engine change the oil set the timing ect. About another hour. Regardless I was done about 11AM so 3 hours.

So I've got about 6 1/2 hours into it intake and water pump combined. My body slows me down some and despite the hard time Rusty gave me I did spend sometime cleaning up the ***** inside.

 

[Octane]

Yea, I can really relate to this. Generally not to that degree, but I did have some pain yesterday and today from the work I did on Friday. One of the reasons at shop, I don't do much of the actual work anymore. It also slows me down.

Despite that I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning to get the job finished up and hopefully do the water pump as well.

I find that my old bones do better with a huge piece of thick cardboard,rather than a creeper.But if the oil/ coolant flows onto that cardboard I have to look out for that.And dang,it takes me forever just to get the tools out and put back up.I guess I'm just to aged to do it like I used to.But I can't afford to pay other people!

 

[mtnmankev]

Don't feel bad, guys ............ anything that would normally take a person to do that should be a 15 or 20 minutes job can easily take several weeks in my world.
An hour long job, change that to months to get done.

 

[Rusty Nail]

Man I hope you busted out the amc blue cuz thats better than rust colored.
Dying to find out what happened, the weather is great in OKC...

Oh dude u posted lolwtf


Dude good job. Buncha stuff came off them valve tops huh? Certainly that effects valve sealing to some degree, I reckon your results will be very good for the six hours spent - but how many dollars yo?
AND! I didn't go cork but I bet you'll like that better. I like blue silicones.

 

[SirRobyn0]

I find that my old bones do better with a huge piece of thick cardboard,rather than a creeper.But if the oil/ coolant flows onto that cardboard I have to look out for that.And dang,it takes me forever just to get the tools out and put back up.I guess I'm just to aged to do it like I used to.But I can't afford to pay other people!

At the farm all I have is gravel parking area to work in. At the shop, of course concrete, but like you I don't creepers either. I will use cardboard at the shop if I know I'm likely to get fluids on it, but otherwise I have a few body sized throw carpets I got for free 5 years or so ago. Really helps with laying in the gravel on the farm. Soil one and I just hit it with the pressure washer and let it dry.

"I guess I'm just to aged to do it like I used to." I actually said this to my wife this afternoon, except I just said I'm not as fast as I use to be. I remember working earlier on at shops, and I was almost always on flat rate, or some kind of bonus for production pay. I never broke any company records, or really did any fantastic flat rate numbers, mostly because I cared to much about actually doing a good job, but I'd come away with a few more hours than I actually worked most weeks. I would never be able to produce enough now. I have to stick to mostly management stuff at the shop....

Don't feel bad, guys ............ anything that would normally take a person to do that should be a 15 or 20 minutes job can easily take several weeks in my world.
An hour long job, change that to months to get done.

How have you been doing lately?

 

[SirRobyn0]

Man I hope you busted out the amc blue cuz thats better than rust colored.
Dying to find out what happened, the weather is great in OKC...

Oh dude u posted lolwtf


Dude good job. Buncha stuff came off them valve tops huh? Certainly that effects valve sealing to some degree, I reckon your results will be very good for the six hours spent - but how many dollars yo?
AND! I didn't go cork but I bet you'll like that better. I like blue silicones.

Well I think you probably read that one of my issues is / was a miss after a hard run, it would miss for several minutes at idle afterwards. So I really don't know which cylinder was causing that, obviously #7 is most likely. Sure it could have been sucking a big load of oil in, but no smoke. It could have been sucking in enough air to lean out that cylinder and cause the miss, either because it was lean or because after being lean the cylinder is super heated, I think @Bextreme04 suggested that it was maybe preignition causing the miss. Or of course it could have been all that junk on the valves.

I've heard guys talk about the blue silicone valve cover gaskets and may try them in the future, but I've always used cork in the past, on the old motors, so I know how to get them to seal up and had a set on hand already.

Fel-pro intake gasket set $14.99 (I think the bill is at the shop)
Carburetor base gasket / heat insulator $30.00
Cork valve cover gaskets (out of my stash from the shop)
Water pump $45.00
Tube of right stuff $14.99

Total $104.98

 

[Octane]

I've done well with cork gaskets also.But the last time I just decided to go for the reinforced rubber type.One side seals perfectly,other has a very small seepage.Little enough to where I am delaying redoing that side,but I know I will soon.$35 bucks for a gasket set,and has a seepage....

 

[MrMarty51]

Don't feel bad, guys ............ anything that would normally take a person to do that should be a 15 or 20 minutes job can easily take several weeks in my world.
An hour long job, change that to months to get done.

I have to measure the offset, money spent for a garage to do a job, versus pain required to getter done.
Any more, unless it is something quite simple, I spend the money. It’s just not worth it for Me to be in those extreme pains to save a couple hundred bucks.
Matter of fact. That old 90 Toyodah corolla goes to the shop this morning to get a CV axle replaced. He quoted less than $200.00 parts included. Its a huge pain to come up with that much cash, but it saves Me from not being able to move for a couple of days.
This getting old aint for sissies. I’m over 70 and a mighty hard life was led before I got smart.

 

[Octane]

Some repairs at the shops are priced at a rate that is very much worth paying.Not many,but I remember replacing a 3 way switch in the steering column on a Chevy once.Not hard,,but time consuming for me anyway. The part was around $60.
Next time it failed I paid a shop $124 parts and labor to do it. At times it really does pay to call a shop and ask.

 

[Backfoot100]

At the farm all I have is gravel parking area to work in. At the shop, of course concrete, but like you I don't creepers either. I will use cardboard at the shop if I know I'm likely to get fluids on it, but otherwise I have a few body sized throw carpets I got for free 5 years or so ago. Really helps with laying in the gravel on the farm. Soil one and I just hit it with the pressure washer and let it dry.

You have to check out "Magic Creeper". Saw an add for it on one of the car porn shows I watch.

Got one for Xmas and it is freakin awesome!!! You can slide around better than any creeper on literally any surface. Gravel, grass, concrete or anything else. Oil, gas and water resistant. Just wipe it off after your done, roll it up and stash it anywhere that takes up as much space as a rolled up towel. Do a search for it online. Several videos out there about it.
My only complaint is you NEVER step on it when you're up and walking around your car while its on the ground. Its so slick, I pretty much guaranty you'll end up on your ass.

 

[Octane]

Checked out a video on the magic creeper. I use a large very thick piece of cardboard that actually lasts for several years. I can slide all over it, and not slide straight under the car and straight back out from under the car, as it shows you have to do to effectively use the magic creeper.