LUVTruck.com

well, i did the wet test on the Luv machine today amd guess what? that motor is fried!!! it has 30 psi of compression with oil in the cyl and 0 without. so now, anyone wanna help me rebuild it?

I am rebuilding my 80 4x4. Not as big of a chore as one might think! Ican help you rebuild from this side.As ya proubly know , you have to pull the engine to get to all the internal goodies. 4x4s didnt offer a quick fix way!

Looks familiar to me, too! I just did a compression test and found almost no pressure in cyl #3 even after adding oil...

I'll be pulling the head soon to check the valves.

-DK

I pulled the head today and found a LOT of wierd stuff going on.

First, when the timing mark is at 0 degrees TDC, the #1 piston was only halfway up to the top.
Second, the cam was at least a tooth off from the timing mark.
Third, the G180 is an interference engine.
Fourth, I need a new exhaust valve.

So here's what I'm going to do:

First, I rotated the engine so #1 was a TDC.
Second, I removed te white-out I had put on the timing mark and made a new mark next to the timing guage on the front of the engine.
Third, I'm getting a spring compressor so...
Fourth, I can replace the exhaust valve and put it all back together.

-DK

dkay... How can the TDC mark on the harmonic balancer not be in unison with 1 piston at the top of its stroke? It sounds like you have sheared the key on the crankshaft or the key is missing all together. Or the harmonic balancer is not the correct one for your engine.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

Ya got me...

But that's probably why the engine was timed incorrectly.

I don't really care where the timing mark is as long as I can put the whole thing back together and get it running good enough to pass Oregon DEQ. It was letting off a lot of unburned hydrocarbons since one cylinder wasn't even trying to burn them...

-DK

Has anyone ever been inside this engine before?

Yeah...

The truck came with a lot of receipts... The head gasket had some silicone around the timing chain opening.

They probably put the harmonic balancer on incorrectly and then adjusted everything else wrong based on that...But they were at least one tooth off even going from the timing mark(notch).

A little nick in a piston from the exhaust valve shouldn't hurt, should it?

-DK

New head gaskets are normal for these engines. I need a little more info on your truck.How long did you drive it this way?What piston has a mark on it? What valve is burnt?From what i can tell is Blue Meanie is right.If that is true then your going to have to go deeper into your engine... there might be trouble lurking elesewhere.If your only going to replace one valve,you well have to reseet it with lapadary greese.Then do a wet test on just your head,It well tell you if you have any leeking.Sounds like ya might need more than an offenhauser.

hey luvsick, have you started on the motor yet? i had the exact same problem. HEADGASKET

_________________
1980 luv sport 4x4 Just a memory now
Frame rusted from the inside. Truck stripped and now looking for a new donor in southern ohio

It gets even better...

The first thing I did when I got it was an oil change...I found a camshaft pin in the pan.

I think when they reinstalled a new pin, they stuck it in the wrong pin onthe camshaft and the cam has been running 180 degrees off ever since.

With the harmonic balancer off 90 degrees ahead and the cam 180 degrees off, the engine runs but hits #3 exhaust valve....

I've got a spare head that I just took off my spare engine. I'll double check the pin position and possible rotate the cam sprocket 180 degrees before I put it all together...

-DK

The cam had the pin in the right place.
The harmonic balancer still is 90 degrees ahead of where it should be.
The distributer was 180 degrees off.

I rotated the engine until #1 was TDC.
Created a new mark on the harmonic balancer
Compared the cam to another from a supposedly running engine
After looking at the order that the valves had to have opened and the position of the rotor, I decided the distributor was 180 off.

When I put it all together it fired up on the first crank. Timed it to 6° BTDC, swapped wires for #2 and #3 (dist cap must be mislabelled) and it purrs like a kitten.

It passed DEQ too!!!!!!

-DK