Head gasket howto/advice

[nullset]

Alright, I've decided to try it myself.

I have remanufactured cylinder heads on the way from Josh. I've got the intake manifold and valve covers removed. Before I remove the timing cover / pulley, do I need to get it to Cylinder 1 TDC? If yes, what's the easiest way to find it? If not, what do I need to do?

I can't see the woodruff key when looking at the crankshaft pulley. How do I make sure it's facing the right way?

Anything else I should know before attempting this job?

Thanks!

[dn010]

The manual states the keyway needs to be turned towards the left bank sprocket before the chain is installed, then you turn it 150 degrees for the right bank (C:07:10). You don't want to turn the crank while the heads are loose or off unless you have something holding the liners down - a head gasket job will turn into a nightmare with new cylinder liners seals if you're not careful. If you remove the crankshaft pulley nut+washer and look at at the end of the crankshaft, the notch in the pulley indicates where the keyway is.

[DMC-81]

Alright, I've decided to try it myself.

I have remanufactured cylinder heads on the way from Josh. I've got the intake manifold and valve covers removed. Before I remove the timing cover / pulley, do I need to get it to Cylinder 1 TDC? If yes, what's the easiest way to find it? If not, what do I need to do?

I can't see the woodruff key when looking at the crankshaft pulley. How do I make sure it's facing the right way?

Anything else I should know before attempting this job?

Thanks!

Good for you! I have not taken the heads off the Delorean, but from other engine experience, the main thing is to follow the instructions (especially torque specifications) and bag and tag everything you remove. Plus be very clean and organized like a surgical procedure. Taking lots of pictures really helps.

I'm in the middle of an engine rebuild on my daily driver, which has a 5.7 Hemi. So I know what you are going through. Here are the heads that I just removed, ready for refurbing...

54900

For the woodruff key, you can see it when you remove the crankshaft pulley nut, like so...
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=40190&d=1456668712

Once you remove the nut, mark the position of the woodruff key on the pulley. Then reinstall the nut just tight enough to rotate the engine to get the key in the 12 o'clock position. Then you can carefully remove the pulley with a good jaw puller.

Good luck!

[nullset]

Update!

Valve covers removed
Oil drained. Milky oil indicates a blown head gasket for sure.
Crankshaft pulley removed.
54940

Is the woodruff key sufficiently upright, or do I need to rotate more before continuing?

EDIT: The image is rotated 90 degrees. Straight left is straight up and down.

[David T]

Update!

Valve covers removed
Oil drained. Milky oil indicates a blown head gasket for sure.
Crankshaft pulley removed.
54940

Is the woodruff key sufficiently upright, or do I need to rotate more before continuing?

EDIT: The image is rotated 90 degrees. Straight left is straight up and down.

If it is almost at 12:00 you should be fine. Use a magnet as you remove the pulley so the key doesn't get away from you. It should remain in the crankshaft, it is when you remove the key from the crankshaft that you drop it.

[DMC-81]

Hmm, can't tell by the picture, but I would rotate it a bit to get it to 12:00 ( assuming that the heads are not off yet). Once I removed the timing cover, I loosely stuffed a shop towel in the cavity below the crankshaft that leads to the oil pan as a fail safe in case I knocked the key loose ( ensuring that I removed the towel afterwards).

[vwdmc16]

Once you remove the timing cover, you can see if the passenger side head cam gear is lined up for TDC, you can always thread the crank nut back on to rotate the engine, (only one direction or the nut loosens)

Note if you are also removing the water pump (not required with a head job.) You can remove one of the Allen head plugs at the base of the valley near the timing cover. There you can stick a drill bit down that hole which will lock the crankshaft to the block. This is all noted in either the DMC or Volvo manual.

If you are not replacing the chains then I HIGHLY recommend marking the timing components with a paint pen, not a sharpie, to the position they are relative to each other at cyl #1 tdc.

There are not clear timing marks for orienting the cams or crankshaft to the block. So make some with a bright paint pen after cleaning a spot with brake clean/degreaser.

[vwdmc16]

Quick correction, looking through the DMC and volvo manuaI could not find the section about using a drill bit in the gallery plug hole to lock the crankshaft, but I know it is written down some piece of PRV rebuild literature somewhere.

[NckT]

Quick correction, looking through the DMC and volvo manuaI could not find the section about using a drill bit in the gallery plug hole to lock the crankshaft, but I know it is written down some piece of PRV rebuild literature somewhere.

The gallery plug is located in the valley area under the water pump. The wayer pump needs to be removed to access and remove the plug from the engine block.
Once the drill bit is fitted and the crankshaft locked in place, the timing marks on the bracket may not appear to be at zero. Correct this by loosening the timing marks bracket and reposition this so the notch on the crank pulley is at zero, but make sure the valves on cylinder 1 near the (coil cover) are loose indicating it is on the firing stroke (coupled with the rotor arm in the distributor pointing to cylinder 1 ht lead in tje cap) and that the second notch on the crank pulley is at the 7 to 8 o'clock position.

Good luck

[nullset]

I found this, which shows it pretty well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfQWUvmthFo

[nullset]

I'm trying to follow the workshop manual and slightly confused.

Assuming I am planning on removing the timing cover and both heads, what order should I do things in?

Starting on the passenger side, the workshop manual says to rotate it until the drive pin is at the top, then remove the 10mm bolt.

When I try to remove the bolt, it doesn't move. Instead, it's like everything just wants to turn backwards. I don't have the J28858 tool.

Right now, the crankshaft pulley is on and hand tightened. I know that when I remove it, the woodruff key has to be at the top. At what point do I remove the pulley and cover?

Should I remove both 10mm bolts before removing the timing cover, then align the woodruff key and remove the pulley? How do I remove the woodruff key?

[opethmike]

When I did my heads, I never touched the woodruff key whatsoever. I removed the crank pulley, then the timing cover. Then I put the crank nut on to rotate as needed.

I do recommend putting some rags in the exposed oil pan, on the off change the woodruff key falls out, or you drop a bolt/nut, whatever.

[vwdmc16]

Agreed with Mike.

To remove the 10mm allen headed cam gear bolt, you need a long ratchet/breaker bar and stick a sturdy screwdriver or thin prybar through a hole in the cam gear and brace it from turning left against the head casting.

Don't worry about keeping the cam/crank perfectly aligned at that point, the cam gear has a sturdy keyway, it won't slip timing as soon as you loosen those bolts in the cam.

Id recommend removing the chain tensioner after you have made the final alignment check and marked your gears with a paint pen. With a loose chain you can pull off the cam gear.

[opethmike]

Another thing I did when I re-installed my heads with new cams to make life easier on myself when timing the gears:

I backed the adjusters for the rocker arms ALL the way out. The purpose of this was so that even with the cams turning and actuating the rockers, the rockers would not open the valves. That way I would turn the cams/gears/crank as much as I wanted to, without fear of valve to piston contact.

[nullset]

I'm installing a remanufactured set of heads from Josh - so I assume that the timing is going to have to all be redone anyway, correct?

[opethmike]

Yes, you're removing the cams/cam gears/chains.

[DMCMW Dave]

Those allen head bolts on the end of the cams can be a challenge. We've broke cheap (KD) allen bits trying to get them loose. They are crazy tight until they snap loose, then you can spin them out with your fingers.