Rebuilding my Hitachi tomorrow

sven '2' · Post by **sven '2'** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:48 pm

Just caught up with thread...

What an epic Easter! And it is has to be ready for Wednesday no?

We have have all made similar mistakes - beer makes it better.

All the best best

Post by **TOONGA** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:25 pm

sounds like you need a helicoil and a magnet on a stick to fish out the washer.

take out number 4 plug and use the magnet to fish around for the washer

(I may have given you the kiss of death in my last post sorry)

TOONGA

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:45 pm

TOONGA wrote:sounds like you need a helicoil and a magnet on a stick to fish out the washer.

take out number 4 plug and use the magnet to fish around for the washer

(I may have given you the kiss of death in my last post sorry)

TOONGA

Yeah we're going to have a look for helicoils tomorrow, if anywhere is open. And we've got some neodymium magnets as well (the really powerful ones

) going to tape them to a piece of cable and fish around for a bit. Don't worry bout the kiss of death haha, things like this always happen around our house

and sven yep, ready for wednesday, but if I can't get this washer out that is very unlikely. Epic easter alright!

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:49 pm

Hide those starter keys !! Hope the washer is magnetic !! Not always a need for helicoil, you got two bolts eh? silicone is good stuff when left to set for a few days, and will you get the camera out so we can see your next trick please

sven '2' · Post by **sven '2'** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:30 am

Re helicoil - I know Autobarn at Mile End stock a limited range. Stupidcheap do as well.

Being metric, you'll have no issues finding one.

Both are open today.

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:30 am

Silverbullet wrote: Intake clearance knocked totally out

I only read this thread this morning, and i feel for you. It really sucks when things like this happen.

As for the above picture, i have a feeling that there is still rag in the intake holding the valve open.

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 12:20 pm

Sven, we just went to stupidcheap but couldn't find them

And I doubt we'll be driving all the way to mile end today

Gannon, yeah that photo was taken before we got all of it out, so it was holding the valve open. Once it was out it was sitting level with the exhaust valve.

Still no luck on the washer, we've had magnets and mirrors down the intake hole, down the spark plug hole, the magnet is even sticking to the intake valve but still no washer, beginning to wonder if I even dropped it down there at all

Unless I find it stuck in the grease on the crossmember, we're still a washer short. Anyone know how far the valves open? shining a torch down the spark plug holes shows theres nothing in the cylinder, would a 2mm washer be too fat to slide in there?

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 5:34 pm

Went fishing today...look what I caught!

Post by **TOONGA** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:12 pm

well done ... where was it?

now you just have to fix the stripped thread.

TOONGA

sven '2' · Post by **sven '2'** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:32 pm

And now (insert drum roll), the $64,000 question...

Does it run better without the rag and washer insitu?!

Need another YT post to prove it please!

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:32 pm

Steep learning curve this weekend hey!

Good to see the end of it - the job not the weekend.

I bet piston was at its deepest and that washer rolled its way down out of reach, almost

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:57 pm

Toonga, it was still behind the intake valve of #4. It's a good thing too, because they are too big to fit through the spark plug hole.

Sven, I dunno yet! Only just got it out a few hours ago, and the thread for intake manifold bolt is still stripped (couldn't find the helicoils today

) Then theres the valve clearances to be re-done, also found my throttle cable was on the verge of snapping so replacing that as well, gotta put the manifold back on and connect it all up (after fixing this thread) it just goes on and on!

And yes there will definitely be a youtube video when it's running.

Steptoe, it ain't over yet! but the hardest part is over at least. Funny thing, we were debating whether or not the washer actually went in at all and thinking we could put it back together. But at the end of the day we were still missing a washer, I wasn't putting it back together until it was found.

How I found it was interesting, I was ringing around all the auto parts places trying to find a head gasket (was seriously gonna take it off), but no one stocked them (had to order in no surprises there) but the guy at supercheap suggested if I didn't know for sure if the washer was down there I should buy an inspection camera. So 15 minutes later and $170 lighter we had a long thin bendy thing with a camera and lights on the end (think endoscope

) Stuck that down the hole and could just see the edge of the washer just sitting there. So glad we didn't put the thing back together without finding it. And this time I put a magnet on the end of some fishing line to get it right down there, was poking around for a bit and heard that magic *click* of something hitting the magnet

SO happy, can hardly believe it

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 11:21 pm

Mr SuperCheap needs to pat his salesman on the back - saved your day too! Was a SC item the cheapo perv cam?

You have all day Monday and Tuesday to sort this. Maybe bury an M8 stud in the head with epoxybond metal grade and use a nut up top?

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:09 am

steptoe wrote:Mr SuperCheap needs to pat his salesman on the back - saved your day too! Was a SC item the cheapo perv cam?

You have all day Monday and Tuesday to sort this. Maybe bury an M8 stud in the head with epoxybond metal grade and use a nut up top?

Good idea! If I can't get something else sorted by tomorrow I'll definitely give that a go.

Post by **TOONGA** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:12 am

here is a thread (pun intended) from USMB about making a replacement thread in aluminium

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/sho ... hp?t=73277

worth thinking about if you can't find a helicoil

TOONGA

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:17 pm

Thanks toonga, another idea for the box. Although I don't have the tools to do it, I really need a decent tap and die set.

Well everything is back together, in desperation I ended up filling the hole with epoxy, covering the bolt in oil and putting it in the epoxy and letting it set. Then half hour later unscrew the bolt. It worked but it's not torque'd, but it's also no more loose than when I started and it didn't leak then so fingers crossed it will last till I find some helicoils.
In the fading light I did the valve clearances on cyl #3 (the rag one) but forgot to realize I was setting TDC on cyl #1 and doing the adjustment on #3

Started it and it sounded no better than when the rag was in there, of course. Will do it properly in the morning, fingers crossed I don't have a bent valve.

Question, would a cylinder with a bent valve(s) give full compression on a compression test? Because today that cyl was giving slightly better compression than when I started

Post by **TOONGA** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:43 pm

good to see it is working out for you as for a bent valve, nope you would be losing compression not gaining it.

you will probably find that because the valve clearance is so great that the valve is sitting flush in the seat for longer giving you greater compression

a quick question do you do the compression test with the engine hot or cold?

TOONGA

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:27 pm

youve wiped the crud off the valve with that rag so sealing better

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:33 pm

lol I wouldn't be surprised steptoe, this engine is pretty gunked up from running so rich all this time. toonga I do comp test cold, not that I could warm up the engine today anyway haha.
Another question but the answer seems obvious; if the conrod was bent the compression would be down as well wouldn't it? since a bent rod would be shorter which equals more space above the piston during compression? I'm just thinking about the worst that could have happened, and staying up all night having not started it this evening isn't helping

Post by **TOONGA** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:55 pm

Yep a bent rod would mean lower compression as well

go and get some sleep so you can do a good job of the clearances tomorrow

If it were me I would do the clearances on all 4 cylinders, it just makes them run a bit smoother

TOONGA