I've been trying to get the Tercel Wagon up to speed so I can let my son have the Prizm (just turned 16) BUT sounded a little off when I started it to drive home. After 30+ miles home, I have a definite engine issue. Idles rougher than normal and as I observe the crank pulley, I can see what appears to be a slight wobble. Any chance it may just be the timing belt tensioner is failing (replaced 80k miles ago)?
The car has 316k miles and has been using significant oil, but running fine. I don't know where the oil has been going as it doesn't leak much or smoke? I feel poorly enough about it, that I'm not likely driving it tomorrow. May yet tear into the timing belt cover this evening to see what I find.
Pulled the middle timing belt cover off. The belt tensioner isn't bouncing, but does show wear on the pulley surface. The harmonic balancer is actually rubbing on the timing covers and has a wobble. I'm wondering if these are "two piece" balancers and it's possibly coming apart? It's still in time, but I can't see a failed bearing allowing the shaft to move that much?
The crank pulley is indeed dampened and can rip and wobble. You should replace it. While you're there, you might as well replace the tensioner.
As for oil, a leakdown test should let you know. If it's not smoking, it's likely not valve stem seals. Most likely, at that mileage, it's just worn oil rings. They won't necessarily show in a compression test, often the main piston ring retains compression but bad oil rings will allow for oil burning. Oil burning can also be due to a clogged PCV valve. And of course, check for leaks. Some leaks are significant but don't drip on the floor.
Do you know off the top of your head if the crank pulley bolt is std or reverse thread. I've got some rope down #2 and want to confirm before I put a cheater on it.
I did get the bolt free, but it only moves a 1/16 of a rev or so before it really tightens up in either direction. I seem to recall the old Chevy's had a reverse thread, but the Haynes doesn't mention it on the Cotolla in the removal/replace section. At any rate, I came in before breaking anything, confirmation on the thread would be much appreciated.
Wait - you're holding the crank shaft by putting a rope down the cylinder (i.e. the method sometimes used to hold valves while doing valve stem seal replacement)? Is that safe?
There is a LOT of force when you loosen that bolt! I'd personally opt for a crank pulley holder, or if you have an impact wrench it will usually come off without holding anything (if you want to use a torque wrench to tighten it though you'd still need a pulley holder).
I've heard the rope trick suggestion many times. I think it should be safe if all the valves are closed, but I can't say for sure. I've never done it myself.
Me too. That's why for the most part I prefer working by myself so when I slow down on something that no one else is afraid of breaking, I can be careful and not be pushed into breaking something.
I do like learning from others, but I've broken enough things that it's hard to un-justify my careful nature my mother brought out as a child not to break her things (I was amazing with this, why am I cursed with children that torture me with breaking things? lol)
I can see where there would be a risk of pinching the rope or getting so much rope in you put pressure on the valves themselves. I'll look down #3 and see how close to TDC I am to confirm closed valves. Don't understand the fight with it broken loose.
That seems like the right way to be sure to pull that harmonic balancer via that method if it's okay...I'm with 94RollaDad, where I haven't tried this myself, I just thought of the rope method to do work with valves without pulling a cylinder head, which is a lot less force.
Then again, 160 PSI compression in an engine is probably tons more force than turning a harmonic balancer bolt. Regardless, an impact is the safest method as it risks damage to the threads the least.
I have many a time, including when an impact wouldn't fit, hit a tool and that makes it safer too, but in this case it'd take just too long.
That being said, I do love my pneumatic impact. I'd replace it with an electric one so that stupid air compressor would quit making noise, but I can't justify it.
For an 8 gallon air compressor from Home Depot on sale and a Earthquake Harbor Freight impact gun, I still wouldn't have a good electric impact.
Those darn things are expensive if you want them as strong!
My buddy bought a Milwaukee and has tons of features Snap on Doesn't have of their electric impact. The other thing about electric Haloruler? If it's truly powerful, it's a lot louder than that air compressor and you can't dampen the noise by putting it in your car, or under a blanket when it's not hot out, it's always next to your head!
Remove the spark plug, and string rope down into the cylinder. Then rotate the crank until it starts to try and compress the rope, viola no more sticking screwdrivers in the flywheel!
I can see where there would be a risk of pinching the rope or getting so much rope in you put pressure on the valves themselves. I'll look down #3 and see how close to TDC I am to confirm closed valves. Don't understand the fight with it broken loose.
That being said, I do love my pneumatic impact. I'd replace it with an electric one so that stupid air compressor would quit making noise, but I can't justify it.
I get by with a 4 gallon compressor. Can even winterize my lawn sprinkler system with it. It does not like my grinder or my drill though. The air impact is adequately powered with it though.
Yea, as long as it has high pressure and enough CFM for just a couple seconds you can get a couple good whacks with it even with a small compressor. Anything that requires flow for longer won't work.
Good news , when I replaced the harmonic balancer (changed timing belt) 3.5 yrs ago, I wasn't careful enough. It has been running on only 1/2 a key and finally wore/worked loose enough to start wobbling. It fell off when I removed the belt. Put plugs back in and started it up, sounds fine. Hoping to let the local mech drill and tap crank and then replace the harmonic balancer. If too pricey I will do myself, but it shouln't vost much. I know they are available on ebay, but does anyone here have one to sell?
Chris
PS - Electric impact worked well all things considered.
PSS - probably trailer it the 4 miles to the shop OR watch temp real close and try to drive it.
I tried a 4 gallon compressor. It could do one bolt every few minutes. One bolt barely out and then it needs to recharge. Bigger bolts like frame bolts were out of the question. But it really does depend on your needs. I wouldn't buy a bigger one due to sheer size but I don't think I'd get by with anything smaller with my large uses.
To ajay's point it's more than just the tank size that comes into play. My 4 gallon has a decent CFM so it can keep up for a bit even as the compressor engages. I have never had any trouble impacting off any bolts or nuts including the strut brackets.
Admittedly as mentioned it is annoying to use for drilling and grinding though. It works, but it can take forever.
It could be that I try to do things that are bigger than I should at home, but I have always found that for an impact to work well it has to have a LOT of CFM available at the (at least) minimum rating. And a 3/8" hose is better than a 1/4". I bought a HarborFreight compressor to replace my older ailing one, and went back to the original twin cylinder. The singles are murder on the ears. Both of them are 30 gallons, so I'm gong to attach them together to make them 1 60 gal with the twin cyl compressor, and it ought to be awesome at the 150psi it's capable of.
I've used the gamut of impacts. I think perhaps for home use the best might be a 110V impact, not a battery model. You just can't beat more voltage for more torque. The major problem there is the size, they are never small.
Prism, you definitely aren't out of the woods yet, and I would NOT recommend driving it anywhere to get it fixed. You would be fighting the charging, the cooling and the power steering, not to mention the possibility of the timing belt gear trying to move. But my big concern right now is the condition of the crankshaft. You don't normally get that kind of wear on a pulley without significant damage to the crank as well, and that will be much harder to overcome. Despite appearances, tapping that out won't be cheap. If I were attacking it, I would acquire the right tap, run it in the hole first, then attempt to center punch the remaining bolt piece. Then I would use a left hand drill bit of the appropriate size to drill the thing, and hope it caught and spun out. (That's why I would clean the hole threads first.)
Send us some pics of the crank where the key is... I hope it's not going to be a problem.
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