Posted before about very low compression on cylinder #2, 2001 Prism w/ 125K. I guess I am pulling the head to see whats up. I looked over the procedure on Alldata, any tips or suggestions.
What should I purchase as far as parts, Head gasket/Intake/Exhaust gaskets/V-C Gaskets/Valve seals/Plugs/Thermostate/Fluids/Head Bolts? Anything else? Anything special as far as machine work need to be done. Or is it a surface/pressure check/valve grind at the local machine shop?
Should I consider replacing the rings while I am in the engine? Unknown history on the car, looks like its been poorly maintained. Dont want to put it back together and have an oil burner.
Also where should I buy parts from, Chevy/Toyota for best prices? Anyone reccomend an online site where prices are decent?
Before you pull the head, if you haven’t already attempt to determine if the problem is the rings, valves or both. When doing a compression test, put some oil in the cylinder, this will help seal the rings. If the compression increases substantially, the rings/cylinders may be worn.
Suggest waiting until you pull the head before starting to buy parts. The cylinder could be scored requiring rework, worn cylinders requiring oversize parts, etc. Pick up a decent shop manual or something to guide you. Normally it is cheapest to purchase either a cylinder head (top end) or complete engine gasket set. The links below at for various on-line vendors:
I did the oil down the cylinder with no improvement on compression. I did notice a funny noise today. Sounds like an a/c compressor clutch plate gap set to close noise coming from the center of the block. I know its not the accessories since I pulled the belt and the noise is still there. Doesnt make the noise all the time though
Is this sound at startup, cold, warm, under load? Is this a knocking sound like a rod bearing (loud), piston slap (a hallow type knock)? How about a water pump or idler bearing going bad? Use a section of rubber hose as a stethoscope to localize the area.
Is the car burning oil, if so is it coming out the exhaust? Any blue or white smoke at cold engine startup or when accelerating? Blue usually means rings, white exhaust valves or seals. Might just need a head gasket or valve job.
Are you going to do the work yourself? Getting into the engine and doing rings will drive the cost up. It is possible to do a ring job with the engine still in the car. Read about this by doing a Camry history search.
You will still need to look at the cylinders; they could be scored, damaged, etc.
How does the car run, if OK. Might put off the work until it starts burning oil excessively. I would check on noise though.
The noise is nothing accessory related. Pulled the belt and the noise is still there. The noise is present after the engine is warmed up with it idling. Sounds exactly like an ac compressor clutch plate gap set to close, a metallic scraping sound.
The engine runs like crap, it has a rough idle in gear/engine off balance, cel flashes (cyl miss), low power, minor blue smoke while accelerating seen in mirror.
I guess I'll pull the head and do a visual inspection. If nothing comes up, have the head pressure checked and if ok surfaced and replace the valve stem oil seals. After that I guess I'll pull #2 piston for a visual if head turns up ok.
I will do the work myself, have done some engine rebuilds/auto trans rebuilds in the past, but its been a couple of years.
Last edited by medicstudent01; 11-23-2006 at 08:03 PM.
I take it you think the low compression, oil burning, etc is causing the engine to run poorly. This may not be the case. How is the ignition system, plugs OK, crank and cam timing sensor? If the ECM has trouble codes stored, might read these and track them down first. They codes are very specific on the problem item.
How about the timing chain or chain guide? Could the chain be banging against the housing or something else? When the engine warms up, it might stretch.
If there is blue smoke out the tail pipe, then looking at the cylinders would be a good idea. Some owners have just pulled the piston/rods, did a hone or sanding of the cylinders and installed new rings. If doing your own work, then yes I would just go completely through the engine.
Look for deals on compete gasket sets (head or complete engine) rather then piece meal the gaskets together. FYI, some vendors list these parts only under Chevy. Is this a GEO Prism, is this the same car as a Toyota Corolla? Not up on this. Check with local parts stores, even the dealer. Go online, amazing what discounts (and info) you can find on engine parts. There might even be a Prism website like Toyotanation.
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