SOHC head replacement

[mastaflash05]

Im about to buy a 90 that has the head off, becuse the guy was going to replace it, but is now going to sell the car.

so i basicly just have to put the new head on it. should i replace the timing chain, and tensioners at the same time? all i should have to do is bolt the head on, align the timing marks, and put it all together right? its prety straight forward isnt it?

one thing i am woried about is, if the cam sprocket was removed and put back on how will i know if the timing marks are in the right place?

thanks in advance for any help.

[mastaflash05]

cant anyone help me w/ this?

[Maxboost]

Hey I just finished rebuilding the head on my SOHC.

The easiest way to tell if the cam gear is posistioned for correct timing is to look at the camshaft first. Looking at the front of the shaft, (where the cam gear used to be,) you will find a little pin that sticks out of the end of the shaft (just above the hole where the camshaft retain bolt was. This little pin is called the knock pin. Make sure that this pin is set in the. twelve o clock position. Now looking at the cam gear, look for the mounting hole in the center of the gear. There will be a rectangular notch. The notch itself will be aligned with the knock pin, and the notch should be at the top of the mounting hole on the cam gear when you mount it on the shaft. Also look on the outside perimeter of the gear for a small circular punchmark. This should be to the right of the mounting hole on the gear, and should be at a three o clock position. Just remember, that there are a few components that have to be properly aligned when you are correcting the timing on the SOHC. The distributor shaft, the crank gear, the oil pump drive gear, cam gear, and timing chain chain itself all have to be in synchronization in order for you timing to be correct. I hope this helps. I've can get pics too. All I have to do is tear apart my motor for some handy shots. (No sarcasim) Always willing to put in a few more wrench hours to help a fellow 240 owner.

-----------------------------
Live each day like it's your last and pray it's not.Life is too short to drive slow. Fortune favors the brave. Drive fast, drift long, live well, and pray hard.
"This is my little village to terrorize, go find your own!"
89 hatch: KA24E, soon to be KA24ET....showing my single slammer some love.

[Gladman]

when the bottom end is at TDC, the dot on the SOHC camshaft sprocket will be level with the top surface of the head... on the drivers side.

[Maxboost]

Oh, by the way!

In regards to the replacement of the timing chain and cam gear, if you do not know how much wear is on it, replace it. The FSM says to look at the chain and replace it only if it indicates wear or cracks on the links, but there may be smaller stress fractures on the pins, or excessive strech to the chain that you may not be able to see. Visual indications are not always the best indicators. My personal philosophy places quality and craftsmanship as the top priority. I would never do anything that would negatively reflect on my work. I would never sarcrifice quality for price. Not to mention, the fact that you will feel infintismally more confident about the performance of your car, when you are out for a spirited run. Last but not least, you will not worry about the chain breaking, (could result in bent valves, pitted pistons ect..) causing a time consuming and costly rebuild. This "philosophy" of mine can be taken worth a grain of salt, and may be foolishness to some, but it has never done me wrong. Hope this helps. PM me or email me if you need pics!

Quality equation
Cheap and fast= Not Good
Cheap and Good=Not Fast
Good and Fast=Not Cheap

[Maxboost]

Gladman is soo right. Make sure that your #1 piston is set at TDC. Thanks Gladman.

[monkey7]

Get a fsm or a chilton, they show everything you need step by step (at times). You have to torque the head bolts, intake and exhaust manifolds bolts in a certain order. You usually will work with a 10, 12, 14, 22 (i think for the cam gear)mm sockets and open end wrenches, and a whole bunch of gaskets, time.

[mastaflash05]

ok. i know i can do the job, im just trying to figure out what all i need and how much of a PITA it is going to be. is there anywhere i can get a chain and tensioner kit, with everything together. the car has 180k on it so it needs replaced. wheres a good place to get gaskets?

[monkey7]

chain kit
http://www.courtesyparts.com/S13_SOHC-TBKIT.html

I got my stuff at the dealer, $6-eccs gasket, $8-intake manifold, $9-exhaust manifold (2), $14-valve cover, $35-felpro head gasket at pepboys (dealer was out of oem for $55).

I just did my head gasket, thats how much I got them for.

[mastaflash05]

with that kit and the gaskets, everything i need should be included, right? that would take care of most of the major maintenance stuff.

thanks for the info. hopefuly i will go get the car tomorrow and get started sorting everythign out. it is already apart so i have to sort through whats there and see whats there and not. should be a big pain in the ass.

[mastaflash05]

well i got the car yesterday and went through the car and parts that were in there, and theres new hoses, gaskets and air filter.

i want to replace the chain tensioners and chain. to do this im going to have to take the front cover off. :bite: kinda a PITA.