The only good news is that at present, the cam position and timing chain agree...so if I could re-install the chain without moving anything, I'd probably be OK.

If you reinstall the chain with the tight side tight, you should be okay rotating the engine back to zero. Do it with the plugs out and go slow in case you were wrong, but odds are you'll be in within a few degrees (pus or minus a sprocket tooth). If you wanted to do some math, you could degree mark the camshaft from the notch, and the damper pulley from the zero, and verify. Don't forget the crank turns twice as fast as the cam.

 

I like this idea. I can turn the camshaft with water pump pliers (see image) using padded jaws on the camshaft between the lobes.

The chain isn't going to turn it because I can't mount the sprocket at present. My experience is that getting a crank pulley bolt out generally results in turning the crankshaft at least a few degrees...so I think I need to carefully inch both crank and cam around to TDC before attempting to remove the crank pulley. I'll check the manual for direction of rotation.

I set the distributor back in place with the rotor on it and #1 position marked to see where the crank is...it turns out that I'm almost exactly 180 degrees off TDC at #1 , meaning that I'm just about at the top of the exhaust stroke.

 

Or pull the head, turn the engine to TDC, put on a new gasket and timing set and never have to worry that anything was wrong at all...

 

True, and I can't argue that this is the 'correct" way to do it. But the cost for head bolts and head gasket is over $100, (plus another $60 to renting a cherry picker to get the head, manifolds and turbo off and on), and at the rate I'm working, at least another month to complete the job.

I'm going to take a look this afternoon and see what I can do with that crank pulley.

 

And you don't have a friend in the world of similar height to, at the most, hold the other end of the 4X4 you steal from the neighbor's fencepost and use as a 'shoulder lift tandem' arrangement as the two of you lift the head assembly up Dayak Style and set it down somewhere...

Cherry Pickers are for Engines... We're talking the lightest part of the engine here... If I can watch Filipinos lift the head off a 3.0 Isuzu Diesel, I'm figuring you and someone can lift that head.

And if you search here, there ARE photos of that one-man head changing procedure, carbs, manifold, air cleaner and all...

 

I get where you're coming from - but with the manifolds and turbo on the head, it is NOT a light part of the engine.

The head alone wouldn't be a problem. I've been working on Z-cars (four of them over time) since 1974, but the manifolds are really difficult to get off the turbo engine with the head on the engine. It makes much more sense to pull head with manifolds and turbo installed...which adds another 50+ pounds to the weight.

At age 64 and not being a weight lifter, I'm not going to risk my fenders by trying to yank a complete head off the vehicle without using a cherry picker. I was very, very happy to use one when I set the complete assembly back on the engine. My helper is my wife and between the two of us it would be foolish to do it by hand.

Also, leaving the manifolds and turbo on creates a significant imbalance to the driver's side - and I found a way to lash the head up so that it stays balanced going in:

That's my call. I'm sure you understand why I'd rather be safe than sorry on this one.

My goal at this point is to re-time the engine without pulling the head. I'll proceed cautiously and if I can't do it without damage, I'll pull the head. I will check the FSM (I have one in a three-ring binder) and see what the instruction is on the head bolts. It would be nice to re-use the set I have in hand. When I read discussions about the bolts, the general "wisdom" seems to be that they are intended for one-time use. Installation one-time means just that, one time. As you point out, there's no point in doing that part halfway.

I made some progress on the front cover this weekend but I need to do some more cleaning to get a clear view of what I'm doing. 30+ years of stuff leave a coating that makes it hard to see what's going on.

 

I use the attachment point on the EGR for the balancing line, and a spider with a turnbuckle. I made it up for JeffP who can not follow my "Head Removal Guide" posted years ago on Cardomain:

ONE-HAND HEAD REMOVAL

You will see some things there as to why (even with dished pistons) that you really don't want to play around turning the engine when the head isn't properly synched. This is kind of a 'been there, done that' story, and it was a shame because it was a BRAND NEW OVERHAUL... everything inside the engine was new, but the head work was trashed because of valves contacting the pistons.

There is a call-out for new head bolts, but if they are new from the overhaul and you have only gone through one torque cycle--and you haven't adequately burnished the threads to significantly affect the thread frictional coefficient using them over at specified torques will be fine. They are not 'torque to yield' design.

 

I do see you have a nice drywall roof in the garage, if that's suspended off trusses for the roof that are 2X4's, two small holes will allow a 1" Nylon lifting sling to go over one and extend from the roof, through this you can hook a standard come-along that you get from HF for $19, the Sling is another $3 from the same place. This is how I showed JeffP to pull his head without pulling all the stuff off since his setup is much bigger than the stock turbo with an external wastegate, etc. He liked the idea of the come along and pulling the head without pulling everything off. It all comes down to if you want the two small holes in your drywall roof. I'd say an electrical Switch-Plate Blanking Plate would be MORE than big enough to cover them when you're done, and it can be held in place with a single Number 8 x 3" Wood Screw.

I'd have to look at your trusses to tell you where to put it (Looped over a "V" Joint and you are in a strong point), but I've used the same process to lift the entire ENGINE out of the car (you will have to roll it out from underneath the engine and then put it on the stand---no wheeling it around like when it's on the cherry picker though... BUT NO $60 RENTAL EVER AGAIN!

With the switch plate, you don't even have to remove the straps, stuff them in the holes and leave two small strings on the loops hanging through and next time you need them you yank the strings and your strap is ready to hook onto and use!

Unless you have rats in your roof. They can gnaw on things. Then you want to check the strap every time and in that case I suggest you thread a steel cable or coat hanger with a loop through the holes to thread the strap through so it's not up in the roof making for a tasty nylon rat-buffet...

I've done this for a while as well.

 

Tony, thanks for the good info about the head bolts - another member was kind enough to PM me with a matching confirmation.

I long for the garage where I grew up - it was open front with a high ceiling, and had three 2x8s bolted together running right across the center. I forget how many big V8 engines we pulled with a hoist using that stout roof truss.

Unfortunately my current garage has a flat interior ceiling and it's a longer span than it should be, so it's not a good lift point. I suppose I could penetrate the ceiling, then run cables up to the roof trusses above that and create a safe lift point - but I'd much rather pay the $60.

If this head comes off once more, it will be the last time. I'm not enjoying this nearly as much as I used to.

 

You will be surprised how much load even a 2X4 stringer can take... Putting a 4X4 across several in the roof should be more than enough to support the lift you want to do. Maybe not the engine, but the head and accessories.

I long for the Tori Station Auto Hobby Shop... MWR Facilities in Asia were awesome. I had a boring bar, valve machine, hot tank... all for the big sum of $1.50 a day. When I signed out the South Bend Lathe, the last guy that signed it out was 1957... I loved working on 'old' equipment that was like new.

I digress...

 

Problem is either the head comes off or the oil pan comes off to get the front cover off as you will screw either the head gasket or the oil pan gasket taking off & or putting on the front cover with both those mentioned gaskets in place.

If you do not want to remove the head then take off all of your rocker arms so all the valves all zeroed out on lift. Although this may require some movement of the cam right or left. Take your time & don't force anything. Once the valves have been zeroed out you will have to remove the oil pan. Clearance to take the pan off can be had by unbolting the engine mounts & lifting the engine via a jack under the transmission. This method will cost you an oil pan gasket & front cover gasket set at the least providing nothing goes wrong.

If you couldn’t pull the whole engine I would personally take the head off & re-use the head gasket & head bolts since it is newly installed & never run. If it’s a Felpro then it’s a metal gasket with coating on both sides. Either way you are still looking at an oil pan gasket & front cover gasket set. I have never seen an oil pan gasket separate from the bottom of the front cover without any damage.

 

Is it a P90, or a P90A head with the hydraulic lifters? My solution (if it had adjustable valves) would be to screw down all the valve adjustment towers and pop the rockers out. That'll solve any interference issues. Just take the plugs out first...

 

I was wondering about that pan gasket and how likely it was that I could separate that front cover from a 31-year-old gasket without ruining the gasket.

The head is the one with hydraulic lifters. I like the idea of pulling the rockers! Removing them would indeed render the cam position moot...and allow me to rotate it back to its proper orientation. I'll have to check the process for removing and re-installing rockers to see whether that has hidden "gotchas" in it.

I have the gear needed to lift the engine safely (good old bottle jack), and I think that would be less hassle than removing the head again. I'll get under it this weekend and check - it has been a few years since I needed to mess with the motor mounts. I'm traveling until Sunday.

When I started the work on this engine, I didn't intend to remove the head - I was working on a broken exhaust manifold stud. When I finally decided that pulling the head was needed as more broken studs were found, the car had been sitting for a few months and I simply forgot to set the engine to TDC. A rookie mistake and I've known better for 30 years. Pfui!!

 

Is it a P90, or a P90A head with the hydraulic lifters? My solution (if it had adjustable valves) would be to screw down all the valve adjustment towers and pop the rockers out. That'll solve any interference issues. Just take the plugs out first...

 

It has the hydraulic lifters. I've been traveling and just got back to checking out the manual.

 

I'm still traveling...:|

 

I do that a lot - - mentally.

If I find me, I'll be sure to check in. :wink

 

I'm working on pulling the rockers now. Man, you have to pry HARD to get the valve spring depressed enough to get the rear end of the rocker off the pivot. And you better watch your fingers while doing it - a screwdriver used for prying slips off the valve spring pretty easily.

I'll have to rotate the cam a bit one way and another to get the cam lobes off the rockers, but I think I can avoid damaging any valves.

 

Here's a method I came across recently. The guy posts on Hybridz often, don't know if I've seen him over here.

 

That was pretty nice. I got all mine out without sacrificing fingertips, but they will need to go back in, too. Thanks!