[Squishy]

I ran across a Kijiji posting of someone whose ex-boyfriend tore her engine apart and flattened the tires, so I offered to take a look at it. From pictures she sent, it looks as if the valve cover and exhaust manifold have been taken off. To accomplish that, I think the spark plugs, alternator, throttle body, fuel rail, and maybe some other bits have been removed. Anything I should look out for in the course of reassembly?

 

[Colleen]

Anything I should look out for in the course of reassembly?

Keep an eye out for that ex boyfriend !!

Just teasing. eace: Have a great day, Squishy !!

 

[Squishy]

Hey, but all us Asian guys know KUNG FU! :box:

Thanks, Colleen. I had thought about the angry ex, but thought that I would risk it. Someone will eventually be looking at the car, so why not me? I am actually quite "heavily armed" for a Canadian. Two utility knives and a Leatherman on my person, and in my car I have an axe, a crowbar, an eight inch hunting knife, a four pound hammer, and a three-foot section of 4x4, not to mention my very heavy and very steel-toed work boots. Any confrontation can only end badly for the other party. :spank:

 

[jonas1022]

Shouldn't be too bad if the head hasn't been loosened/removed. Or anything tossed down the intake for that matter.

Back in the day, one High School "buddy" of mine sugared my gas tank, then bragged about it. So being the nice person that I was, I bought some STP oil Treatment and poured down his carb. I think that was about even. I had to drop my gas tank and flush the fuel system, rebuild my carb and buy an new fuel pump. He had to clean his carb and remove his cylinder heads. :doh:

I'm not saying retribution is the thing to do. What I'm saying is, there is no telling what other monkey business he performed to the car. Assume nothing, check everything.

 

[Squishy]

It doesn't look too bad. Here are the pictures she sent.

And what it probably looked like before:

 

[jonas1022]

Any progress on this Squishy?

 

[CrashNburn]

check the valve lash before you put it all together, because if he decided to turn all the tappet bolts you will have some problems.

 

[Squishy]

I've been getting her answering machine lately when I call, so we haven't been able to work out a time for me to see it yet. Good news and bad news. Good news - the intake manifold, not the exhaust manifold, was removed, so that makes reassembly easier. Bad news - I noticed that the head bolts are gone. I talked to a Honda mechanic friend, who said that the steel head gasket should still seal if I just put the bolts back in. However, the guys on the Neon forums think I need to replace the head gasket. Still debating on whether or not to remove the head. That would involve about six extra hours of work (on a good day). Lots of things would have to be removed - exhaust manifold, crankshaft pulley, timing belt, right engine mount and mounting plate, power steering pump, and lifting/dropping the engine several times.

Crash - this engine should have hydraulic adjusters. I'll check for loose bolts though in the valve assembly, especially since this is an interference engine. :worry:

 

[jonas1022]

That's what I was thought you might find, missing/removed head bolts. Pretty seriously bad dude messed with her car. I beleive that replacing the head gasket is the only sure way to reassemble the engine properly. Might be worth getting an cheapie air compressor and socket drive with some accessories to speed the reassemble. Seems you have a pretty good handle on what's to do however. :thumb: Good luck!

 

[CrashNburn]

mini electric impact lol. and i never assume lol so i hope your right on the hydraulic lifters. if the head was not removed, just the bolts, then i would just put the bolts in and torque it. removing the bolts undoes the head, but usually you need a few good taps to break it loose.

 

[Squishy]

Mini?!? Not manly enough. :bang: I have the big one from CT that weighs ten pounds.

 

[CrashNburn]

its a neon. lol your your 1/2"dr electric from cdn tire (i have it its awesome) and you will hurt that tiny little motor lol

 

[Squishy]

Hahaha. That's so true. The torque from that motor is almost twice what the Neon engine puts out. :bill:

 

[SilverAthlon]

Tell me about it, I've been through 2 different Neons, and my motorcycle has more HP output than it.

 

[stone]

Why is it referred to as a " Neon" ? eace:

 

[SilverAthlon]

Dodge Neon, Chrysler Neon, Plymouth Neon they're all the same entry level car from the Treo...