Whole lotta Miata

[navin]

Aren't you in Lynchburg or something like that? Check to see if there is a FB miata group in that area, forums, etc..

Looks like there is a crank pulley tool to hold the crank in place while you torque the bolt down: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.flyinmiata.com/flyin-miata-crank-bolt-tool.html">https://www.flyinmiata.com/flyin-miata- ... -tool.html</a><!-- m -->

That's what I found in 5 seconds of googling... great thing about old cars is that people have created all these tools to make doing work easier.

[navin]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.miata.net/garage/tstat/">http://www.miata.net/garage/tstat/</a><!-- m -->

That the gasket you are talking about?

[Senor_Taylor]

I meant without the tool. It'd take years for that to ship here.

And no, that's not the gasket I'm referring to. Same area, but where that thermostat housing neck connects to the block.

[ViPER1313]

Looks like there is a crank pulley tool to hold the crank in place while you torque the bolt down: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.flyinmiata.com/flyin-miata-crank-bolt-tool.html">https://www.flyinmiata.com/flyin-miata- ... -tool.html</a><!-- m -->

Why not just leave it in gear / parking brake on and go to town with a torque wrench? I know the short nose crank is sensitive but I'd just hit it hard with a good impact and call it a day....

[Senor_Taylor]

I don't have the shortnose crank. And yeah, I might have to wait until I have my new pads on the rear to really torque it down. They didn't grab enough the first time. I just don't have a torque wrench that goes that high.

Edit: I know it seems I keep posting a ton of needless posts with obvious questions, but it's helping me by putting my thoughts in writing.

Picked up the Water pump and Timing belt today. Getting the valve cover gasket, loctite, and gasket adhesive tomorrow after class. Hopefully tackling this on Tuesday.

[Jake]

How high does your torque wrench go to, versus what Mazda spec is for that bolt?

[Senor_Taylor]

I think mine goes to 80. I'll have to check.

[Kaan]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.roadraceautox.com/showthread.php?52900-FS-Miata-1-6L-Engines-amp-Parts">http://www.roadraceautox.com/showthread ... -amp-Parts</a><!-- m -->

[navin]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.autozone.com/loan-a-tools/torque-wrench">http://www.autozone.com/loan-a-tools/torque-wrench</a><!-- m -->

[Senor_Taylor]

Y'all act like I've got money to spend here. I'm down to my last dollars, haha. Got the water pump in and the timing belt back on anf tensioned. Took so much freaking work to get it timed from scratch. Ran it with nothing hooked but the timing belt for a second and it seemed smooth. I have to head to work in a little bit but hopefully I can get it back together before then.

[navin]

It's a tool rental program they run.. you pay the deposit and get the money back when you return the tool.

edit - whoops, wasn't sure if you were referring to Kaan's or my post.

[*insertusernamehere*]

Did you put your VCG back on yet? Do your spark plugs while you're in.

[Senor_Taylor]

IT HAS BEEN DONE



Lost a coolant hose, so i can't drive it just yet. I'll get that tomorrow. Started up, and if it is mis-timed, it's only like half a tooth. I'm not excited yet because things go wrong for me all of the time. We will see tomorrow when I can get that coolant hose on and drive it.

I also have like 3 bolts extra. One looks like a stud to either the power steering pump or the A/C condenser, but both are tight on there. Hope I didn't forget something important. I'm exhausted and now I have to shower and sprint to work. Fun.



I have a bad feeling in the back of my mind that there's no way I did this right.

[V1GiLaNtE]

Started up, and if it is mis-timed, it's only like half a tooth....I also have like 3 bolts extra..Hope I didn't forget something important.

Oh this should be good..Kudos for tackling it yourself. Now comes that moment of glory.

[Senor_Taylor]

Can someone tell me where the two coolant lines coming from the T on the thermostat housing are supposed to go? I don't know where the one that points straight down goes.

[BLINGMW]

Can someone tell me where the two coolant lines coming from the T on the thermostat housing are supposed to go? I don't know where the one that points straight down goes.

Hoser #1


Hoser #2, the one that comes straight down off the T under the tstat shown in the bottom right of this pic up to a 90 deg thing on the do-dad at the top of the pic

I notice in your picture this hose is connected to the right place up top, but then exits the left of the picture going who-knows-where

And my HAI if you're interested:

[Sully]

That hai is ghetto fabulous. My 18 year old neighbor just got an older g35 and im trying to convince to just replace his caked with crap air filter opposed to buying a "cold air" intake. I already had to explain to him that he shouldnt listen to his "car guy" friend who tried to sell him and install an aftermarket hid kit. Luckily they couldnt get it to fit in the housing. The car already has hid's. All they accomplished was breaking his factory bulb. Luckily i had a spare because i could pretty much start a nissan headlight factory with all the broken headlights i salavaged when working in the body shop....

Anyway, back to the point of this post. Taylor, for future reference, get a coupon, and go buy the 1/2" drive 150 ft lb torque wrench from harbor freight for $9.99. Seriously, $9.99. I tested one of them against a digital in spec snap on wrench and it was dead on. Go check out the tool thread for a bunch of reviews on cheap tools.

(If one of those links was to this, sorry i didnt click them.)

[Senor_Taylor]

Yeah, uh... I realized my nicer torque wrench goes up to 150. Got it from my uncle. He used to use for airplane annuals.


Thank you, Chan, I appreciate it!

Couldn't get the wrench to "click" when putting on the crank pulley bolt. Had my mom holding the brakes in, in 5 gear, and it eventually started turning the motor over. I'll retorque it when I get the wheels on tomorrow. Rear brake pads should be coming in tomorrow too. Should be able to get it inspected soon.

[SlimKlim]

Couldn't get the wrench to "click" when putting on the crank pulley bolt. Had my mom holding the brakes in, in 5 gear, and it eventually started turning the motor over. I'll retorque it when I get the wheels on tomorrow. Rear brake pads should be coming in tomorrow too. Should be able to get it inspected soon.

Should all else fail you can pick up one of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-inch-cha...97073.html

It fits a 1/2in breaker bar and will let you clamp down on the crank pulley to keep it from moving while you torque the bolt. That's what we had to do for my crank bolt, but the spec for mine was 303ft-lbs. Hopefully getting the wheels on the ground makes the difference for you.

If you do end up using a chain wrench, or just for future reference, use a section of old belt to protect the hub from the chain, and make sure you're dead on the center of the pulley or the tool will mar the shit out of the lip of it, which is what I did. I filed down the sharp edges but I still suspect it might chew up my A/C belt over time.

[Jake]

Taylor, really great to see you diving in and tackling this stuff so quickly. Definitely frustrating to buy the car and immediately need a TB/WP job (I thought they just did the water pump before you bought it?) but hey, you're in there and getting it done. Should be exciting to have it ready for summer and then back at JMU!

I have a bad feeling in the back of my mind that there's no way I did this right.

Heh, yep, I had the same feeling once we got the head gasket done on the M3. Joey and I put the hood on and he goes "well, time to do the honors" and I was absolutely terrified. Turned the key, lights/chimes, and then *click*. Battery terminals weren't connected all the way so the starter couldn't run. Second try, lights/chimes and hey, she runs! And nothing is gushing out onto the ground! And the motor sounds normal!

I'm still worried that I did something wrong, never mind the fact that I've put ~300 miles on the swap.

Rock on, young padawan.