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Urethane bushings?
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The coolant switch failed again. I noticed as the mercury dropped the car would stall at a rolling stop or idling at a light.
I ended up purchasing one of the official AMC testers for the feedback systems. It's nothing special other than it reduces an hour or two of testing down to about a minute. I really don't need it but I couldn't resist the bragging rights. https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/CGS_9220.jpg It immediately hung up waiting for the car to warm up. I waited until the engine was clearly hot enough to open the thermostat and then checked the CTS from the diagnostic port. It was open and forcing the car to stay open-loop. When I went to disconnect the harness to test at the switch itself it separated into two pieces. When I rebuilt it back in June I used JB Weld. While it should be able to handle the heat of a wet manifold it was now a brown color and crumbled. I reached out to a connection and bought another one that was used, but supposedly good from a junked rust bucket. Unfortunately it to seems to have an internal corrosion issue. I'll swap them out for now and rebuild the rebuilt one again but use a high temperature rated epoxy. |
Neat!
But hey, there's something very important that you may not know yet: CONNECT THE BATT LEADS FIRST! |
Ya know it would be funny if your thread got more traffic than the eagles nest because your doing a better job than them...:D
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I did the writeup on rebuilding this exact switch there, only to discover you can't see it unless you are a registered member, so it won't get cached and indexed by Google.
Videokarma, thank you for the most part for not hiding chunks of your forum behind a registration wall. |
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People sure were not wrong when they said the 258's valve cover is impossible to keep oiltight. It started weeping through at the back last spring but then three weeks ago I started noticing oil dripping down from the skidplate. An inspection found the valve cover was leaking towards the front and today I noticed that the gasket split above spark plug #1.
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/CGS_9231.jpg From there I can't tell if it's related or unrelated but oil is starting to appear around the harmonic balancer. If a new valve cover gasket makes that stop then I'll ignore it until I degrease the engine again but it it stays I'll have to pull the balancer off and service the front oil seal, the timing chain cover and what the hell, lets also replace the timing chain as well since we are 265000km into its life probably. On the inside I finally got around to fabricating the mount for the Car Phone. The metal frame under the dash and above the ashtray already has a bolthole so I grabbed the most rigid piece of steel I could find and bent that into shape with a bolt welded to the end. https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/CGS_9233.jpg |
Is that a cork gasket on the valve cover? Cork gaskets are shit. Buy a FelPro rubber gasket, like one of the nice ones. I forget what they call them. It's like a problem solver or something like that. Molded rubber, not just die cut. PermaDry! That's what they're called.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/fe...r+gasket,10710 Not 100% sure that'll fit. Says 86+ |
Rubber gaskets seem to be discontinued according to Lordco, plus they are not recommended if you have the plastic valve cover still. (but I don't have that, so we're all good! :thmbsp: )
There's a bunch of different methods to seal the valve cover and most use a lot of RTV. I could only imagine how much nicer it would be if there was an aftermarket silicone compression gasket. My Fel-Pro gasket is the VS 50244 and it's about $40. It's different from the one you suggested in that one side of the cover only uses three bolts and less ribbing. |
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However, it's a very long area, and it's an iron head and aluminum cover, so even the silicone will scrub through eventually. Maybe soon. Not sure. |
I'm going to try an all-rubber gasket and see what happens as it was $20. the plans next summer is to take the head off and decarbonize things while inspecting what we have for wear on the lifters, pushrods, valves and replacing a few seals. We're also going to do the timing chain at the same time. If the gasket fails again we'll go with what you got.
Meanwhile I've developed pretty serious camber issues on both front wheels, so I'm going to load the parts canon up and go in for a mass-changeout. https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a...gfasdgfsda.png (not seen is another $120 in shocks) Bushings, new shocks all around, new control rods, replacement coil spring and all that fun jazz. I'm not going to torture myself with the alignment so I'll likely get all the parts together, pull up at the shop across from where I work with all the bits in the trunk and say "Make it Good". |
Went in for a front-end alignment and got the call not long after that both front wheel bearings are spanked. Not entirely surprising because the rears were pretty rough before they got changed in June but ugghhhhhhh.... :drool:
The bearings are pressed one-piece hub assemblies. That I can tell they are not available anymore, so you have to find a shop to press the hubs apart and repack them. |
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Anti-Lock brakes? What is that? ;)
http://amceaglesden.com/guide/images...ingfigure2.jpg Edited: For as much as I don't want to pay a shop to do this, bearings suck and the shop has panned me a good price that's under $600 installed and aligned and I'm not going to wait any longer to change them if it's throwing the alignment out. |
That's a reasonable price. Honestly in the picture the hub bearing looks like a GM hub bearing to me. I'd be surprised if it wasn't, knowing AMC. Weird that they show the bearing in pieces. Maybe it was originally, but was redesigned to be a module. idk.
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Apparently between 1981 and 1982 AMC apparently changed the hub design and it went from a non-serviceable to a pressed assembly. In a way that was great because when production of the preassembled hubs ended you could still reuse them by pressing them apart and repacking them. The procedure is listed below.
http://amceaglesden.com/guide/Front_Wheel_Bearings Thanks to this car I've started to realize I need to upgrade from a toolbox to a tool chest. :D |
So spring is coming around and I'm finally getting more time under the car to start replacing the consumables but over the winter I've run into a few issues sourcing parts.
I use the lower control arm that does not use the Dana press-in balljoint. Instead it's an easier to replace bolt-in, but while I can find the upper balljoints and the Dana lowers, I cannot source the bolt-in lower balljoints. Even Dorman has them on backorder until demand increases. I guess it however is not as bad as the spring seat bushings. Those are all chewed up and need to be replaced but surprise, those are also currently unavailable as well and boy, I sure live having to remove coil springs more than I have to. I am aware that NOS parts are available however being booted or rubber products it would be unwise to replace a part with another that's already 20 years old. Otherwise, the valve cover gasket got to be changed in the dead of winter which was just as fun but hey, oil consumption has stopped. Likewise the rebuilt coolant switch failed AGAIN. It didn't electrically fail or come apart but I can see oil weeping around the epoxied rim. JB Weld simply cannot handle the thermal cycling and I can't think of any other adhesive that is heat, chemical, vibration and oil resistant, so I fabricated a metal bracket which clips around the entire assembly and harness plug and presses it together. https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a.../IMG_0746s.jpg https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a.../IMG_0754s.jpg This has allowed the switch to stay together and keep the assembly sealed. I ran a feedback performance test last weekend and it passed. :thmbsp: |
Nice. Pity about the ball joints. There may yet be some other car that used those, and has different part numbers.
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Someone has one for sale 10 miles from me, advertised as needing front suspension work "some new parts included". Guess these problems aren't that uncommon. I like the creativity of the switch bracket. I've had to do similar things from time to time. There's always a way!
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Front suspension on the Eagle is famously a trouble point for the car.
Because of how the unibody goes around the lower control arm you have a hard to clean out cavity which can fill with road dirt and salt and will initiate a cancerous rust which can ultimately cause the supporting body structure around the engine mounts and shock towers to fail. It's a very common place for Eagles to fail DOT inspections and is extremely expensive to get repaired and certified. BC being for the most part salt-free means the rust is JUST starting to develop after almost 40 years. I have to take it in later this summer to have it evaluated and repaired. |
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Spotted this on Episode 6 of Better Call Saul.
It was a flashback scene. http://videokarma.org/attachment.php...1&d=1585165307 |
So a simple day of removing a broken coil spring, replacing a balljoint and replacing two upper control arm bushings went well until I was completely defeated by the most BS thing I've seen yet out of an automotive tool.
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/CGS_9463.jpg https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a...t/CGS_9464.jpg Eagles like a lot of AMC's require that the coilspring be compressed from the inside.. This is possible by unbolting and removing the shock absorber and the tool just drops in through the tower. Most AMC's also used a coil spring that is six inches in diameter. Sounds about right. The maximum diameter for most inner compression tools? 5 5/8" :gigglemad What the hell is this s*#&? I don't even know where to FIND a tool that's 3/8" wider. Why is that a thing at all?? Now I have to kludge a block of wood under the control arm and limp the car to a shop. |
This may sound stupid but do you have a torch and a pair or vice grips or heavy duty pliers? I would be tempted to heat the the tool till the metal softens a bit and bend each end 3/16 out to fit... depending on how hard the steel is you may also be able to bench clamp to tool and Hammer or pry the ends out.... atleast if it is your tool and not a rental...If it is a rental and you decide to bend it we won't tell...
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The tool after credits and customer discounts is $130. I don't feel compelled to ruin the annealing unless I'm forced to.
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Depending on the design of the suspension, sometimes I am able to put the spring in and finagle it without it being compressed. Alternatively, you could buy two sets of those spring-shorteners that people use to lower their cars, and use those to squeeze it. Not as safe, obviously.
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I ended up buying a different compression tool that is purpose built for the spring seats on later model AMC vehicles and it came to cost less than the previous tool. All good there.
So the engine is getting the head pulled in two weeks. I'm tackling the lifter tap before it destroys the camshaft. Also taking the chance to clean the carbon out and get the head looked over at a shop before the seals are renewed and it's buttoned back up. I've been still salvaging parts off another pair of Eagles so I now have a very extensive amount of parts, including a spare head, transmission and transfer case which I need top crate up and slide under the bench....just in case. I also realized I am now in a position where if I wanted to I can add air conditioning. It does mean I'll be forced to install the tray package but by this point the salvage car was so pulled apart the air boxes, hoses, compressor and vacuum routing was pretty easy to remove. The condenser was beyond the point of salvaging as the fins are coming apart like an accordion but that's been a shared part for over a decade so spares are easy to find. Thing is, do I want to go through pulling the dash apart to install the new system? |
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It would make for a much more comfortable ride, yes. :scratch2:
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Guess what's happening this week???? :D
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...080&fit=bounds https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...080&fit=bounds I'm fed up with the lifter tap and my water pump decided to start warning me of impending failure so I gathered my parts together and going to town. -Replace lifters -Replace head with a rebuilt 4.2L -Replace water pump -Replace thermostat -Replace timing chain and sprockets -Clean up the manifolds -Replace fuel pump -Change the coolant -Change the oil (because it's going to be dirty after this) As it turned out I was not planning on a head replacement but got pushed into sending my spare to the shop last week to be rebuilt anyways. As the old head was unbolted it pried itself up which was a sure-sign the head's warped, so I'm happy that actually turned out okay. https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...080&fit=bounds https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...080&fit=bounds https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...080&fit=bounds The cylinders have a lot of carbon buildup. I was able to get most of it off using WD-60 and a wire wheel at TDC but there's still some deposits I wasn't able to get off, so it will soak overnight. The fuel pump was not palnned but when they start weeping form the vent it's only $15 for another one. The chain on the other hand was not planned. The recommendation was since I don't know when it was last done and pretty much everything is pulled out of the front of the car it's a REALLY good and convenient time to do so. That's another $50 in parts but DAMN that damper bolt is tight. With the head removed I can't use the rope trick to pop it off and an impact driver can't make the fit so yaay. |
Block the flywheel by jamming a screwdriver into the gear teeth. Might need an assistant to do that while you put a big bar on the crankshaft pulley bolt. Alternatively, remove the radiator to fit an air gun in there. Can't tell if you have already. If I'm desperate, I'd use one of those chain wrench things. It'll chew up the pulley a bit, but with it out, you can file off the nicks.
Run the wire brush over the cylinder block deck to remove all that crud in prep for the new head gasket. Don't use anything else like surface blending discs (cookies). Don't stress about the carbon on the top of the pistons. Not really a big deal. (Carbon in the rings is more concerning, but you're doing enough work right now lol) How do the cylinder bores look? |
I went a bit further than that and because I have the TSM there's a note from AMC that if you can't torque the bolt without the crankshaft turning you can fabricate a tool that stops it from turning by holding it against the body/ground.
The spec is only 80 foot pounds, so nothing says that a modified tool can't be made that lets me do it both ways. https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...080&fit=bounds https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...080&fit=bounds This is an approved method. :thmbsp: Because the water pump was coming out I pulled the radiator as well and had to clean it up a bit. As the bearing drifted there was a radial mark on the fins where the fan was juuust starting to clip it and I wanted to flush and repaint the damaged area. Likewise I'm already ahead of you with the wire brush but man I should of dressed the area more because WD-40 and a brush attachment paints everything with black gunk. I left the old lifters in for now so that any crud that falls into the galleries can be vacuumed out instead of making its way deeper into the block but carbon removal was also why I am in here because there was a LOT seen on the borescope. Cylinders otherwise look okay but I'm having a hard time seeing the crosshatch, though at this point if we have to go deeper, forget it I'll probably just get the whole block rebuilt. |
Wow, been a while since I last saw one of these...I'm surprised you're able to get a rebuilt 258 head, it wasn't that long ago that parts for AMC engines were barely even being made at all.
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The Jeep guys still need blocks so there's a lot of cores out there and the parts are dirt cheap. $40 water pumps and $25 fuel pumps kind of cheap. Heads on the other hand are a challenge because they all want the later 4.0L and I want to stick with the inferior 4.2L. I grabbed a spare off an '84 eagle being scrapped and that turned out to be the game saver here.
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Is the 258 really as much of a dog as it seems? I heard it only made like...112 horsepower, which is rather laughable for such a large engine, though still better than the utterly hopeless Ford 250 six.
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I briefly had an Eagle that I bought to fix up, but ended up reselling it. It didn't run too bad, but it was a 5 speed.
Those old straight sixes didn't have a lot of HP, but they had great low to midrange torque. I had an '83 Dodge 1/2 ton pickup with the 225 slant 6 and automatic. It ran better than I thought it would, and I even towed a couple vehicles with it. It struggled towing through the steep mountains, but it just wouldn't give up. |
American domestic cars having large displacement engines with no horsepower to them was really just a thing until it actually mattered in the early 80's. Before the energy crisis and emissions regulations there was technically nothing wrong with building engines that way because most people were not going fast and gas stations were on every other street corner with prices below 10 cents a liter.
Allow me to use RegularCars for a moment to get the point across with a 72 Ambassador with an EVEN BIGGER engine which displaces another liter and a half in exchange for 60 more horsepower. https://youtu.be/NLBHDjlpm1A?t=112 That all changed in the 70's when North American automakers were getting thrashed by imports with smaller engines with equal or greater horsepower at higher economy and better combustion. For a solid 10 years a lot of blocks were retooled to still remain pretty much the same process but mechanically crippled or factory tuned to be as efficient as they could be at the expensive of EVEN MORE horsepower. The 258 for example is anemic with a dual barrel carburetor and a reverse flow head. Not enough air can get through the carb and the ports are not big enough to move exhaust gases out fast enough. |
And yet, somehow still less anemic than the utterly miserable Ford 250 six of this era, which had an integrated head and manifold and made an utterly depressing 88 horsepower, making it the slowest of an already slow class of engines (Chrysler Slant Six, Chevy 250, Ford 250, AMC 258). What a horrible engine that Ford "Thriftpower" six was.
Well okay, the Chevy 250 also had an integrated head and manifold at that time but it still made almost 20 more horsepower (105 horsepower in 1979) because the Ford 250 was just that terrible! |
Eh, massive American engines were not really a result of laziness or however you want to describe it. It was a result of a lust for power, and their inefficiency and lack of power was a result of government emissions regulations.
Also, it's important to note that these engines were low-revving, which necessarily meant they had little horsepower. But horses aren't really a big deal, it's torque that really matters, and they still had plenty of that. And emissions regulations really began in 1975 (I think) when catalytic converters became legally required. Before that, those big American engines that we now consider 'weak' were often making hundreds of horsepower, sometimes 1 per cubic inch. They were made weak to meet emissions standards. The thing about little foreign cars dominating the market was two-fold. One, yes they had small engines, but they were much smaller and MUCH lighter. Where a normal American full-size car would be around 4000lbs, a VW Beetle was literally less than half of that. So a small engine, despite being very weak compared to a big American engine, even one bogged down with emissions crap, could easily handle a much lighter vehicle. And it would be doing literally half the work, so better gas mileage. The other part of the story is that back in those days, many of the much smaller displacement engines were not required by the American government to even have emissions controls. No catalytic, no EGR, basically nothing. They were largely exempt from all the things that made the big engines weak and inefficient. So the concept that the little foreign engines were so much better than the big American engines is really a myth. The little foreigners were literally playing the game with a different set of rules. Granted, little foreign cars appearing on the open market drove competition, even if the big three were slow to adapt, it did happen. (Unfortunately that's kind of led to all new cars being the same crap.) |
"Before that, those big American engines that we now consider 'weak' were often making hundreds of horsepower, sometimes 1 per cubic inch. They were made weak to meet emissions standards."
I think it was Super Chevy that dyno'd a prestine version of the supposed "monster '70 Chevelle LS what that everyone brags about how it made more horsepower than GM would admit to. 288 HP at the rear. That's barely an entry level high HP car these days. What "killed" horsepower ratings in the 70's was the feds clamped down on car makers basically advertising whatever number they wanted. It was the same thing they did with stereo equipment. Then you added emissons regulations later on, which the big three figured if they moaned enough, it'd go away. It didn't, and the Japanese ate their lunch. |
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