yes that would explain an fact is no one knows for sure when we buy used cars ,,like mine rust on under the body was an issue but the engine not ,wich seems weird , ,guess they changed to oil actually I have had better luck with dexcool myself ,mine is as clean as day one for some reason must have been changed regulary ,if it changed I think its better then green ,they have the red an peak has a blue .that are supposed to be better ,but the dexcool I have in my 2005 sable is getting changed at 10 years ,an still looks fine at 67k miles ,just feels like time to change it ,my 99 looks like someone took care of the engine ,its just different for different situations ,my 406 will get a change every 2 years weather it needs it or not ,with dexcool,cost about 3.00 per gallon more ,but I think its worth it ,ok what I hear is to not to mix them ,but seems one or the other is up to the person I would say most important thing is to keep an eye on it ,wich we tend to forget about it ,like with my sable just lucky it held up an the low miles I think ,they have more colors of antinfreeze then the rainbow ,so again I think it up to us to watch it an change it more often with an older car,ir one reads up on antifreeze ,there is all kinds of storys its the net ,some say the orange is just a dye they put in it ,again I would say just watch it an don't mix them seems the best choice no matter wich kind,just stay with the same kind

 

I also forgot to mention regarding rear main seal and housing installation, it is recommended that I use J-41349 (rear housing aligner) and J-38196 (rear seal installer). I would rather do this job once. Has anyone used these tools to do such a job? I can find them on eBay if needed.

 

What you are looking for when you put the cap is pressure. If you put your hand over the oil cap hole can you feel a pulsing. Rev the motor while you do this. I have seen guys spend a lot of time chasing oil leaks but if you have back pressure your engine is just going to blow out the next weak point. I have even left oil caps off and added a oil catch to cars so they would not blow out important seals.

Correct TTY and Torque angle are independent from each other. Just be sure of have a torque angle gage. Don't try to guess angles.

 

I definitely plan on getting a torque angle gauge. I'd rather do this job right once than do it again. Regarding blow by, I figured that's what I was looking for and no, I feel no pulsing when the engine is idle, or when revving it. I'm going to be taking the car to my friend on Monday to find out whether or not I have to pull the heads.

Any idea regarding the harmonic balancer bolt? Is that bolt TTY or can it be reused?

I'm about 2 weeks from starting this job and I have almost all my ducks in a row. I've decided I'm just going to remove the engine/trans from underneath. I found a good write-up on another forum and it looks to be within my skill set. Does anyone know if I have to get an alignment after doing it this way? Thank you!

 

Did you get the manual from the manual section? If it is TTY the manual is going to tell you every place in even mentions the bolt. I bet there is a half a dozen reminders in the manual for the fly wheel bolts, I have not done a vibration damper.

 

I had my friend look at the car, and it appears I will not have to pull the heads. He was able to find the coolant leak (at the lower intake manifold where it meets the left head (very slow external leak). Regarding the harmonic balancer bolt, he told me it is not TTY, nor have I found any documentation showing that it is TTY.

Any idea whether I will have to get an alignment or not (assuming I do no suspension work while the subframe is removed)?

 

if you do probley so an alignment is like $60,00 ,or some do there own that's not a big deal ,but a tire shop has the right tools for it,

 

The guide pins get the frame close but the alignment is needed due the play in the guide pins. This is true even on new cars. Your car has a solid rear axle don't get sucked into a 4 wheel alignment when there is no adjustment in the rear. That is a game some shops play.

 

I didn't realize there are guide pins. That is very helpful. I'll make my own guide marks as well for extra insurance. Parts are ordered and should be here in time to begin work on Friday. Hopefully this job goes smooth and doesn't take me longer than this weekend. I'll be sure to take pictures along the way.

 

make sure you have help I would guess ,are you doing the lift the frame off the engine an trans ,one weekend takes a lot of experience to do it the way you are ,a shop would drop the trany an lift the engine just few inches avoiding a lot of work hours ,if your takeing in out the bottom your takeing the hard way out ,lots of help an cold beer you may get there in one weekend if you got someone knows these engines well