Diagnosing Idle Surges on Subaru Legacy Models
By Eric Seifert ALLDATA Automotive Technical Editor Steve enjoys mountain biking, and his 2001 Subaru Legacy has no problem getting him to the mountains and back. Yet it doesn’t like to commute. Steve called me after work one day to inquire about a surging problem the Legacy has had for a while. He said that
Cylinder Head Gasket Caution for 2003-2006 Ford 6.0L Diesel Engines
A cylinder head gasket caution has been issued for 2003-2006 Ford 6.0L VIN P diesel engines. This caution should be referenced any time head gaskets or cylinder heads are being replaced. The manufacturer for this engine uses two separate facilities, one in Indianapolis, IN and the other in Huntsville, AL. While both locations build engines
Coolant Loss on 2002-2006 Toyota 2.4L, 2AZFE engines
The following information concerns the loss of coolant on some 2002-2006 Toyota 2.4L, 2AZFE engines. The location of this condition has been noted at the rear of the engine where the cylinder head bolts to the cylinder block. It has been reported that stripped head bolt threads have been found on some of these engines
More Ammunition For The Ongoing War On 4.6L/5.4L Ford Engine Misinformation
If there is a war being waged in the automotive aftermarket right now, it is one of information. More precisely, it is too often the fact that victims are suffering because of the lack thereof. Be it the “Right to Repair Act,” casting proliferation or parts proliferation, what we need to know is all changing
Today’s Oil Not the Same
A recent camshaft company Technical Bulletin said it best: “Today’s engine oil is just not the same as it used to be, thanks to the ever tightening environmental regulations.” The EPA, car manufacturers, and the American Petroleum Institute (API) have done a great job reducing emissions and extending the life of emissions control equipment. However,
Shop Solutions: March 2008
Debunking the 10 x 10 Crankshaft Myth for Customers We’ve heard a lot of customers say they need a .010? x .010? undersize grind crank because “the vehicle will be towing a lot of weight” or “this guy drives his car/truck real hard” or “this boat runs at high rpms and I don’t want to
Valve Yoke Installation For Mack MP7 And MP8 Diesel Engines
MP7 and MP8 engines utilize pin-less valve yokes at the inlet and exhaustvalves, similar to the pin-less yokes used on previous Mack engines such asASET and E-Tech. The holes on the bottom of the yoke that fit over the valve stem tips are roundon one end and elongated on the other. The yokes are not
Ford 351W With Excessive Oil Consumption
The 351 Windsor will have oil consumption problems if it’s installed in an Econoline van without the right intake gasket. The bottom of the intake manifold was too hot, even with the metal heat shield riveted to the bottom of the intake, so Ford left off the shield and used a special “bathtub” intake gasket
Ford 351 Windsor Cylinder Heads With Missing T.E. Passages
Engine builders have reported seeing some E7TE head castings for the Ford 351W that weren’t drilled for the thermactor emissions (T.E., or A.I.R.) passages. It turns out that Ford plumbed the T.E. directly to the exhaust manifolds for some of the truck and van applications from 1990 through ’97, so some of the heads don’t
Chrysler 318/360 Blocks Cracked Around The Head Bolt Holes
Some thread repairs don’t work because they can’t take the torque required for a head bolt, and others leak coolant through the insert itself if you do try to use them. Some engine builders “vee” out the cracks, weld them up, and deck the block, but that’s a time-consuming process that doesn’t always work out
Chevy 3.1L/191 Cam Bearing Bores
Some of the later roller cam 3.1L blocks for the ’93-’94 Chevy VIN M are showing up with oversize cam bearing bores that appear to have been caused by spun cam bearings. If a new cam bearing is installed in a bore that has been damaged, it will spin in the block, cut off the
Buick 3800 VIN K Cam Problems
Some of the 1995-’99 Buick 3800 VIN K cores are showing up with the keyway in the snout of the cam all wallowed out. When this happens, the cam gear rotates back and forth on the snout which not only ruins the cam, but also changes the valve timing and leads to abnormal combustion. We