justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Things to do:
- torque valve nuts to proper specs
- check torque value on crank bolt
- correctly install spark plug seals into valve covers.
- finish putting together right side of engine (power steering pump, etc.)
- finish installing coolant components on the left side.
- install valve covers
- install injectors and all the wires associated with injectors.
- finish buttoning up top half of engine (intake manifold and air intake)
- install front mount
- oil change, coolant change, install spark plugs.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Woohoo, you'll be done by lunch!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Justatease:



Just a mock up; as I destroyed the spark plug seals on the intake manifold

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

So damned nice, jeez.

pbook4g5

Purdy

Yumcha

Very nice, Crabstick!

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Hey man, I'm offended. You stripped off the gorgeous paint job on the runners!

Love the crinkle red finish on the rocker covers. It gives a 'more than righteous' jdm look to any engine compartment. Job well done.

Last few pointers I can think of at this stage....
- don't strip anymore bolts.

- use plain water to rinse out the area behind the timing cover then dry with compressed air.

- install that pesky little noodle gasket on the timing cover as well as all bolts.

- use a fastener lubricant (ARP makes a great one) for the crank bolt before torquing it down.

- go easy on the torquing of the manifold bolts...they strip easily.

- make sure and use the 07-09 MDX plugs from now on. They have a longer electrode depth.

- change your oil/filter before startup. Be sure and use a GOOD quality filter such as an Oem one.

- double check valve clearances before installing the rocker covers. This also includes checking that the lock nut is properly torqued.

- on first start, make sure all ambient noises are quieted so that any unusual noises can be detected immediately.

- once finished, celebrate by installing a 100hp shot of nitrous to the vehicle asap.

Majofo

Are half of your suggestions or are you being cereal?

Majofo

Justn will botch every one of those points.. then add a bottle and we'll have a bottom end build.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

I'm curious how your car will drive after everything is complete. Wish I could see it in person :/

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

him too

nfnsquared

Go easy on those valve cover bolts as well. Use spec'd torque value (8.7 ft-lbs IIRC) or when they hit the stop, whichever comes first....

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I didn't realize they had a stop until I snapped one off, by hand, with a fkng little 1/4" ratchet in my palm

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I ended up using the threaded end of the battery tie down since the threading past the stop was still intact, I hand tightened it in there, then used a dremel to cut it to length and then put the washer and bolt on it.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

This was meant for who exactly?

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

You !

Also, make note: He's busting your coinpurse.

Majofo

you

why do the timing covers need clean water and compressed air and why does he need to replace the noodle gasket?

why can't he just use fresh clean oil to lube the cp bolt?

OE plugs for the X is the same for the TL..

There was a time when honda made decent filters (s2k filters / filtech).. Unless they changed vendors, it's pretty much a fram filter.

Why not suggest he do some dry cranks to listen for unusual noises.. by the time he turns it over, even if he catches unusual noises within a few seconds.. that could be hundreds of strikes. Now if we're talking vacuum leaks or misfires, I'm sure it would throw a code.

And then the comment about adding 100# bottle..

Educate me if I took this the wrong way..

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Not really sure what all the arrogance is all about but I'll go ahead and answer all the naive "questions" you have here so that you're clued in a little bit...

1. Nobody ever said a single thing about rinsing of the timing covers. If you go back and actually read what I typed, I was referring to the area BEHIND the timing covers. This is because any oil, lubricants, coolant, or other fluids that do not belong in this area can/will cause premature wear issues with the timing belt and it's associated components. As for the term "noodle gasket", its a loose term that refers to the small, thin, "noodle like" (think spaghetti noodle here) gasket that fits between the timing cover and the water pump, block, or head...depending on which cover you're dealing with.

2. He can clean and oil any bolt he wants I suppose but the reason I suggest adding a fastener lubricant to the crankshaft pulley is because over time, plain motor oil will eventually fade due to the heat (which breaks oil down over time) and not to mention the centrifugal force of the crank rotation slinging the oil out. An actual fastener lubricant (aka anti seize), as it's specifically made for, will effectively hold for 100k miles and aid in both the removal as well as the ability to properly torque the bolt by decreasing the heat/friction of the metal to metal contact that will prevent accurate readings during the torquing process.

3. No, the MDX spark plugs are NOT the same plugs as the TL's. This can be seen by simply reading the part numbers given directly from any online oem Acura parts site such as estore.acura.com. The 04-08 TL 3.2/3.5 spark plug oem part number is 9807B-5617W which are manufactured by NGK. The 07-09 MDX 3.7 spark plug oem part number is 9807B-5615W and are manufactured by Denso. Again, the reason they have a difference in plug design is due to the 3.7's larger bore which requires a slightly longer plug to effectively reach the ideal flame propagation point.

4. If you have ever compared an oem oil filter with just about ANY aftermarket oil filter, a simple cutaway will show you that the Honda oil filter uses much more "ravel" (again, here's another loose term) in their elements. Not to mention, the filter density of the filter is considerably more...again, for obvious reasons of added material. Honda even goes as far as using the factory oil filters on their twin turbo 500hp+ race engines. I doubt you will ever see a Fram oil filter stuck on this motor. This would be a comical sight. Not saying it doesn't happen though, Gates makes Hondas timing belts. Just not happening with the oil filter.

5. It was already said multiple times by myself and many others to hand spin the engine prior to startup. I'm referring to the point at which startup is done here. I'm not saying that he skip hand spinning the motor over and rely 100% on his reaction skills to kill the engine and save it had a mechanical mishap suddenly appear. That's absurd.

6. The nitrous comment...what about it? F*cking spray the sh*t out of it! I've been spraying all of my Hondas/Acura's that I've had to date. I currently drive two vehicles: a 1998 Accord that's boosted to hell (and back) on a stock j37. My second is a 2010 MDX that's got a 100hp dry shot......though it was initial meant jokingly, what???

7. You've been educated. Please don't try and confuse/misinform the OP here due to you naively arguing numerous (invalid) points.



Justin, spray the sh*t out of that car for us please.

Majofo

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

This is the problem with every single knowledgeable person on this site...they get to the point where they either can't take a joke, are unwilling to be questioned or question their own logic or what they are advising, and always assume they know exactly what you're talking about, what your tone is and that they definitely already know anything you might know or might have experienced (especially if it's contradictory).

Shame, really.

KR3J//

^^^My thoughts exactly.

From skimming a few pages here's some tips:

1) Always do a compression check if you're suspicious of compression loss. It's not worth skipping to find out something else was wrong.

2) Next time when you go to loosen the crank pulley bolt, do it while the car is still together minus the plastic covers. Get a 24"-32" long breaker bar. Place it on the crank pulley bolt with the handle towards the back of the car. Now get ready for this... Get in the car and bump the starter. Don't crank the car over like you're trying to start it, just just it a quick flip of the switch. The engine rotates clockwise if you are looking at it from the passenger side. What happens is the engine will rotate that breaker bar until it hits your A-arm and it's just enough to break that bolt loose. I could damn near turn it by hand after that. Now you know.

3) Replace the spark plug tube seals and valve cover gaskets. Don't reuse them (even if they came with them installed already). You don't know if they were used -which I promise they were- and you don't want spark plug tube seals to leak oil down onto your spark plugs or your freshly painted valve cover to give the rest of your engine a two tone red/dark brown oil colored scheme.

4) For the love of God please have Majofo be there to check over things before you fire it up for the first time. If everything is not perfect with the already sketchy timing job you may hear a very un-harmonic sound coming from your new valves and pistons when you start it.

KR3J//

Which may be just as well since the pistons should be replaced anyways. Can it run without doing it? Yes. Should it be ran with damaged pistons? No.

I could sit here and attempt to explain combustion chamber theory, how combustion occurs inside the chamber with a thermal video, and how the damage to the top of that piston went through a protective coating on the piston but it'll be tough. That damaged area -small as it may seem- will cause a hot spot and in time will crack. When fuel comes into that combustion chamber it will light the fuel early (before the spark plug fires) and cause pre-ignition. Now instead of lighting off properly at TDC the cylinders that have damage will be lighting off a few degrees before TDC. Your exhaust valves will not be able to scavenge all of the hot gases out because it is designed to withdraw at a certain rate and close to begin the next stroke. So now you have heat that is trying to find any other way out and a damage that is beginning to crack. The crack will leave tiny metal shavings which will rapidly act like sandpaper against your cylinder walls and damage your now very heated piston rings. (That's where the leftover unscavenged exhaust gases will try and go, past the rings.)
What happens when a cylinder ignites before TDC and the other cylinders are firing correctly at TDC? Basically it's putting an opposing force on that cylinder, piston rod, and your crankshaft, twisting it. Now it's slight but now there is increased heat and stress on the bearings on your entire rotating assembly. It's not a matter of if the bottom end will go, it's a matter of when.

I would recommend doing periodic compression checks and invest in a magnetic drain plug. It could be worth going as far as to install an exhaust gas temperature (EGT) gauge to monitor increasing exhaust temps. It's a good way to monitor what may be a bad to worse condition. If your EGTs go from say 650 degrees to 825 degrees you'll know the crack/heat/cylinder wall is getting worse and could pull the motor early and reuse what parts you can.

This is just knowledge I've gathered from being an ASE mechanic, AMP Aircraft Mechanic and now Engineer. Best of luck guys, I'm pulling for ya!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Majofo

Justn is right now..

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Understandably so!

nfnsquared

Meh, I'd like to see each piston after it's cleaned. Really hard to see if there is any true damage with the carbon build up.

And I haven't even seen a valve stem for proof of bent valves yet....

Majofo

Did you do a compression test crabs? I don't expect much variation, just wondering.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

prediction

TacoBello

No wonder you have 30,000 posts. Because you're allowed to post stupid shit like this that adds ZERO relevance to the conversation. And rather then scroll through a thread with 100 productive posts, everyone reading has to scroll through garbage like yours.

Honestly, you aren't saying ANYTHING that isn't on peoples minds already. For the love of Christ, PLEASE stop it. On any other forum, you would have been banned long ago for not providing productive messages. I can't believe this is allowed to continue, endlessly.

Even if the OP is your buddy, you don't need to spam threads like crazy. Gah...

*Now awaiting rhetorical remarks justifying pointless posts*

OP, I'm really curious to see how your car works out in the end. I'm vouching for you, with hopes that everything works out a-ok. The red crinkle coat on the valve covers looks fantastic too- you're making me rethink my next move!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Somehow your post ejaculating your opinion is more relevant to the thread than a set of smilies used to convey a response?

I should not post something that I should assume someone else is thinking?

You're lucky I'm at work and in a good mood...I don't need to justify anything I do but I can guarantee you if you'd done a little more homework about your opinion on me here and other forums I'm active on, you'd be hard pressed to justify what you just said about me not adding anything of value. Take a second to look up the DIY's and constant information sharing over the years.

Fk, guess I just justifed myself. Pretty clever of you to preemptively state that I would to discredit the impending retort

I'll expect your apology in writing.

1black_seven

iTrader: (2)

Apparently Le reddit army is here

OP way to go, that engine looks purty.

Majofo

This is fucking hilarious.. Taco Bell is butt hurt.. how ironic.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Shouldn't have used the fire sauce

Majofo

Last time I had tacobello.. I blew it out my ass so furiously, it took the patina off the bowl. I then subsequently refinished the bowl in a red crinkle coat.

Vlad_Type_S

iTrader: (3)

Taco,

TacoBello

Reading comprehension > you.

I never once said you don't add any value. I said your smilie face posts are useless. I fail to see how writing nothing more then:

:wh at:

adds value, but clearly I'm mistaken. I will follow suit and start spamming as well. Good day, sir.

:r ockon::roc kon:

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I apologize if I inferred that you ALSO didn't think I add value, since you gave no mention of any redeeming quality I might posses in your little :ghey: rant. I've never once given post count a thought...nor another member's inability to understand what I mean by my smilie posts.

and if you come into a JustinSpace thread looking for content, relevance, or guidance...then your'e the one that doesn't catch on too quickly.

Also, if you're going to be condescending and a pseudo intellect...get the use of "then and than" straightened out. It'll help your credibility.

TacoBello

Sorry for the spelling mistake, I was "at work and in a good mood". You know, working hard. Posting hard.

TacoBello

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

You're barking up the wrong tree, sweetheart. You didn't spell it wrong, it's the word you intended, you just got the context of when to use which wrong...far more serious offense. I almost let it slide until you decided to be condescending about my ability to comprehend. What I meant by being at work and in a good mood is that I do not curse in writing on my work computer. I'm not hard, never claimed to be...but you coming in and spewing your personal opinion in an abrasive manner won't fly.

Life>You

Aawwww, shiettt...oh no he dient.

Glad I could help you be part of the problem.