2 questions 1 thread

[Project ES]

Ok, heres the situation......I just finished a rebuild and swap from nt/at to t/mt. I bought an a/f gauge b4 I knew it was jus a dumb lightshow for ur gauge pod. I need to know what i can do to tell if my car is running correctly, my gauge never comes out of the lean section, but it also does the same exact thing when my o2 sensor is unplugged. Do I have a bad o2 sensor or is something else making this read like this. I have a 1g and I used the port under the passenger side kick panel to wire in the gauge. Is this a good spot or am I not getting a reading? I would like to find out if my car is running good enough to take it on the road and for its 1st test drive. I jus dont wanna burn up stuff cuz its running lean.

Second.........Am i better off using an oem valve cover gasket? I got one w/ my fel-blo gasket set but its leaking out the front onto my exhaust cam gear and spraying oil everywhere. I know its not good to have oil on the belt so i wanna try and take care of this asap. I used silicone in all the corners and ive tried having the bolts loose and tight, nothing seems to work. Im hoping i dont have a cracked valve cover and this will be an easy fix. Thanx for any and all help w/ the subjects. And Yes I have done my research, most threads dont answer questions pretaining to my problems specificly. PLEEZ HELP

 

[tsunari]

A lean reading on your lightshow gauge (whether it's plugged in or not) means it's either not getting a signal from the O2 sensor or getting a very LOW signal (~0v). So I'd either look for a bad connection, or might even be a bad sensor. But only further tests and symptoms would help determine that.

As for the VC gasket . . . I've used the ones from the dealership and OEM -- neither have leaked.

 

[Project ES]

Thank you for your help. Is anyone using the o2 signal wire under the dash on the passenger side to get their readings or is there a better place i should be hooked up. I was gonna hook up the lead str8 to the output from the ECU or even run a wire directly to the sensor itself, anyone recommend these options? My car seems to run the same wether the o2 sensor is plugged in or not, would this mean it is not funtioning? Also, what methods are people using to install their VC gasket? I was told to jus use a lil bit of rtv sealant in the corners around the cam arches and i was also told to jus use it on both sides of the gasket all the way around. The help is very much appreciated.

 

[tsunari]

Thank you for your help. Is anyone using the o2 signal wire under the dash on the passenger side to get their readings or is there a better place i should be hooked up. I was gonna hook up the lead str8 to the output from the ECU or even run a wire directly to the sensor itself, anyone recommend these options? My car seems to run the same wether the o2 sensor is plugged in or not, would this mean it is not funtioning? Also, what methods are people using to install their VC gasket? I was told to jus use a lil bit of rtv sealant in the corners around the cam arches and i was also told to jus use it on both sides of the gasket all the way around. The help is very much appreciated.

Pretty much all the connections I've ever made to signal wires, I've done right @ the ECU. But I'm fairly anal and also soldered all of the connections . . . I dont have an A/F gauge like yours, but if I did have one, I most likely would still have soldered the connection right @ the ECU.

Point and case:
Up under my dash, I have ONE wire that I didn't solder- instead I used a vampire crimp to tap into a 12v supply for some gauges. Well, problem with it is, it's physically connected just fine. However, the electrical connection is a bit flakey and on bumpy roads my boost & EGT gauges reset themselves (mental note . . .still have to fix that damned thing . . . )

As for the VC gasket, I dont think there is any super secret method I use to put it all together. just pretty much make sure there are no scratches/scars on the sealing surface of the head (I.E. from some bonehead using a screwdriver to pry the VC off). Because if it's not pretty much perfectly flat and un-scared, you'll develope an oil leak wherever the gouge is. Other than that, make sure you torque the bolts down to proper spec and don't OVER torque em. And the RTV . . . sounds like you're doing it righ. If you have a Service manual, take a look in there- they have the . . . . 3 or 4 places you really NEED to have RTV outlined in one of the chaperts.

-Tsunari

 

[Project ES]

Turns out the wires for my o2 sensor that are inside the heat sleeve were lil bit melted and almost touching eachother. I used some electrical tape to re-wrap each wire and now it seems to read jus fine. thank god. I do plan on purchasing a new o2 sensor for those of u who might say something bout the half ass tape job.

As for the valve cover......I took mine off and checked it for cracks and found none, Ill keep looking but i dont see any. Also I dont think this leak is my only problem, its spewing down the front of the motor from somewhere behind the alternator and p/s pump. i can see where its wet but not where its coming from. Im in the process of taking the side of the motor back apart to see if i didnt tighten something or if something else is cracked or broke. What should idle oil press. be? mines between 25 and 30 psi. Ill post when i find out what the problem is. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Project ES]

Ok, Ive taken the power steering pump and side cover off and after cleaning up the oil I started it again to see where the oil was coming from. I found out that its jus spewing out of the valve cover. Ive tried putting on the gasket by itself, ive tried just putting rtv over the humps for the cam gears/cas, and ive tried putting rtv on both sides of the gasket and letting it sit for like 15 hours. IT STILL WONT SEAL Has anyone else had this ploblem when putting a new gasket on their motor? Its a Fel-Blo gasket, I was wondering if i should get one from the dealership(oem) and would that make a difference or is there some ancient dsm wiseman trick that I need to do to seal this damn thing. Its leaking out of the back of the ex. cam hump where it meets the head surface and the flat section between the 2 humps. I dont even wanna take it on the road till I can get this under control, Someone PLEEEEEEZ HELP

 

[tsunari]

Ok, Ive taken the power steering pump and side cover off and after cleaning up the oil I started it again to see where the oil was coming from. I found out that its jus spewing out of the valve cover. Ive tried putting on the gasket by itself, ive tried just putting rtv over the humps for the cam gears/cas, and ive tried putting rtv on both sides of the gasket and letting it sit for like 15 hours. IT STILL WONT SEAL Has anyone else had this ploblem when putting a new gasket on their motor? Its a Fel-Blo gasket, I was wondering if i should get one from the dealership(oem) and would that make a difference or is there some ancient dsm wiseman trick that I need to do to seal this damn thing. Its leaking out of the back of the ex. cam hump where it meets the head surface and the flat section between the 2 humps. I dont even wanna take it on the road till I can get this under control, Someone PLEEEEEEZ HELP

any way you could get a picture of exactly where you're applying the RTV to the head? maybe you're just putting it in the wrong spot . . .

 

[Project ES]

any way you could get a picture of exactly where you're applying the RTV to the head? maybe you're just putting it in the wrong spot . . .

I put RTV on the whole suface of the head and I put it in the groove on the valve cover all the way around. There is no section untouched by rtv. I went the Excessive use route the 3rd time i put this damn thing on. I dont get it, why does it keep seeping out of the same spot everytime.