TDC-Verification

Pritchard · 12-01-1999, 05:29 AM

I have a '74 2.0L. I have just had the heads pretty much rebuilt. Now it is time to adjust the valves.

With all the cleaning and other stuff that has gone on in the past two weeks with the engine torn apart, the crank shaft has been rotated with the distributor out of the engine. I need some verification that I have located TDC correctly. Here's what I have done so far:

*** turned crank so that fan has TDC mark at notch in fan housing, also the notch on flywheel is lined up with the seam in the case, cyl. #1 is at the top of its lift.

Can I assume that the engine is at TDC now and install the distributor?

Am I being too paranoid? I think I am still suffering from "sticker shock" from the price of rebuilding the heads.

Thanks for y'alls help.

Pritchard

roadtrp204 · roadtrp204's Garage

The timing marks will line up for TDC of both the compression and exhaust strokes of cylinder #1. Your looking for TDC of the compression stroke. Both valves are closed preceeding TDC of the compression stroke, while the exhaust valve is open preceeding TDC of the exhaust stroke. You can also feel the compression building through the spark plug hole if you can reach it.

JP Noonan · 12-01-1999, 07:11 PM

If you removed the dizzy useing the 13mm nut that holds it to the block, it can't go back in wrong. Just turn the rotor until things line up and put the dizzy back in.

If you lossened the long 10mm nut on the clamp then you need to re-time the car. I trust the slash mark on the flywheel much more than the fan marks. Sounds like you have things right. To do the basic "static" timing a test light can be used to find out when the points are opening. Look at the PP tech article but I think you turn the dizzy until the point "just" start to open. This will get the motor to run so a timing light can be used. Don't forget to set the dwell BEFORE timing.

While the dist is out I'd put in new point's if they have more than a few thousand miles on them. They're cheap, but bad ones (I had a set go out after 3 months) kill the car.

Conrad W Peden · Conrad W Peden's Garage

Just out of curiosity. How much did you pay to rebiuld your heads.

Pritchard · 12-02-1999, 04:17 AM

I figured out the dizzy problem last night. I was not aware that you can't get the dizzy installed incorrectly. The drive tabs on the dizzy are slightly offset so they won't seat properly in the drive shaft if the dizzy is 180 degrees off. Anyway, that is taken care of and the valves have been adjusted. Just a couple more pieces of engine tin to reinstall and the engine goes back in the car.

To answer Conrad's question about the $$ of head rebuild. First of all, I have a 2.0L. This instantly raises the price for some of the parts. Namely the valves. My heads were in terrible shape. The exhaust valve guides that a PO had installed were CAST IRON. They were worn so bad that you could have put one of those fat 1st grade pencils through the guide. Also, the iron guides were oversized so I had to put in oversized valve guides. I had the surface decked by .011" to clean up some damage from flying debris and to correct for warpage. I had new HD springs put in. I had the machine shop replace all 8 exhaust studs due to negligence on my part. All 4 spark plug holes had small cracks in them so we put in inserts. Two valve seats needed to be replaced. And one exhaust valve was bent and had to be replaced. The owner at the shop said in his 27 years he had never seen heads in such bad shape. This guy specializes in air-cooled engines so I feel pretty good about what he told me. And to my surprise, he had worked on a 914 2.0L just the week before. Drum roll please..............$500.

Not too bad considering that a rebuilt head goes for about $900. My wife disagrees with me however!

Thanks to all who have offered their advice!

Pritchard

JP Noonan · 12-02-1999, 09:50 AM

For what it's worth I thinks that's a FAIR price. A deal? Not really, but if the work all specs out then it sounds pretty fair. After taking out the price of the new valve (what? $60-$80) plus $6-$8 per stud and the welding you're down to about what the mail order guys want. Didn't seem like there was much of a turn-around time either, that's worth something.