Steve B. > writes:

>Man you just can't win on this one. Looking on the bright side at
>least you have learned a heck of a lot during this experience. Most
>of the problems you have run in to would have been run in to at a shop
>as well. They might have been able to deal with them easier but it
>still would have added to the repair bill.

Yeah. If I didn't have the opportunity to do it myself I would have junked
the car a while ago. Even doing it myself it's been way more expensive than
I predicted. There is the learning aspect of it too obviously, but I'm
forced to ask myself: is any of the knowledge I've acquired anything I have
a taste for ever using again? ;-)

I mean for real, how many manufacturers both use a weird ass bolt in the
timing tensioner AND mount it into an easily broken place? If it wasn't for
that rounded bolt I would have been driving last Tuesday. Everything else
I've had to buy and do is pursuant to that one damn bolt and the cretin who
rounded it off for me: new bolt, new tensioner, new oil pump, new crank
timing gear. Around $300 in unforeseen costs - almost enough for a new
beater!

Not to mention using a week of vacation to work on a stupid car. Not that
turning a wrench isn't relaxing in some ways, but having to continually beg
for help on the internet with the latest frustrating problem gets old quick.
It's funny how real-life friends with mechanical ability seem to make
themselves especially scarce when you've got something you could really use
help with.

At least I know I haven't taken any shortcuts or put any questionable/broken
crap back in there. That's more than I can say for most people who I've
*paid* to work on my car... for example:

I had an alignment at D***s about a year ago when I put a new steering rack
on. They twisted up my steering boots, and then tried to tell me that the
boots don't matter when I told them to fix it. I became fed up with arguing
with their service manager and straightened the boots out myself.

Then earlier this year before my head gasket leak was identified, I put new
struts, ball joints, tie rod ends, and bushings on my front end, then had an
alignment done at Pl**a T**e. I specifically instructed them to fix the
steering boots once they were done setting the toe and they said they would.
Well the alignment fixed things up so nice, I was really enjoying driving,
and I didn't even look at the boots until now when I got the car up on
jackstands to do the head gasket. They were twisted. I straightened them
out again (why is this *my* job?) Lo and behold, one of them has a hole
ripped in it from being bound up. So now I get to replace at least one boot
(probably will do both) because someone at a national chain didn't do their
damn job - *again*. Oh, and one of my camber wedges is missing since the
last alignment. Did it fall out on the road, or did they just forget to put
it back in as I should expect?

The only shop I've had luck with is a local Autocraft. It is run by an old
timer who is sometimes hard to communicate with (too much solvents?) but
they have always charged a price that is beyond fair, and I have never had
reason to question any of the work they have done. Unfortunately they only
do suspension and exhaust work and are sometimes way too busy to get anyone
in for several days ahead.

>There is at least a fighting chance that you can just loosen the oil
>pan bolts and drop the pan down enough to clear the studs.

Fortunately that problem's done with. I used channel locks to get the studs
out as another poster suggested and the pump is off. (woo.. my main bearing
looks neato in there)

I will have the new pump in hand tomorrow, clean off the block and the piece
of oil pan it mounts to, install new o-rings to the oil passages (should I
spray them out with brake cleaner while I have the opportunity?), and use
permatex black to seal the pump as recommended here. (It appears that the
new pump will arrive as a sealed unit so hopefully it will be already
primed.) Then the timing gear will go on with anti-seize, timing belt put
on, valves adjusted on the new head, the oil replaced, and I will wait
overnight for the RTV to completely set up before attempting to start the
car FINALLY.

>Usually when I replace an oil pan gasket I don't use RTV on it. I just use
>enough to tack the gasket down in a few spots so it won't get out of place
>while putting the pan back up.

That's what's suggested in the manual, but other people with the same car
have complained about the cork OEM gaskets leaking if installed according to
the instructions.

>The manufacturer didn't use RTV and it did not leak.

I'm not sure what the manufacturer used. The current state of the oil pan
is that it definitely has some kind of red or orange sealer all around the
flange, and fortunately it has never leaked while I've owned the car.
Hopefully I'll be able to avoid dropping the oil pan since the pump is off
now.

Thanks Steve.