What a bitch of a job that is. It didn't take as long as the turbo install but it was way more tedious. I did it by myself in about 10 hours and just finished now. I would have done a DIY for you all to see but I have to get it running by Monday for work. I haven't started it up yet, since it is late and everyone is already asleep. I will start it tomorrow and let you know the outcome. Wish me luck.


Also, are the connecting rod nuts the only bolts on the car that are 13mm? I found that kind of strange and puzzling...

 

ah yeah man i just finished a ring job on my teg too. I used JE pregapped rings which was cool, what rings did you use?

 

I got some Nippon rings off ebay for $40. They fit fine and everything works. Fired the car up this morning and it started and ran without a hitch.

 

what special tools are need to to this?

 

You need a cylinder hone with 400 grit stones, a ring compressor, a ridge reamer if you need to remove the ridge of carbon from the top of the cylinder walls, a ton of sockets, new headgasket, and a ton of time/patience.

 

Nippon rings huh...h: Don't forget new bearings on that list, lots of brake cleaner, etc.

 

I didn't get new bearings. Oops.

 

Well you don't technically need to replace them, but it's a good idea. Just make sure they are clean and don't get any kind of dirt/sand/debris on them when reassembling the motor.

 

The biggest thing I worried about was whether the bearings were on there correctly, so I didn't spin a bearing on startup. Everything was good though. I would have replaced the bearings if I either had more time or they needed replacing. They were all good and tight, so I didn't bother.

 

I am having a minor problem after the replacement. My oil pressure is really low. It registers about 40 psi at 3000rpms and 10 psi at idle. Is there something I may have overlooked when I reassembled it? I think it may either be the oil pickup or the oil squirters.