It would be best if the push rods went back in the same locations as they came from but it is not critical like it is with the lifters.
Hum.... I am cleaning my lifters one by one ... and I always test that the ball makes a perfect seal by "sucking" on the plunger (with the side port blocked). The ball holds a perfect seal but when i let go (holding the plunger vertically w ball below)... the ball stays about 6 seconds stuck to the plunger and then falls (6-7 sec later) !!!! Does this mean there is a magnetic attraction between both ? Is this bad ? (ball never "unchecks" to let the oil flow back)
As far as I understand how the hydraulic lifter works, the checkball should only unseat when the oil level in it is low; it should hold pressure for a long time. It could well be magnetic; but the spring should hold the ball in the seated position until lack of oil or pressure overcomes it and the lifter is refilled. The oil pan on that model can be removed from underneath, there are specialy cut holes in the cross-member that line up with the bolts in the pan. The pan is flat, there are no crankshaft seals on it like on other engines. So in theory removal and installation can be accomplished easily from underneath. In order to clear the oil pick-up tube, you'll have to probably jack the engine up; and from the sounds of things, if you are doing this job outside with only the barest of tools that will mean relying on jackstands and bottle jacks. Definitely not recommended. Do not, under any circumstances, rely on the factory jack to do any high lifting, or to work under the car. It would probably be better to bolt up the car as it is and carefully drive it to a place where you can rebuild that engine. As the others have said with far more eloquence than I can, that engine is very, very tired and needs to be overhauled, there is nothing left.
Thanks. I do plan to take the pan off. I did notice the holes in the cross member. As far as pulling the pan out I had wished that I do not need to pull the engine up. Are you saying I will have to ? Why ? The oil pick up will be in the way ? I use a hydraulic floor lift and will put the car on jacks. How would I push the engine up ? (and where should I push not to damage anything?) Do I need to do something with the engine blocks it rests on ? Unbolt anything or by just pushing the engine up it will lift a little and give me enough clearance ?
Roland, Before you get any deeper into that engine - I would recommend that you give some serious thought to your situation. You are in a parking garage where you are not supposed to be working on your car. You are working on a 40-plus year old engine that is 5,000 km from good parts sources. That engine will be apart for a long time. If leaving the car where it is for months is going to be a problem; I would put it back together and get it out of there right now. Find a place where you can work on it, and do the engine overhaul there. The car got where it is under it's own power (didn't it?), It can leave under it's own power as well. Just my opinion. Good luck, whatever you choose to do.
I totally agree with you. Its the wise approach and truly I don't plan to dismantle anything else on the engine... except: the oil pan. It all started because when I changed the oil the oil pan bolt was very hard to take out and when we put it back in it suddenly spun freely... The welded nut inside the pan broke loose and we can neither take the bolt out (tried) or tighten it more, so we put a huge wad of sealant to keep it from leaking. I absolutely need to take the pan off to repair/weld it. That is my main priority. I can either take it to a friend's garage where he can help me (but I have to get it done within the day) or I can take my time (sort of) in my parking garage if I can remove the oil pan alone (can I ?). Other than that I will stop dismantling things on the engine (brakes and bearings are next !).
Rj, pard, you need to just slow down some and not take so much apart at once.... go easy and learn as you go,,, we all admire your spunk,, but I am afraid you will overwhelm yourself and get discouraged... you are fighting a lot of odds,,,,, things that can really come back to bite you.... when you get something on the car fixed, then it is fixed and you can move on to the next thing.... be carefull, my friend.......
Let's go exponential. Square that!! On one of the first "project" Rivieras I got into, I wound up in that spot. I tore everything down. When everything was apart, I stepped back and looked at how much was yet to be done. I drove the car home, drove it around some, but when it was totally torn down, it was overwhelming. The car left my house (not a parking garage) on a trailer and in boxes. Every once in a while, I think I find something that should have gone with that car. The purchaser and I have mutual friends and I heard that after a couple of years, the guy who bought it from me wound up selling it just as he bought it. We probably both lost $$$ on that one. Ed
Alright you have all got me worried... and the adrenaline level rising to get this one back together soon (i've actually also dismantled some of the interior, dash, exterior trim, bumpers, lights, gas tank !!!).... My plan was to get all together for spring but it already feels like spring here in Paris (cold will probably be back soon).... My greatest concern at this time is getting that damn oil pan off to repair it For the rest I'll schedule everything over the next two months and assume it will take an additional month so by May i'll should be fine ray: Anyone want to plan a trip over and visit the french countryside with me and my italian girlfriend ?
You'll have to release the motor mounts and prop up the engine. You can probably get away with supporting the whole mess on the harmonic balancer for a short while while you remove the pan, but be very carefull; if the jack slips the whole works comes down in a hurry. I wouldn't rcommend this approach. The best way would be to support the engine from above, but in a parking garage that would probably be impossible. Chocking up the motor mounts might be another option, but be carefull because the pan needs to clear these. You do not have to disconnect the transmission or the exhaust, there should be enough slack in these systems to lift the engine about 4-6 inches, which is all you'll need to clear the oil pick-up. I've done it with the jack supporting the balancer, and it scared the hell out of me, so if you do it this way be very careful as to how you support it. Good luck...
What does "Chocking up the motor mounts" mean ? How many bolts are there per motor mount ? (I guess I only need to do the two front ones and not the transmission one?)
After you get the engine high enough use pieces of wood between the mounts & frame. Then you don't have to rely on the jack. Using the harmonic balancer is also not the greatest idea. On a '60 I don't know if there's enough room but I would use another piece of wood & use the front lip of the oil pan.
Tom beat me to it. I don't like to see the harmonic balancer used as a support either. To chock or block the engine mounts means to place wooden blocks between the mount and the engine (or frame) to support the engine at a greater then normal height. Before you jack up the engine, give some thought to the distributor cap to firewall clearance. Buicks are usually OK, but some rear-distributor engines may have cap-to-firewall clearance issues with the engine jacked up. Be absolutely sure that the engine is well-supported before you put your hands between the engine and the crossmember. If the engine slips and comes crashing down, it could ruin your entire day.
This is scary for me. If, the engine comes down; the engine dropping, could cause the car fall, also. Be very, very sure of your jackstands and chocks.
Yeah, I wanted to use the front lip of the oil pan, but there wasn't enough room to get the pan off. You guys are absolutely right about the balancer not being the perfect thing to use, but in that case I had no choice, I had a piston blow apart and I needed to replace it so I could use the car. It was a '60 Invicta, and it was a POS. I did the car in the parking lot of my apartment at the time outside, - so I had to do something fast. I picked up the car, supported it on jack-stands, and then using a bottle jack and a stack of blocks I lifted the motor up just enough to get the pan clear and then put it down into the mounts again. Installation went the same way; pick it up, set the pan back in, lower the block, and then goof up the gasket upon bolting it up because I couldn't see past the crossmember. Please understand that what I've suggested here is not recommended nor is it safe, if you are going to do this be very, very careful and keep your fingers away from pinch points. I was very lucky, as that block could have slid off the balancer at any time, or the balancer could have broke. (which is what I expected it to do) If you are going to do this, make sure you have someone around who can help out in case you get into trouble. But emergency circumstances call for drastic and sometimes stupid risks, especially when one is broke and needs a vehicle for a new job the next day. (I still have that job, and it's been 25 years) You would be better off to rent an engine crane and support the block from the top. This would allow you to hang the motor for an extended period of time, and actually see what you are doing. Good luck, and remember you were designed to have ten fingers...
Just to add to that post above, - when I did that job both heads were off and the intake manifold and distributor were out, so firewall clearance wasn't an issue. It may be a problem, because if I remember the 60 Buick right, that distributor is right in front of the firewall, there's next to no clearance for it. Personally, I'd just pack that plug full of goo or defcon it in place and worry about it again when the motor comes out for a rebuild. The motor is pretty much shot anyway, and it's beyond the point where oil changes would help it anymore. You're just tempting fate by dismantling it in a parking garage that you could be forced out of at any minute. I'd sooner tow the thing out to it's next home rather than go through that mess all over again.
