Any tips to make it easier?

 

Bolts hold alternator on cylinder head. What a reason to unscrue it. Look! if alternator and PS pump are removed U need less then 2 hours to remove heads, drop oil pan and pull out pistons.... to strip engine is longer deal then to take it apart.

Some tips. I did not turn crankshaft for pushrods installing, I just titen rocker bolts and that was all. The next problem - small made of rubber ore silicone gasket. I uses RTV, else it leaks. You may use RTV nearly everiwere but not with usual enthusiasm... so funny to see holes in cyl. heads clogged with RTV.

Warren. Belive me it is not so difficult to work on aero's engine. It seems difficult till we discuss how to do it, really it is less then weekend to fix your van. Just bue air intake gasket kit.

 

I finished replacing the intake gaskets on my 4liter engine yesterday. I started on July 4 morning, but had to stop mid afternoon as it just got too hot to work outside. Resumed on July 5 morning, stopped mid afternoon as it got too hot again. So I went to get supplies (new fan belt and more RTV), lunch, and by early evening I had all the intake stuff put back together.

It is possible to do this without removing the front accessories, but having the AC compressor and alternator (which mount on a bracket with the tensioner and idler pulleys on my engine) out of there allows easier access to the front bolts/nuts. And besides, I had to replace the front cover gasket today, so almost all the front accessories have been removed.

It's definitely faster when you have all the parts readily available. For example, make sure you have plenty of RTV around, as what Fel-Pro gives you in their package is just barely enough. My fan belt had chunks missing from the rib side, so I had to get a replacement.

Here are a couple of things I found out that made things easier:

Drain the coolant, as you will be getting into water passages.

You have to remove the air box, MAF sensor, and air tube to see anything.

If you are going to remove the front accessories, you will have to start with removing the fan belt. The simplest way I've found to do this so far is to relieve the tension from the belt by turning the tensioner pulley with a 16mm socket wrench. I used a 3/8" ratchet with a pipe on the end for leverage. It was the only combination small enough to get into the tight space. Maybe a box end wrench might work better, but you still need something for leverage.

I had pretty bad oil leaks from the intake manifold gasket. They turned most everything into grimy messes. I used a degreaser and a grout brush to scrub them away. It took over an hour to see metal on most of the surfaces, but it made working on them a lot easier.

There are vacuum lines with spring clamps that hold them to the fittings on the vacuum tree. I used a small long-nosed Vice-Grip plier to grab and hold them open so I can pull them off the clamped area. I set the pliers to open about 1/8" when clamped down so they don't deform the clamps.

On my 1990 model, there was a stubby piece of rubber hose that connected between the upper plenum to what appeared to be the PCV valve in the driver's side valve cover. That valve had plastic fittings pointing forward that broke easily. I had to epoxy to epoxy it back together. On the 1991 model, the valve had an upward pointing fitting, and appeared to be metal, so it survived the motion of the upper plenum being removed.

Any wires, vacuum lines, or linkages that are disconnected should be labeled and moved out of the way. The main wiring harness can be left on the lower intake manifold; just disconnect the two big connectors on the front, the two in the back, and the various connectors that go to the sensor and actuators on the upper plenum. The oil level sensor switch (if you have one) has a skinny wire clip that keeps its connector in place. You can pull it out with sharp tweezers.

A lot of wire bundles are strapped down to more stable structures using plastic push-pins. The easiest way to pop them loose is still a panel popper tool designed specifically for those types of fasteners. Either that or a garden fork for pulling weeds.

 

Thank you all for the tips, Im working alof of extra hours lately, and don't know if Ill have much time to do much this week, but Ill get started if I can. I am going to remove some pieces then recheck for leakage, just to make sure.

It hasn't used much oil since I bought it, I would say 1/4 liter every change or so. Im pricing out an engine just in case, because Im debating on changing it yet, or in fact, selling it as is. Simply because I don't have the time to get it all done.

I also have a 1992 VW Jetta that Im working on. I pulled the engine in september and haven't done more than a days work on it since, just no time between a new baby, job, bills, etc...you know what Im talking about here!

 

I have 3 girlfriends. 2 of them live in Lugansk, one in 50 miles from Lugansk.

My Aero is under repare. I want to repaint her. But I drive her nearly every mornong and every evening. She looks lake dalmatime. When my aero is in workshop I drive Ranger.