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no smoke that im aware of coming from the tailpipe. last week i changed out the coolant with fresh coolant based on my other post of noticing high temp coolant when ac's on recirculation. my mechanic friend took a tool that screws on the radiator where the cap goes and pressurized the system to remove any air in the system. it looked like it was holding steady pressure thorough the time he bled air (think of it similar process to bleeding brakes). if there was any holes i would imagine it would be losing pressure and/or fluid be weeping out of somewhere. the waterpump weep hole was fine (i drained the old coolant from this spot along with the peacok and bottom driver-side radiator hose).
Ok, good. No leaks . I suggest you still burp the coolant, simply go for a drive and park your SS front bumper higher then rear bumper, let cool off overnight and check coolant level at the fill cap in the morning , top up if required.
Today, just a wipe down of the dusty dash board and a little 303 protectant . Sweetie’s off to a few appointments in the BlackSwan, so I’ll cut the lawn.
Drove back to the_shmoo’s place to finish up his 2006 2LT we changed timing and balance shaft chains on Wednesday, today we changed thermostat, rad hoses , radiator and Dexcool, then started it up! He primed the oil pump , with fuel pump fuse #13 out , turned the engine over 3 times, put the fuse back into the fuse box and he turned the ignition key, it fired right up!
here’s some photos
New powder coated valve cover, installed The 16 year old 131-158 thermostat You can see some marks on the brass where it was sticking A little closer look The other side, these are marks indicating a failing thermostat.
Today, I replaced the thermostat, there were marks on the brass part similar to the photos I posted for the_shmoo’s HHR ,
only his was 16 years old! Mine just 20 months. I then jacked it up, put it on safety stands and drained the engine oil, then removed the oil pan!
The dip stick must be loosened from the intake manifold, to access that 10 mm bolt, I removed the throttle body, then the hose to the brake vacuum booster. I’m done for the day! Tomorrow, it’s time to clean the gasket surfaces and apply Permatex black , oil resistant RTV . It’ll work much better then the kitchen and bathroom tile caulking someone used before I bought this HHR 3 years ago. Seriously, I’ve never seen white silicone for automotive engine use, have you?
Seriously, I’ve never seen white silicone for automotive engine use, have you?
I’ve seen 3M 5200 marine sealant used on cooling systems. It’s white. Urethane based. A bit slow to cure. Pretty good stuff, it’s adhesive, too, MUCH more adhesive than silicone, use is allowed under water and can be applied to wet parts, but I don’t know that automotive an intended use. I wouldn’t use it, don’t know how it tolerates heat.
Me either, this stuff is still wet where the components clamp together along the oil pan and engine girdle rails, it wipes off with a rag and brake cleaner spray.
The oil pan rails , still need to be cleaned The dipstick tube and front side of the engine Timing chain end of the engine Transmission end of the engine This was a piece that peeled off the oil pan Piece of the sealant excess inside the engine
This morning, I’m headed out into the garage to reassemble the oil pan and start it up, burp the coolant and then, clean the driveway. The oil drip marks aren’t very pretty!
The surfaces cleaned up perfectly with brake parts spray, then Dawn and water, I applied the Permatex Black Oil resistant RTV silicone and put the pan up in position, finger tightened two bolts, and let the sealant firm up while, I threaded in the rest of the pan bolts , then finger tight only for the 4 large bolts that attached to the transmission, the one bolt for the A/C compressor, I then installed a new oring on the dip stick tube and reinstalled that, put the bolt back thru the oil dipstick tube bracket that mounts to the intake manifold, reconnected the brake booster vacuum hose, reinstalled the throttle body, I cleaned it last night! Then I had lunch, after 3 hours, I torqued the oil pan bolts to 18 ft/lbs those large bolts to 65 ft/lbs. I added oil and reconnected the positive terminal on the battery.
It fired right up! I let it idle to temperature, then let it cool off , to burp it!
I put half a quart in, topped up the overflow tank, put the rad cap on and went for a 20 minute drive in the country, I parked front bumper high, I’m letting it cool off overnight, to get any air out of the cooling system.
I’ll check the Dexcool in the morning!
Looking good there..
