84 fieor-- 94 N* swap (Page 17/24)
Will MAY 31, 12:09 PM

quote
Originally posted by mcfrandon:

lots of updates to post and took some pictures i can post tomorrow. Im currently stuck on something unexpected with the intake manifold swap... i was installing the new gasket for the obd2 intake and realized there will be nothing covering the old slits in each cylinder head intake port for the EGR system on the 94.



Those can be filled with epoxy. Carefully file it smooth afterward. Also, putting a '95-'99 water manifold on the '94 engine blocks off the EGR passages where the water manifold bolts to the cylinder heads.


quote
Originally posted by mcfrandon:
im also concerned with this type of newer gasket and the fact that it will only be using 2 bolts per side instead of 5. just another bump in the road i guess



Sounds like you have a '00 or newer intake manifold... That won't fit the older engines without a lot more work.
mcfrandon MAY 31, 03:56 PM
No its off a 97 seville. there are 2 gaskets, one for each bank. They 2000 and later ones i believe it was just a gasket on the manifold you replace all 8 individually. The 4 bolts that held the 94 intake on still fit in the new intake and also secure the beauty cover, but when i pulled it off the 97 there were 3 more bolts on each side and on the 94 heads they are just alignment holes with no threads. Im sure it will work just concerned if it will have enough pressure to it to seal this different gasket. Ill post pics in a few after i resize them
mcfrandon MAY 31, 05:03 PM
heres the new gasket which looks like it will be a close fit and i might have to shave the alignment dowels off the ends. Also the slits i will have to fill in.



this one shows how i routed the new coolant pipe on the firewall reusing one of the metal pipes that was there from the factory... not sure what its original purpose was.



heres a picture of my solid dogbones. right side is a heim joint on the right. On the left that dogbone is welded solid and can be adjusted by sliding it on the mounts




more pics to come off my old phone when i get another minute and its charged up
mcfrandon MAY 31, 05:18 PM
ok guess i really didnt have a whole lot of new pics but here is the actual car getting the engine now




also here is the jeep motor mount i used and like i said they sell them in poly as well. its a lot sturdier than the tranny mount i was using.



When i was swapping the setup into this new car i decided to buy some new tranny mounts since they are only $5 each but after installing them i could never get the engine to sit level. The mounts must of been taller or a lot more stout becuase to get this thing level i had to adjust the engine so far up to where there was no way to make clearance for the valve cover on the passenger side.. so i just put the old ones in. They aren't ripped or broken, just seem a little soft and look cracked. I really had no other choice, so i dont know if it was those mounts specifically or what but they had no give at all and one actually broke away from the rubber when i was trying to level it.
mcfrandon JUN 12, 02:47 AM
shes running well with the new ecu. no codes yet. still need to try and hook up the AC lines. I have the metal lines that go to the car and the ones that go to the AC compressor, but i need to put a high pressure switch somewhere along one of those lines. just not sure what kind of T fitting i can get to work and what kind of switch to run. In a wiring diagram i have it shows multiple terminals on the switch with one going to the ECU one to power and another to some other switch. I figure i can run a 2 terminal switch just need to plumb it
mcfrandon SEP 16, 01:27 AM
I have her torn down once again. lost a rod bearing on #1 and 2. Also she smoked pretty good on deceleration but once i got the pistons out i could see why.. the oil rings could barely move they were so caked in with old oil and carbon, the other rings were not much better. Anyways working on a complete engine rebuild now and also getting cams and a retune!
Will SEP 16, 08:13 PM
Torn it apart far enough yet to see how hurt the crank is?

Rod bearing problems are very rare in Northstars. I snagged a Y2K block that had been replaced under warranty... popped a rod with 75 miles on the clock. The big end was still bolted onto the crankshaft and the engine probably still had good oil pressure, even with holes in the sides and top of the block!
mcfrandon SEP 16, 11:28 PM
Yeah it's completely torn down. Block is getting a quick deglazing/hone. Got a new crank, bearings, and timing kit. I think something got into it because once I got it apart I found that the tensioner on the smaller timing chain that goes just to the crank had gone metal to metal.
Will SEP 18, 08:27 PM
The chain guides are cheap insurance when you have the engine apart. If they were about .060" thicker, they'd be eternal because the links wear into them until the rollers start to ride on them, then they stop wearing... but at that point the way GM designed them they're dangerously thin where they've worn. Oh well... the Northstar with just a few simple design tweaks would have been a legendary engine, but GM missed the boat.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 09-18-2015).]

mcfrandon SEP 19, 06:55 PM
That would of been nice. I guess when I had it apart the first time I didnt really look at them to close or anything, or notice it being out of the ordinary. Im getting it all back together now, but came across the intermediate cog with the 3 sprockets being pretty worn, i dont know how smooth the shaft it rides on needs to be but it definitely has some grooving in it, I have 2 sets of intermediate cogs and shafts and they both look like something went thru them. On the 94 cog the shaft has an oil groove in it, but on the 97 cog the shaft is completely flat and the cog has the oil groove. I dont know if I should try to find another or if thats common or a big deal