hickabilly

I just went though this last week. I've had the car for 6 yrs, and always kept the cooling system in top condtion. Flushed the system every other year, checked the tstat, upgraded the fans AND wired them together to they all came on at the lowest temp sensor, and if I arrived at my destination and the fans were running, I'd let'er idle until the fans turned off just to minimize heat soak. The temp gauge never went over 1/4 while the car was in my care. Yet, last week it developed the EXACT same symptoms as yours. Pulled the head, and low and behold, three cracks in the head. Hopefully yours is just a head gasket, but be prepared for the worst, because it might be. These are old cars prone to head problems so the odds are stacked.

Well, my dilemma is that this isn't much more than a 3-400 dollar car as it is. The interior was already dry-rotted by the desert summers before I even got it. And it was essentially totaled (entire drivers side damaged) in a hit-n-run a few years ago. With the help of the classifieds section on this site I managed to piece together / rebuild the steering and suspension and get it roadworthy again, but the body damage remains, as well as some non-essential electrical problems. The only person it was of any value to was me (because it drove so awesome); and I hate to see it go (its been the daily driver for 6 years now), but between my poverty and the car's condition, a new head is hard to justify.

Well, it's looking like the end of the road for the car then. I sure as hell can't afford a new head. And I've combed the local junkyards for Quest parts before without any luck.

Ok. Head is pulled. Outside of the discoloration on cyl 3, nothing too obviously wrong to my eye... but I haven't really had a chance to clean up the head or block much yet (on account of my apartment building briefly catching on fire, so limited utilities at the moment). I did find it strange that cylinder 1 is a bit out of round. That's normal, right? I'll link to some pics so you all can take a look if you want and share your two cents. Head, intake side: http://i41.tinypic.com/11ufdyh.jpg Head, cylinders 1 and 2: http://i44.tinypic.com/e9g28o.jpg Head, cylinders 3 and 4: http://i43.tinypic.com/33lf3x1.jpg Block & pistons: http://i43.tinypic.com/20p1tg5.jpg

Not yet. Head pull is scheduled for Sunday. Life just keeps getting in the way. I really did not need this in the middle of the holidays, (what with family and friends in town and office parties and all that crap). I did manage to start the process- pulled the valve cover and plugs. Judging by the plugs, the problem is in cylinder 3. And even that plug wasn't too terrible. Underside of the valve cover is pretty clean too, so it's looking like I caught this pretty early (fingers crossed). In any case, as soon as the head is off I will be cleaning the cylinders to minimize the chances of pitting and whatnot. Another question though- assuming it is just the gasket, how much is a reasonable cost for a machine shop to deck the head?

Well, I'm 99.9% sure I've got head problems, but would like any words of wisdom from the Quest elders before I start tearing into this puppy. She's been a little shakey on cold startup for the past week or so, but other than that, runs like a champ. This morning though, after the initial shakeyness died off, I noticed white smoke coming from both the tailpipe and from under the hood. Popped the hood and found smoke coming from the underside of the turbo and looks like from where the exhaust mani meets the head too. Actual water dripping from the underside of the turbo as well. There is coolant in the oil. Oil in the coolant. I shut 'er down and called a cab to get to work. My tools are across town right now, and I won't be able to get them till tomorrow, so I haven't been able to pull the plugs or delve any further into the problem. I'm assuming I've either got a blown head gasket, or cracked head. Is there any way of telling which it is more likely to be before I actually remove the head? Is there any chance the problem could be something let go in the turbo itself? Even with a blown head gasket, I would not have expected to see water actually dripping from the turbo like it was.

I'm needing the entire hydraulic clutch line- from the master cylinder to the slave. Obviously I'd prefer one in good shape, and the 10mm flare nut (that screws into the master) not stripped or rounded. Anybody?

Interested in getting a driver side front fender. 88 widebody. White if possible, but not required. Might you have one?

Ordered suspension parts and a door skirt from him. Everything was nice and straight and just as described. And VERY thoroughly packed. Wasn't my first dealing w/ him, and probably won't be my last. :thumbsup:

I've never been a huge knife guy (never had a legit reason), but for some reason, people keep giving them to me as presents. ...I wonder what that says about me... Anyway, among other things, I've got a Rambo Survival Knife - given to me as an ETS present frm a couple of my superiors when I left the Army. Definitely an 11 on the 1-10 intimidation scale. If I ever move out of the urban jungle, maybe I'll find need for it. In the meantime, I've only ever used it to open a can of beans when my can opener broke. I keep it hung near my bed in the off chance of intruder. V-42 Combat Knife -evidently, an old school Special Forces knife: Found it while mountain biking in the Franklin Mtns here near Ft. Bliss. --I use it as a letter opener :ninjaturtle: Some crazy German brand butterfly knife. Cousin gave it to me when he came back from Germany. I've become pretty good at doing the whole fancy flipping it open and around thing. It's somehow relaxing to do it too. Sometimes when I have to read or write something for school that takes a lot of thought, I'll just sit there and think...while flipping the knife around. Helps me to concentrate. Strange? I also use it to clean under my nails. :thumbsup:

Yah, I've gotten Supra, AND DeLorean. The DeLorean thing pissed me off too considering what crappy cars they actually were. Things aren't any better w/ the Merkur either. Everybody thinks it's a Saab.

Bought a used 7" rim from him. Quick transaction, and the wheel was nice and shiny and straight and scuff-free. Looked practically brand new. Good deal. Good guy. :happy0030:

That's actually not a bad idea. Obviously the car was able to drive away from the scene, but Neons being cheapo cars -and this one being involved in a felony- it's likely the perp didn't think it was worth fixing. Either that, or it made its way down to Mexico, as I live just half a mile from the border bridge... I hate to have to agree with you, but I kinda do. I mean I know cops can do good things a lot of times, but my experiences w/ them haven't exactly been rosy. I'm not gonna waste time with long stories, but I've been in cuffs twice in my life, and both occasions were total B.S. that never amounted to any charges (because I had done nothing wrong), and didn't accomplish anything but to waste my time and the cop's -and on one occasion, scare the hell out of my girlfriend. Plus, as a child, I got to watch a cop leisurely write my mom a ticket for speeding on an Easter morning (no traffic)- ignoring her pleads for help getting to the hospital while my brother had a massive asthma attack in the back seat. That guy can go straight to Hell. So, yah, I initially looked at this latest round w/ the police as something of a fresh start with them, as it was the first time they viewed me as a victim, rather than a criminal. A lot of good it did.

No, I have no clue where the stupid Neon is. I and my family members have all scoured the neighborhoods around me, with no luck. Plus, I got a copy of the police report, and it does mention an intersection where the car was spotted, but in reality there's nothing around that intersection except a closed down store, a bus stop, and the public library. There's no residential stuff around, and bus lanes and parking meters take up most of the street. So either the cops got the intersection wrong (entirely possible), or the car was there only briefly. Plus, the license plate number was taken out of the police report- presumably b/c they don't want me doing their job and finding these people myself. So, right now things just are what they are. I drive around a lot for work, and believe me, not a single Neon I see during the day escapes my scrutiny, but I'm not gonna lose sleep over it though. Things like this have a way of working themselves out. While I'm not gonna say I flat out believe in "Karma", I've been on the giving and receiving end of Karma-like justice a bit too often to dismiss it. And on the plus side, things are looking up for the Quest. She should be back on the road before too long- in all her fenderless glory. :crutches:

As per this thread: http://www.starquestclub.com/forum/index.p...t=0&start=0 I'm in need of: Strut bar Lower Arm Stabilizer mounting bolt (and the hardware that goes with it: sleeve, bushings, nut, etc...) ^All of the above, for the driver side.^ Also might be interested in a non-shp front wheel. Thanks.