It runs!! Yea!
The only thing I had to do before turning the key this morning, was to insulate the wiring harness that was making contact w/ the EGR tube, connect the driver side exhaust pipe coming off the manifold,....and change out the crusty battery connections.
8 hours later,...I finally turn the key.
You gotta be asking yourself how comes it took 8 HOURS to do what looks like it should've taken 2?
That's cause I'm the one doing the work.
First thing was the EGR tube. To qualify, it just wasn't touching the wire harness,...it was crammed up against it. I decided to cut and section the tube in an attempt to get it off the harness. So I look around the garage for some material to use to section the tube with,...and the only thing I can find is some galvanized metal conduit the same diameter as the EGR tube. Does that stop me from using it? Nope,......galvanized or not,...it was still mild steel, and if it was made of steel I'm welding it.
To add to the complexity,....I decide to cut the sleeve down the middle, so I can spread it and slide it over the EGR tube so I can clamp it in place using hose clamps,...which I do. I added 1" to the length of the tube at the top connection,..and that was enough to get it off the wire harness. While it was out I still double wrapped the harness w/ the turbo blanket,....so I should have no problem with this area getting hot.
The problem came w/ the other end.
I cut it first thing this morning so I could get the damn thing out in the first place. I knew as hard as it was to get that thing in there w/ the engine in place,..trying to remove it would age me. So I got my little air saw,....and hacked the tube as best I could given the limited access to it. Now I had to decide if I wanted to tack it in place and try wiggle it out again,..and after I got it completely welded,...have to go through the ordeal involved to get it back down behind the engine again.
I chose not to do it. Instead I created another sleeve and welded it up so I could slide the two pieces together,...using some RTV goop as extra insurance to seal the slip coupling.
I don't think you can see it,....but it's up there:
The hose clamp probably ain't doing s hit,..I just thought I'd add it in an attempt to try and crush the sleeve tighter, but it makes me feel better.
The whole EGR thing including taking all of the vacuum and elec connections off, and putting them back on took about 4 hours.
I ended up having to go to the "zone" again after that,.....(I always prefer to go AFTER I start to smell) Turns out I needed a 12" piece of vacuum tubing that I swore I had laying around, but didn't. I needed the break anyway,...so I cussed at myself while I drove, while simultaneously losing another 45 minutes as a result of having to go to the auto parts store...........again.
I came back w/ another gal of antifreeze (that I forgot to add back to the I/C reservoir), and the new battery ends that I needed
I completed the exhaust pipe,...tightened all of the connections down there,...and drug my broken ass off the ground for the last time,.....w/ only the battery connections to do. That takes another 45 minutes. (getting those old crimped on connections off of the cables is a b itch)
When it came time to crank it,...it dawns on me I have no Idea where the key is,......and it's been two months since it was last started.
More Cussing followed,...as I tore through all of the usual landing places for my keys......Turns out my Mother in law thought they were her Taurus keys,...so she had them in her purse.
Once found, I get in, depress the clutch,...and I turn the key
Va fckin' Room!!
I ran it for about 5 minutes trying to get it hot enough to to burp the cooling system,,,,but the wife and kid were yelling at me to come in and get cleaned up so we could go see the Man of Steel.
So I had to stop and get cleaned up.
Now that I'm back,.......... I Should've stayed home.
That movie went easily 30-45 minutes Too long.
So all in all a good day,......with this one weird thing:
2.5 hours later I open the hood to take the pic below,....Blower is still warm to the touch.
yy
