Brighammer
Full Access Member
Wow. It's been a while but I can finally say I'm finished...
I got the motor in my pickup and fired up the beginning of September. Then I had to evacuate my home due to wildfires. Came back 2 weeks later and was able to finish trying to set things up, only to find one of my balance shaft bearings was too tight and would spit the belt off. So I pulled the motor and honed the bearing, reinstalled the motor, and no more issues. Or so i thought. I put 150 miles on it and had to adjust the valves 2 times in that time. Because as soon as it got warm it had this rattle that, after a solid pull up a hill turned to a light hammering. Not good. I adjusted valves. I adjusted timing. After that 150 miles, my upper balance shaft(the other one, not the one I dressed the bearing in) seized. I was at my wit's end here. I was THIS close to pulling the motor and cutting the balance shafts to make them into stubs. Decided just to get a new bearing and install it.
Got t back together. Another 500 miles and 6 more valve adjustments.
Decided I had it. I pulled the head off. I didn't see anything obvious. At first. So I kept looking. I saw the imprint of the directional arrow in the piston top in carbon on the bottom of the head. I could see where valves had lightly kissed the pistons.
After doing a bit more research, I found out there were options in head gasket thicknesses. And the ones for a 4d55(like the gasket set I ordered) are .10mm thinner than the one I needed. After getting that squared away, I no longer have bad noises when up to temp and more pulling power. It took me long enough. But I'm happy it's done.
I got the motor in my pickup and fired up the beginning of September. Then I had to evacuate my home due to wildfires. Came back 2 weeks later and was able to finish trying to set things up, only to find one of my balance shaft bearings was too tight and would spit the belt off. So I pulled the motor and honed the bearing, reinstalled the motor, and no more issues. Or so i thought. I put 150 miles on it and had to adjust the valves 2 times in that time. Because as soon as it got warm it had this rattle that, after a solid pull up a hill turned to a light hammering. Not good. I adjusted valves. I adjusted timing. After that 150 miles, my upper balance shaft(the other one, not the one I dressed the bearing in) seized. I was at my wit's end here. I was THIS close to pulling the motor and cutting the balance shafts to make them into stubs. Decided just to get a new bearing and install it.
Got t back together. Another 500 miles and 6 more valve adjustments.
Decided I had it. I pulled the head off. I didn't see anything obvious. At first. So I kept looking. I saw the imprint of the directional arrow in the piston top in carbon on the bottom of the head. I could see where valves had lightly kissed the pistons.
After doing a bit more research, I found out there were options in head gasket thicknesses. And the ones for a 4d55(like the gasket set I ordered) are .10mm thinner than the one I needed. After getting that squared away, I no longer have bad noises when up to temp and more pulling power. It took me long enough. But I'm happy it's done.
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