DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

[MattBLancs]

Exploding torque wrench! Gosh there's something I didn't know I needed to be mindful of!

A good read and good to know a few rubber seals going hard was the top and bottom of it.

Am I correct, new coil pack was dead on arrival?
Seeking a refund next step if so!

[mickthemaverick]

Indeed it was Matt, I shall be returning it today after, no doubt, an exchange with the supplier!!

As for the torque wrench it apppeared that the circlip holding the head retaining pin slipped off as I picked it up allowing the pin to drop out and the head to shoot out of the handle under the spring pressure!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

A "misfire" thread with a successful conclusion, now there's a rarity. Well done Mick/Jim a thorough job and those new seals look the part. Not an obvious contributory factor but maybe even the primary factor causing the misfire and I am permitting myself a small bask in reflected glory for my pointing out the possibility. with a little help from a bloke from America on youtube

May also be something straightforward, and a common occurrence on Subaru Boxer engines (yes not first hand knowledge but a bloke from the USA on youtube!), these eventually fail causing oil in the spark plug hole and resultant misfires.

Spark plug tube seals (underside of valve cover)

In situ

Job done at Maverick Manor!


Neil

[Armidillo]

Still puzzled over why one plug was working loose!!?? My ES9J4(S) V6s get oil in the plug wells (Jim would have observed this) - both from leaking cam box/tappet covers (no gaskets), and from an ageing filler plug sealing ring.

They seem to keep firing OK (although they are upright, not horizontal, so the connector would only be in an oil bath if the issue was ignored for an extended period), and I've never known one to come loose!!!

[mickthemaverick]

A bit of a puzzler for me too Alec, now the wells are dry I'll keep an eye on that plug and see if it gets loose again. When I removed the rest yesterday none of them were what I would describe as loose but nor did they need much pressure to undo them so it maybe that my torque wrench was faulty when I changed them a few months ago, especially as it exploded yesterday!

[Gibbo2286]

When we returned from Egypt back in 1955 our trucks, 13 of them were shipped into Barry docks, when we went to collect them I was near the end of the convoy driving a Bedford RL, one of the spark plugs popped out and the convoy left me behind, fortunately the plug was hanging onto its lead down the side of the engine so I was able to refit it and get going again.............I was a bit lost but a motorist pointed me to where the convoy had turned off and I was able to catch up.
That was before motorways.

[CitroJim]

Exploding torque wrench! Gosh there's something I didn't know I needed to be mindful of!

I've had a look at it today and calmed it down... I just need a suitable spring and detent ball to make it good again

It will live to torque another day!

[mickthemaverick]

I had a feeling we found the spring on the floor Jim and you pocketed it?

[CitroJim]

I had a feeling we found the spring on the floor Jim and you pocketed it?

I will check them Mick, they've not gone in the wash yet

[mickthemaverick]

I had a concern that the Subaru had an iffy head gasket after the recent work so I ordered a sniff test and carried it out today, if the fluid stays blue it is ok, if it goes green/yellow then you have a gasket issue:



Phew!!

I made the video as an extra having already completed the test while sitting in the driver's seat and holding 2000 rpm for 3 miutes with the engine warm but result was the same. Hopefully the coolant loss was as a result of opening the heater valve for the first time since I replaced 50% of the coolant at the pre Germany service!!

[CitroJim]

That's a big relief Mick

[mickthemaverick]

It would appear that sorting the Subaru back to useable wasn't such a good idea. Another NIP appeared yesterday advising that I had been doing 39 in a 30 in Marston Moretaine ! A fair cop as I thought that road was 40, just shows assumption ....etc. So I have written a mitigation plea and advised that I am now booked in to a course on 16th November following my C4 problem so its a suck it and see situation!!

[myglaren]

Best stay at home and do jigsaw puzzles for the next year.

[bobins]

And don't bother buying any lottery tickets as you won't get any luck

[mickthemaverick]

Out of interest, and to satisfy my natural suspicion of things bought on ebay, I decided to try a little test on the head gasket testing fluid I used on the Subaru. After doing the test on Friday I left the kit on the bench in the garage and spotted it this morning. The tube still had the fluid in it gleaming blue at me so I removed the bung and blew gently through the fluid. Halfway through my second breath the fluid went green and then yellow and almost clear. I was pleased as that confirmed to me that the kit is genuine and detects CO2 as designed!!