Cheap DOHC buildup...any ideas.

Malice Racing · 01-09-2003, 05:22 AM

ok...i've got a bit of a problem.

my engines got a little over 203K on it. and it's starting to give me little puffs of white smoke on acceloration. nothing major but i know i'm running on borrowed time.

come tax time... a few weeks i'm going to have about $700

i'm suspecting that it's just a leaking head gasket, putting a little coolant into the engine, so the idea i had was this:

buy a '94 head, gasket, timing chain.
port and polish the head, install flat faced valves and such, using all saturn parts, and bolt it back on with a '92 header.

this should up the compression and solve the leaking head gasket problem, plus it could be done with the engine still in the car.

my questions are:

would this be wise on a 200K bottom end?
would the higher compression cause problems with anything?
can this be done for $700?

what would you do in my situation?

FutureImportKiller · 01-09-2003, 09:05 AM

I'm not a expert per say to Saturn engines. I'm getting ready to do my own build up. But I would defenitely check the bottom end with that many miles on it. To be truthful I would probably do the whole engine since you have that many miles, if it were me.

saturnd00d · 01-09-2003, 01:26 PM

yeah if you have that many miles on the engine, you might want to save a little extra as well and get the bottom end worked on at the same time to avoid any problems. Better to spend a little more now than alot later...

minivankiller · 01-09-2003, 02:03 PM

I'd say check the crank for warpage AND install new bearings and bolts even if every thing is o-tay.

Joeybagodonuts · 01-09-2003, 02:22 PM

malice, id worry about the bottom end, hey, i happen to have a ****load of bottom ends, come down and see what i got, ill give you one for next to nothing to use a base to rebuild or even one thats lower milege so your cars not down.

sc2_ct · 01-09-2003, 02:24 PM

For about that price, maybe a little more with shipping you could get a low-miles engine from Joey, and then just wait awhile and do the headwork to a younger, stronger engine..

Joeybagodonuts · 01-09-2003, 02:32 PM

thats true to malice, thanks sc2! dude, a complete sweet 97 engine i can do you for 700.00
i have a great selection right now too! lots of new stock rolling in.
or, hell, go for broke, spend a few hundred more and nail that damn 01 twin cam i got!

turbo95sl2 · 01-09-2003, 04:52 PM

Its probably not the head gasket, its probably the rings. Headgaskets hardly go out on our cars. Rings, rings, rings. Anyways you could probably rebuild the motor cheaper then $700. All you would have to do is get your crank turned, get some new bearings (you'll have to get a different size to make up for your crank being turned (Federal Moguls are excellent) Make sure your cylinders are still good, if not you will have to bore it out and put in oversized pistons, if the machine shop says they are still good, just get it honed out. I would also recommend using hastings piston rings, also very good and cheap ($30 from manf.). Also buy the full rebuilt kit so that you get all gaskets and retainers from Saturn. Since you do have alot of mileage I would just find some low mileage springs, and lifters, cams since yours have alot of miles on them. I believe I spent less then $500 last time I rebuilt my motor and I got new rings, bearings, crank turned, block honed, gaskets, and a new side/front cover since my last oil pump killed my bottom end (reason for the rebuild). Anyways I would say that's basically a new motor and might be cheaper then buying a used one with miles on it.

Brian

minivankiller · 01-09-2003, 05:09 PM

Turbo95, how much was it for just the crank turning?

saturnd00d · 01-09-2003, 06:23 PM

Wow, I really have no idea what you guys are talking about. Honing, turning cranks. Man oh man, am I dumb at this stuff.