Things you need to know.

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340 Dart

340 Dart

I don't know ****.
Joined
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Longgone posted this in another thread.

I located my bad lifter by liistening with a stick and simply replaced by using a strong magnet and pulling it through the head
Click to expand...

Maybe all of you knew this already, but I didn't know it was possible. I have not had to replace just a lifter yet, but I had assumed that you had to pull the intake to do so. Now I know that is NOT the case.
Thanks man.

I am sure there are lots of helpful little tricks or hints that our board members have that will help save us time or money when working on our mopars. If you have one, please post it!
I bet we can all learn something! :thumleft:

Can we limit it to car and garage tips though to keep it on track please?

For instance, I use a piece of vac. line to install and take out spark plugs. You can push it right over the top of the plug and actually screw it in around corners and tight places. Much easier!!

Anyone else got a tip?
 
Sure,use a piece of vacuum line a few feet long to listen for vacuum leaks,put one end to your ear and snoop around with the other.Much safer than ether or propane.You will hear the leak.
 
When changing valve stem seals, pull the spark plug and instead of compressed air, shove a length of line into the cylinder. Tie a know in one end for easy retrieval. Then back the piston up to TDC for that cylinder. It will hold the valve closed with no worry about losing pressure or fishing for a valve.

If you have adjustable valvetrain, build a "bump button" by using a spring loaded normally open switch and two leads. Put clips on the lead ends and tap into the starter relay on the fender. Simply "bump" the engine around to the correct position to adjust the valves.

When using an oil pump primer shaft, be sure to wrap the shaft in electrical tape where it passes through the intermediate shaft bushing. This prevents wear and scuffing of the bushing.

When installing u joints, install so that the grease fitting will be under compression in the course of normal rotation. Also, when you finish pressing the u joint into the shaft and yoke, use a hammer and sharply smack (not tap, not pound) the shaft and yoke "ears" to relieve them after being pressed. This may be the difference between a retainer clip fitting or not being able to be installed.
 
Can't imagine having to fish for a valve using air pressure and air pressure is a lot easier than fishing in a piece of rope. You have to remember that with 100 psi in the cyclinder on a 2" diameter valve is over 300lbs of force and with 150psi it's almost 500 lbs, that is a lot more than what the valve spring applies when the valve is on the seat.
 
To look and see if you have a vacuum leak around a carb or intake I have used W-D 40, I spray it around the base plate of the carb and if there is a leek it will smooth out and run a higher rpm as it suck's in the W-D 40.
 
I've always found that women like the anticipation more than the actual act...oh wait, you said car and garage tips only, sorry.
 
A ball joint press works great for installing/removing u-joints.

The propane from an unlit propane torch works great for finding vacuum leaks.
 
dgc333 said:
Can't imagine having to fish for a valve using air pressure and air pressure is a lot easier than fishing in a piece of rope. You have to remember that with 100 psi in the cyclinder on a 2" diameter valve is over 300lbs of force and with 150psi it's almost 500 lbs, that is a lot more than what the valve spring applies when the valve is on the seat.
Click to expand...

This assumes that the valve and seat are in good condition, and that the engine doesn't have any more than the normal leakdown issues. If you are changing the stem seals, the chances are neither are true.

Also, for those without an air compressor, it beats the hell out of using a piece of vacuum line and doing it by mouth.
 
Well the rope tip is certainly a good one for someone without a compressor and I have used it. But using a compressor is so much simpler and easier. If you have enough leak down to significantly reduce the pressure in the cylinder then you are wasting your time changing seals, you got bigger problems to deal with.
 
The good thing about the rope is i don't have to listen, to that noisey compressor while doing it, And i replaced my lifters without removing my intake. I learned that here 3 yrs. ago lot of good info here
 
What if the valve won't hold air ?
I guess then the rope will do the job.
 
memike said:
What if the valve won't hold air ?
I guess then the rope will do the job.
Click to expand...
If it won't hold air you need to be pulling the head anyway. Otherwise you are just spinning your wheels replacing a seal on a cylinder that isn't worth a crap to start with.
 
memike said:
What if the valve won't hold air ?
I guess then the rope will do the job.
Click to expand...

Also, what if the locks and the retainer are stuck, and it requires a bit of persuasion? Tapping against air pressure won't work so well.
 
You can use JB quick weld to fix the typically split corners and pinholes in dashpads Works even better if your going to paint/dye the pad
 
When removing suspension parts like tie rods from the drag link, instead of using a fork to separate, simply give the side of the drag link a sharp blow with a good heavy hammer (right where the tie rod end goes through it), most of the time the tie rod will pop right out.
 
Superglue at the ends of your trunk weatherstrip melts it to each other.

A test light is the fastest way to find a draw. Disconnect the battery. Put the alligator clip on the negative cable terminal and lay the test light so the pointy end is in the battery terminal. Start by pulling a fuse(keep door closed) and watch the light after each fuse, and when it goes off, you found the circuit.
 
I like to take a sharp knife to cut a fine line right across a roll of elect. tape helps to tear it easier.
 
Max340 said:
Also, what if the locks and the retainer are stuck, and it requires a bit of persuasion? Tapping against air pressure won't work so well.
Click to expand...

Air will work better than rope, the rope will compress and if the engine is not right at tdc it will roll the engine over. With air you have 400 or so pounds of force pushing on the valve to smack against.

Just had to replace a broken spring a few weeks back and a quick smack is all it took.
 
Silver sharpies are great for detailing the silver edges of 72 and up marker lenses.
 
Hitting two hardened metals together such as two ballpeen hammers together can cause the metal to splinter or crack sending a shard into the body.

This happened to a man and a shard went into his chest and into his aorta and he bled to death slowly.
 
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