98se5speed's 03 Vibe - 1ZZ engine pull/rebuild thread

[98se5speed]

Since my other thread is all about me getting a new Vibe, I figured I'd make a fresh one where I can document the repair process now that I have it. For the full story on how I got this car and my Vibe history, check out this thread:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=46283 Short version, I picked up a 2003 Vibe for $2k that needs a new engine. It somehow lost all coolant, the owner kept driving til it stopped. I do plan to spend a little time trying to figure out how it lost all its coolant, and exactly what failed in the engine, but I'm pretty hesitant to even consider rebuilding it. I guess we'll see how bad it is. For $150, I can get a decent running 1ZZ out of a 2000 Celica that burns oil. I feel a lot better rebuilding that sort of engine rather than one that has been overheated to the point of failure. I could easily spend more than $150 replacing things on the overheated engine that the other one won't need. So, that's my intro. So far, all I've done to the car is tow it home and park it in the driveway. First up, I'll probably get the flat tire fixed, it's not very appealing to see it in the driveway on the spare. Car needs a new front pair of tires anyways, it looks like the previous owner never rotated them once. Rear tires almost look new. They're nothing special though, some "Fuzion" brand rubber. Figure I'll get something decent for the front, keep those cheap Fuzions out back for now. I haven't had much time to really inspect the car in the daylight, but it seems to be in really good shape. Interior just needs a good vacuum and scrub, the only "dirty" area is the driver's seat. I remember this fabric being sorta hard to clean in our old Vibe, so I'll have to search the forums for any tips. Only "bad" exterior panel on the car is the front of the hood, which has a fair amount of rock chips, some of them with a touch of rust starting. I figure I'll clean them up, seal them, then get a hood edge protector to cover them up. Looks like they're only $40, and I kinda like how they look. I had one on my old Lumina, which also had some previous dings/damage to the front of the hood. Since the hood isn't perfect by any means, I don't really worry about the "damage" that the protector can cause (trapping dirt and water under it). If I ever want the hood to be perfect, it will need to be totally refinished anyways. Alright, here's a few pics from out in the driveway, I'll have more info and pictures as the engine pull and rebuild/replace takes place over the next month or so.

[MrHatchWagon]

Re: Cleaning your drivers seatBoth my seats had dirt and stuff accumulated and were discolored. 1- Wait for a nice, sunny day when you won't need to be driving your car for a few hours.2- Mix warm water with Spray Nine, or other cleaning compound.3- Wet some kind of scrubbing brush in the mixture you created, and scrub gratuitously into the dirty areas of the seat. After you think you've scrubbed enough or your arm dies, whichever comes first, soak up most of the wetness with a shamwow or other type of super-absorbent cloth.4- Windows down, leave car out to dry.5- Enjoy!

[trb]

I do about the same thing, but use my shop vac to suck up most of the water. I got my son's car's seats almost perfectly clean last time I did it.

[98se5speed]

Did a bit more examining of my Vibe last night, all with positive findings. Despite having a salvage title due to damage in 2008, I can't find ANY evidence of prior body work. All doors, fenders, hood, tailgate, etc have their proper VIN tag from NUMMI. Every gap between panels is perfect. The doors close with precision. I just can't figure it out. Fine by me though! I just wonder what other sort of "damage" could possibly lead to a salvage title? At first I thought theft or flood could also possibly lead to a salvage title, but the title history reports I've seen all speficially say "damage." Here's the carfax. Who knows about the odometer discrepency of 45k. Obviously with a car that has previous salvage title history, I'm not too worried about a clean record for future resale. I'll probably own this car til it dies anyways. Under the hood, I think I know what happened there too. In the seller's ad, he said "It also needs the power steering fixed (this is what led to the death of the engine)." Well, the engine has no serpentine belt installed. My guess, the belt snapped for whatever reason, he thought only his power steering had gone out, so he kept driving until the engine quit, never noticing that it had overheated due to having no belt on the water pump! This does make me feel a bit better, as there never was a total coolant loss, but it still was overheated to the point of failure. At least I feel like I "figured it out." Now to just figure out how to get this car back on the road. Or more like, figure out how to find the time to get it back on the road.

[djkeev]

Body repair shouldn't be hard to spot, a little overspray on rubber or trim, labels missing on door jambs, on the hood, on the front radiator support as well. These cars also came with chassis number stickers on almost every major body panel, are the stickers gone (at least my 07 is covered with these stickers).Water damage? Open up a door panel and look for the tell tale high water mark inside. Flood water is never clean water and will almost always leave residue behind. Few are the "restorers" who will actually open every cavity and clean out the water residue unless an electrical item fails to function such as a window motor.Good luck, enjoy the ride!Dave

[98se5speed]

The only stickers I see anywhere are the rectangular blue-ish ones, that say "NUMMI" in the background, and have the full VIN in the center. These tags are on all 4 doors, the tailgate, hood, front fenders, and rear door jams. The upper radiator support has original stickers including japanese characters. I have yet to get a chance to REALLY look at the paint in the daylight, I will have more opportunity to do that this weekend. I'm pretty sharp when it comes to seeing weld lines, overspray, or any other evidence of body work. I can't find anything on this car, other than the "Vibe" emblem missing from the front passenger door. Flood damage was going to be my next area to look for. Definitely zero smell inside the car, it's really clean. I figured I would remove a trim panel by the door opening, pull the carpet back, and see what I find under there. At this point, I'm feeling really good about the car, but I still can't help but think to myself "why the he11 was this car considered a total loss?" I guess it's really all I have time for at the moment, so rather than work on repairing the engine, I'm doing CSI: Car Salvage.

[Losthookah]

not a bad idea to pull the engine apart if youre taking it out anyway. you can grab a rebuild kit for under 500 which will include almost everything including pistons. If it died due to overheating most likely the gaskets and rings are shot and possibly the bearings. http://www.apmengineparts.com/....htmllink to a rebuild kit just for reference

[98se5speed]

Yeah, I'm still in the diagnostic stage of this one, I'm holding off on the $150 oil-burning engine until I learn some more about the one that's already in my car. It cranks over just fine, but all the spark plugs are out of it, so I don't know if it's making any compression or not. I just picked up a set of plugs and a new serpentine belt, I'm going to toss them on this weekend and see how she sounds. I'm guessing I have stuck/burned valves, and zero compression. We shall see. I guess I could pull the valve cover first and see how things look. Stuck valves should be easy to spot. As long as nothing is cracked, I'll do the work to rebuild this one. Helps that one of my best friends from childhood owns his own engine machine shop. If I did not have that connection, I would likely just be buying the cheapest running junkyard engine I could find. Thanks for the link! I was pricing out rebuild parts individually, came out to a similar price, but a little higher. I might just go with that kit if my friend with the engine shop can't do any better. Looks like it includes everything I'll need, other than a new water pump. Oh, just looked at my list, I had $55 worth of head bolts included. I'll probably want to replace those after a major overheat.

[djkeev]

Yeah, head bolts on todays engines must always be replaced. They are a one use unit that is tightened using both torque and then to a torque angle setting. You are intentionally stretching the bolts to make the head tight. Once used, they are trash.People have reused them but it's foolishness to do so.Dave

[macantley]

just so you know, if a salvage title is issued, and a reconstruction isnt performed, then the vehicle cannot be legally registered in the state of WV, now in your state the laws may be different, but here, when its a salvage title, you have to fix the damage, then get it inspected at a normal inspection station, then have to get it inspected at the department of highways (they only make sure the airbags are operating as they should be here) and if everything checks out (airbag light isnt on, but does come on during the initial key on) then they pass it and sign off on the paperwork then it becomes a "reconstructed" vehicle.i rebuild 2-3 car's a year this way.matthew

[trb]

It could have had some hail damage that was fixed by a PDR guy. If he did a good job, there would be no way you could tell. Our Explorer was hail damaged, not to the point of a totaled vehicle, but all the body panels were fixed perfectly. I've seen a few cars for sale that had salvage titles due to hail damage.

[98se5speed]

No salvage worries here, the car now has a 100% clear Michigan title. I would like to have more info about how/why it was given a salvage title, but I'm not really worried about that any more. The car is straight and clean, good enough for me. Found a little time for the Vibe this weekend. Since I was washing our other 2 cars, figured I may as well give the Vibe a bath. After all, it is just a show-piece for the driveway at this point...My dad brought his compression gauge home from work (Nissan mechanic), and I confirmed what I thought the seller had told me, that the engine has zero compression (in the seller's words "they told me it has no pressure.") So based on this finding, I figured I would pull the valve cover and see what I could find out there. It was a combination of good and bad. Good news, nothing appears broken, damaged, burned, oil-sludged, etc. Bad news, it told me nothing about why I have zero compression. You can't actually see any part of the valve stem by removing the valve cover on this engine, so as far as I could tell, everything is perfect! I guess I won't really know any more until the head comes off. I'm debating whether I bother taking it off while the engine is in the car, or just commit to the full rebuild and yank it out first. We shall see. Since I was alone while evaluating the engine, I had to set up my phone to take a video of the cams while I cranked the starter. Figure I may as well share it with the world... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RymQ60YaOww

[djkeev]

Zero Compression all four holes????Odd.....That puppy is pumping oil just fine as well. Worn rings...low compression, tight valves low compression, zero compression is major damage or gross mistiming. Pistons are going up and down, cam shafts are turning? Hmmmm I wonder if the timing tensioner puked and the slack allowed the cams to jump timing with the crankshaft?? By doing so valves would be bent and depending on degrees off piston is coming up on an open or partially open valve? Do some basic timing checks. Download that Toyota manual and check the timing marks before ripping things apart. Do all the diagnosis you can BEFORE you begin major disassembly.If you've got an air compressor, try pressurizing the cylinders and see where the air is coming out.Even a blown head gasket gives SOME compression numbers.To recap..zero'zerozerozeroGauge work?? A broken crank on a Toyota is almost unheard of! Please keep us posted, this is intriguing!! Dave

[98se5speed]

Pistons are definitely moving. While I was alone and couldn't peek into the plug holes while it turned, I definitely witnessed all 4 pistons ending up in different positions during my multiple cranking events. The gauge I used was a professional grade Matco brand, which my dad brought home from work. Confirmed, I saw absolutely zero reading on the gauge, all 4 cylinders. Actually, I momentarily saw it register a tiny amount of compression on cylinder 4, but that was for a split second, then it never registered again. Next step, I plan to put in plugs (or use air compressor) and see if I can tell where the compression is going. My current theory, based on what I've seen on this engine, but without much experience with overheated engines: Everything got really hot. "Lifters" (or whatever I'm seeing under the lobes of the cam) got sticky in the head due to warpage or expansion, valves either stuck open or were slow to close, got kissed by the pistons, bent, leading to zero compression. Engine stopped running, cooled down... now what I'm seeing up top appears normal, all lifters actuating normally. Under the head, I will discover a bunch of bent valves, to some degree. That's my theory for now at least. I will definitely be doing more diagnosis before tearing it down. Checking the timing marks is a good idea. I will continue to post all discoveries here!

[djkeev]

Good Luck!!0, 0, 0, 0 is just a really really unusual number to get on virtually any engine manufactured by anybody. I've never run across an absolute quad Goose Egg reading! I'm really curious to see what you find!Dave

[98se5speed]

Well now I'm considering re-testing it. Must be some really mangled exhaust valves. Intake would at least pressurize a little bit since the throttle body is closed. Guess I'll see what I find with plugs in too.

[djkeev]

Throttle plate should be open on a compression test, you want air to be able to be drawn in on the piston downstroke.Dave

[98se5speed]

Good tip for my re-test!

[98se5speed]

Well, it's confirmed, the quad goose-egg. Opening the throttle made zero difference. Installing all 4 plugs made zero difference. Engine still spins over as free as possible. Here are some video links, the first one showing the compression gauge during crank, the second one is meant for audio only, under the hood with all plugs installed during crank. No difference! http://youtu.be/5wP4Qwz9EdMhttp://youtu ... MbxlcCan't wait to get this head off and see the carnage.

[djkeev]

Bummer!! GO GO GO, tell us what is wrong!! Pull that head! (this is probably more fun for me than you......) dave

[98se5speed]

Ha, indeed. All of the easy stuff is done, now it's time to get dirty. Unfortunately, I probably won't be pulling it into the garage any time real soon, I need to get my work area in order, it's currently in extreme disorder. Hopefully I can get the garage cleaned up this week, then pull the Vibe inside this coming weekend. Spare time tends to be hard to come by now that we have a 15-month old who doesn't like sleeping much... I have a 3-car garage, which typically holds our 2 daily drivers, then I have a 3rd spot for project cars. Unfortunately, I lost my free parking in a friend's garage last fall, so my 62 Corvette came home and my project spot is full. SO, as soon as I start wrenchin' on the Vibe, my daily driver minivan goes out to the driveway. Good thing it appears winter is winding down here in Chicago. I see mostly 50's in the 10-day forecast. As long as I'm not scraping ice or clearing snow in the morning, I can deal with the interior being a tad chilly.

[trb]

Nice looking vette, but you need a bigger garage! LOL! I can't stand having our cars outside with all the dew on the windows, so no way I could put up with ice and snow. Plus my wife told me I can't have more cars than space in the garage for them, so we have a 31x31 main garage. Currently I have our 4 cars in it, but I have room for one more as long as it is less than 16' long. Good luck on it!

[98se5speed]

Yes, I do need a bigger garage. Some day. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to downsize in the next house, then look to add a 2nd garage / barn to the property. For now, I'll just be happy to have a 3-car. Long-term, once the Vibe is on the road and proven reliable, we'll probably sell our 1995 Quest. 201k on it, getting rusty around the edges, and definitely not thrifty on gas. However, it's ridiculously reliable, and nice to have around for those occasional big trips to Home Depot. We'll see. I don't mind if that old girl sits in the driveway, but if we don't get much use out of it, the insurance and registration costs just aren't worth it. However, when you drive older cars with higher miles (and do all your own mechanical work), there is something to be said about having a spare. Nothing worse than having to rush through a repair because you HAVE to drive it to work the next day!

[98se5speed]

Ugggh, just found a local used engine on craigslist, 98k miles, $600 firm. I keep having these worries that I'll fix the head on my current engine, or do a full rebuild, then find out there's a hairline crack or surprise somewhere, and it's all junk. Not to mention the extra time and hassle of the rebuild compared to pull and swap. This one is really tempting, no question I can't get an engine that cheap anywhere else. Lowest I've seen so far at the local big junkyards is $950 (out the door) for 135k miles. Decisions, decisions...

[trb]

That Quest is a trooper! You can get a good life out of them if you keep them up. Our last new vehicle was a 95 Mercury Villager, the twin of the Quest. We sold it to my BIL in 03 with 100K miles. It now has almost 200K but they want something newer. So I'm trying to talk him into a Vibe for their next car. I never realized it before, but we've owned three American versions of foreign cars; 95 Villager, 06 Vibe and 10 Vibe!

[djkeev]

Yep, decisions decisions decisions...... what to do??? what is best???Sadly no one can make this one for you. A used engine is a gamble, rebuiding an engine with zero compression for unknown reasons is a gamble as well. These engine have iron sleeves in an aluminum block, upon close examination a crack will be seen, you could even NDT them if you were up for the expense.You want advice? IF it were my car that I don't need right now, I'd first pull the head, see what's up. That may be your answer right there. If that looks good I'd probably drop the pan and pull out the pistons and see what the bearings and rings look like. NowI'll decide if I should yank the engine and do a rebuild or get a replacement.If you want, buy the engine, store it and if you need it, you have it. IF you don't need it, simply sell it to someone who does, it seems that there is an active market for these.Dave

[98se5speed]

Good advice. But at this point, I think I'm going to pick up the used engine and take the gamble. If I had a lot more time on my hands, I'd be all about breaking down my current engine and rebuilding it to like-new condition. Not many people have a full engine machine shop at their disposal, and I've taken full advantage in the past. That ultra-reliable 95 Quest I'm driving now only came into my possession after the end of the crank snapped off, a design flaw and somewhat common failure on the early Nissan VG engine. Luckily that one isn't an interference setup, and was never overheated. I had full confidence that replacing the crank was the way to go on that engine (and I did so with a crank for a 96, bigger nose on it). Oh, and we didn't have a kid then, hours upon hours in the garage or at the shop wasn't a big deal. I was lucky to get 40 minutes in the garage last night, to somewhat straighten things up before buying this engine today after work. The way I see it, our last Vibe ran great until the day it died at 181k. If this used engine truly has 98k on it, and was somewhat decently taken care of, it should run just fine for quite a while. I probably won't even bother breaking down the current engine for a while, and I'll likely do so just out of curiosity, if I have time. Otherwise, what little precious time I get out in the garage will be dedicated to yanking the bad engine, and dropping in the good one.

[98se5speed]

As for the Quest (aka Villager), it has been a great van for us. My wife's aunt and uncle bought it new in 95, soon after they had their 2nd kid. I actually started dating my wife in 94, so I have known this van its whole life, and first drove it when I was 17 years old. At the time, I disliked it because it was a Ford/Nissan, and I was a GM/Chrysler fan in my youth (I have an intense love for the original Caravan). They take very good care of their cars, and keep them for a very long time. But in late 2007, they were starting to shop around for a new family van. They had gotten some pretty low trade-in offers on the Quest, and my wife and I were sorta considering buying it from them for around the ~$1500 price they were being offered. Well, 2 weeks after Thanksgiving, the van quit on them. Totally un-expected, it just died at a stop light and refused to re-start. My poor aunt was alone and had to ask some strangers to help her push it through the intersection. They had it towed to the Nissan dealer, who found that the end of the crank had sheared off. Turns out, this happens a bit more commonly than Nissan would like to admit, due to the nose of the crank being undersized. People on the Villager/Quest forums who have these pre-96 vans are extremely paranoid about belt tension, as too much can lead to early failure of the crank nose. Kinda scary. So my uncle got a junkyard offer of $150 for the van, and that's what we paid for it. I felt pretty bad that their van went from being worth $1500 to $150 in a matter of 2 weeks, but that was that. For $350, my buddy with the engine shop got a new crank kit and gasket set, and we replaced the crank and all seals. It's been running great ever since. Aside from some tires, brakes, ball joints and an alternator ($9 at the junkyard), it's been pretty much bulletproof for the last 4.5 years. We've only put about 40k miles on it in that time (I think we bought it with about 160k), but it's been a great road trip machine and backup vehicle. I'll be a little sad to see it go when we sell it. I've added a few of my own touches...

[Baltovibe]

Saw this in Chicago Craigslist ... 2004 Vibe totaled but parts for sale, 94K miles. It appears the front end is intact, so possibly the engine could be examined and run before purchase?

[98se5speed]

I saw that too. I never did email them for an engine quote, I figure they will likely be asking the going "big junkyard" rate of ~$1000+ for the engine. Engine I'm looking to buy tonight is from a 2002 Corolla. Should do the trick for $600.

[98se5speed]

Oh, ad also has this in the description "engine-sold". Ah well.

[trb]

Great story on the Quest. Never heard about the crank problem, my BIL had to redo the timing belt, radiator & fan and had a distributor problem, along with a few suspension/ steering/ CV joint parts. I changed the water pump and the motor mounts. Ford did replace the trans under the extended warranty due to some shifting problems, but otherwise it has been dependable too. We would have kept it, but it got crowded with a 12 yr old, 9 yr old and twin 2 yr olds in the van, so we grabbed a Yukon XL for 5 years until after my son got his own Vibe.

[98se5speed]

Well, hopefully your BIL didn't put those multiple accessory belts back on too tight! Such a crazy failure. I guess it's sorta common on old Maximas and Pathfinders that used that engine too. Just glad I don't have to worry about that failure in mine. That's quite a crew to be putting in a "small" minivan. I can see why you would need a Yukon XL. We're planning (for now) to stop at 2 kids, so ultimate family trucksters hopefully won't be in our future. Our favorite "vacation" activity is camping in our old RV, so no big truck needed there either. Who knows, not like I can know for sure what the future holds!

[trb]

Yeah, the twins were supposed to be "just one more" and then my wife was taking care of the problem. But as I always say, the good Lord had other things in mind! LOL! I've told my wife once we retire, I want a small RV like that and we will visit our 4 kids for a month at a time each, rotating between them. She's not too keen on that idea!

[98se5speed]

That's funny. My in-laws are big campers, so that has been engrained in my wife since she was a kid. So when I wanted to get a cheap old RV, it was a pretty easy sell at my house. We haven't gotten out in it a lot since buying it in early 2010, but a lot of that was due to the wife being pregnant, then the baby being small... just not ideal. Hopefully we get a couple trips in this year. I imagine by summer my kid will be running around rather than staggering like she's drunk, should be a whole different experience. She's gotten a bit bigger since last summer. And a bit more adventurous...

[trb]

She's adorable! You will have to watch out in about 15 years or so!Our first camping trip was 4th of July a month after we got married, with almost all of my wife's family (her dad, 2 brothers, 2 sisters, 6 aunts & uncles and their families) and after that experience, in the hot summer in Texas, she said no more camping! We didn't try it again until our boys were in cub scouts a few years ago. Luckily scouts was in Oct and March, so the heat was not a problem.Here are mine:

Attached files

[98se5speed]

Cute family! I can't imagine having 4. I think no matter the outcome of #2 (fingers crossed for a boy), we'll call it done. But who knows... Funny, my first camping trip was the opposite, I went with my wife's family (then girlfriend, I was 17), including all of their friends and family, and it was the most miserable hot/humid weekend ever. However, we had fun, jumped in Lake Michigan at midnight due to all of us sweating and not being able to sleep. I think we went home the next day, but it was a fun trip. Now, if it's nasty-hot outside... the RV has rooftop AC. I sleep like a baby with that thing on. That's how you have to sell the wife.

[98se5speed]

Quick, does anyone know the size of the main pulley bolt on a 1ZZ? I meant to confirm that I had the right size socket in my tool bag to check this used engine I'm buying tonight, but I forgot. Oh right, it was pouring rain outside last night, I meant to do it this morning. Doh! Worst case, there are four 1zz Corollas in my work parking lot, someone will let me measure their crank bolt...

[98se5speed]

Well, I didn't have the exact socked needed, but had one close enough. Compression looks/feels good, the engine is really clean. Seller told me it came out of an 02 Corolla. No biggie, just some mild differences with the manifolds compared to 03 Vibe. Well, I get there, and it has the black plastic intake. Figured maybe they went to that in 02, since I looked at my friend's 01 today, and it has a metal tube intake. Got it home, checked it out, found this: Huh, I thought all Corollas sold here were made at Nummi or in Canada. Ran the vin on Autocheck, came back 2003 Corolla, made in Japan. Rock on! No offense to the engine builders in West Virginia, but I'll take one from Shimoyama any day. Engine has zero leaks, looks really clean. I feel pretty confident dropping this one in with minimal work. Tempted to not even touch the rear main, it's spotless, and I don't think these engines were ever known for rear main leaks. I'd likely replace the seal with one of worse quality. I can almost hear the Vibe purring now...

[djkeev]

Well glad you got the engine! Hopefully all will be well and it will run just fine!IF you purchase a rear seal for TOYOTA along with a front transmission seal, you'll be fine. I know that for the work involved in pulling the engine to fix either one of these two easy to replace and inexpensive items that I'd be changing them both for sure!!Keep in mind, it's 2012, if that engine is an 03 that's nine years of wear.I'd also put in all new hoses (OEM or MAJOR brand name, not cheapo auto parts store stuff) including heater hoses and I'd strongly consider a new Toyota water pump as well.Dave(now I'll never know what happened to your engine!! )

[98se5speed]

Thanks. The guy I bought it from says he will refund my money if it's faulty, I guess that's some form of a "warranty." Seller and his dad seem to be small-time parts dealers, the garage at their house in the city had about 12 engines in it, and a business card for their "business." And hey, I know where they live if there's a big issue. They seemed like nice guys, shouldn't be a problem. You know, I actually have an oil leak going on in my wife's Subaru right now, and I had that engine out a year ago to do new head gaskets. Since everything looked dry and clean on the front, I didn't do the front main or cam seals. I did do the rear main, even though it too was dry. Now I'm thinking my oil leak is from a cam seal, based on the apparent origin of the leak. That said... I think I'll text my buddy at the local Toyota parts desk (a guy I've known since grade school) to get some prices on the seals. I get a pretty good discount up there, may as well get some genuine OEM parts. Hoses are a good idea, and I'll definitely do the thermostat, and maybe the water pump if it's decently priced. Other than that, I think I'm good. I don’t even want to crack the valve cover seal, it appears to be factory original, and absolutely spotless. Same with the oil pan. These engines were sealed really well. I too am sad that I won't be learning more about my dead engine any time soon. Honestly, with the sort of free time I have these days, I'll probably sell it before I have time to break it down. Who knows though. My wife and kid are leaving town at the end of the month to visit some friends in CO (my wife is a teacher, her spring break week), so perhaps I can fit that in during my "spring break".

[trb]

Looks like you got a good deal! Now if I can find some time this month too, almost finished with our year end filings, I'll pull my dead Mustang engine and start on it. I've never been beyond the valve cover gaskets and water pump, so that will be an adventure for me.

[98se5speed]

Progress update: Stopped by Toyota today, ordered both seals, total: $24. Decided to pass on $98 Toyota water pump. Found a spare 20 minutes in the evening, got all the old wiring and cut hoses off the new engine. Plan for the weekend: A bit more garage cleaning, then hopefully push the Vibe inside.

[98se5speed]

Weekend done, didn't get much done on the car. Only accomplishment was pushing the car into the garage. I guess that is a start. Having to jump into my freezing-cold minivan this morning is definitely some motivation!

[98se5speed]

Just spent $31 at Toyota for the rear-main seal, torque converter seal, and an oil filter. I figured I would splurge on a Toyota filter, since it was only about $1.25 more than the Walmart "SuperTek" brand filter.

[455SD]

Jumping back a bit, to what you might find on tear-down/inspection of old engine. I have seen these engines, where the serp. belt failed. The head gasket blows between all four cylinders, then combustion continues to take place - burning throught the section of block between the bores. There isn't a water jacket in this area, so engine doesn't hydrolock....just mis-fires like crazy, until it dies. I have seen these with the block/cylinder wall eroded almost 3/4" deep between the bores. Hard to believe they are able to still run, while having that much crossfiring going on...but they do. The Vibe looks great, and you got a heck of a bargain on it and the replacement engine. Great score!

[98se5speed]

Thanks for the info! Definitely has me curious to break the old engine down, just to see what happened. Perhaps I will if I find myself with a bunch of free time at some point before I sell/scrap the old one. Vibe does seem like a solid deal, now I'm anxious to really get working on it, now that the car is in the garage and the new engine is sitting on the ground next to it. Spending $60 to fill up the minivan is a bit of motivation too...

[98se5speed]

Finally, some real mechanical progress last night. Got the car up on jackstands, removed the radiator fan, alternator, starter, unbolted AC compressor from the block, unplugged all wiring, started on hoses, got underneath and inspected what's left. Not a bad use of 2 hours. Dad also stopped by and dropped off the 2 tires he mounted for me. Brand of this pair is "Response RST - Touring 2000", I googled them and they sound like a house brand Cooper made for Sears. My brother had them laying around from his 96 Beretta that he no longer has. Hopefully they're not too noisy or awful. Can't beat the price (free). Now that the car is in the garage, I can get a much better look at it. I'm thinking the area that got damaged back in 2008 was definitely the passenger side fender and door. I can't find any evidence of repair on the door, but the fender is ever so slightly mis-aligned. Most obvious spot is where the fender and bumper meet, and the area under the headlight. Thinking I can straighten this out though.

[98se5speed]

Evening 2 of mechanical work, engine is out. Total time, 5 hours. I easily could have cut an hour off of that had I soaked the exhaust bolts earlier (and if a couple other things had gone smoother, detailed below). But even with all the penetrant in the world, they were rusty as he11, and a bear to remove from under the car. I also did this entire job with hand tools, my wife complains that the compressor (and air gun) in the garage keeps her and the baby up. I can't argue much there. Another area of annoyance was the torque converter bolts, which I could just baaarely get a socket onto and clear the beam under the car. Not to mention, some genius at Toyota decided they needed 6 bolts for the flywheel to torque converter connection. I've seen cars with twice the torque of this little 1.8 get by with 4 bolts. But the real gem of annoyance was the power steering pump. My new engine came with the pump still attached and the hoses cut, so I figured it must be a bear to remove in the car. So I got the return hose off the reservoir, and started to take the pressure hose off the pump. Wouldn't budge. Just a difficult spot to get a wrench and your arm. So I decided to get the pump off the block, which is connected by 2 long bolts, with nuts behind the pulley. Bolts weren't that hard, but the pump was absolutely frozen in place. No hammer or pry bar I had would make a difference. I finally decided to attempt from inside the passenger wheel well, thinking I could get a better wack at it with a hammer. No movement. I go back to my new engine, confirm there are no more bolts holding it in place, and go back to the car. Pump is basically sandwiched between the block and the timing cover. I loosened 3 timing cover bolts in the general area of the pump... and it came right out. Live and learn, as always. Other than those items, the engine pull was probably one of my easier ones. It's a little obnoxious how many wires and hoses are jammed on the driver's side of the engine above the transmission, but getting everything apart wasn't too bad. You just need to be patient getting your pliers to each of the hose clamps. Well, here's a couple pics from the pull. Up next, give the new engine a full inspection, install the new rear main seal, install the new torque converter seal, and drop it in. I guess the seller wasn't kidding... the failure of the power steering actually DID lead to the death of the engine! Now I'm paranoid that there's a power steering leak, which caused this pump to go dry and fail. I had that happen to me once in college, luckily my 1988 Caravan had a water pump driven by the timing belt. I limped home with no PS or alternator.

[98se5speed]

Another weekend flies by, not much work on the car. Did a bit of general inspection between the old and new engine, I'm really not seeing anything different. Intake and exhaust look identical. I can't find one plug or port or anything that is in any way different. Really surprising since the 03 Corolla engine does not come up when searching for a 2003 Vibe engine. Minor roadblock I have right now, the nut for the power steering pressure line seems to be frozen to the line going through its center. I have it broken free from the pump, but obviously I need that nut to spin free on the line for proper installation of the new pump. I gave it a real good soak of PB Blaster, perhaps it will be less stuck at my next attempt. Other than that, I sorta tried to figure out how to remove the passenger headlight (in order to try and straighten my finder/bumper alignment), but no dice. I'll have to do a search elsewhere on the site. I took a minute to sit in the back seat of the Vibe, and was pleasantly reminded how comfortable it is. I rode in the back of my wife's 03 Forester last week, that car doesn't even come close for comfort or space.