jonbill

I'll have to check mine - never noticed an o ring.

You can always weld it, then you don't need a big skim.

I'd bet your oil cap is cracked.

Tap the reservoir hole and put a little bolt in there. The better approach to this problem is buy a new MC.

If you get another engine, it'll probably work and you can drive your car. and used engines are cheap. get it with the inlet manifold too in case that's where the problem is. Then you or someone else can leisurely work out whats wrong with this engine.

i think the 8 years show that guesses from the forum isn't going fix it. Can you not just get another engine?

Isn't that what stock looks like on US cars?

Cut a couple of coils off the springs. (With a cutting disc)

Well I did assemble the ECU for the full diy experience, but you can get preassembled ones too. I use the standard Speeduino firmware and tuned it myself on the road.

36-1 crank trigger wheel, TPS, air temp and coolant temp sensors and Speeduino ECU. FAJS 45mm ITBs, Nissan sport manifold.

i must say, I switched from triple Dellortos to ITBs and fuel injection, and I found it pretty straightforward; much easier than tuning the carbs.

in the long, painful history of this engine, have you checked the valve stem seals ? 4 isn't going to be getting extra fuel from the carbs, so it must be oil, and at idle, the valve stem seals are a good candidate.

less torque on the bolts won't mean more clearance and less oil pressure. but you might need new bolts - they may have stretched at that excess torque.

the relief valve is only active if the oil filter is clogged. I'd leave it. don't you need to take the oil pan off to confirm there's not an air leak in the oil pickup to block?

or just buy a cheap impact driver.

make a washer with a D shape hole and bond/weld it in to the top of the top mount.

cut flats high up on either side of the strut shaft and hold it with an open spanner.

that sounds like a car starting fairly normally. maybe there's a bit of fan belt squeal when you rev it. Is this representative of the problem? I'd assumed the car wasn't starting.

I took the remains of one off recently, and I'm sure it was between the ring and the neck.

my guess is starter. solenoid not engaging correctly so you're just hearing the motor spin. a fully charged battery might make the difference. a recording would confirm.

maybe the mechanical pump is for looks along with the carbs. does it have an electric pump as well?

FWIW, the 'AM' in the part number shows they're aluminium, which doesn't have a great reputation (although eventually, they'll be all there is).

The yellow stuff might be the stuff used to bond the baffle into the cam cover. what does the inside of the cam cover look like?

There should be either: a) a single mark on the damper and an array on the timing cover, or b) a single pointer on the timing cover and an array on the damper. You've got a mix of both and I don't think you can trust it to tell you where TDC is. Nor can you trust the MS2 - it only knows what it was told by whoever tuned it. you need something like this to find TDC : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331342952716 and then make your own marks to show where TDC is. I'd replace the serated doofer on the timing cover with a pointer that points at the last of those marks on the damper at TDC.

you'll have to take the timing cover off. if you're lucky, there'll be enough sticking out of the block to get a tool on and unscrew. if not, drill and tap it. did you use a torque wrench? it's only m6, so it can't take much. 5 ft lb or so.