SkinnedAussie

KH, what make and model is the vehicle? (D'oh! You already mentioned that earlier!)

That would be the best of a worst case scenario!

Rather than run the risk of running out of coolant, and seizing the engine, why not go to a wrecking yard and see if they have a replacement radiator? If you do get one, take it to whoever fixes radiators in your area and have them service it / check it for leaks, then just swap the old with the 'new'. Mick, even for you, it would only take a couple of hours!

Yep, the main filler cap. Enough to stop the leak. But seriously, it used to work for me as a quick fix (just to get me through the race meeting), then I would get the radiator fixed properly.

Even if it is fuel injected, a blocked fuel line won't prevent it from turning over. If there's no fuel getting through, it will just crank over and over until the battery dies. Maybe KH should re-word what the symptoms are.

Highly unlikely. In fact, impossible. If it won't turn over, it has nothing to do with a fuel line. Do you mean it cranks over but won't start? If so, and with the other symptoms, it could be that the fuel is draining out of the carby, and thus, requiring excessive cranking to fill the bowl in the carby.

With a radiator leak, a small one eventually leads to a bigger one, and sooner rather than later you'll have to remove it to get it fixed. Back in my motor racing days, a quick fix that always worked was to just crack an egg into the filler. The coolant has to be at normal operating temp for this to work. Pepper was another quick fix, but usually for smaller leaks. Not sure if Bar's Leaks is still on the market, but that can be used in the interim. There is nothing (that I'm aware of) for a long term fix.

Also, there may be clearance problems with the rim. There's nothing worse than having your brake caliper scrape the inside of the rim when you apply the brakes.

If it's brand new, and its first service, I'd be booking it in asap. You said the email said the service WAS due at 4000 miles. How many over is it? With any new car, the first service is generally the most important. During the initial 'breaking in' process, things might come loose, other things might tighten up, etc, so it's best to get the dealership to check it when due. Just make sure you retain a copy of all emails received from the dealership, and take a copy with you when you book it in.

Starter +1 Go to a wrecking yard and pick up a similar starter, install it, and see what happens. Just make sure you disconnect the battery when doing so.

Is that an upper or lower ball joint? SS, with a ball joint, that would be installed in a wishbone. Is your advice with the wishbone removed from the vehicle? Personally, I wouldn't mess with steering components without the proper tools and equipment. There's too much involved for the unskilled, and even though it may look like it's installed correctly, who suffers the consequences if that part fails? I doubt insurance would cover it. Steering and suspension (and, to a lesser extent, brakes) - get it done by someone who does it for a living.

I used to have two separate sets of spanners - one metric, and another for working on (imported) Chev race engines.

Do we have a starting calibre centre on the roster at the moment? If Casey Rabach is the best we have ......................... :doh: I hope not! I would prefer the gold-on-burgundy, but that burgundy-on-burgundy makes me want to spew (= puke). Although I haven't been to D.C., I didn't think there was a harbour. Besides, from what a lot of 'fans' seem to say, we often end up as a sinking ship, so the last thing we need is to be situated close to water.

Do you realise how difficult it is for me to 'americanize' my posts? There's a perfect example right there. Americanize. We would use an s instead of the z. Colour - Color Harbour - Harbor Centre - Center. Redskins - Redskins. At least there's one thing that'll never change!

What metrics did I use? 2wd = two wheel drive; 4WD = 4x4. twa, a plumb bob will also do the trick, but as you pointed out, only on (perfectly) level ground. The valve stem way works on any ground, especially if you go off-roading in a 4x4.

Yep, it determines the centreline through the axle. It works especially for the supplied example (steering wheel 90 degrees off centre). The distance between the right hand side marks should be the same as that of the left hand side. If not, something is out of alignment; it's just a matter of determining what. It's best used after a fairly decent whack, be it a hydrant, kerb or monster pothole. On a 2WD vehicle, it would help determine if a strut is bent (on older cars it could be a wishbone), a track bar, etc; on a 4wd, it could be the same, plus a bent diff housing. On any vehicle, it could also indicate a bent chassis. Some would say 'Why bother with all that?', but I say 'Why spend more money than you have to?'. If you have a starting point for repairs, you could save plenty (depending on the problem). You could also be aware of when you are being ripped off with unnecessary repairs by unscrupulous mechanics. Then again, it could be just an Aussie thing!

Yep, but the hard part is putting it all back together again!

That's one way, but not necessarily the best. If, as suggested, he's knocked the steering out that far, AND has bumper damage, who's to say that he hasn't also tweaked the fender? The way I prefer is to put all the valve stems at 6 o'clock, then mark a line straight down the tire and on to the ground. The distance between the marks on both sides should be the same (+/- a tiny bit). If not, you know you have a problem. It won't cost anything other than time.

I would also suggest the jeepster monitor his engine oil. If it starts to turn grey, the coolant leak is internal, and the head will have to come off, at a minimum.

I'm waiting to read about the final diagnosis of the Tale of the Broken Timing Belt. Next time, ask yourself this; What has the valve hit for it to become bent? How do you check the associated piston crown to see if it isn't cracked? Do you physically check the bore to see if the piston hasn't 'twisted', and thus, scoring the bore, or worst still, cracking the bore? What about possible broken piston rings? A crushed big-end bearing, maybe? How do you justify to the customer the cost of inspecting all internals if all he/she wants is to replace a (one?) bent valve? Sorry, but it's not worth the hassle in the future. Let some unscrupulous mechanic deal with it now, and he can also have the hassle later.

Not evaporated, but drawn into the radiator to try and make up for the lack of coolant. Not necessarily a good thing if your cooling system uses an anti-freeze type coolant. Certainly not by the side of the road. You certainly wouldn't be driving home if you did. What, exactly, do YOU mean by head gasket? Obviously not the one between the head and the engine block. How does one run cold water through the head gasket? I'm a mechanic and have no idea what you are talking about. BTW, what was the temp gauge indicating, if anything, when you first noticed the burning smell?

^^ Beat me to it.

When did you first notice the oil leak? Before or after the timing belt issue? My way of thinking is that the valve cover would have had to be removed in the process of replacing the timing belt. The mechanic would have had to line up the timing marks, then he should have checked the valve clearance (another way of finding out if you have a bent valve). He may have crimped the gasket when the valve cover was re-installed. A slightly bent valve won't be noticeable until the engine is under load, like when you accelerate, due to lose of compression. However, what will happen, sooner rather than later, is that a hot spot will develop on the valve face and it will eventually burn a hole in the valve and messing up the valve seat, which will result in the head needing to be rebuilt. To think people questioned me when I steered clear of broken timing belt issues.

Although unlikely, but it is possible that there could be more internal damage than just bent valves. I've actually seen an engine with a bent conrod and a slightly bent crankshaft. What would replacing the valves do to fix that? I've even seen cracks in the block where the crank bearing caps bolt into the block. How happy would you be if the bottom end of your engine dropped out whilst motoring along the freeway? Whenever I had a similar repair come in (broken timing belt / chain), unless the owner agreed to a complete overhaul, I wouldn't take the job.

Having spent 20+ years on the tools, I would hope I did actually learn something! Going back to the timing belt breakage issue, I would suggest a compression test, even if to determine there has been no damage done to the internals. When I read that post, my first thought was 'Mr. Piston, meet Mr. Valve'. Now, if the engine is running rough, that is a sign of some internal damage, albeit relatively minor, but it could lead to bigger, and expensive, problems further down the track. If, for example, a valve is even slightly bent, that could lead to damage to the head around the valve seat area, and in the worst case scenario, the valve head eventually breaking off the stem and causing untold amounts of internal damage. That would generally result in a complete engine replacement as very little would be salvageable.