Proper Radiator Cap Pressure Rating for 1994 Honda Accord EX?

I used the 1/4" plate glass lap technique on the deck and the head, just
to

In looking at the new head gasket I could see the slight indentation
intended for the
portruding steel liner. I used a smaller piece of glass and spent
considerable time lapping the
perimeter in an attempt to make the steel liner portrude. Not sure if I was
successful
or not. Protrusion is not perceptable, but on some level I guess it is
portruding a
"/tiny/ little extra". I figure that some cylinder liners were recessed when
I originally took the
head off, and now they are not. That has to be an improvement.

Everything seems secure.

I lapped the head while positioning the surface vertical, so nothing would
drain into the valves. Soap and water cleanup + WD40. And I turned the
cylinders about 10 revolutions wiping each cylinder in between.

I'm pretty close to closing it up. Some questions regarding belt tensions-

Timing Belt - I never was able to loosen the "tension nut" for the timing
belt.
I found that with some effort while rotating the camshaft pulley I was able
to
remove the timing belt from the camshaft pulley by sliding it sideways. So I
put it back on the same way, without adjusting the "tension nut". Does the
"tension nut" have to be loosened and tightened to automatically adjust the
belt tension?

Alternator & Power Steering Belts - How tight should these be? Is there a
"rule of thumb" for belt deflection?

Thanks again,

Gary

 

better than most rebuild shops i'll bet!

yes, it's spring loaded. while you have everything off, you should be
able to get at it easily and loosen it. take it off, clean it up and
replace if the bearing's not butter smooth.

on replacement, you should be able to figure out the deal on tightening
it. basically, put everything back together with the lower covers,
pulley wheel, etc, but with the tensioner bolt grommet cover off. the
[14mm?] socket and a long handled ratchet fit in the space just fine if
the power steering pump's moved out of the way [don't disconnect hoses,
just unbolt the mountings and lift the whole thing to the side], then go
through the tensioning process*. when done, tighten the bolt, rotate
the crank three times, then tension again.

* rotate the crank counter clockwise so the cam rotates three teeth.
that has the drive side of the belt under maximum cam load. then, the
spring that loads the tensioner has exactly the correct adjustment,
provided the tensioner pulley is free to slide - that's why it's vital
to take it off and clean it up and make sure it'll work properly. make
sure the bolt's not too loose on the tensioner before you tighten it.
if it is, it can over-tension the belt because the pulley was not
sitting square on initial tension, but tightening the bolt squares it
too far.

[check a third time to make sure there's no slack on the non-drive side,
but that it's also not too tight.]

yes. i can't recall what the specs are, but they're supposed to deflect
within a certain amount [10mm?] when loaded - usually by spring balance.
i use a cheapo fishing scale from woolmort - gives you the load near
enough, and just measure the deflection from there. or just thumb it.
they'll squeal if loose...

 

[check a third time to make sure there's no slack on the non-drive side,

I was too far along to recheck the timing belt. The power steering hoses and
side engine motor mount are in the way now. It took some effort to to put
the belt
on so I don't think there's a slack problem on the non-drive side. Simply
not enough
"backup" room to get my wrench on that adjuster nut. My tools are limited.
"Next
time" I will be more prepared.

There is a short squeal upon startup only. Not sure which belt.


Well, I started everything up and for the last three days it really has been
running great! The motor
seems to be much "tighter" now, and it takes less foot pressure on the gas
pedal to generate the
same RPM's. No bubbles in the coolant reservoir! I have been keeping my eye
on the coolant level
and occasionally turning on the heater to purge the system. I added about
1.6 gallons before there were
any leaks. It runs like it's new.

But today, after 3 flawless days, I had my first coolant leak. In the
morning, I added a little coolant
to the reservoir as part of the ongoing purging process. I really don't
think there were any leaks up
until this point, and that this was the most coolant that the system had in
it so far.

My wife drove the car to work (8 miles), and said that there was noticeable
leaks under the car after she stopped.
The same thing happened, after she came home. I checked to see where the
leak was coming from, and
the leak is coming from the joint where the "steel coolant pipe" enters
under the thermostat housing.
The car is now sequestered, and will not move until fixed. At no time did
the temp gauge go up, and both
fans have been operating as expected.

I had installed the head and intake manifold as one unit. I had difficulty
making the connection to the "steel
coolant pipe" that connects under the thermostat housing. I replaced the
O-ring on the "steel coolant
pipe" with the one that I ordered [91314-PH7-003 (31.2 x 4.1)]. Either I
ordered the wrong one, or
the O-ring didn't seat properly. It was pretty hard to sleeve the "steel
coolant pipe" into the connection
while holding the head and intake manifold stable, so it's quite possible
that I didn't get a good seal.
I'm thinking that the leak showed up after three days because I had just
purged the system to the point that
there was no air to compress, and the O-ring connection was the weak point.
I hope that is the case.

What is the best way to access this joint so I can replace or reseat this
O-ring? Also, did I use the
correct O-ring? I can't seem to find the diagram on www.slhonda.com that I
ordered it from.

Thanks. It's unbelievable how great this engine sounds!

Gary

 

you don't need room or special tools - it's accessed with everything in
place. it's only taking it off and cleaning everything up that requires
large scale removal.

check the belt deflections - one will be obviously loose.

most likely. you'll have to take stuff off to get at it again, but do
the ring again, clean everything, then reassemble with a little soap.
if not lubed, sometimes o-rings bind and cut on assembly.

can't you just remove the thermostat housing again? parts are in the
section called "water pump-sensor".

don't forget to change that oil again a couple of hundred miles!

 

OK. It was a tough fit. Wouldn't surprise me if the end of the pipe was
cracked.

Actually, I never removed the thermostat assembly from the intake manifold.
I don't think the Accord Shop Manual called for it. It was pretty awkward.
Next time, I
would remove the thermostat assembly. Maybe that is why the manual suggests
removing
and installing the intake manifold independant of the head on the 1994
models.

Will do. You still have scars from the head sanding jobs that you did in
your youth!

 

I had installed the head and intake manifold as one unit. I had

The o-ring had a big gash in it because of the way I made the connection. I
should have removed the
thermostat case from the intake manifold when I removed the head/intake
manifold. It would have made things
way easier. Everything is now fixed and appears to be in working order.

Thanks for all your help!

 

you're welcome! glad it worked. if you have any more problems, post a
fresh thread because i'm going to stop winding back to this one now.

atb