<Project> 1998 Trans Am Upgrades

[MP81]

The ice scraper isn't working as well as I thought. Maybe because it's the soft plastic type? Any suggestions for getting the graphite material off the block?

I'd use a razor blade, carefully. I always use one to get stuff like that off the block/heads, especially RTV.

[Nocooler]

I used a razor blade - and then some scotch brite and brake cleaner

[Schuby87]

Popped right off. Thanks again, Jeff.

[DETROITMUSCLE]

glad it worked for you.

[Schuby87]

I went to the North Gratiot Cruise until around 3 today then came back and got some work done. The new grade 10 bolt I used for my steering rack was a bit longer than stock so I couldn't get an oil pan bolt out far enough to drop the pan to get to the oil pump bolt. I needed a 3/8 to 1/2 socket adapter but couldn't find mine. I went to 4 places an no one had it. That was a loss of 2 days... lol Anyway... got the pan dropped, oil pump and timing set off, and cam out. Then I got all of that back on. Only issue I noticed was a rough spot on a cam lobe.

[c0ncEpT]

Is that cam new? I would be calling whoever I got that from....

[Schuby87]

Is that cam new? I would be calling whoever I got that from....

Nooooo, that's the stock cam.

[Nocooler]

Check the lifter that goes with that lobe - that's a lot of damage.

[Schuby87]

Check the lifter that goes with that lobe - that's a lot of damage.

I tossed all the lifters in a bag so I don't know what one goes with that lobe. I did inspect each of the rollers when I pulled out the lifters and didn't notice anything unusual.

[meissen]

New cam and lifters going in tho right?

[Schuby87]

New cam and lifters going in tho right?

Yup, all new valvetrain.

[Lucky SOB]

Wow! Wonder what happened to that lobe?

[Schuby87]

I wasn't planning on replacing my oil pan gasket but it has been eating at me for a few days now and I decided to go for it. Disconnected the motor mounts and lifted the engine off the cradle a few inches with the cherry picker so I was able to pull the pan out. Then I had to wait for the UPS guy to get here with my gasket so I decided to pull out line of bushes out of the front yard. haha. Pan is back on loosely now, motor mounts back on, front cover ready to go on.

[Schuby87]

So my oil pan cracked last night when torquing down the bolts near the oil filter.

Here is how I installed it: put the lines of RTV in the corners, snugged pan to block, set timing cover and gasket on and put the pulley on to align the front seal, snugged the timing cover to the pan, snugged the timing cover to the block, then went to torque the big pan bolts to 18ft/lbs. Did I do something wrong here? I had a small oil leak near the rear of the engine on the filter side so I'm thinking it may have possibly been stressed/cracked before.

[MP81]

Sounds like it may have had a stress crack already and the torque finally made it fail. Because 18 lb/ft is not really a overly high torque...