Did I install the flywheel wrong?
Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 12:18 pm
Okay, my problem: The clutch springs on my 1980 1.6 Mechanical lifter Caddy exploded. The truck does not have the original engine. So I turned the engine to put the flywheel in TDC indicated, dropped the 4 sp. trans and put in a 5 sp. I used a flywheel from the engine that had the 5 sp. because the 4 sp. flywheel got chewed up a bit from the clutch parts grinding around inside the transmission bell housing. Drove around my parking lot little, engine ran fine, had 4 forward gears, (not reverse or 5th, shift linkage needs modification, was going to deal with that later).
While I was digging into the truck, I decided to put in a new head gasket. It has been bubbling a bit for a long time, but lately had been leaking a lot of antifreeze and oil. So I turned the engine so the flywheel indicated TDC and pulled off the camshaft cover. The camshaft was not at TDC position, the lock slot on the end was about 30 degrees off. So turned the engine until the #1 lobes on the camshaft were up and locked it and the injection pump in position. Now the flywheel was no longer indicating TDC, so I painted a mark to line up with the arrow on the bell housing.
Pulled the head (p.o. had installed gasket reversed!), installed new gasket, put it back together. After installing new timing belt, tried to turn engine over by hand. At a certain point it would not move anymore, so I stopped (figuring maybe valves were contacting).
So that's where I am now, working on it today but I'm wondering: Why would the flywheel TDC mark be off? Did I maybe install it wrong? It was snowing when I did it so my patience was low and I was rushing, but it seems to me that if I didn't have the locating pins lined up correctly the flywheel would not be mounted in the right position or it would be crooked.
Any thoughts appreciated, I'm trying to avoid pulling the trans off again.
While I was digging into the truck, I decided to put in a new head gasket. It has been bubbling a bit for a long time, but lately had been leaking a lot of antifreeze and oil. So I turned the engine so the flywheel indicated TDC and pulled off the camshaft cover. The camshaft was not at TDC position, the lock slot on the end was about 30 degrees off. So turned the engine until the #1 lobes on the camshaft were up and locked it and the injection pump in position. Now the flywheel was no longer indicating TDC, so I painted a mark to line up with the arrow on the bell housing.
Pulled the head (p.o. had installed gasket reversed!), installed new gasket, put it back together. After installing new timing belt, tried to turn engine over by hand. At a certain point it would not move anymore, so I stopped (figuring maybe valves were contacting).
So that's where I am now, working on it today but I'm wondering: Why would the flywheel TDC mark be off? Did I maybe install it wrong? It was snowing when I did it so my patience was low and I was rushing, but it seems to me that if I didn't have the locating pins lined up correctly the flywheel would not be mounted in the right position or it would be crooked.
Any thoughts appreciated, I'm trying to avoid pulling the trans off again.