zenkizen

after a 30 minute drive my S14 started smoking under the hood. i poped the hood and steam was coming out of the radiator bypass hose on the lower end of the hose that connects to the metal housing where the thermostat is. the metal piece that the bypass hose is connected to has a huge crack. this metal piece is not detachable and is part of the lower block.

whats the easiest way to get this fixed?

again - the metal piece where the lower end of the radiator bypass hose is connected.

stock ka24de engine.

hope the description isn't too complicated.

zenkizen

the red arrows are pointing at the thermostat housing. coolant flows from the radiator, through this housing, through the thermostat, and into the radiator bypass hose. the crack is on the metal piece on the other side of this thermostat housing where the bypass hose in connected. the bypass hose has nothing to clamp onto because the metal piece cracked off.

should i take the whole engine out and take it to a weling shop to weld the crack? any other suggestions.

zenkizen

those aren't my engines by the way. my engine is still in my car.

nsn240

you could get it welded... or buy a new one, get a new thermostat while you're at it

zenkizen

i replaced the thermostat as soon as the car overheated. the thermostat was the 1st thing that i thought was wrong, but unfortunately that wasn't it.

there's no other choice than to get this part welded, but i don't know how to go about it.

should i take the engine apart peice by peice, or should i take the whole engine out

is there any simpler way to weld the missing metal piece back on without takeing out the engine?

nsn240

the piece you have pointed out can be unbolted from the block, just use silicone to put it back on... if you cant find a replacement then bring it too a shop and have it welded

ironb12s

Sure, the KA24DE overheated, and you replaced the thermostat straightaway. The thermo housing mounts to the lower timing cover, and there's a bypass hose on the side of it there. You can get the lower timing cover off by performing the same disassembly as you would to replace the complete timing set, the upper cover and the oil pan must come off. In any case, the cover is removable and replaceable, if only with boneyard parts.

I just finished a timing set replacement, and my beloved S13 is now purring like a kitten once again. You will need to jack the car up and support it, unbolt and remove the sway bar, unbolt the crossmember under the motor (support the engine before attempting this) and remove the lower engine mount nuts. The crossmember also ties to the steering box, so loosen and spread the pinch bolt at the steering box, and the crossmember should drop about 4-6 inches allowing room the slip the oil pan out thru the front.

You do NOT need to remove the head, as the FSM states, just be really careful around the head gasket that rides between the upper and lower timing covers. Once the covers are off, you can also check the well-being of the chains, guides and sprockets. All can be reassembled using RTV. The only torque value that I had to search for was the valve cover bolts, and 10 ft/lbs was golden.

Bon chance, I hope this is useful.

zenkizen

Awsome response iron. this was exactly what i was looking for. i knew that this thread would be a lil complicated since the bypass hose is under the intake manifold and can not be seen, and thanks for the heads up on the disassemble info. i probably would have removed the head for sure

thanks mang.

nroy240

yeah do what that guy said

ironb12s

Yah, just treat it like you're going to replace the timing set, and be aware that there are 2 bolt-on fittings on the left side of the cover, plus the thermostat bypass hose out the back. The upper fitting on the side is the throttle preheat hose and has 2 bolts holding it on the lower radiator hose/thermostat housing, the one below the thermostat housingt is the Breather Separator, it has 3 (2 front, one lower rear).

You will need to drain the cooling system once more, and change the oil when you're done with reassembly. Also, you may leave the water pump on, but you'll probably want to remove the fan on it in order to get better access at the timing cover bolts, and remove the radiator and shroud (with the electric fan) so that you have more room to work the front end of the engine. The electric fan can be left in the engine well once the shroud and radiator are removed, no need to unplug it or remove it completely.

The entire job can be done without pneumatics, just apply prodigious use of long levers. Don't know if your tranny is M/T or A/T, but the M/T needs to have a friend stand on the brake pedal, M/T in 1st, step into the engine well and stand on a 1/2" breaker bar to break the crank damper bolt loose. While buddy is on the brake, you can break the idler and cam bolts loose too, if timing set replacement is the goal. There are also flats on the cams for just this purpose. And be sure that you have a good torque wrench (or three) when you do the reassembly!

I may write up the complete procedure for timing set replacement and forward it on to Sticky for posting in that forum.