Doing head gaskets, have a question about the SC

Scott Long

Registered User
I noticed now that I have the top off that there is some play in the supercharger. I can turn the pulley and there is a little play I'm assuming its in the gearing of the two rotors. They don't hit each other. Is this normal or should I have my blower rebuilt?

I started today, and had a bunch of friends come over and help me out, we got the alternator, ac compressor, cooling fan, tensioner pulleys, intercooler, upper IC tube & top, throttle body, water neck & thermostat off. I also drained and flushed the radiator. I'm hoping to have this car ready for the nationals in august. I've got some plans for it too. Since I've pulled off bunch of stuff, might as well replace it while its off right?

I am going to have to get some new hoses and hose clamps when I put this stuff back together. I broke the coolant temp sensor, and the hose that plugs into it, how do I replace that?

I'm sure I will think of more questions but its 2:30am here, and I'm tired, have to close at work tomorrow (thats the only reason I was up this late) so I need to jump in the shower then get some sleep.
 
well i've done this a couple of times and there are certain things you really don't need to dissasemble all the way. For future reference, the sc, upper ic tube, sc top, throttle body, inlet plenem can all come off as one piece. Make sure your labeling all your bolts, hoses, and wires. Make sure you remove the plastic winshield wiper lining, and the piece that is under it on the left(as you look at the engine from the front) this gives you the room you need to unbolt the egr. After that comes the egr.(2 bolts that conect it to the back of the inlet plenem). once the egr is loose, remove the 3 bolts that hold the sc to the lower intake. (2 13mm bolts, 1 15mm bolt). Then you can lift the sc and the inlet plenem off as one. Don't forget to remove all the vacum lines and loosen the sc bypass clamps. Next is the upper intake. (3 13mm bolts that attach it to the lower intake) you have more vacum lines to remove here as well. label,label,label... After that would be the fuel rail. 4 torq screws. don't forget to label the electronics. you're also going to have to unbolt the fpr (fuel pressure regulator) as that is attached to the fuel rail and the block/head. it's kind of cramped to get a wrench back there, but doable. I never fully disconnect the fuel rail, there is enough slack in the hoses to set it aside. From there it's up to you. i'd go for the lower intake. There you got a couple dozen 15mm bolts to remove. Have fun w/ that one. I loosen them by hand and use power tools to back them the rest of the way out, then remove the lower intake and t-stat housing all in one, but you allready removed yours. That should keep you busy for a while. Just fyi, the power steering pump does not need to come off the brackett, and the lower ic tube it secured in 2 placec that can be a pain to get undone. This is all fresh in my mind because I just changed a hg about 2 hours ago. took me 3 hours to tear it down to the block, and i plan on puting her all back together tomorrow. I know how much of a pain it was the first time I did it, so any other questions lemme know. I hope this helps and I didn't make too many typo's.
Kyle
 
Thanks for the pointers. I can't believe you can have the engine apart in three hours. Wow you are good!!! I started working on mine around 5:30pm last night and quit around 3:00am so you could have probably had it done and been driving it by then.

I got a question for you. I tried to pull the radiator drain (or what I thought was the radiator drain) and it had a wing nut looking thing on it. It just spins freely, and i didn't want to break the radiator so I just pulled the lower hose to let it drain. I want to flush the block out good, how should I do that now that the water neck is off? I think I might have got most of the coolant out of the block though because I covered the t-stat opening and then spun the water pump pulley and a bunch more coolant came out.

So the big bracket on the ps pump with the alternator mounts, coil pack mounts, and whatever can stay on? Do I need to get a pulley puller and remove the pulley or should I just undo the bracket on the water pump and swing it all out of the way and leave the PS hose attached?

Got any idea where I can get a new waterneck with coolant sensor mount and the connector hose that goes on the coolant temp sensor ripped, how do I fix that?

Where do you live? I probably couldn't get lucky enought to have you live somewhere close LOL.

My SC's are really turning out to be expensive hobbies, but its a learning experience and I'm saving thousands in labor.

I want to do my motor mounts, and drop the oil pan down and change the oil pump too since my car has 182k miles on it. I'm tempted to just pull the whole damn motor once I get it down to the heads. Then while the heads are at the machine shop I can work on the bottom end of the engine.

I am going to have to get a few cans of degreaser and brake parts cleaner, shit is filthy and I want to clean it all up upon reassembly.
 
A few tips from me

Not that you havnt heard it before or perhaps are already planning on doing so....Use ARP head studs or bolts..Also..While your heads are at the machine shop I'd highly reccomend getting them o-ringed. I've done it to all my SC's as well as many 5.0's I have built..works great. Especially on motors that are prone to head gasket failure regardless of boost:O)
 
you got it. Leave the ps pump on the bracket and leave the hose attached. the brakett is held to the block and to the head w 4 bolts/studs i believe. two are easily seen and hold that brace that goes in front of the pump. two bigger ones are hidden from view. Look at a manual or stick your hand in there to feel where they are. then slide the whole assembly off to the front and out of the way. After this you should be able to see the 2 spots where the lower ic tube is held in place. the lower of the two is a stud/nut deal. the easiest way to do this is to remove the nut, and instead of trying to slide it off the stud w/ all that crap in the way, just remove the stud as well. ford was thoughtfull and provided a fitting so a small socket will fit on the end to get the stud out. then there is an upper brace on the lower ic tube. this is a bracket that is bolted to the block and then to the ic tube. again, it's not easy to remove the bolt from the ic tube(must be done from underneath). so leave the bracket bolted to the tube and remove the two bolts that attach the bracket to the block instead. then you schimmy it out of there. that should keep you busy for a bit more...lol. i got to run some erands but i'll be back on the forum later
oh yeah, i live in pleasanton, ca
Kyle
 
Thanks, I'll try to get some more done tonight. I just got off work and have to work again at 7:30 in the morning. So I'm busy working which only gives me a few hours a day to work on the bird, but its ok since I'm saving the labor and I have another car to drive in the mean time.

I am going to attempt to get the ic tube off and the PS pump out of the way tonight, maybe pull the inlet plenum and SC tonight as well. I'll post more of my progress and I have a few pics I'll post tomorrow as well. Thanks again.
 
Well I'm at a stump right now. I was trying tonight to get the PS pump out of the way and disconnect the lower ic tube from it. I got the bracket loose from the water pump but then I tried to get the ps pump pulley off and had a bitch of a time using both a two jaw and a three jaw pulley remover. Its still on the car, and I'm done for the night. I've got to get some sleep and then go to work tomorrow.

Thank god for my friends, I had a bunch of friends over tonight again and they are coming back tomorrow. My one buddy is letting me borrow all kinds of tools I didn't have so I owe him. Although I did hook him up with a set of heads for his 1977 Nova SS for really cheap. $50 for a set of 1970 LT-1 Chevy heads.

I have to get the pulley out of the way to get the other bolt off that holds the PS pump mount to the head. I got the top one off but the bottom one is behind the pulley. Any tips for getting the pulley off?
 
the ps does not need to come off. the bolts can be reached by extensions. i used two 3" extensions and a deep socket. it looks like it won't work, but it will.
 
Well I'll give it a try again tonight then with the pulley on but if I can't get at the bolt that pulley is coming off.
 
scott I had the same problem I couldn't get tha P/S pump off either. So I used extentions as well. I had to cut some off a long 15mm socket or unless you have a medeim length one your self.

If that doesn't work! Well what I did was cut a hole in the bracket big enough to get a extention through. You could make it big enough for the socket to fit through. I should of. I had to put the extention through, then fit my hand back there and get the socket on the bolt and then the extention.

happy trials
Raymond
 
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P/S pump

Scott,

Do it right and save the frustration of cutting bolts, etc... I have a 93 and I bought a set of pulley pullers from a discount tool place. I don't know if you have anything like that where you are. Where I am there is a place called Harbor Freight Tools. Good stuff at very affordable prices. You can also rent tools from your local auto store as well. The tool you will need is the one that bolts into the spindle of the P/S. The kit doubles as a pulley installer as well.

John
93 SC, just replaced HG.
 
John thanks, I just read this but already figured my problem out.

I did pull the pulley, got the bracket off, and got the bolts out, and the ic tube off. I had to get a ps pump pulley remover tool. Since I'm a manager at Auto Zone I just went up there and borrowed it and took it back this morning.

I am not attaching all the bolts to that bracket upon reinstallation, nor am I attachting the IC tube back except at the plenum itself and the intercooler. That is the stupidest design I've seen in quite some time.

I also have the SC idler jackshaft assembly and bracket out of the way, I got all the bolts off but had to put the SC tensioner pulley back on so I could move the arm out of the way and my friend removed the bolt behind that. I'm not putting that little bolt back on either. I am going to put this SC together so that it will work and next time I take it apart it won't take as long.

This is my first time doing head gaskets but I figure once I learn it'll be easier the next time. It took me 2 hours to do my plugs and wires the first time. Now I can do them in about 30 minutes.

How does the plenum and blower come off? And what do I do with the fuel rail? Disconnect it? remove it?

I didn't disconnect the ps pump, just removed the pulley to get it off better. I'm not putting the water pump and ps bracket back on either. My friends coy miller stage 1 doesn't have it so why should I need it?
 
plenum, blower and fuel rails

Scott,

THe plenum and blower will come out as one unit. Remove the three bolts that hold the blower down and remove the three (10mm) bolts that hold the intake elbow assembly (closest to the fire wall). For the bolt closest to the fire wall, I had to use a 10mm combination wrench and get it from the passenger side.
The fuel rail is very simple. The manual says to loosen the gas cap. If you have a release button in your glove box, you won't be able to open your door the conventional way because your battery should be out of your car. You will need to get into your trunk and you will see a release lever to open your gas door. Make sure you get the proper tool to disconnect the fuel lines. Unscreww the four torx screws and wiggle the injectors out and the rail will lift up. Since you have the injectors out, you may want to replace the o-rings.

Good Luck.

John
 
Scott, that ugly bracket that is attached to the water pump and the power steering...take firmly in hand, open garage door....wing it and try not to hit the neighbors cat!!!

We've done three engines up here and not put that thing back on, it serves very little purpose outside of being a huge pain if you ever have to change the water pump.
 
Well I just got the hood off and wiper cowl off, and I'm still working on getting the lower part of the wiper cowl off, the stuff directly over the vacuum lines. Once I get that off, can I pull the blower and inlet plenum of does the fuel rail have to get disconnected first?

Oh yeah, I got the water pump off today too. Mark Strand (89 XR-7) and Peter Dennis (93 SC) stopped by today and are helping me. Along with a few of my friends who aren't SC owners.
 
Got the blower off, got the left valve cover off, got the injectors off on the drivers side. How do I pull the fuel rail? I can't figure out how to disconnect it from the FPR and the fuel lines. What is the sensor at the front of the fuel rail on the passenger side?

Got some pics, will post soon, gotta get some sleep, I have to be at work in about 6 hours. Then tomorrow I'm going to the track with some friends, hope to get some pics and video's of that too.
 
You need to use a set of those fuel line removing tools, like what used for the fuel filter. I bought a set of them at AutoZone (have you heard of them? ;)) Also, there is a long bolt under the regulator that holds the fuel rail to the head (it's a real pain to reach).
 
Fuel Line

OH Yeah! Kurt is right! There is a long bolt that connects to the driver side head. It is a pain to get to. I had to use a 10mm combo wrench to loosen it. Luckily, my bolt was pretty clean and it came out by turning it with my fingers after I loosened it.
The fuel line remover kit is available at Kragen's, Pep Boys or Schuck's as well. Get one Scott, it saves alot of headaches. THey usually come in a set and they look like round disc things.

John
 
HELP

On my '89 there is a stud sticking out of the driver's head. Here the FPR bracket is held on my a 13mm nut then there is another bracket (which attaches to a hose) and it is also connected to this stud by a 13mm nut. The first 13mm nut came off fairly easy but the one that hold the FPR down is stuck. I have tried everything......any suggestions????? What about removing the head bolts......do you need to actually remove the exhaust manifolds from the car????? I got the bolts for the manifolds out on the driver's head but that doesn't help getting at the lower bolts!

P.S. I'll pay anyone near Erie, PA to come and get that 13mm nut off and I will also buy a case of your preferred beverages! It is keeping me from removing the intake manifold and I can't go any further until its out!
 
I am stuck at that bolt too. I got the nut off but the stud part is also 13mm? I can't get a socket with a deep well in there till i remove or move that hose behind there. I have the left valve cover off right now. I as soon as I get the damn fuel rail off I can pull the intake manifold.

Also how do you use the disconnect tool. I bought the set of discs today at work but have no clue how to use them. And what is the sensor I unplugged next to the fuel line connections?

Hope to get a reply so I can try again tomorrow, I'm tired, and I was at the racetrack all night with some friends and I got started on the car tonight at 1:00am. I have a meeting in the morning to go to so I need sleep. Thanks for all your help so far.

Dustin, it sounds like me and you are in the same stage of head removal.
 
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