This has been so freaking frustrating, I still sware I'm dreaming it all! Here's the scenario:

I'm sure by now most of you guys know I've left the darkside for a while. I removed my turbo setup last Sunday. The bulk of the work (manifold, exahust, intake etc..) I did on Sunday, by the end of the 4hrs it took me to go from turbo no N/A, I was pretty tired and I wanted to enjoy the evening with my fiance for a while, so I said "ehh, I'll leave the oil line for Monday" thinking it wouldn't take me more than 20-30mins to do..... oh lord

Come Mon. night, I get under the car to remove the oil T off the block, it took some time because I had no socket for the odd size of the sending unit, so I had to wrestle it off the T with a pliar and by hand. Ok I got it off and the oil line, finally I got the T off after fighting with the metal coolant line behind the block. Now the real fun begins..

After getting the T off, I go to reinstall the sending unit on the block, I tried tightning it downas hard as I could by hand at first. Start the car, and it's pissing oil all over the place Ok, clean-up, get back down there and remove the unit, wrap it in teflon tape, reinstall it, start the car, looks good for maybe 5 mins.. then it starts dripping oil at a good rate. Ok, take it off one more time and I figure i'm just not tightening it enough, so I'll wait till Tuesday so I can go to Sears and get a 24mm socket.

Come Tues, I do as I said and hit up Sears right after work to pick up my socket, get back home and get under the bastard only to realize, I needed a DEEP 24mm socket because of the sensor needle!!!!

Suffice to say I could give a damn less about the sensor, so I cut off the little needle and get back down there with the socket and proceed to ratchet the unit in thinking it would be the end of my problems. Then I notice something funny.. the ratchet just keeps going..and going... and going. I look up and see the unit pressed against the block, but it's loose and there's something sticking out behind it (sandwiched between block and sending unit). So I remove the unit to see if I stripped it, nothing there, but something fell off the car and hit me in the face! I look for it, and it's a little sliver of metal... from the block... and it's got threads on it!

I look up and confirm my worst fears, a piece of block where the sending unit screws in just broke off, leaving a nice little hole in the block where the unit would normally screw in. Obviously, the sending unit won't screw in anymore because the threads are missing from the block, and I'm really up the creek now. It's like 11:30pm on a Tues. night, andI thought I'd be done over an hour ago!

Well, I finally bring myself to the realization that there's nothing I could do shy of patching the hole, so I break out the trusty JB weld I hear about so often (glad bought some) and follow the instructions to mix it up. Wait another 15-20mins for it to harden enough and get under there to patch the hole. Now if you ever really paid attention, you'd know that working under the car where the oil sendind unit is, requires you to be a freaking contorstionist! But I manage to fill in the hole and cover everything up (after annother hour because the block was still semi-hot from running it earlier so the JB weld would get runny). It's late, I'm sticky, oily, hands full of oil and JB weld, i've go crap in my eyes, hit my head 4 times on the Z-10 bars...... I'm not in a very good mood.

FINALLY.. Wed. I don't even go to work, I get over to the car after letting it sit for 15-16hrs, check the JB weld and it's rock hard, replace the oil filter, start the car and PRAY it woudln't leak... alas, it's not dripping!!!!! Drive the car for a while, come back and check it.. no leaks. Drive it all day yesterday to work and back, no leaks! Wow.. after all the freaking work, it finally paid off with a complete job. I'll admit, I wanted to chuck the car in the canal more than once but hey, it all work out in the end... or not?

Last night my g/f leaves the house (she takes the Civic), I kiss her goodnight and watch as she pulls the Civic out of the driveway and.. OH MY GOD!!! OOIIIILLLLLL!!!!!

Lo and behold.. she checks when she get's home, there's oil puddling under the car. That's it. I'm done. Next stop, Okeechobee Lake, this b*tch is going swiming, anybody want a Hondata? <-- I need a FEW of these..

EDIT: No, the Hondata isn't for sale, sarcasim oWNz


[Modified by VTC_boost-less_CiViC, 10:55 AM 10/11/2002]

 

That really sucks, man. Maybe you can find a cheap block and get it all fixed.

& x a hella lot for you

 

I want your program. Man that really sucks. I've never heard of that happening. About dumping your car in the canal... I think we all have thought about it at one point or another. I know I have been thinking about it for about 1 month and a 1/2 while the damn car was more useful as a paperweight. Well anyway, good luck!

 

Damn man i feel for you. I kinda know what you are going through, i had so many problems with my oil when i was installing my turbo, that i wanted to throw away the motor. I dont even know what to tell you. Can you maybe take it to a shop and have them redrill the hole for you. i am not sure it can happen, but a suggestion.

Hope you get this done.

-deepsi

 

damm man, I thought this was going to have a happy ending and poof. Well Id be interested in the Hondata, Ill give you a PM.

 

Damn bro, I've had one or two of those types of days, weeks, months. They suck drown the car and get a insurance claim.
These are for you

Lee

 

Dude that sucks. Know anyone with a machine shop?

 

find some selft tapping screw that will fit the hole. there has got to be something you can do. i know you can take the block out and just tap it but taking it out is the bitch.

i feel your pain

 

should have never took the turbo off

 

That really sucks ***! I mean I know you spent alot of time and money on that car but it is only a civic! You can pick up the sohc complete, for cheap. You already have the head so sort blocks are cheaper! Trust me, If you can install a turbo kit and have the tools, you can build a solid SOHC motor. It is a lot easier to build a motor outside the car and all at once. Buy a case of cheap oil, drive your car untill you build a motor and then screw it. Your block might still be good! Find someone to tap it for you! All you need is someone with tap! If you are really considering getting rid of your goodies for the civic, I would love to support your next project. I need alot of miscilanious crap for my beast.

 

Thanks guy..

I'm curious, JB weld is supposed to be able to withstand heat over 600 degrees F, I'm not thinking that the block would get anywhere near that hot itself, but what about the oil flowing through it? Does anybody know how hot the oil get's inside a running N/A engine? Maybe that's whats causing the JB to leak. Then again, I've gotta get under there and see what the hell is leaking to begin with.

 

I thought JB Weld only withstand temp of 300 degrees. The oil itself has a temp around 200 degrees. I dont think jb weld will work truthfully, the temps of the motor is pretty hot and will melt the jb weld. i had a jb weld on my turbo outlet flange and it just melted off after 20 mins of driving. i went and got it professionally welded after that.

-deepsi

 

If the surface you were applying JB weld to was at all oily, the JB will not stick.

You're best best would be to
a) tap the block the next size larger (i did this when i stripped my block at the oil sending unit, its not that hard)
b) get a self tapping screw like mentioned before
c) clean the f*ck outta the block and add more jb weld.

Tom

 

Thanks Tom I like the idea of tapping the block. Question though, did you tap it while the block was still in the car? Did you have room? And what did you plug the hole with? No concerns about metal shaving in the motor?

 

Turbo outlet get's 3x hotter than the actualy block itself though

 

yeah i found that out the hard way

 

that's what i'm wondering.. the metal shavings.

maybe you'll have to jack up the car and just drop the motor down to work on it.

do you think all these problems could have been averted if you didn't tap the block directly with the T?

good luck dude

 

Ehh.. I don't know that it was the acutal T that damaged it or what. I'm still in shock that the freaking block chipped off!

 

After the shopping..we should make Saturday a "work on the cars" day.

 

the block uses a BPST thread. i have heard of more than one person on here just cranking down a NPT fitting in the hole when they installed the T for sensor and turbo. bad idea. did you do this or did u have the correct fitting for the block at all times?

 

You know what dude.. I have no idea? I didn't install the T myself, it was supplied with the kit from the guy I bought it from, and soembody installed it for me.. so god knows?

 

Yea, it'd be nice to see YOU get under there and work for a change

 

ugh...well good luck getting it all fixed up. tapping it for a larger thread seems to be the way to go.

 

Yea I think thats the route i'm gonna take if the JB weld failed. Does anybody know what size thread the sending unit is so I know what size tap to jump up to?

 

Dare you say I've never helped? At least you get to drive the teg...you can't complain..I'm good to you