So the mechanic mixed up the cams and didn't put gasket sealant on the half moons? I was a auto mechanic for 7 years and never met a mechanic that wouldn't gasket sealant those half moons. This guy sounds incompetent. Maybe you should find a GOOD machinist and ask him how to proceed. Maybe a professional needs to check that head. I saw your posts about the machinist speculating it could've been the head gasket or exhaust manifold gasket blah blah I dont buy it.
Unfortunately, the cheaper guys in motorsports aren't good. Ive been down this road before with jet skis and always the cheap guy cost me a lot more money in the long run. Good luck!
I called guy who re did head and he agreed gasket failed. He also said to get new gasket which I was planning on doing.
That's why I do the most I can and outsource what I don't feel comfortable doing. I have used mechanic before and is reasonable on his rates.
I called dealer for same job and it was over 800 dollars.
I gotta back @l_squared_r up on this one. If even I (who has truthfully never torn down an engine--worked on a lot of em, done a carburetor or four, but never a rebuild) could figure out that your cams were messed up--that is pretty basic. Wonder what else in the engine he did not do right... You might have a piston upside down or something.
Agreed, I have watched too many car shows to know timing was off but stupid ski has to distributor to rotate.
All he had to do was torque head, cam and set timing. Granted it took him twice to do it
I just want everyone to know: Do your research before hiring people!
It's never an easy thing to trust someone to do what they say they can do. Hence, why I try to do what I can but will always question their work.
I’ve skimmed through this thread... but it sounds like you have or are planning to re use the head gasket and have put or will use some kind of sealant on it?
If so I’d recommend not reusing any gasket or using any sealant on a head gasket.
I can see your argument to keep it as the SM says and even machinist I called says in all his years theres no sealant.
I am still on fence as I can see how it may be a band aid on bigger problem but I don't see how it cant help??
I reused my exhaust manifold and head gaskets without issue. I also advised
@14SX190 to use the Aviation Form-A-Gasket Liquid Sealant. The gaskets are Multi-Layer-Stainless (MLS). I know they can fail, too, but not as readily as composite gaskets.
When you are trying to diagnose a problem and you get somewhere by changing the conditions, in this case adding gasket sealant, then you are making progress. He has had the head off and on several times, but now the timing has become another problem.
Hence, the problem now if and only if with 100% certainty, which there isn't, HG became compromised due to complete incompetency of mechanic switching cams and me trying to start it changed a variable. I would have to start from step one again to R/O bad install as cause of continuing saga.
Adding gasket sealant imo wouldn't make it worse if Milky Oil returned knowing cams were on right this time and everything was done to SM, I still have bigger problem which is no one fault but a motor that has seen better days.
