Wow! Heck of a project. One that I plan to undertake at some point too, simply due to milage. But I will add those gaskets can be found easily and are only $25 a set for genuine OEM. Not sure what you paid.

https://www.partsgeek.com/1jzr39j-la...ld-gasket.html

 

I paid $30 each at the dealer. They were about $40 each but the sales dude gave me a discount… thank God! I was in a pinch and had to get the engine back together that day. I ordered the intake manifold gasket kit from Atlantic British. They don’t sell this odd gasket. The other gaskets all fit like a glove. Fun stuff!!

 

Been holding out til i wore the old tires out but thought it was time to fit new rubber before the Christmas break , Falken Wildpeak AT3W in 265/65/18 .
Went away for the weekend and feels so smooth again, when i was changing wheels i found i lost the balance weights off both front wheels.

 

Did you fit one of these 265/65/18 in the normal spare tire spot also? Do you know if it would fit, with or without air pressure?

 

An early Christmas gift for myself, both to protect my aging leather seats and to get away from the black.

 

Exquisite. I’ve been lusting for a set of M&M covers for two years. I’ve decided that for the holiday break I’m going to try to make my own set. Hoping for 95% of the function and 80% of the look (if I’m lucky)! The beige looks wonderful against the black interior, you may make me change my mind against charcoal colored canvas.

 

Not yet, i didn't get time to have the spare tyre fitted so will do that next week. I know it needs to be deflated but i have an onboard compressor and tank so its not an issue.

 

Thanks! They aren't cheap, but the exchange rate when I ordered them made them cheaper than most covers available stateside.

 

I saw a small leak under the 2008 last week. Thinking it was either the weep hole on the water pump or the temp sensor on the thermostat housing. I bought both and began my adventure.

Once I got to the thermostat housing I found a cheap aftermarket brand with a leaking temp sensor and then 2 piece water pump with at least 1/2 tube of grey sealant on the water pump gasket. Cleanup and reassembly went normally.
However, I have one question for the group....

Why in the name of all that is holy would someone put red lock tight on the fan clutch?
I know they can be difficult to remove, but never an issue of them coming loose. Once it was cut apart I found red thread sealant over almost all of the threads..... Again, WHY?

Oh, and of course during reassembly I found that the intake tube between the air filter box and the throttle body has cracks and broken edges so these need to be replaced before I put him back in service but I suppose that is normal for these cars at this age.

The $200 needlessly spent was not on the water pump or the thermostat housing,or even the intake, it was for the fan clutch that I destroyed using a Dremel cutoff disk.

Thanks for letting me rant this morning.

Jeff

 

Wow.... sorry man. That really sucks when idiots do car work. I myself put a generous amount of marine anti-seize on my clutch threads just to help with the next time I remove it. When installing I don't even torque a ton cause I know the engine will do it for me. I bet that person who did that spend 2 days trying to remove the fan before they realized it was reverse thread! LOL