4AGZE refresh

[9600baud]

I'm about to do a gze swap and was wondering what is the laundry list of things I should refresh while the motor is out?

I'm not very (not at all) inclined so a detailed list would be nice. I appreciate your time.

[onnaj]

I would replace the next parts at least:
1) Timing belt
2) Timing belt tensioner
3) Crankshaft oil seal
4) Water pump
5) All v-belts
6) Spark plugs
7) Maybe plug wires depending on the age and resistance of the cables
8) .....

Guys please add to my list what i forgot so far

[yoshimitsuspeed]

This is a loaded question. The more you do and more you inspect the better your chances of having a reliable motor.

How many miles are on it?
Did you do a compression test before pulling the motor?

Ideally you would pull measure and inspect everything.
Measure bores and pistons. If both are healthy hone the cyls and throw in new rings.
If not then bore and new pistons.

measure crank and rods. If everything is in spec then throw in new proper sided bearings. If it can't be brought into spec with bearings then you will need to get it machined for undersized.

Inspect the oil pump or just replace it.

water pump

Pull all valves and inspect valve guides. If out of spec replace them.
Give each valve just a couple light twists with lapping compound so you can see their contact area. If it's not good enough then you will want to get the valves and seats ground. After they have been ground they shouldn't be lapped. A light twist with compound to confirm contact area is okay. You can use bluing dye to make it easier to see the contact area.
Inspect cam journals, valve springs, lifters, and all that.
Rebuild the Distributor.
Definitely replace all seals.

If you go aftermarket this is the only non OEM gasket kit I trust.
http://www.matrixgarage.com/?q=products ... ead-gasket
http://www.matrixgarage.com/?q=products ... om-end-kit

Then of course there is all the tunep stuff like plugs, wires, cap, rotor etc.
I may be forgetting a few things but they are all covered in detail in the FSM.

This is more of a basic rebuild and may be more than you were thinking of getting into but you have to ask yourself if it's worth taking the gamble and not going through everything.
How much would it suck to spend 2/3 the time and money to have done the surface stuff only to throw a rod, spin a bearing or loose compression two months down the road?

[9600baud]

Thanks guys,

i dont know if i want to go through all that yoshimitsu. I understand where you are coming from but I figured GZEs were strong enough that with proper maintenance they wouldnt spin a rod or something?

I want to get the car on the road soon so I was thinking more along the lines of rear seal, front seal, etc...

Thanks again

[yoshimitsuspeed]

Thanks guys,

i dont know if i want to go through all that yoshimitsu. I understand where you are coming from but I figured GZEs were strong enough that with proper maintenance they wouldnt spin a rod or something?

I want to get the car on the road soon so I was thinking more along the lines of rear seal, front seal, etc...

Thanks again

Well I just wanted to present everything. How far you go and how much you take on will depend on how much you want to safeguard against future failure.
The 4AGE in general is an incredibly robust motor but years and miles take there toll just like any other motor.
That's why I asked how many miles on it. If it only has 60k I'd probably say just go ahead and do all the peripherals and be done. If over 120k I'd highly suggest going through it in as much depth as you can afford. Many 4AGEs make it to 150k to 200k but if you are going through it at 120 it would suck to have to do it again in another 40 because something else went out.

You didn't mention the supercharger but if you are going to run it I would highly recommend at least a basic service. Change the SC oil, inspect the clutch travel and I highly recommend replacing the clutch bearing. The vast majority of supercharger failures are related to the clutch bearing going out. If that happens you can cook your stator and do other damage that will be much more expensive.
I sell bearings, supercharger oil and clutch shims for those who service their own and I can also service the supercharger for those who don't want to.
I am working on a writeup to lay out the process but have been overwhelmed by other projects at the moment. The FSM covers most of it but not a few things like replacing the clutch bearing and some other things I have learned along the way.