[V8] Report from the front...

[Scott Simmons]

RE: right side t-belt seal...

Almost all V8's I've seen have these seals screwy.  Is it due to removal 
of the cover or is it due to the extreme nature of bolting at the bottom 
of the cover and one sissy nut at the top, inviting warpage?

Mine was so hard that it began to crumble during reassembly.  I RTV'ed 
most of it on as I could, but there's a nice 5-7" gap at the top.  I'm 
not really worried about rocks, debris, squirrels, or small children 
falling in.

~Scott S.

Roger Woodbury wrote:

>I just returned from just east of Pittsburg where I picked up my "new" 1990
>V8. I had received more than half a dozen quotes for shipping, but at the
>end, I decided that I would prefer that no Monkey Lad touch the car until I
>had put my monkey paws on it first.  Thus, I saddled up the Chebbie 1ton
>Dually, rented a Uhaul transporter and headed west.  Or rather,
>southwest...WHATever.
>
>Kinda tough sledding once I got to Bloomsburg.  Clear sailing and fairly
>easy before that. The problem was that Mapquest...orwhatever the MSN mapping
>tool is...is out of date, and so is my 2008 Gazeteer.  
>
>Oh, well, I got the chance to see an awful lot of very interesting and very
>huge earth moving equipment, and I toyed with the idea of bringing one of
>the cranes I saw back with me to the quarry, instead of the V8...but I
>resisted, as I thought it might overload the Uhaul transporter.  But I
>digress.
>
>I arrived at International Imports of Pittsburg, and met the charming
>Amanda.  (REALLY!). She's a slick chick who knows more than just a little
>about the biz and cars in general.  Wish I was thirty-something again, I
>just might....NEVER mind.  
>
>And of course, I saw the car.  My first impression was that it had been
>painted.  It was under a roof that extends from the building out over the
>open display lot, and the car looked AS NEW.  MUCH better than the eBay
>pictures, which the eBay ad had stated.  But I resisted getting too up close
>and personal until we got the documents done, and I got the key so I could
>actually look inside.
>
>Well, we chatted, and did the bookkeeping part, and I went out with key to
>open the door. 
>
>Inside the interior is severely BLACK, Including the headliner.  Perfect.  
>I can see a little bit of wear on the piping on the left side of the
>driver's seat where getting in and out would wear it, but no other sign that
>any of the seats have ever held a bottom.  
>
>And clean.  The car has been detailed to within an inch of its life, more
>than once I suspect.  
>
>I found the scrape on the right side rear.  It is a scrape that is on the
>lip of the wheel arch, and looks like someone backed up and perhaps got a
>bit to close to the garage door.  It is minor, and I won't bother it.  Other
>than that I can find a couple of little picks on the nose...consistent with
>what you would expect to find on an 18 year old car that has 62,000 miles.
>
>The owner of the business arrived.  Interesting guy.  Just bought a Ford GT
>out of a bankruptcy, and that is the kind of car that he likes to sell.
>They do a LOT of biz on eBay.  I saw a '91 Dodge 3/4 ton pickup that had
>been sold on eBay for $7100 and the buyer came and welched on the buy.  That
>truck was PERFECT, for a TRUCK, and one that was seven years old, to boot.
>I almost traded the Chevvie 1Ton on the spot.  The Dodge was certainly
>prettier.  
>
>So Steve, the owner, drove to the V8 on the transporter, and I cinched it
>down, and headed east.  The big Chevy got around 12.5 miles per gallon going
>out hauling the empty transporter, and I think around 11 on the way back
>with the "penalty" of the V8.  It's pretty tough doing that many miles in
>under three days, and I know that I have spent the last three days in a
>truck.
>
>When I rolled the V8 off the transporter, I opened the hood.  Inside the
>right side cam cover seal is partially crimped.  They didn't leave the
>factory that way, so I am pretty sure that the cam covers have been off. AND
>if the cam covers have been off, why would that be, unless to replace the
>timing belt and do a service?
>
>Opened the glove box and BERZRAPP!  There is the Audi V8 leather book folder
>and inside is the owners manuals AND service booklet.  With quivering hands
>I opened the book and saw that car was originally delivered to an Illinois
>dealer, and had been serviced there through the first 27,000 miles.  Then
>nothing.....................UNTIL:  dealer stamp for service in Pittsburg at
>60,000 miles.
>
>So the question is, did the authorized dealer do the timing belt at 60,000
>miles?  That was in 2001 (!).  Monday, they get a call:  who knows: they
>might have records.
>
>Anyway, flushed with such revelations, I slapped on the 30 day tag that I
>was given, and went for a little drive. The car runs and drives like it
>should.  After driving the 1Ton Chevy with a 2000 pound auto transporter on
>the bumper for three days, the V8 is scary fast.  
>
>Next week we will pull of the cam covers and do an inspection.  The wrench
>and I will then map out a strategy for the ABS and cruise control, and after
>that, the seat heaters.
>
>In the meantime...let's not get TOO cocky:  but this might be one of those
>"time capsule" V8s...this one with 62,000 miles.  
>
>Roger
>
>My wife has pronounced it "pretty", so that counts for something.  
>
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> 
>
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