Banjo

Once I get the magnets in the next few days, I can "statically" test them with the dual Haltech Hall Effect device; & find the largest air gap, that they will still trigger the Hall effect sensor at; reliably. Then halve the gap, & I should have a very reliable system. it took but about 10 minutes tonight, to put the dissy back on the 5K, & remove the COPs, & get the engine running; so I can dynamically test the trigger disk, & magnets, in isolation from them doing any controlling, or running the engine. Cheers Banjo

Pressing the rare earth magnets in through holes on the side of the aluminium disk, prevents the possibility of the magnet being "shed from the disk"; by the centifrugal action of the disk spinning at several thousand RPM. However, that requires the Hall Effect sensor to be pointing to the side of the trigger disk; rather than the outer edge, of the disc; where it it should ideally be, for my application. Well, I might have just found the answer. A bit of research, unearthed a rare earth magnet, in a "diameterical" configuration, where the magnetic fields ( N & S) are concentrated on the "cylindrical sides", rather than at the ends. This would allow the rare earth magnet, to be pressed into the side of the disk, around the periferal, & close to the edge, with either the N or S pole facing the outwards. It may be, that they don't need to be pressed into the disc, if I can source them, with a countersunk hole in the centre. They could then be simply bolted to the aluminium disk, with a brass countersunk screw & nut. Better still, these rare earth magnets, are available, here in Australia, & come in an N42 strength format, which provides a much greater magnetic field strength, than the N35 ones, that are more commonly available; & which I am currently using. More strength, allows greater air gap, can be placed between Hall Sensor face & magnet. They are a bit more expensive, but they may well be the solution, I need. I'll order a few, & try it out. Cheers Banjo

My KE30 already has a Toyota Echo radiator in it, with electric fan, which I fitted several years ago. Here's a a comparison photo I took, comparing original & donor Echo radiator, at the time. The Echo radiator, total area is similar, but it's aluminium; & more efficient. The Echo radiator fan covers a much greater area, of the honeycomb, than the aftermarket Chinese one. It also has insulated mounts top & bottom, so I don't use, at all; the original body mounting points on the side of the original KE30 radiator mounts. It works really well. The only reason, I want to replace it, is that the bottom outlet, is on the wrong side, for the K Series engine, & will foul my trigger wheel, attached to the crankshaft pulley. I might just take the Echo radiator to my radiator repair guy; & get him to move the outlet to the other side, & blank off the original outlet. I'll follow that idea up, next week. The rare earth magnets are cylindrical in shape; 4mm dia x 20mm long. The end must to face the Hall Effect device. The interference fit into the hole, plus some Araldite, plus a centre punch dimple on the side of the disk, should make them very secure. P.S. I agree with you about the common use of regular zip-ties, to connect the aftermarket fan assemblies to the core. Both my engine test beds have aftermarket electric fans, mounted that way, with zip ties. However, they are "stationary motors"; not bumping along roads, creating vibrations. Cheers Banjo

That photo I came across; of a beautiful K Series motor preparation, (see earlier post in this thread) has had my mind racing this week. Although the "specialised camshaft sprocket aluminium cover", looks like it is professionally made; I couldn't help but think, that I want one ! So if you can't buy one; could I just make one. I really need all the space in front of the engine, so a bracket that holds the Hall Effect sensor; vertically facing down to the edge of the trigger wheel; would provide the best solution. My "lash up", to prove my concept of a "no missing teeth trigger wheel", using rare earth magnets, with a separate single inboard magnet to create the crankshaft positional signal. However, since then, I've purchased a Haltech double Hall Effect sensor, where the sensor barrel, contains two Hall Effect devices. One detects North pole magnets, & the other detects South pole magnets. Being the same housing means there only needs to be one row of magnets around the aluminium disk edge. I have 35 magnets around the edge, with south pole facing the sensor, & one magnet, with the north pole facing out. This then produces the same result as a 36:1 toothed wheel, from the "South Pole" Hall Effect device. However, the single pulse per revolution, positional sensor signal, can be "OR'd" with the 35 pulses, to produce a very accurate signal, with no missing tooth gaps, for determining high accuracy & resolution, for extremely accurate RPM measurement. Accurate RPM info is most important, as it determines where on the MAP, the ECU takes its preset response curve. The picture directly above, shows two Hall Effect devices, & the single positional indicator magnet is located inboard, in line where the missing tooth is located. The single Hall Effect sensor I'm now using simplifies this above depicted arrangement. I now have a single Hall Effect sensor with two Hall effect sensors therein. This allows a single row of sensors around the outside of the aluminium trigger disk. 35 off magnets, with "south" pole facing out, & one off magnet with it's north pole facing out. It all works, & I have had the engine actually running like this, in full sequential firing, via the Toyota Echo COPs, I've mounted on the engine; albeit, with only fixed advance of 10-12 degrees. However, the Haltech Dual Hall effect sensor, is longer than the two (2) off single output Hall effect devices depicted above. It looks like this . . . . . That means, the Haltech sensor sticks out horizontally, even further. So my intent is to mount it vertically, off the camshaft sprocket aluminium cover. I've dug out an olde 5K cover, & ground the slight dome off the front of it's external face, so I can mount the 6mm x 120mm thick aluminium disk, which should arrive in a couple of days. It won't look as good as that professional one, depicted on the web photo, earlier in this thread; but it will provide me with a solid & firm base to mount the sensor, as vibration from brackets sticking out in open air, provide a source, to create missed sensor signals, where air gaps are small, & missing positional signals, are not welcome. However, solving one problem, introduces another consideration ! The mounting of the sensor vertically, requires that the rare earth magnet end faces, also meet the Hall Effect sensor face vertically. This is because the magnetic field is stronger; close to the "poles", where it is concentrated. This will require embedding the magnets in "the edge" of the aluminium disk. The face of the Hall Effect sensor is 10mm in diameter. Obviously, that would require a very thick aluminium disk. I've settled for some 4mm rare earth magnets, I have here, & have ordered a 200mm dia. x 8mm thick aluminium disk, to embed them in. The magnets will be 20mm long. The problem is that mounting the magnets in that fashion, exposes them to the centrifugal force of the spinning disk, trying to "shed them" . This does not happen presently, as the magnets are contained securely from centrifugal forces, as they are pressed in from the side of the disk. My technique previously, was to drill the holes in the disk, slightly undersize; & press the magnets in, using a vice. I'll use that technique again, & fill the hole with Araldite, before fitting them. Then laying the disk on it's side, on a hard flat surface, A simple centre punch to the side of the disk, in the middle of where each magnet is embedded; should result in no movement in magnets at all. However, I have seen pictures of professional Aluminium trigger wheels with magnets, so went looking at what others have done. Holley / MSD produce something like this . . . In this case, the magnet face is pointing to the side of the disk, rather than facing the sensor. The answer to this query, is actually in the photo. The sensor only has two (2) wires coming out of it. It is in fact; not a Hall Effect sensor, but a common VR, or variable Reluctance sensor, which requires no power. It is interesting, because the picture of the K Series engine above is also using a single VR sensor, & a ferrous "missing tooth" trigger wheel. I do not favour the VR sensors; although I know manufacturers in the USA & elsewhere, have used them for decades. My objections are two fold. One, the waveform from the VR sensor is a badly formed sinusoidal waveform, & requires extra electronics to "square" it up, so the time information is accurate. Two, "the amplitude" of the waveform, is quite low, at low revolutions; (whilst cranking), & therefore, the very time at which you are trying to start the engine, on a cold Winters morning; the sensor is providing it's lowest amplitude. So when I receive a 200mm dia. x 8mm thick aluminium disc, this coming week, I can then work out, how I'm going to set it up, to drill 36 off 4mm holes, 20mm deep, around the narrow, (8mm) wide edge. P.S. One of the nice & convenient things about my little project; is that I can pop the original dissy in; remove the COPs, & run the engine, whilst lining everything up on the trigger wheel, & checking the Hall Effect sensor outputs on the CRO. Cheers Banjo

Holding the choke slightly closed (which fixes it) indicates the mixture is too lean; as closing the choke (less air) would make a little richer. When the engine is up to temperature the choke should be fully open. Get the engine up to temperature & leave the choke fully open. Increase the idle mixture screw, to get the same result, as you did, by closing the choke off slightly. If adjusting the idling screw does not have the right effect, then time to strip carby, & give it a fully descale, with a good carby cleaner. Cheers Banjo

Might be time for a carby removal & complete clean ? Idle jets & passages are small, & it does not take a lot of "gunk", to close them up. Just to remove your suspicions, about a vapour lock, & the fuel pump; remove the fuel cap lid, whilst idling, & see if that makes any perceptible difference. As a further thought; if your fuel filter hasn't been changed lately, that would also be a good idea, so that you have covered all possibilities. Cheers Banjo

Yep Fakes abound ! Don't start me again on Spark Plugs. I've actually given up my life long admiration & loyalty to NGK, & have now gone with DENSO. I've been caught out so many times, even when I've purchased from an authorised NGK Agent. Cheers Banjo

So if You want to save your "olde Corolla", from eventually going to the scrap yard; or be banned from the road, due to legislation, then the only solution is to "convert it to an EV". I asked the question on this forum, a year or so ago. "Who is going to be the first person to convert there olde Corolla to an EV ?" One of the main stipulations is, that the weight of the final EV converted car, cannot be an heavier than the original car weight, as designed with an ICE engine. That has made the early Datsun 1200s very popular, as they were extremely light. There are a few on the road, & there has been an EV kit for a couple of years. It certainly looks clean, when You lift the bonnet. With an adaptor plate for a corolla 5 speed box, & a bracket arrangement, to suit the Corolla engine mounts; similar to above, it should be quite doable. The only downside is the cost. The supply & cost, of a professional conversion, is roughly going to cost $ 30K+, & for that sort of money, You could buy a China MG, with all the bells & whistles. This discussion at the link below, is a few years olde; but may be an interesting read for those on here, as the car considered, is an olde Corolla. Cheers Banjo

According to a report on the ABC today, there ain't enough technicians to fix & service EVs at the present time. Only 40% of all the jobs advertised for EV mechanics were filled. So You will not be allowed to service them yourself, & if you take it to a dealership, they may well be a "long wait!" My 1974 KE30 2 door, turns 50 yo this year. There must be some category that gets placed in, that makes it historic, so it can stay on the road. Definitely not converting it to EV. Cheers Banjo

Hi Luca, I'm a bit confused. I read your line that you had put fresh petrol & a new battery in it, & it started; which would be unbelievable. So did it start; or did it not start, before you put in on the tow truck ? As everything electrically is now dead; then I am assuming, it did not start. Electrical circuits in olde cars look complicated, because of all the wires. However, every circuit, is a simple circuit when broken down. The power for every circuit leaves the battery positive terminal, then passes through some "fusible links" (right next to the battery terminal), then through another fuse, a switch; & then to the device being powered, whether that is a light, horn, car radio, etc. The "return side" of the power circuit (light/horn/radio) goes to the -ve terminal of the battery. In most cases there is no wire from each powered device, to the -ve battery terminal, as the chassis of the car, acts as the ground return. It is therefore critically important, that the heavy -ve terminal cable to the battery, is firmly grounded to the chassis. It is usually directly below the battery, on the chassis rail. I would unbolt it, clean its surfaces up, & ensure this connection is good, before doing anything else. At the moment, you are only interested it getting two (2) circuits working. (a) the starter motor circuit, & the (b) ignition circuit. Start with the starter motor. Take out all 4 off spark plugs & put some lightish oil down the spark plug holes. Check the +ve battery terminal connection & the heavy lead at the other end, where it is connected to the starter motor. Find the light wire attached to the starter motor solenoid. Remove it (pull off) & connect a piece of wire to the starter motor solenoid. Touch the other end of this wire to the battery positive terminal. The starter motor should engage, & turn the motor over. If it does, then step one (1) has been successful. If not, check all connections to & from the battery & starter motor, including the earth strap, to the negative terminal of the battery. Once you have got that far; remove the fuel line where it enters the carby. With sufficient petrol in the tank, turn the engine over; (with no spark plugs) & fuel should flow out of the pipe to the carby. Collect this in a can, or vessel; as you need to flush the fuel line & pump out, before you let any fuel into the carby. Once you get that far, come back, & let us know what transpired, & we'll try to assist you to get the ignition firing. Cheers Banjo

Looks very much like it to me, Col. Unfortunately, it was the only photo I could find on the net of that particular engine. Some photos of the six sides of the engine, would provide all the answers. I do have a 5K engine I bought a few years ago, for $ 100. It apparently, had been used in a speedway midget, & would rev to almost 11K. Was really worked over, & one day, I'll put it all together. It does have a couple of odd outlets on the sump, which indicates, it might have been used in a dry sump application, as no matter, how many baffles you place in the sump; in a speedway application, the oil is constantly thrown to the side of the sump. However, I did find a photo on Rollaclub, in a post dating back to 2008, which depicts a TRD alloy dry sump, for a K Series engine. Cheers Banjo

I have just realised I have another small issue, with fitting the EFI trigger wheel & Hall sensor/s, to my K series engine, as well as the return pipe from the bottom of the Echo radiator, passing in front of the crankshaft pulley. At present, the Hall Effect dual sensor, is mounted on a metal bracket I fabricated, which mounts on the LHS of the engine block, where the Rollas with A.C. mounted the compressor. As I intend to fit a compressor & AC system, eventually, then I will need these mounting points. Quite by accident, I came across this photo, of a beautifully prepared K Series Toyota engine. My eye caught sight of a very neat bracket attached to the camshaft sprocket casing. How Neat ! Would certainly overcome my problem. It looks so well made, that maybe someone, somewhere, in the world produced one on these at some time. I looks like it is maybe just an aluminium disk screwed to the front of the existing case. I might just have to investigate that a bit . . . . . Has anyone ever come across one of these specials before ? P.S. I note the beautiful engine above, has an A.C. fitted; although it might actually be an external oil pump, tooth belt driven ? Anyway, I found a 5K Camshaft sprocket cover in my shed; cleaned it up & measured it up, this afternoon. I know the casing, is not dead flat across the front. About 2-3mm proud in the centre. I found a stock aluminium disk 120mm in diameter, & 4mm thick on ebay, in NSW, so will be here in a couple of days. It shouldn't be too hard, to grind the curve off the front of the casing, & attach the disk, to give it lots of meat, & strength, as I need a very stable & rigid platform, to attach the Hall Effect sensor to. Cheers Banjo

Couldn't agree more ! However, don't worry too much, as if it happens here in Australia; it won't be for a long time. EV take up in Australia, is one of the lowest in the developed world. Many new EV buyers will opt for the dealer buy back schemes. Distance Anxiety, will rule out a lot of people who regularly visit relatives & friends in other states. Those that vacation in tents & caravans, won't be joining the EV line anytime real soon. Once we get to the 10 year mark, & all those cheap EVs, needing a battery, sit idle in sales yards, the "penny will drop". Anyone visiting Brisbane airport in recent months, has witnessed the thousands of new cars & utes, sitting in the paddock, after being unloaded from ships. If they stop us servicing our own cars, then Canberra will be blockaded by 1000s of car enthusiasts, driving around "Capital Hill". Cheers Banjo

Your English is perfect ! I am in Brisbane, Australia. There were lots of early Corollas here in the 60s & 70s. By "blocked", I assume You mean, "seized". The simplest way to test is to remove all the spark plugs; squirt some oil down each spark plug hole, into the cylinder. Leave for 5 minutes & then try to turn the engine over by hand with a spanner on the crankshaft pulley centre bolt, in a clockwise direction, with the gearbox in neutral. There will still be some resistance, as you will still be lifting valve springs; but movement will prove that it is not seized. Good luck ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Luca, Welcome aboard ! Congratulations on your KE30 acquisition. 1. Assuming it has a K series engine in it, the engine model number & serial number, are stamped into the engine block, on a flat, just behind & below the distributor. 2. The K Series engines all have a timing/camshaft chain; at the front of the engine, under the cover behind the crankshaft pulley. If you'd like to lift the hood/bonnet, & take a photo of the engine bay, then we can identify it more easily. It looks in pretty good condition, & you are lucky, it has been "garage stored", for the last 14-15 years. Are you planning on getting it going, & roadworthy, yourself; or have others do it for you ? I can detect a little "common" rust, right at the bottom of the passengers front door. The first thing, you are probably going to need, is four (4) new tyres, as I doubt, that the existing ones; lying flat for 14-15 years on a concrete floor, are going to hold air. Come back to use with as many pictures that You can create, especially, under the bonnet; & we'll try to assist you. Where about in the world are you located; & are olde Corollas common there ? Cheers Banjo

Some time back, in the following thread https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/73676-oil-pump-failure/page/9/#comment-714036 I described how I fitted a Toyota Echo radiator core/shroud/fan to my KE30. It has been very very successful, & with the removal altogether of the fan belt driven fan; certainly released energy to the wheels, rather than to be constantly turning the fan blades; whether it was needed or not. It indeed confirmed that; on an indicator I placed on the dash, which illuminated, when the electric fan was operating; that the "ram effect", of air through the radiator, was enough to adequately cool the engine, except, when you pulled up in traffic, at lights, on a hot day. In fact there have been days, when I've been out on the road, & the electric fan has never activated, until a few minutes after I arrive home, & the "heat soak" out of the engine, pushes up the coolant temp. The electric fan will typically run on for 2-3 minutes, & then turn off. (typical of what you hear walking around shopping center car parks) By the way, I live in Qld. not Tassie ! There was however, one draw back, using the Toyota Echo radiator/shroud/electric fan setup, I fitted. The outlet on the bottom of the Echo radiator, was on the wrong side, & the S.S. tube pipe I fitted, runs across the face of the crankshaft pulley, where I need to fit my new aluminium trigger wheel, to test my new Speeduino ignition system, on the road. On ebay, I recently came across KE30 Aluminium core/shroud & fan assemblies, c/w relay & thermostat switch, for around $ 240-$260 ea., which seemed a bit cheap to me. Has anyone purchased & used one these radiator core/shroud/fan setups; & were they any good ? Previously, You would barely be able to purchase an "aluminium core only", for that sort of money. I am just concerned about the quality of the product. If anyone gives them the "thumbs up", it will be a simple fix, to allow me to fit the Speeduino finally to the car, & do some road testing, rather than the test bed engine stand, without a dummy load device, which Altezzaclub & I have as yet; not been able to come up with a cheap water pump engine load etc idea ! Cheers Banjo

T50 Short Shift Kits -USA Banjo

Electric fuel pumps are very reliable, & for this application, of a carby engine, are not expensive, unlike the high pressure pumps required for EFI applications, which are costly. I've got one on my "test bed carby 5K engine", on a stand in my garage, & it works very well. Here is a common one on ebay. Most of them are about 3-6 psi output, & run on 12Vdc. Cheers Banjo

I've read your post through again today, & I must say, that the engine bay looks very clean & neat. I hear you say it idles perfectly, but when you increase revs, it "jerks", under load. I'm going to have a stab at this; based on a similar problem, I came across, a few years ago. As soon as you increase revs, & load; with your foot hard on the accelerator pedal, the fuel consumption increases, & the carby bulb lowers, & the valve opens to input more fuel. If the fuel pump is not up to it, then you could easily obtain the "jerky" engine response. Did you fit a new fuel pump, of is it the original ? The mechanical fuel pumps on the K series engines, are usually very reliable. When olde, they are known to suffer deterioration of the main rubber diaphragm. The tiny spring loaded valves, can sometimes get dirt in then, or break. However, there are two things that can prevent the fuel pump not being able to produce output. The first one, is if the fuel pump, is attached to the block, without the "fiber" spacer, between the pump & block mounting flange. This is rare, but I have come across it on one or two occasions; although it usually destroys the pump pretty quickly. The second problem with low fuel throughput, is the pump being mechanical, has to be mounted on the engine. However, that results in the suction path from the fuel tank, to the pump inlet being long. I have found that even if the pump is working perfectly, that they don't work very well, if there is the tiniest leak in the long inlet line, & it sucks air in. On many olde Corollas, there is a rubber joiner in the fuel pump inlet line, under the floor pan, & this goes hard & brittle, & can cause, the issue you describe. Ideally, the fuel pump can be electrical, & sited close to the tank, so that the suction section of pipe to the electric pump inlet is short; & the line to the carby is always under pressure. Only real issue with electric pumps, is that You must include a "safety cut-out", for the electric pump, if the vehicle is ever in an accident. Cheers Banjo

The four into one exhaust extractors, obviously have to have "gaps" in the mounting flange, to accommodate the inlet manifold. Most manufacturers leave a 'joiner strip" of flange, that keeps all three flanges in the same plane. This joiner strip, passes under the inlet manifold, as is usually not very wide, so could well "warp" slightly, over time. You can see them on my 4K engine, which has an EFI manifold from a 7K engine fitted. The single biggest problem, I have come across, is the common manifold stud mounting, between inlet & exhaust manifolds. If these flanges are a different "thickness", then the heavy/thick washer, will not sit flat. I've fashioned washers over the years, to ensure when the nut is tightened up; that the washer sits flat, & provides equal clamping on both the inlet & exhaust manifold. Alternatively, you could skim both inlet & exhaust manifold flanges, so that they are the exact same thickness, at the point where the common manifold studs tie down. Cheers Banjo

Welcome aboard ! Sounds like You had the 4K-C engine done professionally, but the car is not drivable. If You could take a few pictures in your engine bay, it would help us envisage, what You are dealing with. Better still, would be a video, with sound, so we can hear the engine running. The intermittent nature of the engine, could be ignition time; or air fuel ratio, or a combination of both. Does the engine have one (1) off 5K carby, or two (2) off ? Is the 5K distributor an electronic one, with no points ? Does the engine idle all right, & the problem occurs only, when You are driving it, with a load on it ? I'm presuming You put new spark plugs in it, after the rebuild. Have you removed the plugs to see what colour the internal insulator is ? Have you or someone else checked the valve & ignition timing, which is best carried out, with the rocker cover removed, so you can watch the valve rockers actions. Send us some pics, & a video, & we'll see if we can't provide some concrete suggestions. P.S. Where are you located ? Cheers Banjo

There is a bit of extra info at this link, where I eventually used an aluminium disk with rare magnets, rather than the iron toothed trigger wheel. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/83250-4k-efi-test-rig-iac-valve/#comments Cheers Banjo

There is a pretty easy way to check the camshaft timing, without removing the timing chain cover; which is a bit hard to do, with the engine installed. Remove all the spark plugs, & the oil filler cap, & the dissy HT cover. Place a mark on the dissy aluminum base edge, where no: 1 spark plug lead connects to the spark plug. Rotate the engine until the crankshaft pulley "timing mark" lines up with the corresponding mark, on the timing chain cover. If the dissy rotor is out 180 degrees, then rotate the crankshaft an extra full turn, until the timing marks aligned, again. This should be T.D.C. No: 1 cylinder. Place a long screwdriver down no: 1 spark plug hole, & rock the crankshaft back & forth, to confirm that the piston, is right at the top of the travel. If it is, then your camshaft timing, is probably all good. There are a couple of things that could be amiss, if it is not at TDC, that may not be a result of a camshaft chain alignment being an issue. eg: The engine at sometime in it's life has had a timing chain cover, or a crankshaft pulley fitted, that originally came from a 5K engine, which had the marks in slightly different positions. Once you have determined that the no: 1 piston, is at TDC, you can rock the crankshaft back & forth, & looking down the oil filler hole, you should see that both inlet & exhaust rocket arms are clear of the valves. A penlite torch, often assists with this test, or alternatively remove the rocker cover. When you have determined everything is OK, then turn the crankshaft, "anti-clockwise", until the timing mark on the pulley lines up with 10 -12 deg. BTDC. Now check that the arc on the dissy rotor, is still pointing towards no: 1 spark plug lead position. If not, then there is always the possibility, that the dissy has been inserted into the block, 1 tooth out. I hope this all proves out there is not an inherent assembly problem, & then, you can concentrate on getting the centrifugal & vacuum advance / retard settings sorted. Let us know how you go. Cheers Banjo

I've never ever physically come across a 3K-U engine, here in Australia, although owning & running a 4K-U, which was a very good engine, producing a bit more power, standard; than the more common 4K-C. I had to look up the net, to see what officially the 3K-U was built for. Like Pete says, it appears to meet local Japanese emissions requirements. The word "catalyst" may indicate, it had some sort of cataytic converter in the exhaust system, to clean the exhaust gases a bit. Unless it had a slightly different camshaft timing, I can't image that putting it back to a standard carby & standard dizzy, would not bring it back to normal power output. However, as we have found previously, on this forum; when an engine series is so olde, there couuld well be an issue at some time in it's life, where it has been reassembled with the timing chain out a link or something. I seem to remember way back; someone shearing off the locating pin between camshaft & chain sprocket, & it creating an issue, like you describe. Cheers Banjo

Hi Jesse ! Yes well done, & a good outcome ! Once you removed the head, did you get around to turning the block upside down, & removing the sump, & inspecting therein. Seeing your pics of the head, I was concerned that the bottom "sump" end; could be in a similar, or maybe even worse condition, that the top/head end. Cheers Banjo