Brand new Olds Toronado owner

[Francois]

Thanks for the tips !
Tires and brakes cylinders were changed by the previous owner. But he did not replaced the master cylinder...
Why do you recommend not to change the head gaskets ? I'm about to do it because I have to replace all the valves sterm seals that are in pieces... I'll check the timing chain set and the harmonic balancer.
For the trans, I don't have the space or tools to do it, might have to bring it to a garage... still it was working great but seemed to be leaking a bit underneath.
Any help is very welcome and your comments are useful

[bcroe]

Valve stem seals can be changed without removing heads.

The entire brake system should be updated, not just the cylinders.

The things I recommend are part of what I do to my cars.
good luck, Bruce Roe

[Otto Skorzeny]

I'm a firm believer in the concept of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

If you think the engine is sufficiently worn that the head gaskets should be changed, then go ahead and do it. If the engine runs fine, leave it alone.

TYiming chain set is another matter. GM used nylon coated sprockets. The nylon flakes off the timing sprockets and can clog the oil pump. The nylon comes off no matter how many miles or how well cared for the engine is.

The new Cloys sets aren't nylon coated.
If the trans works, leave it alone. Flush it and replace the fluid and replace the pan gasket or wherever its leaking.

[Francois]

Hey,
Just a quick follow up
As you told me, I checked and replaced the timing chain and the whole set. It was not that bad but it's still good to do. Not that easy when you don't want to remove the engine from the car, especially because of the front mount of the engine but I was able to lift the engine with a jack just enough to remove the front mount and have access to the chain.
I'm also cleaning and painting the engine back to it's original color, found a lot of infos everywhere so I said... why not
I also changed the valve sterms, they were all in pieces... so I was afraid it could go in the oil pump, and I cleaned the oil "canal" on the cylinder heads that were full of debris.
Now the fun part begin, put all back together and go for a ride !

[Francois]

Some more

[Otto Skorzeny]

That's nice. What brand timing set did you use?

Were you able to tell if that was the original timing set or had it been replaced before? If it was original, how was the nylon coating on the teeth? Had it begun flaking off?

[Tuco]

Since you have the heads off I would have them rebuilt with all new parts.

And hardened valve seats.

Did you drop the oil pan? How did you get it off without removing the engine?

[Francois]

I used the timing set from Cloyes https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... 82&jsn=482 , they seems to be the best for that. The older one looked original but I cannot tell for sure. It did have nylon on it and still in a good shape.
My engine is not that used, it only have 33.000 miles so everything look good, the only problem is that it was only used for the first 14 years, then barely made 5.000 miles in 34 years. So my concerns are gaskets, rubbers, plastics, everything that doesn't live so well when not used.
Valve seats were looking good, did some small grinding just to be sure, springs and valves were perfects.
I did not removed the oil pan, it really seems impossible to do it without taking the engine out. I just opened the front to give it a good flush !
Next step is to clean and paint all the parts, then put everything back in place.

[bcroe]

Nylon means it is original. I have always managed to change the timing
set without removing the engine or the oil pan, that DIY procedure is NOT
in the book. I have seen steady wear into the nylon, the chain keeps
getting looser with miles. But that is not the danger, rather the YEARS
will cause the nylon to fracture and fall off without warning, possibly
destroying the engine. Bruce Roe

[Francois]

Hi !
It's been a long time, I'm still working on my car and things are starting to look better. I'm waiting for a last package and I should be able to see if the engine is running fine
I still have to put the distributor back, connect the fuel line to the carburetor, put the power steering pump back and connect the radiator and all the pipes... I'm quite impatient to take the car for a ride !
I may have some questions soon but for now here are some pictures :