7. Leaking valve covers
The bolts securing the covers loosen over time. So, before tearing the top of the engine off, try gently tightening the bolts. If it does become necessary to replace the gaskets, give them a good RTV'ing. I've had the same problem with a leaking engine pan...some of the bolts were so loose I could tighten them with my fingers.
8. Replacement of Intake manifold gaskets
My D2 had a strong smell of coolant. The dealer replaced the intake gaskets at ~27k miles. So far, they seem to be holding.
9. Severe rattling noise (from driver's side valve train)
It started as light tapping under hard acceleration. Within 2k miles, the rattling was embarrasingly loud. Also, the rattling started to occur within a couple of minutes after starting the engine...when the engine came off fast-idle, the rattling started. At light throttle and cruising speed though, the engine was silent. After hearing the engine, several car buffs opinioned that something was seriously wrong. Among the speculations were broken valve springs, collapsed lifters, stuck valves, damaged cam lobes, etc.....none good.
I came within a hairs breath of pulling the heads, but decided to experiment before taking such extreme measures. First, I drained a quart of oil and put in a quart of transmission fluid. (It used to be popular to put in a couple of quarts of diesel, but ATF seems to do a good job.) Second, I put Seafoam through the intake vacuum and Seafoam in the gas tank. I drove the D2 for about 40 miles really hard....the rattling/clattering was almost constant and louder than ever. I drained the oil (it came out black as night) and refilled with my standard---Mobil 1 synth 10w-30. The rattle is completely gone and the engine is running smoother and more powerful than it has in thousands of miles. My belief is that gunk in the oil passages were causing one of more lifter to not get enough oil and the ATF cleaned it out. If you have a rattle/clatter you owe it to yourself to try the ATF/Seafoam before resorting to more costly procedures. (I did notice a couple of new oil leaks.)
10. Misfires and engine stumbling
My OEM plug wires only lasted 40k. The engine started to throw frequent codes for both specific cylinder and random misfires--especially when it was damp outside. Instead of purchasing ready made wires, I purchased a spool of wire and, using the original plug wire ends, made new wires. The wires are hard to get on/off the coil packs because the space is so tight, but it can be done. My homemade wires have held up much better than OEM.
11. Malfunctioning radio (distortion when cold or unable to get any stations)
Thus far, I've tried re-seating the radio in the dash, cleaning the connectors on both the radio and amplifier, but the problems persist. I'm at a loss, so I intend to pull the factory radio and replace it with a Lilliput touch-screen connected to a VIA nano motherboard. My desire is to have NAV, Internet with my EVDO card, multimedia entertainment, front and rear video camera capture that will hold at least 2 hours of date-stamped video (date-stamp is usually required if the video is to be provided as legal evidence), OBD monitoring, and integration with the current speaker system.
12. Leaking driver's side exaust manifold
The driver's side exaust manifold came loose at about 80k. At first, it sounded like a light ticking sound at startup, but soon got louder and was obviously an exhaust leak. I removed the nuts and separated the down pipe from the manifold. There was evidence of brinelling and the side of the nuts that went againt the manifold had a strange lumpy, polished surface. I used air tools---I think it would be hard to remove the nuts with handtools and not snap the studs. Therefore, if you don't have air tools and suspect an exhaust leak, take your D2 to a muffler shop. On mine, I didn't replace the gasket, but just reinstalled the nuts and tightened them down. The leak was gone.
13. Strange gurgling/sloshing sounds when accelerating
My noises were the result of changing out old hoses and introducing air into the system. However, if you are loosing coolant and don't have any external leaks, you may have a leaking intake gasket, head gasket or both. I have tried using radiator stop leak on old vehicles in the past---not only did it frequently not work, but in one case it caused more serious overheating problems. Unless the leak is profound and you are in the middle of nowhere, resist the urge to pour in a miracle leak "fix".
Good motoring
The bolts securing the covers loosen over time. So, before tearing the top of the engine off, try gently tightening the bolts. If it does become necessary to replace the gaskets, give them a good RTV'ing. I've had the same problem with a leaking engine pan...some of the bolts were so loose I could tighten them with my fingers.
8. Replacement of Intake manifold gaskets
My D2 had a strong smell of coolant. The dealer replaced the intake gaskets at ~27k miles. So far, they seem to be holding.
9. Severe rattling noise (from driver's side valve train)
It started as light tapping under hard acceleration. Within 2k miles, the rattling was embarrasingly loud. Also, the rattling started to occur within a couple of minutes after starting the engine...when the engine came off fast-idle, the rattling started. At light throttle and cruising speed though, the engine was silent. After hearing the engine, several car buffs opinioned that something was seriously wrong. Among the speculations were broken valve springs, collapsed lifters, stuck valves, damaged cam lobes, etc.....none good.
I came within a hairs breath of pulling the heads, but decided to experiment before taking such extreme measures. First, I drained a quart of oil and put in a quart of transmission fluid. (It used to be popular to put in a couple of quarts of diesel, but ATF seems to do a good job.) Second, I put Seafoam through the intake vacuum and Seafoam in the gas tank. I drove the D2 for about 40 miles really hard....the rattling/clattering was almost constant and louder than ever. I drained the oil (it came out black as night) and refilled with my standard---Mobil 1 synth 10w-30. The rattle is completely gone and the engine is running smoother and more powerful than it has in thousands of miles. My belief is that gunk in the oil passages were causing one of more lifter to not get enough oil and the ATF cleaned it out. If you have a rattle/clatter you owe it to yourself to try the ATF/Seafoam before resorting to more costly procedures. (I did notice a couple of new oil leaks.)
10. Misfires and engine stumbling
My OEM plug wires only lasted 40k. The engine started to throw frequent codes for both specific cylinder and random misfires--especially when it was damp outside. Instead of purchasing ready made wires, I purchased a spool of wire and, using the original plug wire ends, made new wires. The wires are hard to get on/off the coil packs because the space is so tight, but it can be done. My homemade wires have held up much better than OEM.
11. Malfunctioning radio (distortion when cold or unable to get any stations)
Thus far, I've tried re-seating the radio in the dash, cleaning the connectors on both the radio and amplifier, but the problems persist. I'm at a loss, so I intend to pull the factory radio and replace it with a Lilliput touch-screen connected to a VIA nano motherboard. My desire is to have NAV, Internet with my EVDO card, multimedia entertainment, front and rear video camera capture that will hold at least 2 hours of date-stamped video (date-stamp is usually required if the video is to be provided as legal evidence), OBD monitoring, and integration with the current speaker system.
12. Leaking driver's side exaust manifold
The driver's side exaust manifold came loose at about 80k. At first, it sounded like a light ticking sound at startup, but soon got louder and was obviously an exhaust leak. I removed the nuts and separated the down pipe from the manifold. There was evidence of brinelling and the side of the nuts that went againt the manifold had a strange lumpy, polished surface. I used air tools---I think it would be hard to remove the nuts with handtools and not snap the studs. Therefore, if you don't have air tools and suspect an exhaust leak, take your D2 to a muffler shop. On mine, I didn't replace the gasket, but just reinstalled the nuts and tightened them down. The leak was gone.
13. Strange gurgling/sloshing sounds when accelerating
My noises were the result of changing out old hoses and introducing air into the system. However, if you are loosing coolant and don't have any external leaks, you may have a leaking intake gasket, head gasket or both. I have tried using radiator stop leak on old vehicles in the past---not only did it frequently not work, but in one case it caused more serious overheating problems. Unless the leak is profound and you are in the middle of nowhere, resist the urge to pour in a miracle leak "fix".
Good motoring
