My Personal Hell Has Ended

A few weeks ago I posted that I was going to attempt to replace the three timing chains in my wife’s Enclave without actually following the proper directions.

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And it didn’t go well. I’m not quite sure what went wrong, but when I went to start it, it sounded like no compression. Undeterred, I did what any other red blooded American man would do. I went even further and actually removed and rebuilt both heads.

Illustration for article titled My Personal Hell Has Ended
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Illustration for article titled My Personal Hell Has Ended
Illustration for article titled My Personal Hell Has Ended
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Want to see what an intake valve from a direct injection engine looks like after 150,000 miles:

Illustration for article titled My Personal Hell Has Ended
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Illustration for article titled My Personal Hell Has Ended

Here’s what came out of one intake port:

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And in case you were wondering if the valves were leaking - the brake cleaner test:

Illustration for article titled My Personal Hell Has Ended
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Illustration for article titled My Personal Hell Has Ended

Yeah, they all leaked. Well, I am happy to report that I actually managed to get this thing back together and it’s running better than it has in years. I guess all’s well that ends well, but I wouldn’t wish this ordeal on anybody.