HPw2408 monitor will not sync with Comcast Moto-DVR for Hi-Def

[Stringpickin]

Hello and good day.

Occasionally my Mitsu bigscreen bulb burns out so while I wait for one to arrive I grab my hp monitor and use the same hdmi cable that goes to my Mitsu to plug into the HP for temp viewing.. Four times previous to this time I plug in the cable, plug in the power, turn on the monitor and viola’ worked perfect as it should.
BUT::: This time even when re-booting the comcast Motororal.DVR and/or monitor the DVR would keep cycling through DU1(code on screen) which means handshake occurring to arrive at monitors resolution capabilities. The Resolution settings keep cycling through them all and never lock... 480,720,1080... on and on and on it goes...
So I think for the heck of it to unplug the DVR and replug it in and as long as I have had the channel set to a LOW DEF channel the DVR will lock on 480 and viola' the monitor will show LO-DEF channels only.
It works great until the moment I either switch to a Hi-Def channel on the DVR or choose a Hi-def recording on the DVR and then the “link” between the DVR and HP monitor breaks.. No amount of turning on and off either unit will allow me to get the link back.. BUT,, if I unplug the DVR again making sure before I turn it off it is on a LO-Def Channel it will boot up and link to the monitor and work fine on LO-Def only.. same situation..
Also.. If I turn off the monitor and turn it back on it loses the “link”. If I turn the cable box on and off it will lose the link and I will be forced to physically unplug and re-plug the DVR again to get my Lo-Def channels back..
Comcast Tech came out yesterday and first thought I was nuts; but found everything I have said to be absolutely true. He was coming unglued. He have never seen nor heard of the problem and has been with Comcast for 5 years..He spent almost an hour and a half trying this and that and this. He swapped out my existing box for a newer model Motorola DVR. SAME PROBLEM….
We both came to the conclusion it must be a problem with the monitor because after he swapped out the DVR to a newer model the same exact problem occurs. BUT, still not convinced. Why do both DVR’s only sync to the monitor after physically unplugging the DVR and re-plugging it in..
It is completely mind boggling that I have used this same monitor which I am using right now multiple times on the same DVR and now this problem has now occurred..
Has anyone had this issue and know what the problem is.. We brainstormed back and forth and basically concluded the only way it could be the DVR’s fault is if the one I have always had, has just had a firmware update that has nixed the DVR working with this monitor, which led us to conclude that the newer model DVR that he swapped out the old one with has got a newer or like firmware conflict.
The Monitor has no settings that you can force it to over-ride the HDCP through HDMI protocol that I know of.. So how can it be the monitors fault. Comcast tech. tried every setting on the monitor and the DVR’s to no avail.
Right now I am using the same monitor on my computer. I can hook the monitor up to my computer as it is right now and run in full res. Up to 1900x…etc.. or I can hook the Monitor up to my Asus Oplay media player and it links up in 1080 perfectly every time with no problems. Links up to the Blu-Ray player fine too.
I or the Comcast driver did not have another HDMI ready monitor to plug in and try, but as he said over and over while scratching his head.. This does not make sense.. He could not see how it could be the monitors fault, but yet is stuck thinking how can it not be.. Two different DVR’s are behaving the same way with this monitor, that 8 months ago when temporarily used hooked up to the DVR worked without a hitch..
We tried two different HDMI cables as well..
HELP,, any thoughts or advice..

Thank you
Barry
Here is a link to photos of the HD DVR’s involved. The bottom two are the ones in this situation.. the bottom one is the older model that he swapped out..
http/www.argodyne.com/?p=526

 

[anwaypasible]

two things.
1. a handshake doesnt always have to happen when you are given an option to FORCE the resolution.
if this brings your monitor to a 'resolution not supported' then so be it.
2. since the above is known to be true, the other pieces of hardware that do work are obviously using a brute force method (which is the description in number 1)

if i have to get more technical.. i dont think anybody is going to like it.
but

to say that two devices have a 'handshake'
that introduces a number of possibilities.
since connecting video to a monitor can be an extremely intimate connection.. as if you are adding another circuit board onto the monitor.
well truth be told, is it possible for each device to reply with 'i can do that' .. yes of course it is.
and this holds it's decent form when one device fails.
if the cable box was asking the monitor what frequencies are supported.. the monitor would normally reply back with an answer.
this allows the cable box to drop everything it is doing and create a custom 'shape' for the monitor connected.
and this is a reasonable approach, since most of the cable boxes are rented and the cable company gets them wholesale.
if the cable box was to break, it wouldnt be much for the cable company to give you a new one and have the old one repaired at a magnitude smaller price than buying a new unit.
since the cable company deals with the cable boxes, it is their electronics that could fail and need repair.. but with spares on hand.
if it was your television that failed, it would cost you much more to get the repair service done because you dont have a contract stating 'i will be bringing you lots of business over the course of this time.. so have some open spot for me, and since you know i will be back for more = give a discount'
instead, you might be at the repair center only once per 10 years.. and if your television breaks, you arent expected to have a spare laying around (especially a spare of the same brand name and model number for an exact replacement)


so say your monitor was reporting an odd frequency that the cable box was willing to do, even though it would cause the electronics inside the cable box to age faster.
well.. maybe the cable box is finally old enough to go into 'protect mode' and prevent the use of that frequency range based on the feedback of its internal circuits.
it might be like saying 'i used to do this in the past, but i simply cannot do it any longer'
and it isnt like your monitor broke the cable box, because the cable box is already old and aged.

maybe your monitor was saying to the cable box 'these are what i support, pick one'
or
maybe the cable box was saying to the monitor 'these are what i support, pick one' and the monitor is old and aged saying 'i used to be able to do this, but now with my old age i simply cannot do it any more'

either one would explain why the monitor is still working with other devices.. if those devices can work at a sync frequency supported by BOTH, then there isnt any problem.
the only bad thing about it is when the sync frequency is far enough away from the default frequency of the circuit board.. as you get further and further away, the usage will be more damaging to the circuit.
kinda like running for 1 mile every single day, and then you bring a buddy along who asks you to run 2 or 3 miles.
sure, you might be able to do this once a month.. but not every weekend or every day.
it could stretch you beyond your limits and it would be more pain and suffering than fun.

there is probably a list provided by the FCC (or simply allowed by the FCC) but maybe the FTC has something to do with it?
anyways.. this list would be the default frequencies allowed to be granted a license to be mass produced.
when you design a piece of hardware, you have to aim for one of those frequencies on the list.
but
that list doesnt tell you that you are asking too much from the connected device.
if the frequencies that the equipment is designed around are closely the same, then the connected pair would last for a long long time.
but
when you start to seperate those frequencies, the life span of either piece of hardware is going to be shorter.

maybe the monitor hasnt been used much and has had some slight differences.
sometimes components go bad when they sit on the shelf without being used.
just look at car batteries, those things go dead (and bad) when they sit around for too long.
like.. if the battery goes dead one too many times, then the battery is no good.
pick one, as it might have happened to the monitor.
and if the frequency is reported at (for example) 24.05 mhz
and age has caused the frequency to become 24.09mhz
the cable box might see that and say 'no way.. i'm not working with a liar, as quality is my number one objective'

i doubt that the cable box has aged enough to report one frequency and operate at a different one, causing the monitor to refuse working with the cable box.
it could happen.
and it could be the new DVR simply doesnt have your frequency listed as compatible.
but generally speaking, if the monitor still works with some other select pieces of hardware.. then there is likely a frequency matching arguement/conflict.

you might bring the monitor to an electronics repair person to check the frequency and repair some pieces to bring the frequency back up.
but
resistance can be the stubborn factor here.
you might get the wrong voltage in the end, but the frequency is right.
starving the circuit board of voltage is only going to cause something else to break.. but the monitor would be at the correct frequency.
usually a product of embarassment from the electrical repair shop when they cant find the piece needed for the repair.
or
simply a matter of profit, as the lower resistant piece might cost a lot more (or might take 14 days to arrive at the door from shipping.. compared to the 2 day wait of the wrong piece)

i think it is kinda cute to have each piece of hardware request and answer the capabilities.. that way if something fails, you have the 'other half' to keep the functionality.
but
this could mean the stress of working a 'custom' frequency fall onto the hands of your equipment rather than the cable companies equipment.

 

[Stringpickin]

Hey there. Yes.. agree with all you say.. To the question of the monitor sitting around and only being used occasionally,, no.. It is my regular full time computer monitor. I was hoping my bulb for my TV would have come today so I could see if the new box is going to sync with my TV.. won't that be nice if the new box won't sync with my mitsu bigscreen..

stiil mind boggled. Thank you very much for you time and information...

 

[anwaypasible]

Hey there. Yes.. agree with all you say.. To the question of the monitor sitting around and only being used occasionally,, no.. It is my regular full time computer monitor. I was hoping my bulb for my TV would have come today so I could see if the new box is going to sync with my TV.. won't that be nice if the new box won't sync with my mitsu bigscreen..

stiil mind boggled. Thank you very much for you time and information...

ah well.. not like the smaller monitor couldnt have aged while being used also.
but
it would come as a big suprise that you change the bulb and the new box doesnt sync with your bigscreen.

sounds like some problems that could have been avoided if the industry was working together.

i just put in a new headgasket and valve seals into my vehicle, got it all put back together today.. only to find out a fuse keeps blowing for the starter or something.
i was totally ready and willing to drive it off of the tire ramps and sink in my my driver seat.
i've got grocery store running to do!

looks like i will be taking the starter out to get tested, and if it comes back as drawing too much current.. i'll have to sink my teeth into quite a decision.
1. walk to napa and get a remanufactured starter for $160
2. have no ride to the junkyard, but the junkyard has a sheet for prices and a starter is $22

i think the scariest part is that i found a wire that i cant see or feel where it ends.
i can see the front of the head touching the block and it is fully on there.
when i was feeling around with my hands, it felt like there was a gap between the head and the block.
i would be embarassed if i got a wire caught between the head and the block.
most importantly, i'd be embarassed because the headgasket was clear when i put the head on.
and i looked at the front, it was flat.. i used my fingers and had to use my fingernail to verify the back was flat.
i would hate to have just filled up the engine with oil and some antifreeze, only to have to take off one of the heads again.
it would feel like the pre-planning and preperation that i did was all for nothing, and that my ability to be responsible has been completely revoked.

perhaps you could go to comcast and get the old model number of the cable box much easier than me having to remove a head because of some 'miracle happening'
i'm taking the starter off tomorrow and having it bench tested.
and with the starter off, i will be able to see the head and the block to verify that it is flat all the way across.

if the starter isnt sucking up too much power blowing the fuse, maybe i dont have the ignition coils grounded well enough.
(or a combination of both on the same fuse? .. i tried to look at the book and didnt get much of an answer)

i have had one problem after another with this headgasket / valve seal project.
things like losing bolts somehow, had a bolt break off inside the head and had to drill out the old bolt and re-thread some new threads for the new sized bolt.
had some camshaft bearing caps break off at the corners, and one of the caps broke completely in half.
i've been to the junkyard three times already.
1. replacement camshaft caps.. first trip didnt have the deep dish socket that i needed and had to leave empty handed.
2. got the camshaft caps.
3. got some miscellaneous bolts that came up missing.

when this is all said and done, my mother's car needs a new headgasket too !!

i've also had one of the headlights fall and rip the wires.. tried to splice them back together and wrap them with tape.. but it didnt work (or the bulb is burnt out now)

hopefully you can rest a little bit after hearing what i have gone through.
you still have the computer going, and you might check out hulu for some free shows (sitcoms and movies in 480p for free)
maybe that will hold you off until your lamp arrives and you get your bigscreen functioning again.

 

[Stringpickin]

lol.. yeah, auto mechanics is another thing I kind of wish I didn't know how to do.. can be a real pain.. and believe me, the comcast monitor problem is the least of my problems at this time.. lol.. almost a nice diversion when I think about it like that.. We all have our troubles eh..

Got my lamp today.. box synced up in a heartbeat.. must shop for a back up tv monitor now.. lol. always something..

Hope your mechanical issues get settled simply.. it can be very very aggravating.. been there done that,, toooooooooooooooo many times.. all the best..

 

[anwaypasible]

as it turns out, i pinched a wire when i put the head on the block.
not totally sure how it happened, because there was nothing but head gasket visible when i layed the block down.
i guess some wiggling caused a 'stuck' wire to free and get in the way.
really disappointed, because i had some compression before i did the head gaskets.
the valve seals where shot, leaking oil into the cylinder to the point of hydrolocking the engine.

really weird.. because when i first got the car i did an oil 'acid' flush.
and when i drained the oil.. it looked like i was adding oil when it didnt need any.
i think the valve seals dried up.. got hot.. and when i put more oil in, the seals where 'shocked' and released some foam into the oil.
but
if the foam was coolant, it didnt stick around for long.
got an oil change and hadnt seen the foam since.
if the headgasket was leaking anti freeze, then there would have been more foam (and my resevoir would have gone empty, but didnt)

so i thought i would be cute and change the headgaskets now while i had the timing chain off (to simply have fresh gaskets and not have to worry about them failing in the future)

now, i am going to have to hope that the plastic from the wire melts and either stays there, or drools out and the gasket expands to fill in the spot.
the copper i'm not all that concerned about, since they used to use the wire from welders around the piston ring seal to keep the seal from bursting.
if there is any copper in the cylinder, that will melt/burn away.

just cant account for the feeling of stupidity.
if i had the energy, i would be taking the head off and removing the wire.
but i waited 2 months for the rain to quit, and then when the rain did finally stop.. now we are seeing 100 degree weather !!
its the beginning of spring, we are supposed to be seeing 70's

i have had no motivation or energy to get out of bed and work on the car.
seems like i am doing it even though my body is telling me not to (or do something else)
and i guess that is 'killing myself' doing it.
dunno if it will take years off the end of my life.. but it is too hot and i am too tired, PLUS the owner of the shop wants my car moved so they can pave the back area that is full of rocks as it is.

my mother's head gasket cant be any worse.
i dont have to take off the timing chain for hers.

i am thinking this hot hot weather is going to help melt the glue on the gaskets.. and hopefully that plastic from the wire.
it wasnt me that found the wire and yanked some of it out.
but the glue hasnt really been activated by the heat from the engine running.
and melted plastic can be sticky/tacky.
i just wish i knew how much of the wire is caught.. because maybe it is too far away from the piston/cylinder seal to worry at all.
i'm thinking i'll just drive nice and normal before i ever try to spin the tires or stomp on the gas.

i am looking at the gaskets now, and there seems to be a lot of room between the edge of the head and the piston cylinder.
if anything, i might develop a small coolant leak.. but if the coolant is leaking from the hole to the outside, it is better than leaking into the piston cylinder.
and if the hole in the gasket is for oil.. i could probably put some stop leak into the oil and let that fill the hole, then flush the oil system again.
either one might be prevented with some glue or plaster that can be used on exhaust pipes.

actually starting to worry much less now, after looking at the head gasket.
to the point where i would say, if i removed the head to get rid of that little bit of wire.. it would be a huge waste of time.

here is the picture of the gasket:
http/mizumoauto.com/ebay/mizumo/HS8-30100_image3.jpg

if you look at the bottom gasket, the wire would be somewhere along the bottom edge.
and if i am lucky, there wont be any blocking of the hole.

i got the engine spinning today.
but it wouldnt start.
and i think it has everything to do with the 2nd blown fuse.
see, there are two fuses for the ignition.
one for starting and one for running.
the start fuse blew, then the fuse from the ignition run was taken out and put in to see if the fuse blew again.. it did.
then today they took the fuse from the wipers and used it for the starter.. the engine rotated.
it actually almost tried to start.

but i have two wires that are supposed to connect to a 'capacitor' on the back of each valve cover, and i cant find the connector.
gonna have to go to the junkyard to check out an engine that has the wires in place.
they said the engine should idle with those capacitors unplugged, because the capacitors stiffen the DC voltage at high rpm when the spark plugs are used most.
without the capacitors, the spark gets weaker.

so i am hoping the second 'ignition' fuse will allow the engine to start.
they need to go to the junkyard tomorrow for a transmission anyways.. so hopefully i will get out of bed and be there before they go.
i told the guy to grab me two fuses if i am not there to go.
no other fuses appear to be blown.. but i dont need some other 'miracle' causing no gas from the injectors.
i plugged those in myself.. and i pressed until i heard the connector click (except one that didnt click, but i pressed hard and made sure the connector was down the same as the other ones)

getting this car running again should be spring fever.
learning what that wire is gonna do is gonna be like pollen allergies

anyways..
maybe you get a monitor small enough to put on your lap?
they are the least expensive.. and if you watch alone, it shouldnt hurt unless you want to put some food on your lap

 

[Stringpickin]

ouch.. how big of wire?? that is real drag...

 

[anwaypasible]

the thickness is about the same as a lollipop stick (blowpop, tootsie roll pop, ect)
i would say what gauge, but sometimes the thickness of the copper is different than the thickness of the plastic shield.


unless you were talking about the cord for a television on your lap :lol:

 

[Stringpickin]

lol... well,, being a respectable shade tree mechanic for over 35 years.. That is a very big hunk of wire,, sounds like primary 10 gauge.. if it was only under the head an 1/8" or 3/16" and it was not any where near a journal or the cylinder your probably okay.. but if it gets within an 1/8" of anything with pressure I would be very concerned that the heat and gases/and or water/antifreeze is going to make its way there without a doubt.. I would think that even under the immense torque of all of the head bolts that the head gasket is still not going to compress 100% around and down to the block, or up to the head depending on which side of the gasket the wire is on.. So within a 1/4" of the wire there is going to be space on each side and the end of the wire that is not mated firmly to the surface.. As far as the wire melting in place to stop any possible leaks I highly doubt it.. Special materials for that special situation is paramount..

I will offer a bit of hope if you opt not to pull the head and redo it.. There is a product which I have used on two vehicles for people that could not afford to repair the headgasket leak and one cracked head leak the right way.. a product called thermagasket.. it was discovered to fill the voids where extreme heat is present and hardened as it was designed to repair turbine rotors and housings with small cracks in an aeronatical capacity. The guy that developed it thought he would try some of it on a blown head gasket running vehicle and dumped it in.. To his amazement it worked within minutes and lasted for thousands of miles.. That is what started him in the path of marketing it.. I have personal experience knowing it repaired two different situations. One of the vehicles is still running with over 15K on the fix.. The other one, the person overheated the motor again and developed another crack, did it again and drove the motor for another 7K until the engine through a timing belt for an unrelated reason. I do not know if they repaired the head gaskets when they had it torn down or not.. anyway.. I have never believed in fix-its in a bottle, but truly that stuff is a miracle and a blessing to those who cannot afford a grand to repair a head gasket, or buy a new motor, or have the skills to do it themselves.. all for about $200 bucks.. anyway.. I am not a co owner or have anything to do with the company. So this is not spam..LOL.. just throwing the info your way.. good luck....

 

[anwaypasible]

the head gasket is multi layered steel.. and there is some type of coating on the outsides.
i'm hoping that coating will expand enough to form a tighter seal around the wire.

i would expect head gaskets to do this, since it would be beneficial for the mating surfaces.
sometimes you can get a slightly uneven head to bolt down tight.. but the minor imperfections could easily be filled in with the expansion of the coating.
it certainly cant melt and become a gel.. because that would loosen the torque of the head bolts.

and if i discover an oil leak.. i would probably put some honey-like gel into the oil to try and find the leak and plug it.
but, since there are cavities in the oil passages that could accumulate the gel, the patches arent very solid.
supposed to allow for a flush to be able to remove the gel.
and sometimes the gap is small enough that a marble size of gel is enough to plug the seal for many miles, until the gel slowly drips out completely.
with 35 years of experience, and with your speaking of a product, you know

i am aware that chemists have a more 'professional' or 'industrial' product than the stuff that can be bought over the counter.
when they use it to plug piston rings for a few thousand miles.
its just that the typical person would buy the product without the extra money to do the right thing.
for example.. if you put some serious plug into the oil.. it might get on the oil pump propeller and reduce the oil flow from the pump.
so the oil pump would need to be replaced.
lots of people who complain about these 'scams' dont realize that there are people who already own the vehicle and need a time saver.

i was also thinking, if it was the antifreeze that was leaking out the side of the head/block area.. i could probably disconnect the heater core and the radiator with some bypass hoses, then use some sealer.
to try and prevent the clogging of the radiator and the heater core is essential.
but, i really dont want a clogged waterpump propeller either.

what i love about chemistry is that the chemicals can be more specific.
if there is a point where the liquid gets bashed back and forth.. the back and forth motion will cause a hardening.
and anything that gets through the normal passages is bashed one way.. it needs to be pushed back the other way to 'activate' the bond.
so in my case, if i would use such a product.. i would have to have an air compressor attached to something that would cover the leaking area (perhaps a vacuum attachment and melt the plastic around the metal to form a better fit.. or use some kind of temporary gasket)
that would allow me to tap the air valve on, causing the leak to be shoved in and out of the area.
then the stuff would activate for that area for the patch.
a problem chemists would have is, how much of an area will be 'activated' ?
because if too much is activated, then the whole passage might become clogged.
that is how a time saver could become a nightmare, and more trouble than it is worth when you are clogging the passage.

you cant use chemicals that react to oil or antifreeze.. because if there is residue inside the piston cylinder, you will have extra activation in an area that doesnt need patched.
it is all physics based, rather than chemical-mixed reactive.
one would think you might use contact with air to activate the reaction.. but sometimes there is air in the cooling system or air in the crankcase.. causing unwanted activation.

i think if the piston cylinder began to leak.. i would pull the spark plug and pour some sealer into the piston area.
when both valves are closed, the substance would have no choice but to go into the leak.
the rest would shoot out the exhaust valve.
and the only problem with this stuff is, it has to sit and dry.. otherwise it will plug the catalytic convertor.
if you keep blowing it out while it is wet, then it might drip out of the tail pipe.
or at least get past the catalytic convertor and get stuck in the muffler.

that is how the 'restore' product is supposed to work (sorta)
but the instructions say to pour it into the oil and attack the problem from the bottom of the piston.
i dont know if there is anything that will work from the top (anything available over the counter that is)

i havent tried using restore from the top of the piston.. and it would depend on if the chemical can be mixed with fuel and lots of air.
if the fuel ruins the chemical.. then the patch is ruined.
(maybe not info for you, but for somebody else reading)

the pressure from the piston cylinder should be much more than the pressure of the oil or antifreeze.
and i wonder if the pressure from the passage is going to be high enough to push open a leak at all.
since sometimes, if the liquid has an easy destination.. there is no reason for the pressure to build up and shove sideways.
and maybe that will be what determines if the thing leaks at all.
there are lots of oil 'spouts' in the head.
the camshafts have a hole where they touch the head.. there is a squirt hole for the rockers/hydraulic lifters too.
and then all of the oil in the top of the head that falls down into the bottom of the oil pan because the timing chain is fully covered in oil.
for those squirt holes to function, there needs to be a huge passage way for the oil.. and then enough pressure to make the oil come out of the squirt hole.

kinda contradicting, because all of the oil pressure would then be for the top of the heads.
but, if i use some oil stop leak and it fills the leak and fills the hydraulic lifters with some stop leak.. maybe that would prove to be stiffer than the oil (by not allowing the oil to escape from the lifters)

i really dont see why the antifreeze needs a lot of pressure to move around.
but i think the antifreeze passages are only the ones around the cylinder.
i hope to find a description of the passages before the leak tells me.
i seen it once, but it wasnt when i really cared/needed to see it.

anyways.. the information above should tell everybody why those over the counter fixes in a bottle dont work (or that they dont work for very long)
the person buying those products is already assumed to be too poor to take apart the engine and fix it with a more permanent solution.
so that means they wont be able to change out a clogged oil pump or water pump propeller.

it would be obnoxious to use the sealer and then use a flush to get most of it out, and only to find yourself flushing out the patch.
but, that is another thing for the chemists.
if the chemicals have a high tolerance to the flush when the patch is fresh, then the tolerance could go down after some time has passed.
since the system was already flushed, it shouldnt need another flush.
for oil.. this means regular oil changes to prevent the oil from turning to sludge, because then you would need to flush the oil system again.. and that would probably ruin the patch.

these are what seperates one product from the next.
wouldnt it be lovely if you could use a stop leak that was high tolerant to flushes?
perhaps the answer is no, because if it gets stuck in there and is clogging something.. you just gotta get it out.

the worst oil leak i ever had was when i replaced the front crankshaft seal behind the pulley.
the seal ripped when it went in.. and it didnt leak until after a few hours of driving.
i went all the way across town and checked for a puddle.. there wasnt one.
but i had to drive all the way back home and then all the way back to the same store (needed more oil i think it was)
well the second time i pulled up, i checked for an oil puddle before i left and sure enough there was one.
i ran to the bank on my way home and seen another puddle.

the oil light started to go on while i was making my way across town.
by the time i was just a couple blocks away from the house, the oil light was staying on with the RPM's at 2k
it was kinda funny to watch.
because it started at idle.. but went away when i pressed on the gas.
then it started doing it up until 900 rpm and went away.
then it would stay on until 1,200 rpm and went away. (and this is when i realized my oil was leaking out faster than i had hoped)
it was on about 2,000 rpm at the end.
went to the store and got a different brand name of seal and it went in a whole lot easier, and hasnt leaked since.

between leaving a mess of oil on the ground and seeing all of the money i just spent that day go to waste, AND having to realize that i would have to do the entire job all over again.. i was beat.
because not only did i have to add oil.. i had to add antifreeze, because to get the pulley off - you gotta take the top radiator beam out and disconnect the radiator and tip it on its side for room to get at the pulley.
there is also a transmission oil cooler, so when i disconnected it.. the little resevoir on the side of the radiator drained itself empty.

i think i wasted about $30 in liquid that day.. and only used the liquid for about an hour anda half.
i dont want to be a mechanic on a daily basis.
too much arguing for me.

another buddy started working on a head gasket for a jeep cherokee v8 engine.
he has got it really easy.
no wires on the sides, no hoses in the way for both sides.
i think the only thing that was difficult was having to cut the exhaust pipe that was connected to the exhaust manifold.
instead of fighting with the bolts, he had another worker simply cut it.
i didnt hear anything about any broken bolts taking it apart either.
but when i tried to tell him that he could order some headgaskets for $50 instead of $150 from the local store, he disagreed.

i'm the obnoxious type that would love to take out the engine for each project, rather than do it inside with all of the hoses in the way.
as strange as it may sound, just because those hoses are on top of everything.. that doesnt mean they are easy to remove and get out of the way.
i learned that with my vehicle.
you can see the middle of the hose no problem.. but the end of the hose is tucked far away and hard to get to.
and even harder to get a wrench in there to remove the clamp.

i had a whole lot of clamps with the bolts and connectors facing my direction for easier access next time.
radiator hose clamps (x4 or 5)
transmission fluid clamp bolt (x2)
intake clamp bolt (x2)
pvc clamp bolt (x1)

i guess i just need to be happy that i didnt have to use a wrench but two or three times.
because a ratchet is so much faster.. and a powered ratchet is even less work.

i borrowed an electric impact gun.. and it got the crankshaft pulley bolt off almost identical to the air impact gun.
(what is 1 second with the air gun compared to 2 seconds with the electric one?)
but
it didnt get the head bolts off.. had to use a breaker bar with an extension.
i did let the impact gun tap on the bolts a little bit to try and free them up.. i dont think they were seized, i think they were just tight.

pulling a valve cover off with an electric impact gun felt like i was eating cake :lol: