I took the route of bumping the motor and the heads did pop off. Thanks guys for that. Now I totally forgot that I had the engine at tdc before i cranked it. Now how do I rotate the engine to get it back at tdc. I know I should use a crank socket to rotate it but I don't have the time to get one.

 

Mike,

Since the heads are off, finding TDC should be really easy. You can use the balancer bolt (and a socket as a spacer if the balancer is already off the crank) to rotate the engine clockwise from the front. When the two cam lobes for the #1 cylinder are at the base circle (lowest position) continue to rotate the crank until the #1 piston is at the extreme top of its stroke.

Remember this procedure, because you'll be doing it again. After all, since the heads are off, you are going to rotate the engine several times to clean out all the junk that falls in after the gasket surfaces are cleaned, right? You were planning to wipe out the bores and apply a thin film of engine oil, I'm sure. And you were planning to check the ridge and taper and roundness of the bores while the heads are off, weren't you? Once all the measurement and cleaning is finished, and you're satisfied that the heads can go back on, you can set the #1 at TDC on the compression stroke again.

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Later,
Vader
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"Make Me Bad"
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