still makes the chirp with manifold removed (so there cannot be other sources of vaccum leaks)
Ok, so there must be a leak between head and cylinder. I did a compression test. Cylinders 1 and 3 have 70psi (cold) and I assume are fine. 2 and 4 have very low compression (30psi cold). Sound disappears completely when I remove spark plugs # 2 and # 4.
I don't see how in the world there could be leaks on both sides of engine, on the rear cylinders. I put this engine together. I used the gasket between head and cylinder. I used a small ammount of formagasket to glue the gasket in the head, so it couldn't have slid out from where it is supposed to be.
The tops of the cylinders were clean, no scratches or pits. A good mating surface...
The mating surface of heads were fine. No scratches or pits.
1)can I remove heads while in the bus? or do I have to remove the engine?2)how do I test for leaks between head and cylinder besides compression test?
This is from an automatic transmission bus. This means no flywheel. This means I cannot put my cheater starter on it (bellhousing from manual trans). I cannot turn over or start this engine while it is out of the vehicle.
How can I make absolute sure that the engine is working properly before I put it back in the bus?
Jenny