Saturday, June 30th started the 3 day long battle between me, IonNinja, and a stubborn 2005 Ion sedan 2.2L. Jerry (IonNinja) showed up at my house around 8 am, fresh and ready to install his brand new Patriot Stage 2 ported 2.2L head. I was also ready to get to work, we started the day by playing Forza 2 for a while (to let the motor cool down). Then we got to work, the tear down went smoothly for the most part. Simple, take the bolts out, put them in seperate piles with the parts they go with. Thing after thing came flying off the motor in record time, until there was almost nothing left execpt the head, block, intake mani, and header. We decided not to remove the intake mani or header. Then we began pulling the valve cover bolts, not problems yet. We've now been working for around 3 1/2 hours, pretty good time. Then we marked the cams with the motor at TDC (top dead center), and pulled the cam gears and cams. This is where things started going to hell, we pulled the timing chain tensioner (the big 1 1/4" bolt in the head with the spingy thing on the exhaust manifold side), put it aside and went to take out the other tensioner bolt (the one on the side of the head behind the big allen bolt), after looking at the GM build book showing we needed a modified allen wrench, we decided to remove the motor mounts to take this one out. After a while trying to properly support the motor and finding the right size wrench, we got the damn thing out. Now on to the actual head bolts, 15mm tight as all hell. We only had a 3/8" drive socket, but because of the huge force we were putting on the bolt we used a 1/2" drive ratchet with an adaptor, we got ONE bolt off this way, then we somehow twisted the head of the adaptor about 45 degrees So we then decided to try and find a 1/2" drive 15mm socket, apperently its quite a rare piece. We ended up having to buy a 16 piece socket set from Ace hardware, luckily we got a discount through Cobalt_Supercharged's dad. Now we had the right size socket and ripped the rest of those head bolts out, no problem. Now we drained the coolant and started trying to remove the head (by this time we're doing it under a drop light in the dark ). After getting hung up on the exhaust manifold studs for what seemed like forever, we finally got the head off. We then went inside to eat the enchiladas my mom had made for us . We headed back out, to clean up the deck, and place the new headgasket. We lifted the new head into place and after getting hung up on the exhaust manifold studs for what seemed like forever , we finally got it into place. When we installed the new head, we noticed there was an extra part on the driver side of the head, that the original didn't have, oh well. We then started putting the new head studs in, tightening them down, and putting the nuts on. When we started tightening the 13mm head nuts, we realized we didn't have a 13mm deep well socket. Another trip to Autozone(the only place that was still open) to buy a 26 piece socket set for the ONE socket we needed. We finish tightening the nuts and move on to the valvetrain. Tranfering lifters and finger followers over in the same order as they came out of the original head. The we placed the cams in place and tightened them down. Now came the dread of resetting the timing, with the chain a hell of a lot tighter than we though it would be, the cam gear reinstall was an uphill battle. However after fighting and fighting we finally got the cam gears installed(but as I looked I could clearly see the intake cam was at least a few degrees off), we then moved on to installing the chain tensioner(the big bolt one), as some of you know, its got two parts to it, a main part which is basically a cylinder with threads on it, and a little part that goes inside with a spring part. With both cam gears in place, the tensioner was putting up one hell of a fight. After trying for 15 minutes to get the thing to thread in, I had to put it down before I threw it through Jerry's windshield. Jerry took it up to give it a shot, as he lowered the piece down in place to try and thread it in, he faced it downward and the springy part fell out. No big deal, just reach down and grab it, WRONG! Apparently Saturn installed a secret black hole behind the engine that sucked loose parts into an endless abyss, never to be seen again. We looked for hours, and NEVER found the piece again! At this point we're pretty much dead in the water, and with it being Saturday, Sunday no parts departments are open. Instead of Jerry driving home the same day, with a freshly installed head, he slept on my couch that night We woke up Sunday morning to go finish what we could. Bolting parts back one, and resetting the cam timing (which this time we got perfectly). Around noon George (Cobalt_Supercharged) calls me up saying he found the timing chain tensioner at Autozone. Me and Jerry are jumping with joy as we hop into my dads 06 Ion sedan We show up to Autozone to pick it up. Unfortunatly the guy at the counter wasn't paying attention to George over the phone, because he quickly looked up the serpetine belt tensioner. We correct him, and he finds that the actual part we needed was not even carried by their supplyer, ****! He says the Napa down the street might have it, we go to Napa, and they say it will take 3 to 5 business days to get here DOUBLE ****!! Now we go home horribly beat down and defeated, with Jerry's car still in pieces. We then went home to finish what we could. Due to the fact that we were unable to finish, I had to drive Jerry home without his car, some 40 miles away! The next morning I get a text from Jerry saying he got the tensioner at the dealer, 70 BUCKS!!! I drive across town again (in my dads car, because mine is sitting on the side of my house with half the motor sitting in my room) and pick him up. We get back to my place, slam the tensioner in, and button everything up. We're finally ready to test fire !!! We fire it up, to only shut it down a few seconds later, after hearing a horrible TICK TICK TICK sound. We call my dad out to see what he thinks, he says it may be a valve to piston contact. After checking the cam timing again, we try firing it again, with the same horrible ticking! We call Patriot to see what they think, everything they suggest we have already checked. I call a guy from a local machine shop to see what he thinks, same thing, can't think of anything. We check all the lifters, followers, compression, EVERYTHING!!! Nothings is wrong, and when we start the car is idles perfectly, it just has a horrible ticking! We are at a loss, UNTIL we fire it one more time. As its running I'm in the engine compartment trying to see where the sound is coming from, when I'm hit in the face by puffs of hot air, I look down and the air is coming from that extra part of the head that wasn't on the original one. I'm wearing my mechanix gloves, so I stick my fingers in the holes on this part of the head. Instantly the engine goes quiet except for the slight wir of the valvetrain and injectors pulsing away, I lift my fingers from the hole, TICK TICK TICK, put my fingers back in, quiet. Apperently the extra portion on the head was, an EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) thing on the pre-2005 heads. SON OF A BITCH!!!! All that time spent on trying to find out what it was, and it ended up being a damn EGR port!!! We then drove down to Ace hardware, and bought a thick aluminum plate, some RTV sealant, and some bolts (two bolt holes were on the extra part of the head). Came home, cut up the plate, drilled two holes, slammed the plate on there, after applying the RTV, and bolted it down. Cobalt_Supercharged was there now, and he gave us a ride down to Checker autoparts to get Jerry's nitrous bottle refilled. After getting it filled, we stopped and got some food. When we got home, the RTV had cured and we fired the car up. NO MORE TICKING!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!! We took it for a spin, and it ran just fine. Jerry then hooked up the N20 and we went for another, much faster spin until we heard a dinging coming from the dash, and a engine power reduce light ****! We came home, reset the light, checked some wiring, and went back out. Romped on it a few times without spray, no problems. Sprayed it, and as soon as we let off the gas, ding ding ding, and engine power reduced. We limped home, and checked some more wiring, but couldn't find the problem. So Jerry DROVE his car home, maybe not at 100%, but none the less, he drove his car home under its own power, with a brand new Patriot Stage 2 ported head... and a custom made EGR block off plate

All though it was a major battle, in the end I think we won. I hope you guys enjoyed reading my story (those who actually read the whole thing ), have a great day

 

I only took a few pictures of the EGR fix. I was not there for most of the battle.




We used the foil to make a form of the EGR to show us how to cut and where to drill the aluminum plate for the make shift cover. It's not that pretty, but it got the job done.

 

Well damn... At least now you have all the parts you'd need!

 

lol sounds like you had fun. sucks about the reduce engine power though

 

ahah wow thats one helluva story!
+rep for a good read!

 

You got the wrong head casting style from patriot.

GM sells the timing chain tensioner, and they are different sizes from 2004 and 2005.

Did you use a torque wrench?

Read this:
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/2-2l-l61-performance-tech-45/cylinder-head-differences-11876/

 

Well it may be the wrong casting style, but all the bolts lined up right, and timing chain tensioner fit perfectly. We knew since it was an EGR, there was no harm in blocking it off. Other than that, it fit fine.

 

its not the "wrong" casting because Patriot does not officially sell a cylinder head for the 05+ Ions/Coblts...it is the only aftermarket head that they offer.

Anyways everything is good now in regards to the head...3 days of hell and we are done with that bitch.

Now I just need to figure out why my Dashhawk is only showing 75% max TPS while my commanded throttle position is 100%

So I haven't gotten to enjoy the head just yet but man...what a project!!

 

Wow... hell of a story... I hate leaving a car unfinished over night. But sometime you just need to call it quits. Great job guys +rep to all of you for fighting one hell of a battle...

BTW... do you guys know where I could purchase that blackhole? You think saturn will offer it at the dealership, I can think of atleast a few things I have that need to be dropped into an endless abyss

 

Hows the butt dyno read? Any better off the bottle?

 

Well, with us, all we did was drop that piece behine the passenger side of the head, then poof, gone forever

 

Mine does the same thing. Always has. I only watch commanded throttle position.

 

hmm, I could've sworn it read 100% but I guess not.

its just been brought to my attention that I could possibly have a dirty MAF so I'm gonna have to look into that.

no butt dyno reports right now as it is slower than stock

 

you guys are crazy!!!

 

I hope it is something that simple. I would try that first.

 

It sure was something simple with the damn ticking sound

 

I thought you were going to say the tick tick sound was a tool that got stuck in there.

Anyways, I got a whole tool set under the hood when I bought and 87 Mazda

 

So you guys never took that extra piece out that fell in the motor into Saturns Abyssal Black Hole?

 

They would have had they been able to find it. Cameron thinks he heard it fall out during the first test drive.

 

I think GM is making out with all the tools and misc **** that falls into that abyss
Nice work guys....

 

We don't know where it went, but we felt something bouce up and hit the underside of the car, so I think it just fell out.

 

I think it works both ways. I have found torx bits, a telescoping mirror, and shop towels in my car after getting back from the dealership before.

 

thats awesome

 

Good thing you weren't working on a fighter jet. You WOULD find what you dropped or you would have to remove the engine to find it.

 

wow, i can appreciate that battle, hopefully it all gets worked out.