The head gasket blew between cylinders 3 and 4, bringing the S10 1996 to a halt. Instead of sending the engine to a workshop, Paulo decided to repeat on the pickup what he had already done on the Ford Ka: rebuild the GM 2.2 8v (Family II) engine at home — complete teardown, measuring each dimension with micrometers and a dial bore gauge, a block machined for 87 mm pistons, a rebuilt cylinder head, and the entire assembly documented with the actual torques used for each fastener. From discovering the problem to the first start, it took 15 episodes over 14 months (April/2025 to June/2026). This page is the series roadmap: what happens at each stage, the tightening values used, the tools, and a link to the exact moment of each step.
How to use this guide
Each stage summarizes the work and provides links ▶ directly to the video moment. The torques quoted are those Paulo used on a GM 2.2 EFI engine from an S10 1996 in a home garage — always check your engine's technical manual before applying any value. The Family II 2.2 engine also powered the Monza, Kadett, Vectra and Omega — but check the differences for your version.
Process index
- Before the rebuild: the S10 on the channel
- The problem appears
- Teardown and discoveries
- Measuring, machining and painting
- DIY cylinder head resurfacing
- Engine out = engine bay painted and starter serviced
- Cylinder head finished
- Assembling the bottom end
- Oil pan, oil pump and Family II surprises
- Engine in the car
- The first start: IT RUNS!
Extras: torques used in the series · tools · frequently asked questions
Stage 1 — Before the rebuild: the S10 on the channel
Channel followers already knew the S10 2.2 EFI 1996 before its engine gave up. Two earlier jobs help explain the truck's condition: the engine bay overhaul (heavy cleaning, organizing harnesses with corrugated conduit, upgrading the battery cable from 16 to 25 mm²) — one of the channel's most-watched videos, with over 23 thousand views — and replacing the 2x1 exhaust manifold pipe, which had already involved a battle with rusty studs.
- ▶ 5:33 — M5 rivet nut to mount the ignition coil to the bodywork
- ▶ 39:01 — Positive battery cable: from 16 to 25 mm²
- ▶ 5:11 — Drilling out the broken stud up to a 6,5 drill bit
- ▶ 10:38 — New M8x40 studs with threadlocker
Pages on the site: Engine bay overhaul · 2x1 manifold pipe
Stage 2 — The problem appears
April 2025: the engine does not turn as it should, and the head gasket is suspected. Paulo turns the engine manually using the pulley (17 mm socket), removes the valve cover (5 mm Allen bolts) and orders a compression tester to confirm the diagnosis. This episode sets the course: this is a rebuild, rather than an isolated repair.
Page on the site: S10 engine problem
Stage 3 — Teardown and discoveries (Part 2)
With the engine out of the car and on a stand, the mechanical striptease — and the discoveries — begin. The head gasket blown between cylinders 3 and 4 is confirmed right away. Along the way: a GM timing belt still in good condition, a Sachs clutch with burn marks, and deep inside, the bearing shells tell the engine's story — KS connecting rod bearings (GM1623N) and Metal Leve main bearings still in standard size, meaning the engine had never been rebuilt in 30 years. There is also the classic fight with a stripped bolt, solved with a Dremel, a cutting disc and, when all else fails, heat.
- ▶ 5:29 — The head gasket blown between cylinders 3 and 4
- ▶ 7:45 — Timing belt condition
- ▶ 38:18 — Sachs clutch with burn marks
- ▶ 43:53 — Cutting off the bolt head with the Dremel
- ▶ 52:17 — Standard-size KS and Metal Leve bearing shells
- ▶ 1:04:43 — Using the spring compressor on the valves
- ▶ 1:11:07 — Heating the seized bolt
Page on the site: Part 2 — Teardown and discoveries
Stage 4 — Measuring, machining and painting (Part 3)
The most information-packed episode in the series (almost 2h30). Before sending the block and cylinder head to a professional machine shop, Paulo invests in proper measuring instruments — Digimess micrometers and dial bore gauge (dial indicator) — and measures everything: crankshaft main and rod journals, bearing clearances, cylinders. The machine shop's verdict: block honed for 87 mm pistons (oversize) with KS rings. Back home comes the dedicated amateur's work: matching connecting rod weights on a precision scale (the same technique used on the Endura), checking each ring's end gap, cleaning each part (vinegar bath + sandblasting) and painting the block with an HVLP spray gun.
- ▶ 1:26 — Digimess micrometers and dial bore gauge
- ▶ 3:24 — Measuring the crankshaft: clearance 0,03 with a maximum of 0,04
- ▶ 11:31 — Vinegar for 24h + sandblasting the parts
- ▶ 18:54 — Matching connecting rod weights on the scale
- ▶ 32:40 — 87 mm pistons and KS rings: checking end gap
- ▶ 46:38 — Piston in the vise for micrometer measurement
- ▶ 2:06:08 — New head bolts: genuine GM cost less
- ▶ 2:13:46 — Painting the block with the HVLP gun
Page on the site: Part 3 — Analysis, Machining and Painting
Stage 5 — DIY cylinder head resurfacing
Aluminum cylinder heads warp — it happens. Without a professional resurfacing machine to dress the manifolds, this homemade solution worked: 400-grit wet-and-dry sandpaper on a very flat MDF board (granite or glass would be ideal), figure-eight movements and patience. The result improves sealing between the manifolds and cylinder head, and became one of the series' most-commented videos.
- ▶ 0:22 — Why an aluminum cylinder head warps
- ▶ 0:34 — The setup: MDF + 400-grit sandpaper
- ▶ 1:04 — Resurfacing intake and exhaust manifolds
Page on the site: DIY cylinder head resurfacing
Stage 6 — Engine out = engine bay painted and starter serviced
The golden rule when removing an engine: make the most of the empty engine bay. Scraping away decades of oil and grease (scraper and credit card), pressure washer, 600-grit sandpaper, PU primer and three coats of black polyester paint — plus a lesson in clear coat: PPG's matte finish turned out too matte, and mixing it with gloss clear coat at a 2:1 ratio saved the day. The starter motor was also serviced and sandblasted, then bench-tested with jumper cables.
- ▶ 0:01 — Empty engine bay: scraping away 30 years of grease
- ▶ 0:02 — Serviced starter motor, bench test
Pages on the site: Engine bay painting · Starter serviced
Stage 7 — Cylinder head finished (Part 5)
The cylinder head returns from the machine shop for finishing at home: sanding the manifold faces (320 and 400-grit sandpaper stapled to MDF, an evolution of the DIY resurfacing setup), new GM valve stem seals seated with a 12 mm socket, springs and keepers installed with the compressor — with a lesson along the way: intake and exhaust spring retainers differ (the exhaust retainer has a rotating mechanism). The hydraulic lifters are left soaking to loosen 30 years of sludge before assembly.
- ▶ 0:55 — 400-grit sandpaper from a roll, cut and stapled to MDF
- ▶ 5:19 — Impact driver with Phillips bit on seized screws
- ▶ 12:30 — Checking flatness with a feeler gauge
- ▶ 17:30 — GM valve stem seal seated with a 12 mm socket
- ▶ 19:10 — Springs, retainers and keepers with the compressor
- ▶ 23:20 — Hydraulic lifters soaking
Page on the site: Part 5 — Cylinder Head Finished
Stage 8 — Assembling the bottom end (Part 6)
Assembly begins in earnest with the right grease (Lubriplate 105, researched specifically for engine assembly) and a torque wrench in hand: crankshaft main bearings at 50 N·m + angle tightening, connecting rod caps at 35 N·m + 45°. Weight matching ends with the scale showing a 4 g difference between the lightest and heaviest rods — carefully corrected. New parts enter the scene: a genuine GM pilot bearing, Sadec oil pump and a 25-tooth Femat water pump (the correct one for the S10). The pistons go in with a ring compressor, and a short video answers a question every engine builder has asked: "Did I install the rings with the markings facing up?"
- ▶ 0:22 — Scale: 4 g difference between connecting rods
- ▶ 5:59 — Removing the pilot bearing with a puller
- ▶ 13:48 — Lubriplate 105: engine assembly grease
- ▶ 22:33 — Main bearing torque: 50 N·m + angle
- ▶ 39:25 — Pistons into the block with the ring compressor
- ▶ 44:43 — Connecting rod caps: 35 N·m + 45°
- ▶ 45:36 — New Sadec oil pump
- ▶ 54:35 — Femat water pump, 25 teeth: the right one for the S10
- ▶ 0:03 — "Just fit the oil pan now... or is it?"
Pages on the site: Part 6 — Assembling the bottom end · Just fit the oil pan... or is it?
Stage 9 — Oil pan, oil pump and Family II surprises (Part 7)
The stage of discoveries found in no manual. The GM oil pan gasket sold for the Astra/Vectra fits the S10 2.2 (same Family II). The new oil pump came with an M8 mounting hole where the original oil pan expected M6 — solved by enlarging the gasket spacer with a 12 mm drill bit. And the well-known rear timing belt cover spacer, which costs almost R$ 50 on Mercado Livre, was replaced with a hardware-store spacer sleeve tapped for M6 at the end. Tightening the oil pan brought the most valuable lesson of the series: the GM manual specifies 20 N·m for M6 bolts — but 20 N·m breaks M6 bolts; Paulo used threadlocker and tightened in stages up to 10 N·m. The main bearings were also retightened using the torque angle gauge, strictly following the documented 50 N·m + 45° + 15°.
- ▶ 0:03 — Retightening the main bearings with the angle gauge
- ▶ 1:47 — Astra/Vectra gasket fitting the S10
- ▶ 6:51 — Neutral-cure silicone for sealing
- ▶ 9:34 — Oil pickup: 22 N·m
- ▶ 14:43 — ⚠ Manual specifies 20 N·m on M6 — do not do this
- ▶ 18:22 — Side engine bracket: 6,2 kgf·m
- ▶ 0:18 — New pump with M8 hole, oil pan with M6
- ▶ 0:39 — Spacer sleeve replacing the R$ 50 GM spacer
Pages on the site: Part 7 — Installing the Oil Pan · M6→M8 pump · Spacer tip
Stage 10 — Engine in the car (Part 8)
The episode with the most technical content per minute in the series. Rear main seal guided with dental floss and a pick tool; balanced flywheel (at Simetriza, with a reference mark) tightened to 60 N·m + 30° — using Corsa bolts as an alternative to the originals; clutch aligned with a tapered-pin tool and pressure plate tightened to 15 N·m in a crisscross pattern; multilayer metal head gasket and the engine's most critical tightening sequence: cylinder head at 25 N·m + 90° + 90° + 90° + 15°, in stages from the center outward, with new bolts. Also: crankshaft sprocket bolt replaced with a Corsa/Onix bolt cut to length (E18 Torx head), exhaust manifold at 45 N·m, genuine GM timing belt bought for less on Chevrolet's website — and the day's only defeat: the valve cover gasket supplied was wrong.
- ▶ 3:28 — Rear main seal with dental floss and a pick tool
- ▶ 9:09 — Flywheel: 60 N·m + 30° (Corsa bolts)
- ▶ 14:10 — Tapered-pin clutch alignment tool
- ▶ 20:29 — Multilayer metal head gasket
- ▶ 31:18 — Cylinder head: 25 N·m + 3×90° + 15°
- ▶ 36:42 — Exhaust manifold: 45 N·m
- ▶ 39:35 — Crankshaft bolt: a solution using a Corsa/Onix part
- ▶ 44:13 — The wrong valve cover gasket
- ▶ 0:10 — Chain hoist set up to lower the engine into the bay
- ▶ 0:14 — Reassembly progress in the engine bay
Pages on the site: Preparations · Part 8 — Engine in the Car! · Reassembly progress
Stage 11 — The first start: IT RUNS!
June 2026, 14 months after diagnosis. Before turning the key: a new cork valve cover gasket from Bastos, fitted with grease on both sides, a new belt tensioner, spark plug gaps checked, 5 ml of 2-stroke oil in each cylinder for initial lubrication, and a mechanical oil pressure gauge in place of the sensor — because a rebuilt engine should only be started while watching the pressure rise. Battery boosted from the Gol with jumper cables and... IT RUNS. A short video along the way also explains why there was no engine speed signal with the engine stopped — spoiler: that is how it works.
- ▶ 0:06 — Cork valve cover gasket, installed with grease
- ▶ 3:15 — New tensioner (6 mm Allen)
- ▶ 7:48 — Oil pressure gauge for the first start
- ▶ 9:43 — Checking spark plug gaps
- ▶ 12:33 — 2-stroke oil in the cylinders before the spark plugs
- ▶ 15:08 — Jump-start from the Gol and final preparations
- ▶ 16:35 — Starting the engine
Pages on the site: Engine speed signal with the engine stopped? · IT RUNS!!
Torques used in the series
The tightening values shown in the videos, with a link to the moment Paulo applies (or explains) each one. GM 2.2 EFI Family II engine, S10 1996. Several use angle tightening (initial torque + degrees) — an angle gauge is mandatory for these. Values are for information: check your engine's manual.
Scroll horizontally to see all table columns.
| Fastener | Tightening used | Watch in the video |
|---|---|---|
| Cylinder head bolts (new) | 25 N·m + 90° + 90° + 90° + 15°, from the center outward | ▶ 31:18 |
| Crankshaft main bearings | 50 N·m + 45° + 15° | ▶ 0:21 |
| Connecting rod caps | 35 N·m + 45° | ▶ 44:43 |
| Engine flywheel | 60 N·m + 30° (bolts with threadlocker) | ▶ 9:09 |
| Clutch pressure plate | 15 N·m, in a crisscross pattern from the center | ▶ 15:56 |
| Exhaust manifold | 45 N·m | ▶ 36:42 |
| Oil pump pickup | 22 N·m | ▶ 9:34 |
| Oil pump bolts | 10 N·m (≈1 kgf·m) | ▶ 50:56 |
| Oil pan (M6 bolts) | 5 → 10 N·m + threadlocker ⚠ manual specifies 20 N·m, which breaks M6 bolts | ▶ 14:43 |
| Side engine bracket | 6,2 kgf·m (≈61 N·m) | ▶ 18:22 |
⚠ About the oil pan: the GM documentation consulted in the video specifies 20 N·m for the oil pan's M6 bolts — but, as Paulo demonstrates, that exceeds what an ordinary M6 can withstand before stretching or breaking. The solution used was threadlocker + progressive tightening up to 10 N·m. See the full explanation.
Note: the complete S10 table on Qual-O-Torque covers the rest of the pickup (chassis, suspension, brakes…), but its engine is the 2.4 — the 2.2 values above came directly from the series videos.
Tools that made a difference
In addition to a basic socket and wrench set, these are the tools the series showed in action. Those with a see options button are in the site's affiliate selection — buying through those links helps the channel at no extra cost to you.
- Click torque wrench (low range) — essential for light tightening (oil pump, oil pan, pressure plate).
- Click torque wrench (medium range) — main bearings, flywheel, cylinder head, manifold.
- Torque angle gauge — mandatory for angle tightening (cylinder head, main bearings, flywheel); Paulo used Gedore's gauge.
- Micrometers + dial bore gauge (dial indicator) — what separates "assembling" from "assembling with measurements"; a Digimess kit was used in the series.
- Dremel (rotary tool) — from cutting stripped bolts to finishing work.
- Bench vise — a third hand in half the episodes.
- Locking pliers — the official broken-bolt remover.
- HVLP spray gun + compressor — block and engine bay painted at home.
- Engine stand — the entire teardown took place on it.
- Piston ring compressor, spring compressor, clutch alignment tool, bearing puller — inexpensive special tools that prevent expensive damage.
Frequently asked questions
Can you rebuild a GM 2.2 engine at home?
The machining work (block honing, resurfacing, valve seats) was done by a professional machine shop — that cannot be done at home. Everything else — teardown, measuring, assessment, cleaning, connecting rod weight matching, complete assembly with a torque wrench and installation in the car — was done in the garage, and the series documents every step. It worked: the engine started and oil pressure came up as expected.
What is the cylinder head torque for the GM 2.2 engine?
The series used staged tightening of 25 N·m + 90° + 90° + 90° + 15°, from the center outward, with new bolts — see the exact moment. Angle tightening requires an angle gauge. Confirm against the manual for your version.
What does an 87 mm piston (oversize) mean?
When cylinders are machined, material is removed from their walls, increasing the diameter. The S10 block was honed to take 87 mm pistons (larger than the originals), with matching rings. That is why prior measurement matters: it determines how much oversize the block needs.
Does this guide apply to the Monza, Kadett, Vectra or Omega?
The 2.2 in the S10 belongs to GM's Family II, the same engine family that powered those cars in other displacements and versions. The process principles (measurements, angle tightening, gaskets) are the same, and several parts interchange — in this series, an Astra/Vectra oil pan gasket and Corsa bolts solved S10 problems. But details (dimensions, torques, EFI components) vary by version: use this guide as a process reference, rather than your engine's manual.
How long did the rebuild take?
From the diagnosis video (April/2025) to the first start (June/2026), it took 14 months — at the real-world pace of someone who works, has a family and uses the garage in his spare time. The series has 15 main episodes, plus the background videos.
Page compiled from the transcripts, indexed moments and technical episode pages for the series (2025–2026). Prices and parts availability may change.