engine, box etc

[mikeyp]

cheers guys, that's how i was thinking of doing mine.

just wondering about what to put the engine on so i can get it out under the car? i have a pallet but it's not on wheels or anything. spose could rest the pallet on the crane legs and pull it out with the crane.
or maybe could just take the gearbox off the engine and then lift the lump out the top?

i've got an engine stand to put it one once it's out so moving it around and working on it will be easy.

 

[mikeyp]

at long last i have the engine crane so tomorrow the engine is coming out and all shall be revealed. can't be arsed trying to do it in the dark under lead lights.

 

[mikeyp]

ok so in the bottom end and starting to measure things now.

crankshaft end play is .28mm, so just over what is should be but just under limit.think i best change the thrust bearings.

con rod side clearance (mm)
1: .338
2: .327
3: .406
4: .356

then i started to look at the bearings and crank. it's only a visual inspection for now as i'm still waiting on the plastigauge to arrive.

standard bearings used.

big ends 1-4 in order

number 4 looking really bad.


1-4 of the main bearings (didn't take end plate off to get 5th one out yet)

so by the looks of it the crank is going to need to be posished at least. thrust bearings are right on the limit so should be cheanged and both the bottom and main bearings are shot.
wish i had the spare cash to do a full rebuiild at this point.

what do you people in the know think of the pics (sorry about the foucs) does the crank look like it's dead?
big ends 3 and 4 were bent so fell out the cap (can see in pics), all 4 of them had the oil hole on the lower cap. (didn't check the rod side yet) is this right?

also, does this look like the crank has been worked on before? the edges of it are very sharp and the sides of the weight look machined. only some pictures as my cam is shit.

2 and 3

4

what do you think people?

 

[pulsarboby]

those mains look worse for wear and may need a grind (ok with mains as there just rotational and not under any real loading such as the bigends)
check the oilways very very closely for hairline cracks, if there is any then the crank is only fit for scrap.
bent deformed bigend shells will mean they have run dry and heat distortion'
if i were you i would take it to a proper engineer where they can check it over properly if its not 100% then dont take a gamble on it

 

[mikeyp]

well the crank seems to be ok for cracks on the oil holes, even with 2 magnifine glasses making it as big as i can, i can't see any damage. it's going to for an proper inspection and or grind on monday. the place will also supply new shells to suit.

been taking some more bits off this morning and found some more problems but also maybe some solutions to other problems i had.

the pvc valve is the wrong one and wasn't even lightly held into the rocker cover. i went to pull the hose off it and the hole thing came out the rocker cover with almost just enough force to touch it. there was some electrical tape wrapped around it to try and make it fit and no threads where it should screw into the cover. so this could explain my high idle.

got the spray bars off. found the intake side had 2 holes partly blocked by bit of metal! 1 was a very small burr and the other was about 1cm long splinter, very thin. couldn't see anything in the oil supply hole.
exhaust side was clear on the spray bar (though i can see insde them) but there was another burr of metal stuck in the cam cap oil supply hole. not good.
tha cams are a little worn but not too bad. the valve clearance is .203mm from cam to rocker, so the shims need doing.

the cam sprickets look a tiny bit worn, not sure what's too much wear, just a tiny bit of a lip on the pressure side of each tooth. the chain looks ok but i'll take a closer look when it's right out.

one of the rocker cover studs pulled out of the head (dizzy side at rear corner) so i'll need to inspect that closer, threads look a little worn but not mashed up. maybe it just unscrewed rather than the nut on the top.
also on the inside of the rockercover there is a lot of liquid gasket aroud the baffles and even more around a small plastic part, see the pics.

i'll get the front cover and crank off in a minute and see what the oil pump is like, but i bet it's shot with all this metal in the engine.



rocker inside with weird plastic bit and loads of liquid gasket everywhere..

wrong pcv

spraybar with metal stick in hole and long piece of metal (to left) that came out of another hole

 

[pulsarboby]

that sealant stuff in rocker cover is normal so leave it alone

 

[mikeyp]

have you got any good spray bars boby?

think i best phone you on monday as the list it getting longer now.

 

[pulsarboby]

yep we got some in mike in as new condition
give us a bell monday

 

[mikeyp]

righ tgot the crank out and measured the big ends with the new plastigauge i got on friday. sorry no pics this time as the crappy camera i was using has run out of battries after about 20 pics.

big ends had some odd measurements..
1: 0.021mm too tight
2: 0.038mm just right
3: 0.038mm ""
4: 0.076mm too loose by 0.021mm

number 4's bearing had broken up top and bottom so i wasn't surprised to get a big clearance there but number 1 was tighter than the range in the manual. should be 0.030 to 0.055mm and it came in 0.009mm too tight. most odd.
i did however find out that the mains and big ends bearings had at least been installed the correct way up and were all standard nissan bearings.

off to the engineers tomorrow with crank and bearings to get it all measured and repaired. fingers crossed it doesn't need too much of a grind.
what is the limit on grinding before it needs re-nitriding? i think i read that it was a 0.030mm depth of hardening.