An Engine Rebuild Thread for Beginners

[Snowmark]

The other side of the case involves exactly the same procedure but access is a little more limited for Cylinder 2 as you have to use the coolant flange hole.



I was a little too keen when extracting the cylinder liner on this one and pulled it too far out, therefore it slipped off the piston rings and meant there was more play between the piston and liner when trying to remove the pin.



I used a long, thin bladed screwdriver through the centre of the circlip as I found it easier to hold the pliers and screwdriver in one hand and the camera in the other (I don’t always have access to a Glamorous Assistant and therefore had to use my nose to take the following pictures)





Pin removed and then piston and liner withdrawn - the piston rings are clearly visible.



Again, everything clearly marked, piston, Gudgeon Pin and circlip all kept together as a set and copious rags stuffed in every opening.



Onto the final one, Cylinder 1 - use the angled pliers again.





Tighten the Rawlbolt into the Gudgeon Pin



Use the improvised slide hammer to remove the pin.



All cylinders and pistons removed - the engine case is now considerably lighter and easier to move around.



Check the headstuds on this side - also in as good condition as I could have hoped for.



A really satisfying part of the process - it increased my understanding immensely and also seemed like a big step forward.

The downside being that it has opened up a whole new world of cleaning......




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[King Kenny]

The downside being that it has opened up a whole new world of cleaning......

And dirty fingernails for weeks.
Keep going, I am with you every step you take. Well done.

[Snowmark]

The downside being that it has opened up a whole new world of cleaning......

And dirty fingernails for weeks.
Keep going, I am with you every step you take. Well done.

Thanks for the support - it’s good to know that at least someone is reading this rubbish! (Think I must have contributed at least half of the ‘Views’ figure)


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[300CE]

Yep, i've been keeping an eye on this thread as well. Great pics, even if they have been taken with your hooter, and keep up the good work!

[T25Convert]

I'm reading - I look forward to the next update each time. Seems to be going very well for you.

This photo also shows the alternator bracket as well, which looks like its had at least one new stud:



I had a massive head ache with this bracket, as once everythings back on the engine its a right pain to get to. For reasons unknown, even with thread lock on these studs kept working loose. It got to the point where I had a special cut down 13mm spanner I'd made for the job of tightening them.

Might just have been bad luck on my part, but I'd make sure these studs are in good nick and well bonded into the case and use lock nuts. Other opinions on this are avaiable, just my 2p's worth.

[phinw]

I'm reading too because I know this job is coming sometime soon and I've never attempted anything like it before. It is a source of confidence as well as a great guide. Keep it coming!

[Snowmark]

Thanks everyone- the support means a lot.
Unfortunately, August is going to be a very slow month. I’m actually going to get to use the van for some camping, we move house in the middle of the month and, I suppose, I’ll be expected to do some parenting whilst the kids are still off school.

It’s a bit depressing to think that I’ll only get a couple of days on this throughout the whole month, particularly as things are going so well and it’s terribly addictive - hopefully I’ll be able to get the valves lapped and the heads back together at least.


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[VeraPedroMariaWang]

I realise you said life was getting in the way in August but it’s almost the end of the month and I’m itching for the next instalment! So just a friendly bump back to the top of the page so you don’t have to go scrolling down to find it

[Snowmark]

Much appreciated! Actually away in the van as I type - back in the middle of next week then it’s time to clean the case and lap the valves.
Hoping to get a couple of days on it before the end of the month....


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[syncro4us]

I am going to be doing the same thing in a few months on a 2.1 liter petrol waterboxer from a syncro that's done 250,000 Km or so so keep it up it looks like being a very good piece of practical help.
Even though I have rebuilt various engines over the last 50 years or so, morris Minor, Volvo 245, WW2 Jeep etc its still nice to have that extra info that can point out
problem areas and help with disassembly and re assembly

[Ads1987]

This is a great read and I admire you for just getting stuck in and working on something you don't have previous hands on experience with. A great write up with good pictures that's just interesting to read !

Thanks very much for what you have done so far

[Snowmark]

Well, August turned into a particularly long month......
Apologies for the lack of updates - it’s because there has been nothing to write about. I’ve managed precisely zero minutes on the rebuild as the past few weeks have been mostly about moving, roofing and internal destruction...... I may start a ‘House Rebuild for Beginners’ thread.

I have finally been able to clear enough space in the new garage to sort out a workbench so have transferred the engine parts from the lockup so that I can use the odd spare hour to get the rebuild back on track. I spent a couple of hours yesterday cleaning up the valve faces and a little more cleaning on the Heads.

[Snowmark]

Section 4 (Revisited): Removing the Valves and Cleaning

When the valves were removed from the Heads they were all separately bagged and labelled with the corresponding springs and collets.


Each valve has a build up of hard coke like material on the flat face......there’s probably a technical name for it.


My aim was to remove as much of this as possible. I used the fibre wheel in the drill and gave each face a light ‘going-over’, this seemed to do the trick.



The valves were held in a vice using a pair of rubber lined vice jaws that I picked up from Toolstation for about £4.



The other area that I gave a light clean was the rim of each circular face as this is the surface that mates with the face on the head - these will be ‘lapped’ in a later episode (once I’ve learnt what lapped means.....).


That was it for the day - only a small amount of progress but it felt great to be back into it. I hope to get some more time this week to continue with cleaning etc.
Right, better go and re-read this whole thread to remind myself what I’ve done and what I’m trying to do.....



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[T25Convert]

Good to hear you are back at it!

Personally I would replace all of the valves (or at least the exhaust valves as a minimum).

They have a very hard life and are prone to failure and aren’t that expensive (around £80 all in).

Saves you some cleaning time too!!

[T25Convert]

Good to hear you are back at it!

Personally I would replace all of the valves (or at least the exhaust valves as a minimum).

They have a very hard life and are prone to failure and aren’t that expensive (around £80 all in).

Saves you some cleaning time too!!