Morris Minor Owners Club

pfgiz wrote:and the speed at which your doing this are amazing. Are you going to the National?

I'm expecting to see the completed pick-up at the National

davidmiles wrote:-snip-[frame][/frame]

It does look very rusty in there! Jonothan's suggestion is a good one, get the block and crank acid dipped to remove the rust and as said above have an engineering shop inspect the crank and block.

Next step is undo the big ends and whip the pistons out to have a look at the big ends and bearings.

Spoke to one of the engineers at Allbore Auto engineering near seaford East sussex, told me they don't have a chermical dip anymore due to the legislation on harmfull chemicals, said that a hotbath would only increase corrosion inside the engine and to use elbow grease and some jizzer. So thats what I'll do.
In the meantime, I managed to free thebig nut and release the crankshaft pulley, you can see the dent in the pulley wheel in this shot.[frame][/frame]

after that toil the timing chain cover was a breeze.[frame][/frame]

With the new Hike in VAT to 20% coming in soon I'd better start ordering parts in, water pump,pulley,clutch gaiter, gaskets.
The financial situation might slow me down a bit. Still on the brighter side, more time with the gunk and jizzer, or maybe I'll use diesel to save costs.[frame][/frame]

davidmiles wrote:Still on the brighter side, more time with the gunk and jizzer, or maybe I'll use diesel to save costs.

I used to use white spirit but I've since found that panel wipe is more effective. You can buy it in 5l cans from paint shops and good motor factors, or even online. It's very flammable though (people use it in petrol stoves because it burns cleaner), so no smoking while you work! ;)

It will be interesting to see if the engine is standard spec when you strip out the bearings. A good sign of this is when the tab washers have been neatly bent over; people often clout them over anyhow when rebuilding! Chiseled nuts etc are also clues as to a non factory engine.

Well Les the tabs on the crank look neatly tapped over to me, then again I've got nothing to compare them to.
This camshaft nut is proving too tough to turn, Ive bent over the washer tab and exerted some force with a adjustable spanner, no sign of movement, so went to Halfords and got a 34mm high impact socket, still no movement, another look at the washer tab, and its completely out of the way, added heat form a blowlamp, let it cool slowly. Stll nothing. Advice anyone.[frame][/frame]

I've found that nut to be very stubborn too. Get it as hot as you can and use a breaker bar with the socket.

A bit of shock and awe tactics help with these.
A whack is normally more effective than steady, heavy pressure.

The main thing to keep in mind is making sure you have the breaker bar or whatever at right angles to the nut and that the socket is as fully engaged as possible.
A whack or two onto the socket will help make sure that the tab washer isn't keeping the socket from sitting square.

I usually undo the three retaining bolts with access through the holes in the camshaft gear and leave the gear in place. The camshaft comes out as an assembly.

first two Pistons out, the one on the right is the one nearest the timing gear end and its next door neighbour for comparison. The washers that come into contact between the piston rod and crank are scored, so they need renewal.
Sorry there's not one on the right, The one on the bottom of the image is the one from the timing gear end.
[frame][/frame]

Thanks Jaekl, I was hoping there was a way around it, I'll have to check your idea out tommorow, I'm studying the exploded view of the engine to see if I can remove the crank shaft without removing the timing chain gear.[frame][/frame]

No way around it, So far I've opted to clean and inspect in situ, there doesn't appear to be any notable wear except on the thrust washers/bearing washers, and these are easy to replace with the engine stripped down like this.[frame][/frame]

I'm keeping the pistons seperate, that way there is little chance of assembling their component parts in the wrong order later on.[frame][/frame]

I would get hold of some citric acid (from Ebay) and soak those con rods and the crank in it overnight to remove the rust. 5% citric acid in water will dissolve the rust but not touch the steel if left overnight.

The big end bearings look good!

What is stamped on top of the pistons??

you have a big 2 on the top with a little 2008 underneath with front then MOWOG in large letters then S9.[frame][/frame]

Some parts have arrived from ESM, gaskets and shells, soon be time to start the rebuilding..[frame][/frame]

I really would not start rebuilding this engine until you are 100% certain that all oil ways and waterways are completely free of crud and rust. Simply running a hose pipe into the motor will not do.
Have you checked that the hardened surfaces ie crank and rocker gear are all free of corrosion.
SPL do a dipping for engines at about £55.

Good Luck with the engine rebuild. A few years ago I did the same with my Series 3 diesel Landrover, unfortunately I ignored all the advice I was given as I thought it looked pretty good and ended up after 2 home-build attempts taking to a professional. It turned out that the crank shaft was ever so slightly bent and all the work I did was in vain. Once reground all was well but I would never have figured it out in a million years. Still once sorted it was a useless underpowered load of cr*p. but it did not smoke anymore!!!