Engine Strip Down

[Tatey]

I've now taken the pistons out of the block. And i'm just wondering what the locost way of cleaning all of the parts are? I've thought about buying a parts washer, but that could be a fair few months away due to lack of finances until i find another just. I'd like to clean up all of the parts and put the engine back together for storage for a while, until i get the funds to buy a new engine, it should give me some good practise as well.

Also i am having problems taking the exhaust manifold off of the head, it just doesnt seem to want to budge, is this common on a 20 year old engine? If so whats the normal method of getting it off? If its not common, does that mean i've missed a bolt?

[car.mad]

Originally Posted by Tatey

I've now taken the pistons out of the block. And i'm just wondering what the locost way of cleaning all of the parts are? I've thought about buying a parts washer, but that could be a fair few months away due to lack of finances until i find another just. I'd like to clean up all of the parts and put the engine back together for storage for a while, until i get the funds to buy a new engine, it should give me some good practise as well.

Also i am having problems taking the exhaust manifold off of the head, it just doesnt seem to want to budge, is this common on a 20 year old engine? If so whats the normal method of getting it off? If its not common, does that mean i've missed a bolt?

i would use wire brushes of different sizes to get the thick of 'it' the wheels for drills are quite good too

brake or carb cleaner is good at getting under the 'it' and just keep at it, did a old mini gearbox with wire brushes and a bit of thinners, got a good finish out if it

some light sandpaper works on aluminium bits aslong as you can get into the little nooks and crannys.

with regards to the manifold if its never been off before and exhausts get quite hot its not uncommon for them to be a little bit stubborn, first i would make sure you got all the nuts/bolts off then double check again, then give it a clout with a rubber mallet, thats what we do at work on old morris minor engines and it seems to work.

someone else might have a better idea though

Jake

[Tatey]

Cheers for the tips Jake!

How do you go about cleaning the pistons and valves etc to get all of the oil and gunk off of them? I've had a quick look on google and people have recommended petrol/white spirit to clean them, i can't see that solution doing much harm, but i could be wrong and you seem much more knowledgeable about the subject. Also what kind of oil would you recommend to use when putting it all back together to prevent rust?

Cheers

[car.mad]

no problem

yep petrol works aswell

for the pistons im not too sure but i would say again some sort of cleaner and an old tooth brush

if you are replacing the rings for the groves some fine sandpaper (1000 grit) folded over would be your best bet.

the oil that should be put in the engine is '5w 30 fully synthetic' according to a website but im not too sure probably best to check elsewhere and be sure. I would probably use the same oil the engine takes when putting it back together but any oil is better than no oil

not sure about the valves but somthing like the above should work. the valve stems themselves should just be clean i would avoid sandpaper here.

when you put the main and big end bearings back in only oil the crankshaft face... the other face on the cap needs to be as tight a fit as possible to the bearing

Jake

[Bonzo]

Personaly, I would avoid using petrol as an engine cleaner.
It poses a significant health & safety risk, Exposive, toxic & harmfull to the skin to name a few.

I have used Jizer as a cleaner for many years, water soluable & will air dry with the use of a blow gun.

There are engine assembly oils out there, I tend to use plain ole Magnatex, does what it says on the tin.

Looking at that cylinder head of yours & at a quick glance it would certainly look as if it has blown the head gasket.
I would investigate if this is the case & then investigate why !!??

[Tatey]

How would i go about investigating if the head gasket had blown?

[flyerncle]

Bring the head and gasket down on thursday ! I hope you marked the pistons 1234 and which way they pointed Mr Tate !
Engine oil,back to the days of 20/50 maybe ?
You didnt did you ?

[Tatey]

Originally Posted by flyerncle

Bring the head and gasket down on thursday ! I hope you marked the pistons 1234 and which way they pointed Mr Tate !
Engine oil,back to the days of 20/50 maybe ?
You didnt did you ?

I'll load it into the car and hopefully this time i can reverse into your garage without having to drive down the road, turn around and attempt it a second time

Is it much issue if i didnt mark them? I have a rough idea what cylinder each piston came out of, as i have the pics and i havent cleaned the crap off them yet....

And i didnt do what.....?

Edit: I've just been out and had a look at the pistons and i now know which piston came out of which cylinder and which way round. May i ask why it is important to know? When i took them out, i thought to myself 'i bet i'll find out i need to mark these up'. Sods law eh....

[AshG]

sorry i have got some more bad news for you. looking at the clutch housing one of the 3 pressure plate springs is cracked (the one at between 7-8 o-clock on the picture)

[Tatey]

I've just been out to have a look and it appears to be just a section of dirt has been removed, making it look like a crack. I've taken pictures of all 3 springs and they all seem to be fine.

Cheers