The sad tale of my last engine rebuild.

[Jonny69]

I've recovered anough to be able to talk about this now so here's the story. I took my Anglia up to the NSRA Supernats at Old Warden at the end of July and decided at the end of the journey that the engine wouldn't make it to the Retro Rides Gathering and back. It was just too knackered and I had 3 clear weeks to do a quick rebuild. I had the final week off work so the idea was to get most of the bits in advance and just the uncertain stuff like rings and bearings could wait until the engine was stripped. I had the engine out and in bits with 2 weeks left, so I put in the order to Burton Power and sat there and waited. And waited. And waited. Good old Burton, never deliver anything on time and in the final week before RRG I rang them and it hadn't been dispatched :huh:

Drove over there instead and got it all, which takes us to 3pm August 12th, the Wednesday before RRG09 :shocked:

The important thing was I had everything I needed sat on the bench:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5001.JPG

So I got cracked on at a fair old pace. I'd already honed the bores and cleaned the block so it just needed reassembling and fitting back in the car, which was outside gathering bird poo. Bottom end first, fitting the new shells then a good lick of oil before assembling:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5003.JPG

The two moon shape ones are the thrust bearings. With the crank in one can put the pistons back in. New rings all round. I kept them in order so the balance stays in and also note that there's a front and a back to them, which is cast in the conrod. You need a ring compressor to put the pistons back in which clamps round the top of the piston. You oil it up and slide it in like this:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5005.JPG

Then tap it down into the bore with a mallet:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5007.JPG

The cam gear goes on with the chain and tensioner. Note my flash vernier timing gear:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5008.JPG

Lashings of oil on that lot before the timing cover goes on.

Down on the sump these engines are notorious for leaking so I degreased and applied silicone to both surfaces as well as using the gaskets:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5009.JPG

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5010.JPG

Don't forget to put the oil pickup pipe on before you bolt the sump pan on because it's a pain to get back off. Guess how I know that? ;D

Back up at the top I replaced the valve stem seals, since the head was off:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5011.JPG

These are much nicer than the old plastic ones. They're hard rubber with a spring at the top. They slide on with the valve springs off, like so:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5012.JPG

There's the head decoked. Note how I labelled the valves so they went back in the same holes, same with:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5013.JPG

As a random diversion I replaced the seal in the back of the gearbox. I really really really wanted to do this and since the picture is bang smack in the middle of everything else I clearly couldn't wait any longer to do it:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5014.JPG

Back to the engine the flywheel went on next. That's at arm's length. I'm not Superman, it's just light ;):

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5015.JPG

Headgasket. Make sure the head and block surface are nice and clean and degreased:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5016.JPG

Head went on, followed by the rocker gear:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5019.JPG

Then all the ancilaries went on but I was in a serious hurry so I didn't photograph everything in detail.

Next thing I needed to sort was the exhaust. Where it goes under the crossmember it takes a right beating from speedbumps and it was worn a bit thin:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5020.JPG

I didn't cut the flattened bit off but I did make up like a sump-guard type plate for it so it could take a battering:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5021.JPG

*takes a breath*

[Jonny69]

That took me up to the Thursday before. Due to leave Friday, remember, and the car looked like this, spread liberally round the garage:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/garage-shot.JPG

It went in relatively quickly and easily Thursday morning...

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5024.JPG

...followed by the laborious task of fitting everything else back on the car which took a fair few hours. I took a risk using a new electronic ignition module but I got it fired up at about 9pm and nearly got all the bits back on before calling it a night, shattered.

Friday morning I was out early to put the last bits on and pack the car on time to leave and meet the Southern convoy at Fleet. I left literally 20 minutes late but there was a misfire and I wasn't going to get there with it. DOH! I'd forgotton to do the valve clearances, so I had to leave it for at least an hour to cool right down. I used the time constructively by going to the supermarket and buying supplies, then washed the car, then did the valve clearances, one last water and oil check and I left just after 3pm.

Ran great, saw loads of old motors on the motorway, the carburettor fuelling problems that I just couldn't figure out were cured, I joined the M3 and then BOOM. Thick stinking grey smoke out the back, loads of noise, no power, pulled over and it seized up on the hard shoulder.

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5028.JPG

So that was it. No RRG09 for me and I waited for the AA who sent a driver who I swear was about to drop dead in the driver seat and I was trailered home :(

[kaiowas]

:( Any diagnosis of what went wrong?

[Flibster]

It has a reason for it's sad face now. ;)

Seizing isn't good though. Big bath of diesel on standby.

[Jonny69]

:( Any diagnosis of what went wrong?
It's not back out yet. Doesn't sound good though, it unseized when it cooled down and it fires up but instead of singing like a sewing machine it goes WAWAWAWAWAWA clatter etc inside so I fear it's killed the bores. Curiously it shows compression on all 4, but I only checked it cold and it gets noisier as it warms up :(

[Will]

Oh dude :(

[Justsomebloke]

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/anglia/2009-08-13_pre-RRG09/IMG_5028.JPG

So that was it. No RRG09 for me and I waited for the AA who sent a driver who I swear was about to drop dead in the driver seat and I was trailered home :(

Gutted for you mate but the car still looks fantastic even at the side of the road.

[Zirax]

Really sorry to see this, always wanted to find time to head over to yours and be taken out for a spin :( Time for seeing if a bigger engine will go in? Or will that mess up the webber setup that you have?

[Darrin]

This is one of those times where I wish I had an extra credit card...

[Jonny69]

I think it's going to be an expensive one too, Darrin. If it's spun a bearing it will have damaged the crank. If it's done a bore then that's the block done for and probably a piston. I'm actually not really looking forward to opening it up :(

[Nutcase]

Bummer :( Gutting when something like that happens.

One thing that does come to mind though, you used silicone on the sump gasket, that's a big no-no usually as it sets and can get sucked into the oil system and clog it. Usually something like loctite 518 should be used? Less of an issue on a sump rather than a cam cover gasket as there's the oil strainer on the pickup, but something to look at?

Just a thought :)

[Darrin]

What I meant by having an extra credit card was the availability of possible swap engines over here. I've got an engine reman place just down the road from me. To see a classic as nice as yours down and out depresses me. I'd give my left nut to have something like what you've got.

[Jonny69]

One thing that does come to mind though, you used silicone on the sump gasket, that's a big no-no usually as it sets and can get sucked into the oil system and clog it. Usually something like loctite 518 should be used? Less of an issue on a sump rather than a cam cover gasket as there's the oil strainer on the pickup, but something to look at?
That's my thought too, the strainer is quite big and it would take a hell of a lot of dislodged silicone to block it.

[Darrin]

Thick stinking grey smoke out the back, loads of noise, no power, pulled over and it seized up on the hard shoulder.


Checked the oil sump for the dreaded milkshake? This sounds like a head gasket catastrophic failure that threw oil and water in a combustion chamber, hydrolocking a cylinder. And then when it "cooled off" (water drained past the rings) it was able to fire up.

And the water/oil mix in the sump could account for the rattling/clunking (poor mix in the main and rod bearings).


Just my thoughts on the whole mess. I hope it's as "simple" as that and there's not actually something broken in there.

[Jonny69]

The smoke wasn't a smoke I recognised and it wasn't steam. Oil smoke is white, blowing headgasket smoke is blue and overfuelling smoke is black. This was a thick grey smoke with a strange smell like an electrical or chemical fire that I didn't recognise. I guess it could have been oil seals melting away. The engine was making a LOT of grating noises inside and seized as I pulled over.

Starting to lose my doom and gloom over it now so I'm not so sad about pulling apart. How does the old saying go... time heals all :D

[Darrin]

Actually, you got the first two swapped there. :p

Water is white, oil is blue and petrol is black. ;)

Electrical or chemical smell is clutch plate. You might just pull the engine and find a knackered flywheel and pressure plate holding a bunch of clutch bits in. That would also account for the noises and grey smoke...

[Jonny69]

Interesting, hadn't considered that. Didn't smell like clutch friction material but it could have been clutch bearing eating itself. First thing I checked was the alternator because it smelled like that on fire, but it was charging ok and spinning freely. Could also be the starter motor if the bendix has got stuck on the flywheel.

Getting excited now, in a strange morbid way that will involve my bank balance taking a shredding :p

[Jonny69]

In my experience of running knackered old Ford engines I've found headgasket blowing oil through is blue but when the rings let go and oil pours in it's clouds of white smoke. Guess how I know that :D

Only had Ford engines though. When the headgaskets go they usually go through to an oilway rather than a waterway like other manufacturers.

[Treefrog]

My only experience of making a grey smokescreen was holing a piston on the works Kawasaki. But as you've got compression on all pots it's not gonna be that ..

[Darrin]

Heh, forgot about one thing with the white/blue smoke thing. Oil produces blue smoke when it's burned. But if it is vaporized (like coming in direct contact with a hot exhaust manifold) it produces a white smoke.

Think of the smoke trails acrobatic planes make. They do that by pouring kerosene into the exhaust manifold (or the afterburner section on a jet) so that it hits hot bits and turns to vapor.

[Jonny69]

That's good to know. I never worked out why it was white one way and blue the other :D

[Nutcase]

That's my thought too, the strainer is quite big and it would take a hell of a lot of dislodged silicone to block it.

Not quite what I mean't - I was thinking that a bit of silicone might clog an oil drilling within the block - the strainer should stop that happening though. Would take a heck of a lot to block that ;)