Engine disaster

[SOAA]

My engine has been taken out for rebuilding,and all parts has been delivered from Rimmer. It was delivered to a local workshop for boring,grinding, balancing and to put in cam bearings.

The plan was to have everything reinstalled in the car this week, as i am taking it to England next week for a ten days roundtrip i the Yorkshire area together with eight other Norwegian TRs and to attend the International TR Meeting 2010.

This is what we discovered when opening the engine.

The holes for cambearings are 8-10 mm larger than the new bearings. Total disaster.

 

 

Thanks

SO

Edited September 13, 2010 by SOAA

[peejay4A]

You could try Dave Pearson at Canley Classics near Coventry.

[Guest ntc]

SOAA

 

You have pm

[Eyetee]

I have a spare engine £350 head to sump, could break, but would suggest you try trbitz, trgb, walter petchy, trshop first

[SOAA]

Edited September 13, 2010 by SOAA

[SOAA]

Hi.

 

I am hoping to bring home an engine block after my visit to England next week.

What engine numbers can i use?

My car is an ex US 74' with cylinder head nr 219019.(Low CR)

Must i use a recessed block? Can i use a block from the saloons?

 

We arrive by ferry from Denmark to Harwich on friday 17.september and will drive up to

the TR European Meeting 2010 at Forest Pines Hotel,Broughton,North Lincolnshire.

The following week we will be touring the Yorkshire area .

Our ferry back leaves on friday 24.

 

I have got som tips from some of you that i am checking out, but are happy to get some more.

 

Thanks.

 

S.O Aanonsen

Norway

[Mk1PI]

Any Mk2 saloon block post 1969 will be fine - if it doesn't have recessed block you simply use the earlier head gasket.

[SOAA]

What about the difference between long and short back crank?

My newly balanced and regrinded crank is a short back.

My new camshaft is also for the late models.

[Mk1PI]

If you have a post 1969 six pot block it will accept any cam or crank from the 2000/2500 range post 1967.

They are nothing special - pre 1969 it get more confusing because of 2000Mk1 saloon blocks (smaller head studs) and GT6/Vitesse Mk2 blocks without relief for 2.5 cranks and very old blocks had 2 inch mains and other odd stuff.

Best to find a block out of something post 1970 and you are assured of success.

Re crank - you need to have a matching flywheel so you need the flywheel that fits the crank - Mk1/TR5 type flywheels (for long back) are quite scarce - Mk2 ones are very common

Edited September 14, 2010 by Mk1PI

[Andy Moltu]

Has the block been fitted with cam bearings in the past?

I can see there is considerable wear but if it is just wear we can see doesn't seem enough to explain the hole being more than 10mm larger than the bearings.

Or is the picture making the wear look less than it is.

[SOAA]

This is the best side. Inside there is very little metal left.

The cam has been working its way down into the holes and made them oval.

Also the main bearings were like tin foil.

The guy i bought it from lives next to a racetrack and it can perhaps been driven quite hard.

There was no cam bearings.

 

SO

Edited September 14, 2010 by SOAA

[claude]

This is the best side. Inside there is very little metal left.

The cam has been working its way down into the holes and made them oval.

Also the main bearings were like tin foil.

The guy i bought it from lives next to a racetrack and it can perhaps been driven quite hard.

There was no cam bearings.

 

SO

 

Is it not possible to have the block align bored, then sleeved to an oversize diameter to accept plain metal bearings ? Costly maybe but least you save the block. regards claude

[john.r.davies]

SOAA,

 

A little while ago, I bought a car that had been barn stored for 12 years.

mea culpa, I didn't look far into the engine, which looked externaly godd, with golden oil in it.

 

I ran it, soon found the tappets opening up and subsequently almost exactly the same as you did. See pic 1.

The cam bore is worn away.

See also the camshaft end, and the cam retainer. Pics 2 and 3. Note the wear and heat marks!

 

The conclusion of the postmortem was that valve springs that were far too stiff had been fitted, leading to excess side pressure on the camshaft, causing it to eat its way down into the block.

This was confirmed by comparing the these springs with a set of old, standard springs, compressing them in series in a vice. The old standard springs were almost half the stiffness.

 

So have a look at the valve springs in your engine. Fit new ones that are less aggressive!

 

John

[thescrapman]

SOAA

 

Did you source a replacement block??

 

I have a spare MM series block (and crank if required) and am about 15 minutes from Harwich in Essex.

 

The engine was a TR6 spec one in a saloon. It had suffered a dropped valve on No.5 so would possibly need a rebore.

 

Cheers

 

Colin