The 4A Engine Rebuild

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

So what has been happening over the last week.

 

Contrary to post #397 the timing wasn't sorted. Something was niggling me that all wasn;t right. When I had another look at it it was 90' out.

So the timing is now as it should be.

yesterday the engine and GB slid into the body. I'm using the word slid in the poetic sense. There was a lot of humping , pushing and pulling involved but in it went.

I'm using the word humping in the engineering sense (definitely not poetic)

 

When I took the engine apart, way back when, I noticed that the exhaust manifold gasket was covered in soot - even the areas squished between the head and the manifold flange. Today I found the reason.

Many moons ago I fitted a phoenix extractor manifold. I had no reason to think anything was untoward.

Today I noted that the Carb manifold flange is 0.5" thick and the exhaust manifold flange is 0.375 - so there is a 0.125" mismatch.

The odd shaped manifold washers do not twist over enough to apply equal pressure to both flanges. So the thinner exhaust flange loses out.

This morning I built up one side of the washers with weld. Hopefully that will sort that.

 

Had the same problem - sat one end of the butterfly clamp on a tappet adjuster lock nut (57110/TN2108) - I do intend to braze them in place eventually - honest.

 

Peter W

 

My next time intensive exercise was the water pipe that runs then length of the nearside from the pump to the heater pipes at the back.

This stainless pipe has a fixed bracket on it that attaches to the rear lower manifold stud.

The problem is 'how do you remove the pipe'.

The big nut at the front end will undo as will the manifold nut BUT !!! the pipe wants to go rearwards to get away from the pump body but the manifold stud holds it firm.

If you want to move the pipe bracket over the stud the pipe hits the head and stops it.

So!!!! off with the bracket (angle grinder man at your service). Braze on a new plate where the bracket was. This will take a separate plate that is screwed on.

This second plate is then attached to the stud.

I can now easily remove the water pipe if and when it is required.

 

Tomorrow - lots of bits to fit - clutch slave to fit and bleed, brakes need bleeding, exhaust needs fiting, radiator - the list is almost endless.

 

Roger

[TorontoTim]

For the thinner exhaust manifold flange, I use thick washers as spacers. I suppose there's many different approaches...

 

I initially thought that I'd machine down the inlet flange but, as it's alloy, I was a bit worried it might break off! So I went with packing the exhaust mani out

[Lebro]

I had exactly the same scenario, my approach was to drill & tap one side of the clamps to take an M4 hex head screw, the height of the head being the exact difference between the two flange thicknesses. I drilled in the centre of the raised "PIP", blind hole only, so it hardly shows.

 

Bob.

[RogerH]

Hi Folks,

today's oddity was the alternator adjusting link. This is the length of metal that holds the alternator in the correct position.

The car had been on the road for the previous 17 years with no problem in the alternator department.

However when I come to refit it - it won;t. The adjusting link will not go anywhere.

It is either too long for the best attachment point or too straight for other attachment points.

My link is straight, I notice that the one shown in the Moss WebCat is kinked. However mine came of the engine without a kink.

 

In the end I welded a plate to one end to introduce a kink. It works well.

 

Tomorrow I will jack up the car and fit the exhaust and other underling things.

 

Could be have blast off tomorrow - who knows!!!

 

Roger

[Paul Harvey]

If you've changed the alternator it is because you now have a LHD one instead of a RHD one.

They are the same except the end plate is turned to suit.

The dickheads who sell them have no idea there are any differences.

[RogerH]

Hi Paul,

that is the crazy thing - every thing that came off is going back on !!! but putting up a fight.

 

Roger

[TorontoTim]

Photo? Any chance it's a washer/spacer missed out, or put the wrong side of something or other?

 

If you're still stuck by the time I get up, I'll post a photo of mine in case it's helpful.

[Don H.]

Here's my setup for reference, Roger. Dynamo, not alternator, of course.

[RogerH]

Hi Don/Tim,

your cranked link fits the dynamo a treat but mine is flat. Also you are using the dedicated attachment hole at the top of the pump body.

For my alternator this is too close by a couple of inches.

 

The picture below shows my link attached to the bottom bolt of the pump body plus some packing washers to align.

I believe I am using the same bolts as before but they would be holding by only a couple of threads.

 

My link is flush with the surface of the pump where this lower bolt sits. So by welding on a plate to crank the link it now fits under the bolt head with good alignment.

I can't believe that there was onlt a couple of threads holding as it is very tight and would have stripped.

 

Roger

 

 

 

 

[TorontoTim]

Roger:

 

This is probably no help at all, as my adjustable mount is cranked too. But here it is, nonetheless...

 

[Paul Harvey]

Another one for your collection

 

[Don H.]

Any chance it's related to the link on the front or the back side of the alternator mounting tab, Roger?

[RogerH]

Hi Tim,

the dreaded short crank jobby - I like it.

 

Hi Paul,

now that is just plain cheating - you have a righthand alternator on the righthand side with an over slung adjuster - crafty.

 

Roger

[Lebro]

 

 

 

Any help ?

 

Lucas style alternator, & the normal TR shop supplied fitting kit.

 

Bob.

[Paul Harvey]

Hi Paul,

now that is just plain cheating - you have a righthand alternator on the righthand side with an over slung adjuster - crafty.

 

Roger

 

 

Mine was also TR Shop kit but having followed your thread we extended the top plate and fiddled around with fixing bolts and generally made hard work of the whole caboodle until it was complicated enough to satisfy me and compete with your efforts.........

Edited May 7, 2016 by Paul Harvey

[Paul Harvey]

PS. It needs to be easy to adjust because if you buy aftermarket sooper dooper alternators you will be replacing them about once a month until you wise up and get the original one rebuilt

[RogerH]

 

Roger

[littlejim]

Just to cheer you up, when I got rid of the water pump and put a davies-craig electric water pump in, the old belt was too long. Found one that looked OK for the job but when fitted, the "stretch it" rotation of the alternator just described a perfect arc centered round the motor pulley, and limpness was the only result.

Eventually by spacing out the bottom alternator mount about an inch I managed to get an arc of movement that actually tightened the the thing.

[RogerH]

Hi Folks,

well, after a couple of days faffing around, a little frightened of something nasty happening, I turned the key and the engine build came to life.

 

I had already spun the engine over to get oil and petrol where they needed to be.

It started with no hesitation or anything untoward. It sounds quite smooth.

 

It ran at about 2000rpm for almost 10 minutes then I stopped it as the temp was going stratospheric

 

I need to do a fair bit of tinkering now to get the spark timing and tick-over sorted.

 

Phew - this is the first time I have had butterflies about starting an engine..

 

Roger

[Don H.]

Well done, Roger!

 

My freshly rebuilt engine ran hotternhell a few years ago, and it seemed a combination of adjusting just about everything I could think of, plus 500-1000 miles of break in, did the trick. It's settled down now, and here's betting yours will too after you fettle it and run it in.

[Kevo_6]

Good news Roger, well done.

[Tom Fremont]

Hi Roger,

 

The last couple of times I ran in a new cam/followers I fastened a leaf blower onto the front bumper, trained onto the radiator and ran it at mid speed. This kept the coolant temp within limits. Prior to that they would over heat after about 10 minutes.

 

After about 2000 miles the temp needle began to settle left of centre. Less friction by that point I reckon.

 

Cheers,

Tom

[Lebro]

Copy that Roger, you had a bunch of guys here turning blue

 

Bob.

[RogerH]

Hi Kev/Tom/Bob

this long drawn out engine build has really got me twitchy.

Because I'm over running on time and my Scottish tour is getting very close I'm seeing every possible problem.

 

When it started this morning without too much issue I was so chuffed.

 

Tomorrow I shall refit the grille and the drivers seat and go for a local run - see what falls off.

 

Roger

[Paul J]

Well done Roger though a little disappointed that this thread is near its conclusion, its been a good one.

Paul