AndrewMAshton Posted August 23, 2020 Report Share Posted August 23, 2020 Hello All, planning this winters project and a long overdue engine rebuild is on the cards, to cure oil leaks and cure blue smoke, apart from removing and rebuilding the engine is there a recommended schedule of works to go through prior to rebuild, ie crack test crank shaft, balance moving parts etc, I wouldn't want to miss what could be a crucial step, thanks in advance, Andrew Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorsport Mickey Posted August 23, 2020 Report Share Posted August 23, 2020 For those who don't know your car Andrew I believe you are talking of a 4 cylinder TR ? Luckily the workshop manual gives you a really good "schedule of works" to work to, and rather than being specific reconditioning can be achieved and applied to the whole unit. All the replaceable parts need...replacing, so that's all the bearings on whatever surfaces they apply, rocker shaft , camshaft and crankshaft and their associated sub assemblies, timing gear, chains, oil pumps and water pumps. What level do you want the unit to run at ? standard specification ? fast road ? (perhaps the most difficult to achieve, everybody has different ideas of what they would do) or a full race spec ? (bearing in mind this leads to a difficult to drive unpleasant car if used on the public roads). If a bottomless budget is employed then replacement race spec crankshafts and conrods can be used along with fancy lightened flywheels and you will be the arbiter of how far you wish to go. Apart from when I've built race engines I've never bothered crack testing components, drive them till they fail and then replace has always been a suitable system for me, you can drive yourself mad trying to built or second guess failures which will rarely afflict todays TR owner. How hard will you drive the car ? how may miles will you cover in the next 10 years ? if we said 30,000 you'd be in the top 5% I'd guess of users. Give us a little more info after you've thought about it. Mick Richards Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted August 24, 2020 Report Share Posted August 24, 2020 It costs about £60 to get the crank crack tested so that’s one thing I would do as a starter. Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bfg Posted August 24, 2020 Report Share Posted August 24, 2020 Andrew, I'd start by asking whether you actually need to rebuild the engine ? ..or do you just want to open the can of worms to see how much time & money you can spend - for surprising little return ..Darn I'm beginning to sound like a skeptic. Oil leaks are very often from bolt-on ancillaries and covers not fitting well, from the breather system needing a good talking to, &/or from a seal which has hardened over time. Burning oil may be from the bores or rings, but just as likely from the valve guides. And of course a cylinder head off for new guides, a de-coke and to re-seat the valves is a very different task to a total engine rebuild. Re. the bottom end - these lumps were designed to have bearings ..and so very much more, changed without removing the engine from the car. As Mickey says without further info we'd chase our tails giving answers ..not that we don't do that a lot anyway Pete. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted August 24, 2020 Report Share Posted August 24, 2020 Hi Andrew, As Mick suggested you need to know what you want at the end. If you want a nice touring car then there are a couple of things that can be done to give it a bit more oomph that will b=neither break the bank or spoil the comfort. A Newman PH1 cam + decent followers will give that extra bit of performance and good town driving. Fit a Christian Marx oil seal in place of the scroll on the rear of the crank. ll other leaks can be attacked by fitting the ancillaries with decent jointing compound. I assume the GB will also be out. Look for the oil leaks before removal - clean the outside of the GB, dust/spray with chalk and drive 100 miles or so. Check for leaks. The three selector rod 'O' rings are usually dripping. Consider fitting 3/4" O/D lip seals. Somebody mentioned fitting 'Q' seals to the OD operating shaft. Good luck Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AndrewMAshton Posted August 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2020 Thanks for the responses, and to answer Pete first, you are probably right, I might be able to get away without rebuilding the engine but three years ago I decided I would, once I had my EFi up and running, a bit more background and well remembered Mick, it is a 4 pot, since then I have read all the posts about camshafts, pistons, liners etc, etc and have already decided to go with 89mm pistons, a Newman cam as Roger suggests as I use the car a reasonable amount, 5K miles a year, so I have in mind what I want at the end, I am happy stripping an engine down having done a couple of A series in the past, I want to make sure I cover all the bases before bolting all the bits back together. I won't be racing the car although if the weather and roads are suitable I do enjoy driving the car. The engine was fully rebuilt 20 years ago by the PO, I don't smoke, no mistress so my spare cash goes mostly on the car, I have done plenty of work that didn't need doing but that is why I bought the car. I have a couple of good machine shops within 30 miles or so, so the specialist work won't be a problem. Head will be sorted by Peter Burgess although he doesn't know it yet. Hopefully that answers most of your questions, cheers, Andrew Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted August 24, 2020 Report Share Posted August 24, 2020 Hi Andrew, think twice about the 89mm liners. They are just on the verge of workability and you may incur head gasket issues. 87mm works well with that cam. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted August 24, 2020 Report Share Posted August 24, 2020 1 hour ago, RogerH said: Hi Andrew, think twice about the 89mm liners. They are just on the verge of workability and you may incur head gasket issues. 87mm works well with that cam. Roger No problem here with 89mm just use the right head gasket and get the liner protrusions correct. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted August 24, 2020 Report Share Posted August 24, 2020 Hi Stuart, two good words 'right' & 'correct' how often does it happen Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted August 24, 2020 Report Share Posted August 24, 2020 (edited) As a matter of interest Stuart, what’s your view on what is the right head gasket? Rgds Ian Edited August 24, 2020 by Ian Vincent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 17 hours ago, Ian Vincent said: As a matter of interest Stuart, what’s your view on what is the right head gasket? Rgds Ian Ive had good results with the new black composite head gasket, and theres also a new Copper one available here Head gaskets also a Christian Marx one which I think would have been supplied by Bastuck. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drewmotty Posted August 25, 2020 Report Share Posted August 25, 2020 These are good if you're not in the habit of removing the cylinder head on a regular basis in which case they are an expensive option: http://www.racetorations.co.uk/triumph-c56/tr3-c4/tr3-gaskets-c643/engine-c646/racetorations-composite-cylinder-head-gasket-p71 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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