Thread: Betsy, my 67 s2a build.

Does anyone know what a $500 paper weight looks like? Well here is a pic...


I put the diesel motor on the engine stand today. I pulled the rocker cover off and fuel injector pipes. I pulled 3 injectors out. I couldnt budge no 4 injector. I sprayed around the base where it goes into the head. I tried to move it. No way it was coming out easy. So i sprayed it some more then using a brass drift and a small hammer i tried to turn it in the head after removing the 2 studs. It moved a tiny bit. I suspected it was starting to screw itself apart inside the head. So i moved it back and forth spraying it as i went. Still not coming out. So i got a bit rough. I got the ball joint splitter and started forcing it under the sides of the injector. It finally started it upward journey. When i reached the end of the wedge i grabbed a BIG spanner and added it under the splitter as a spacer. Got a bit more out of it. Then got the 18" shifter and put that under the splitter and out she came. Man was that tight. I even tried a slide hammer but that injector wasnt coming out. With all the injectors out and filed away in clean plastic bags i pulled the head off. I wasnt prepared for what i found. Something has been bouncing around on top of no 1 and 4 pistons. Nos 2 and 3 are not too bad. There is no damage to the head but i noticed that all 4 precombustion chambers are loose fitting in the head. It had a composit gasket fitted where the new gasket kit i have has a copper one. I suspect that the PO before the guy i bought it from had the head replaced when the pistons were damaged, and just reused the pistons instead of replacing them. See attatched pics of pistons and head...

No1

No2

No3

No4

Cyl head.

Im almost over this rebuild

Im getting really peed off with it...

Cheers Rod

Hi rod i feel your pain mate I'm in a similar situation with my engine. I think the damage to the top of the pistons is caused from the pig tail type glow plug breaking off. The newer style probe type doesn't have this problem as well as the other benefits of still working even if one fails.

Originally Posted by Ben_Burdett

Hi rod i feel your pain mate I'm in a similar situation with my engine. I think the damage to the top of the pistons is caused from the pig tail type glow plug breaking off. The newer style probe type doesn't have this problem as well as the other benefits of still working even if one fails.

Well that makes sense Ben, it had new glow plugs in it. Pig tail type as you stated.

I will pull the sump off today and check the bottom end. It has a bit too much end float on the crank. Prob about 15th instead of 2 to 6th. Replacing the thrust washers should be pretty easy if i can get them. Ill check big ends and mains as well. Bores look ok. Not too much ridge up top. No evidence of broken top rings and it wasnt blowing blue smoke either when it was running. Bit of black when it was worked hard getting it on the trailer, not abnormal for an old skool diesel. Ill give it a clean up today and see whats going on.

On a side note, the colour on the engine block is a light greeny colour not duck egg blue like others have painted them. This is the colour i found behind the flywheel housing when i removed it. Nice and clean and not faded like on the rest of the engine block. I wonder if i can replicate it.

Cheers Rod

Originally Posted by 67hardtop

Does anyone know what a $500 paper weight looks like? Well here is a pic...


I put the diesel motor on the engine stand today. I pulled the rocker cover off and fuel injector pipes. I pulled 3 injectors out. I couldnt budge no 4 injector. I sprayed around the base where it goes into the head. I tried to move it. No way it was coming out easy. So i sprayed it some more then using a brass drift and a small hammer i tried to turn it in the head after removing the 2 studs. It moved a tiny bit. I suspected it was starting to screw itself apart inside the head. So i moved it back and forth spraying it as i went. Still not coming out. So i got a bit rough. I got the ball joint splitter and started forcing it under the sides of the injector. It finally started it upward journey. When i reached the end of the wedge i grabbed a BIG spanner and added it under the splitter as a spacer. Got a bit more out of it. Then got the 18" shifter and put that under the splitter and out she came. Man was that tight. I even tried a slide hammer but that injector wasnt coming out. With all the injectors out and filed away in clean plastic bags i pulled the head off. I wasnt prepared for what i found. Something has been bouncing around on top of no 1 and 4 pistons. Nos 2 and 3 are not too bad. There is no damage to the head but i noticed that all 4 precombustion chambers are loose fitting in the head. It had a composit gasket fitted where the new gasket kit i have has a copper one. I suspect that the PO before the guy i bought it from had the head replaced when the pistons were damaged, and just reused the pistons instead of replacing them. See attatched pics of pistons and head...

No1

No2

No3

No4

Cyl head.

Im almost over this rebuild

Im getting really peed off with it...

Cheers Rod

Rod,

I'm sure others more knowledgeable than me will disagree but I don't see why you couldn't leave the pistons the way they are if there is no other damage to the bores.
IMO the crowns are thick and shallow dents like those shouldn't do any harm.
Would save you a few dollars to.

Great write up. Please don't give up yet !!

Regards,

I agree with you Phil.
Actually the indents don't really look much different to the "V's" which i assume are to indicate the direction the pistons should face. They look like they were made by a rough hit with an angle grinder.


Cheers, Mick.

I think you will find the 'V's are more to control the turbulence in the combustion chamber.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

I think you will find the 'V's are more to control the turbulence in the combustion chamber.

The V's in the pistons are the combustion chamber. What i was worried about is the foreign body that has imprinted its self onto the top of no 1 and 4 pistons. On closer inspection the cyl head has been damaged. But as suggested the damage is mi imal and was prob caused by the glow plugs falli g apart. I spose ill have to get the valve seats checked. The pistons will b ok ive since found out. Just gotta check the valve seats and the precombustion chambers as they seem loose.

Cheers Rod

Well i pulled the sump of Betsy's new to her diesel engine. When i turned it upside down i heard some funny tinkling noise. I was immediatly worried. It means something is in the bottom of the sump. So i removed said sump and found some bits of metal and some non metallic stuff in the bottom, stuck in a tiny bit of sludgy stuff. Hmmm. So i ran around the upturned motor with a magnet. This is what i found...

Looks like someone has put a longer than needed bolt in somewhere and broke the bottom out of something. The two bits dont fit together at all so there must be two broken out bolt holes somewhere. I havent found them yet. Dont know where the lock tab comes from. Or the two small cylindrical pieces of hardened steel either. I havent pulled the front cover off yet but i suspect thats where they are from.

Now, for the life of me, i cant understand why some ppl think they are mechanics or some mechanic somewhere would neglect to do a job properly. Follow this story. I removed a conrod cap to check the condition of the shells. The big end shells were new. ACL standard bearings. Great. I thought about not bothering to check the mains. But i decided to check anyway coz i like to try to do a job properly. So i pulled the main bearing centre cap to check the shells. Honestly its beyond belief what i found. The main bearings were shot. Original rover std bearings worn right thru the white metal and down into the copper backing. Unbelievable. What person in their right mind goes to the trouble of putting new bigends on and not new mains. Bloody idiot. See below
No3 big end..


Its new.


Mains and thrusts..


No1 lower

No2 lower

No3 lower

3 uppers


Im so glad i checked them . Its an expense i can ill afford but i will be putting new main bearings in it and new thrusts. I will probably pull the pistons out now and re ring it too.

I wonder if i can get the crank journals polished and get a set of 001 mains for it. Ill have to check.

Have to pull the front cover off now as well coz ive got a new chain for it and i need to find where those bits of metal came from.

Its still a $500 paper weight.

Well gotta save my $$ now for parts. I was just gonna drop the motor in coz it sounded fine. I wonder what the oil pump looks like inside. I shudder to think....

Thats all for now...

Cheers Rod