PollyMobiles Rebuild

[pollyp]

Fasten up the bottom end (0:30)
Turn the crank and it spins fine so the increased ring drag isn't a prob (4:20)
Fit the rear crank seal (4:30)
Build up the front end (8:30)
Checking the oil pump clearance and it hasn't worn at all (15:00)

Fit the front timing cover (18.30)
The last water pumps bearing felt abit gritty compared to a spare pump that was smooth so I used that one (19:20)
Clean the sump and then clean up (21:50)

 

[pollyp]

Installing the windage tray (0:00)
Scrape all the sealant off the sump (7:50)
Fit the dipstick tube (11:30)
Cleaned the sump (14:50)
Then realised I didn't have a sealant gun so off to asda I go



Finally sealed the sump in place and finish day1.

Tomorrow we work on cleaning the carbon off the head and valves

 

[pollyp]

began removing all the valves caked with burnt oil

Plugged all the stem holes with tissue to stop any debris getting in there (3:30)
Scraped the carbon off the exhaust ports with a blade (5:50)
Then wire brushed the ports clean from carbon (6:30)
Carefully wire brush the carbon off the chamber head (7:00)
Mask tape the valve stems (10:50)
Cleaned the valve heads on my pillar drill (11:30)
Reinstalled the valves (18:30)

 

[pollyp]

Prepping the head (0:00)
Prepping the block (7:00)
Install the head (8:30)
Torque the head bolts (13:30)

 

[pollyp]

Replace a few valve shims to correct the clearances (0:00)
Torque down the head down the final time (1:00)
Install the cams (4:00)
Fit upper chain & sprockets (7:30)
Timing chain cover (11:20)
Top cover (17:30)

 

[pollyp]

Clean all studs (0:00)
Fit exhaust studs (2:00)
Fit inlet studs (5:00)
Fit inlet mani teflon spacer (6:20)
Fit thermostat (7:50)
Fit coolant return pipe (8:30)
Fit inlet mani (9:40)
RH engine mount (13:30)
PAS mount (14:50)
Belt tensioner (16:00)

That's the engine pretty much built. tomorrow we fit the fly, clutch & gearbox and then clean up the engine bay ready to fit the engine

 

[pollyp]

Cleaning the flywheel & bolts (0:00)
Fit the flywheel (5:40)
Fit the clutch (7:50)

replace the old release bearing with a new one (12:00)

fit the gearbox (14:30)
hoist the assembly up to fit the gearbox lower brace (17:00)
prime the oil galleries a bit with syringe (20:40)



cleaned all the oily muck in the engine bay from the previous oil spatter.
and we're ready to fit the engine

 

[pollyp]

engine is installed but boy was it tricky to line up all the mounts. several of the soft Alu bolt holes are also on the verge of stripping so not gonna tighten them fully and just threadlock em on.

dunno how a machinist goes about helicoiling the threads of I stripped em but I imagine I'd have to strip the engine block and gearbox down to fit it on their machine? which would be very inconvenient & costly. don't plan on taking the engine back out for awhile so I'll see what happens.

 

[SuperUno]

When i did my engine swop last weekend, the os and rear mount where right b**stards to do, took ages to get lined up and done, also know what you mean re the ali mounts and stripped threads has worried me in the past...

 

[pollyp]

When i did my engine swop last weekend, the os and rear mount where right b**stards to do, took ages to get lined up and done, also know what you mean re the ali mounts and stripped threads has worried me in the past...

aye, found later that you first only screw the LH & RH bolts by afew threads so its slack and can move/tilt the engine about with a jack. once all the bolts are finally engaged in their holes, you can then tighten em up. was thinking is the chassis bent? cos tightening the front, rear and LH mounts, the RH mount was 1-2mm too far inwards and forwards, stiff mounts make jiggling difficult.

just googled helicoiling and it seems simple and do-able at home

 

[pollyp]

briefly tightened up all the engine mounts and PAS mounts and tis bout as much as I can be bothered tonight cos it's late, tired, engine is at least on so the hard bits over, the rest is easy, oh and apple crumble with custard was on offer so twas an easy choice
finish it off tomorrow

 

[Stani1029]

....With plenty time to spare hope it works perfectly and to see you this week

 

[pollyp]

indeed fingers crossed I don't mess up again and hope the rings are finally fixed, with a few days to further debug test everything ready for the long journey and can then meet ya'll at the show

bodywork n few panels in a right rusty state but that's low priority

 

[Stani1029]

indeed fingers crossed I don't mess up again and hope the rings are finally fixed, with a few days to further debug test everything ready for the long journey and can then meet ya'll at the show

bodywork n few panels in a right rusty state but that's low priority

Good stuff, and a bit of oven cleaner on the rusty bits takes the eye of it

 

[pollyp]

Good stuff, and a bit of oven cleaner on the rusty bits takes the eye of it

taa, I'll eventually just sand n repaint it so'll leave it for now

 

[pollyp]

doing all this stuff while dealing with a cold that I caught off work just before my holiday on friday is damn annoying. cough cough sneeze :/

this morning we installed the injectors (0:00)
Alternator mount (0:50)
Plumb the coolant pipe (1:20)
Feed the harness loom through (2:00)
To plug the oil sensor, I had to remove the oil filter to gain access (4:00)
Starter (5:30)
Clutch cable (6:50)
Fuel lines (7:50)
TB (8:30)
Turbo (10:30)
Alternator (14:30)

and tickets arrived

 

[h701micra]

You're doing really well Paul. Im surprised at the pace to say you was panicking

 

[SirChris]

You work fast man

 

[pollyp]

You're doing really well Paul. Im surprised at the pace to say you was panicking

You work fast man

cheers, I was prev worried cos there was so much to do within a week but just kept moving on through the long hours to make it happen.
video's speeded up alot btw

recovering from the cold and video editing has slowed me down a tad, having to take occasional breaks and weakening my stamina but she's so close to finish now

 

[h701micra]

I'm only jealous

 

[pollyp]

Fit driveshafts (0:00)
Coolant hoses (5:20)
Turbo inlet elbow (5:50)
Radiator (6:20)
Belts (7:20)
Brake discs (10:20)

thinking I'll just prep her ready tonight and then start her up tomorrow morning cos it's gonna get dark at 7:30 (goodbye summer) so the cameras wouldn't record much.

 

[pollyp]

decided to call it the night cos the cold has drained my energy n need rest.
not alot to do tomorrow, just finish the brakes, inlet pipes, gear selector, tighten driveshaft & crank pulley, fill with gear & engine oil, coolant and we're ready by bout afternoon

 

[pollyp]

I subscribe to ericthecarguy on youtube and tdays topic he talks about "modified cars" and found it very informative, useful advice

 

[pollyp]

last night was hell for me. coughing, blocked runny nose, headache, weak, can't sleep, the cold has hit its peak.

this morning it's getting better.

she's all assembled n primed now, processing videos, and ready to fire up in few mins
fingers xx

 

[MicrAde]

Go Paul!

Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4

 

[jk9194]

Wow, that is so quick progress to do it. Good luck.

 

[h701micra]

Any update Paul?

 

[pollyp]

the pulsar calipers rubber liner is kinda out off position

so pull the boot closer to the frame

tie the end to seal it off but now this excess bit hangs out

just snip it off

fitted the wheels n lowered onto floor (0:00)
filled with coolant (1:00)
fill gearbox (3:00)
fill engine oil (5:50)
prime engine oil pressure (7:15)
fit front panel (9:00)
boost control wiring (10:50)
inlet plumbing (11:40)
BOV plumbing (12:00)
grill (12:40)

 

[pollyp]

give u a heads up while video's processing.

good news, she starts n runs fine like before.

bad news, damn cylinders are still soaking in oil like before , I sense a slight misfire during low throttle/low rpm acceleration/blipping, and exhaust smokes slightly like before under acceleration due to that oily cylinder.
this engine will definately not pass emission imo but least she can make the show.

think I'll now try unplugging all the breather pipes, see if oil vapours getting through the PCV or if the rocker cover breather is blocked n trapping pressure.
then after the show I'd have to swap back to stock exhaust to see if the turbo's causing the wet pistons.

if that doesn't solve it then I'd be at a loss and this forged engine is useless

 

[Stani1029]

Let's just hope it clears or it's the turbo causing this, you've been through too much and you deserve to enjoy the car for once!

 

[pollyp]

so here's the initial start up.
prime fuel (0:00)
brief poof of oily smoke at startup (2:00)
O2 warmed up n responding (3:00)
check coolant for air (3:10)
notice the mass of sooty burnt oil dust coming out of the exhaust as usual (6:50)
blue smoke under medium acceleration (28:40)

 

[pollyp]

cylinders all wet, gone for a harder run (4:30)
checked again and its still wet (9:30)

 

[pollyp]

I've unplugged the PCV, crankcase and rocker cover ports to see if that makes a difference

checking the unplugged crankcase port, not much coming out of that when reving (12:30)
after a cruise, checked cylinders again and no difference, they're still wet

 

[pollyp]

Let's just hope it clears or it's the turbo causing this, you've been through too much and you deserve to enjoy the car for once!

imho after all this testing, tinkering, new rings, new bores, rebuilt turbo, etc etc I can't see the turbo being the cause and tis more of a fundamental problem with the JE pistons themselves.

prob can't see my frustration once I found the engine was still burning oil

 

[frank]

those 72mm oil control rings will need to bed in yet paul
your oil consumption will probably drop to about half a pint a month after a run-in period imo

 

[pollyp]

those 72mm oil control rings will need to bed in yet paul
your oil consumption will probably drop to about half a pint a month after a run-in period imo

I only replaced piston #1 oil ring with new XC7150 oil rings (cos thats the only one I bent), the other 3 rings r unchanged,
and then I fitted the XC7200 oil ring expanders on all 4 pistons to increase ring load.

and yet all 4 pistons shown exactly the same symptoms as before

 

[Noddie]

If they were not fitted back in exactly the same place though they will still need to shape to the bore no?
Imo, give it some time and miles. See what it's like when you get back from JAE
Go have some fun!! someone who's going buy this guy a box of cheap wine!

 

[pollyp]

frank, I wonder if its actually the pistons design that's fundamentally the cause?
a few things I remember during assembly:

JE instructions says the rings side clearance should be 0.0015" (the thinnest feeler gauge I have)
the top compression ring and oil rings clears it but the 2nd ring doesn't
(maybe that could make it stick or not allow combustion pressure to get behind the 2nd ring to help it "scrape" the oil off the walls during down stroke?)

each side of the pistons oil groove has 1 hole that feeds the gudgeon pin and 3 holes that allow the oil rings to drain. maybe the 3 small holes are insuffient at allowing the oil to drain away fast enough?

when these forged pistons are too cool n loose (not sure occasional spirited driving on normal roads gets em hot enough), maybe the loose piston-to-wall gap is allowing too much oil film to pass through for the oil rings & 2nd ring to control? (especially if the drain holes too small).
if the piston & skirts were hotter n tighter such as on track, then the tighter skirt may help "scoop" enough oil off the walls for the rings to manage?

and maybe it's a combination of all three that's causing my issue? hence they say not suitable for normal-use emission controlled vehicles?

 

[pollyp]

If they were not fitted back in exactly the same place though they will still need to shape to the bore no?
Imo, give it some time and miles. See what it's like when you get back from JAE
Go have some fun!! someone who's going buy this guy a box of cheap wine!

I think rings naturally tend to spin around in their grooves a bit during normal operation.

don't think I have much time n miles cos MOT will be due soon and if this oil issue ain't solved then it prob won't pass emissions even with the stock exhaust and then I'm in trouble.

after jae I'll have to try the stock exhaust.

worse case is I'd have to give up the forged engine and have to find another stock 1.3 engine to fit.
(been nothing but trouble since day1, and since we've tried to rectify almost every factor outside the pistons with no difference, that only leaves the pistons themselves as the primary cause)

I don't drink much wine or beer or any booze, just makes me tired
prefer prob pear cider like koppenberg? or any non-alcho beverage.

 

[pollyp]

.

 

[frank]

you said that "can't compare their size with my bake bean tin method cos their internal dia and where the oil rail sits on the expander is different." so the 72mm expander may not be loading the oil control rings properly paul ?

 

[pollyp]

you said that "can't compare their size with my bake bean tin method cos their internal dia and where the oil rail sits on the expander is different." so the 72mm expander may not be loading the oil control rings properly paul ?

K I worded that wrong. I meant their internal dia are different due to their design so comparing their internal dia with the tin method ain't viable.

When I placed the 72mm expander in the bore, the ends were touching and when testing the oil ring drag it showed an increased value.

 

[pollyp]

stone cold start this morning.
chambers damp but not pooling with oil,
cleaned the oxide off the dizzy points to help fire up,
oil level was bout 10% overfull, so drained abit till its just sitting at max.

when cold starting, notice the exhaust doesn't smoke/poof at all so no excess oil is getting into the cylinders overnight so the stem seals seem fine.
the fine sooty dust still comes out of the exhaust during cold starts (tiny unburnt oil from the wet cylinder?)

this morning drove around with low revs and keeping off boost and the cylinders appear 20% dry center with damp sides, just like previously.
now recording footage of the bores with endoscope..

could the symptoms of more rpm/load = more oily pistons across all cylinders but dry plugs be a sign of blocked/insufficient piston oil ring drain back holes?

spent ages in GoOutdoors checking all the tents available. liked the hi gear neutron 3 on display for its quality, features, size but its £70 retail. asked for a neutron 2 thats £60 for 2ppl but don't have any. if I'd driven to the newcastle branch to get the neutron2 then back home, the fuel alone costs £12 so I got the bigger £70 neutron 3 tent. Done, ready, lets go camping not looking forward to putting this up in the rain :/

 

[pollyp]

this is what it looks like inside, exactly the same damp as before



looking inside the inlet mani to check if the excess oil is coming from the PCV? nope its pretty dry

 

[pollyp]

went for a low rev cruise and it appears the same.
then went for high rev low boost run, same appearance.
finally full power blast down the road, looks the same.

so in these short runs the oil leak into the chambers appear pretty much consistent and the plugs are always dry, grey/brown with white burnt oil dusting.
not sure if this oil issue can be easily resolved.

after jae, what would ya suggest to test next?
leakdown? or it that more suitable for checking compression seals rather than oil control?

prob not possible to check for block oil ring drain back holes?

 

[h701micra]

I know its the opposite of what you're expecting but go to a track. Really open the taps. Those forged pistons need the heat. You may find that might resolve the issue its the only thing left untested plus it's also the core idea for which those pistons are designed

I'm in no way undermining your work you've done a tremendous job but if it was me building such an engine with the doubled up use of a daily driver I personally believe forged pistons are unsuitable for the reason mentioned above

 

[pollyp]

I know its the opposite of what you're expecting but go to a track. Really open the taps. Those forged pistons need the heat. You may find that might resolve the issue its the only thing left untested plus it's also the core idea for which those pistons are designed

if anyone knows of an trackday thats on a weekend (no time off work) and within £100? (not paid much) and preferably open pit and near the midland/north.

what if I use thinner oil? may allow it to drain away from the oil rings faster?

 

[h701micra]

But it may also allow the cylinders to fill up faster?

Cadwell do track nights approx £70 on the weekend. And as peak season is over they should be coming back down in price

Edit: I live in the neighbouring town and can guide you to the higher octane fuel stations and parts stores if required

 

[pollyp]

But it may also allow the cylinders to fill up faster?

Cadwell do track nights approx £70 on the weekend. And as peak season is over they should be coming back down in price

I dunno just trial n error when it comes to oil. oil thats too thick wouldn't cause this sorta issue would it?

can't see those cadwell weekend deals for cars.
only weekend ones are 22sept £164 but its full,
and 27th oct £149, too late after the MOT

 

[Enuo]

I dunno just trial n error when it comes to oil. oil thats too thick wouldn't cause this sorta issue would it?

can't see those cadwell weekend deals for cars.
only weekend ones are 22sept £164 but its full,
and 27th oct £149, too late after the MOT

Too thick oil may strain the oil pump when cold but that's it really... unless you're putting tar in it
Edit: Strain if you rag it when cold