engine reassembly - tips and techniques?

[rollaholic]

well im going to pick up the pieces of my engine from the rebuilders today, and will be reassembling as time and funds allow.

i know theres plenty of mechanics on here, so was wondering if anyone had any little tricks or things they do while putting an engine back together. am getting all new gaskets (TRD headgasket) / headbolts / etc.

so im after things like... positioning of the gap on piston rings?

fire away

edit - its a smallport 4age for what its worth

[Dell'Orto]

Clean everything. Then clean the parts. Then make sure they're clean.
The ring gap isnt too critical, provided you dont have them all lined up.
Then once you've done that, clean them

[fivebob]

And everytime you clean them, measure them twice

[evil_si]

a 4age is one of the more basic engines to assemble,

position the ring gaps 120' apart,

clean everything, dont use lint rags to wipe parts as bits stick to them

lubricate moving parts during assembly
i find a thick oil like 85w140 is good as it doesnt 'run' off, or you can use a specific engine assembly lubricant

[85AW20v]

And have a read of this when it comes to first startup and running in.

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

[rollaholic]

everything has been cleaned by the engine rebuilders. nice tip on the oil though!

thanks for the link simon.

[crispy'86]

and make sure you're assembling it in a clean enviroment away from dust and wind

[lucasthefallen]

doesnt matter if its been cleaned by the rebuilders, if it were me i would be cleaning the stuff again. most important thing is keeping everything clean as can be.

[ollieboy]

Yeah I second that part about cleaning. They have a funny habit of not lasting if you don't clean them several times, and then a couple more times for measure.

[AE82 FXGT]

To drag up an old thread again, what do you guys use when putting the pistons back into the block?

(After making sure that it's clean, and yes rings have been measured)

I've had on guy say use a bit of oil on the sides
Had another say dip the whole piston in oil (don't like the sound of that)
And another say just use some CRC

Yet to consult the engine rebuilder that did the machine work...

[escortman]

To drag up an old thread again, what do you guys use when putting the pistons back into the block?

(After making sure that it's clean, and yes rings have been measured)

I've had on guy say use a bit of oil on the sides
Had another say dip the whole piston in oil (don't like the sound of that)
And another say just use some CRC

Yet to consult the engine rebuilder that did the machine work...

use ring compressors for gettin pistons in

cant member about the lube just a bit of crc i think

[Lloyd]

Dunk your finger in some oil and run it around the bores so there is a light layer all around it

[AE82 FXGT]

Yeah, I know bout the ring compressor.

I'll go with some light oil around the bores.

[lucasthefallen]

alo of people have different opnions wether to use oil or not.

some say if you use all theres to much lubricated and the rings dont bed-in properly.

others say no oil + seizse time.

its just personal preference, i just drown everything in wd-40, and ive never had a problem ( done atleast 25 motors through work like this )

[gtpornstar]

i would have thought it was more crutial about how long before the motor was started. Also even if it was too much oil wouldnt it just burn out once the motor is started ?

[rollaholic]

i remember reading in another thread about steel headgaskets - there was a method aluded to that was the correct way to use them, but the specifics were never mentioned. would someone like to enlighten me, as i am planning on putting a steel headgasket into the 4age mentioned above.

cheers!

[Bazda]

i remember reading in another thread about steel headgaskets - there was a method aluded to that was the correct way to use them, but the specifics were never mentioned. would someone like to enlighten me, as i am planning on putting a steel headgasket into the 4age mentioned above.

cheers!

I always use head gasket copper spray when I use a steel head gasket. I've even re-used one 3 times, just re sprayed it.

[hoolio]

I had an engine rebuilt by "a ripoff merchant in PN", I also had my injectors serviced at the same time - the problem was that when it came time to start the engine for the first time, the fuel injectors had been sitting dry for so long that the solenoids stuck closed so the engine wouldn't fire.
I'm not sure if the constant cranking on the starter contributed to the engines early bearing failure (as it didnt start allowing the oil pump to pick up oil sufficiently and push it through the bearings etc).
Although you should get oil pressure when the engine is turned over on the starter.
My 2 cents - make sure it starts when you are ready to start!

[gtpornstar]

I had an engine rebuilt by "a ripoff merchant in PN", I also had my injectors serviced at the same time - the problem was that when it came time to start the engine for the first time, the fuel injectors had been sitting dry for so long that the solenoids stuck closed so the engine wouldn't fire.
I'm not sure if the constant cranking on the starter contributed to the engines early bearing failure (as it didnt start allowing the oil pump to pick up oil sufficiently and push it through the bearings etc).
Although you should get oil pressure when the engine is turned over on the starter.
My 2 cents - make sure it starts when you are ready to start!

Actually when your motor is cranking it should build up oil pressure, if the motor has been sitting for ages before it is first cranked then yeah that could cause some damage. I would have gone over the bottom end and relubed if the motor had been sitting for ages.

[Lloyd]

After building a motor you should turn it over on the starter with no plugs in to build up oil pressure anyway