Cambelt capers
Discussion
Well. Had I known I was going to waste a quarter of my weekend fannying around on/under/in the Esprit, on possibly the hottest day of the year so far, I might have pushed the hucking feap out in the street and left it there whilst taking the TVR for a damn good thrape around the North Yorkshire Moors, guaranteed to be traffic-free as every flag-waving citizen would be indoors watching the national farce. Sorry, game.
Y'see, I'd reached that stage in the engine rebuild that required the installation of camshafts and timing belt; a job that, whilst requiring a fair bit of attention to detail, scarcely warrants the apparent fear that seems to grip people when you mention 'Esprit' and 'cambelt' in the same sentence. I generally laugh in the face of valve shims, tweak the nose of the dreaded spindly tensioner spring.
So, as the sun rose towards its apogee, I donned a fine pair of shorts (that's 'pants' with no legs, not underwear, for our Stateside viewers) and ventured without; the temperature in the Esprit's engine bay already in the high 20s (look, dammit, I have no concept of Fahrenheit; it might have been 120 for all I know, OK?).
The necessaries were assembled: camshafts in their carriers; followers and shims; O-rings; nuts and washers; cambelt; tensioner; Graphogen grease, Loctite RTVS; tools; workshop manual; beer
The cam carriers went on OK, apart from the wrist-ache of trying to squeeze RTV through a 1mm hole to get a nice tight bead. Then the valve clearances: all OK. Cams both turn evenly. Quick slurp of beer, mmmm.
Now, the fun part. Jack the car up, get underneath and remove crank pulley. Fit the belt and tensioner. Climb stepladders to get into engine bay. Check pulley alignment, fit the belt. Piece of cake. Let the tensioner go, wind it up, spanner on the crank bolt and wind.
And the engine locks up. Huh? Must have done something wrong. Back off tensioner, lock it off, remove belt. Realign cams, check crank position, refit belt. Let tensioner go, wind it up. OK, that's definitely correct. Spanner on the crank and... phuck me, it's locked up again. WTF...?!
OK, take it all apart again. Let's make sure everything from the cams onward is correct.
I didn't make any notes when I originally stripped it because the manual seemed to have everything in it; two cams, three pulleys, what could posibly go wrong? The only thing I did have was a photo of the engine with the cam covers off. The pulleys are slightly different colours, so I could see that I'd definitely put the right pulley on the right cam. In any case the cams are identical (though I did double-check as I was starting to doubt it!). Not only that but the IN and EX marks were on the right cams. Just to make sure I took the pulleys off and checked the keys were intact!
Round about now I was starting to wonder whether the pulleys had been on correctly to start with. Did I have odd cams? No, both had the '7777' markings. The keys were in the same place relative to the lobes. I knew the crank pulley marks were correct (ie TDC in the right place) as I'd checked it and the flywheel with a DTI when the engine was in bits.
The sun was blazing, the beer was warm and had flies in it. I was getting annoyed. So I took five and sat in the house... with the aircon going... for half an hour. I considered the timing cycle. Cams rotate at half crank seed, so if the lobes are here now, by 90 degrees of crank they'll be... there... nope, it's no good, I can't think in 3D today.
By now the footie match must have been well under way. I could tell, because the main road a hundred yards away was deserted. No kids could be heard, breaking bottles or listening to rave music (do they still have rave music or has it moved on yet?) behind the local shops. Not a Police siren could be heard. I decided it was too quiet so I put MeatLoaf on the TVRs CD. Then I faced the Esprit again. It sat there, arse in the air, looking like some kind of dragster on acid. I climbed aboard, banging my head on the tailgate as oft times before, and picked up a spanner. Right, you phucker.
Cams. Timing marks. Pull belt tight. Wrap round tensioner, pull over ignition pulley. Let tnsioner go, preload the spring. Exactly as before. So what the hell's the problem? Spanner on the crank, wind it round... bugger, stuck again. Actually, I said rather more than 'bugger', but this is a family show.
I returned to contemplating the timing cycle. It looked as though the exhaust valves of #2 cylinder were just about fully-open, but I guesstimated that the piston was approaching TDC and had locked on them - although I still couldn't see WHY the timing was wrong
I fetched a screwdriver (down the steps, rummage in toolbox, up the steps, bang head, curse) and poked it down the spark plug hole. #1 of course was well down the bore... or was it? #2 was... nowhere near TDC. Eh?! So why the hell is it getting stuck? Right you bastard, where's that spanner. Ah there it is, I've just dropped it on the floor. Down the steps, grovel under car, up steps, avoid banging head, get spanner on crank. Heave like the Incredible Hulk getting that flat tyre off... and the engine turns over.
YOU MEAN TO TELL ME ALL THIS TIME IT WAS JUST BLOODY STIFF!!??
Y'see, I'd reached that stage in the engine rebuild that required the installation of camshafts and timing belt; a job that, whilst requiring a fair bit of attention to detail, scarcely warrants the apparent fear that seems to grip people when you mention 'Esprit' and 'cambelt' in the same sentence. I generally laugh in the face of valve shims, tweak the nose of the dreaded spindly tensioner spring.
So, as the sun rose towards its apogee, I donned a fine pair of shorts (that's 'pants' with no legs, not underwear, for our Stateside viewers) and ventured without; the temperature in the Esprit's engine bay already in the high 20s (look, dammit, I have no concept of Fahrenheit; it might have been 120 for all I know, OK?).
The necessaries were assembled: camshafts in their carriers; followers and shims; O-rings; nuts and washers; cambelt; tensioner; Graphogen grease, Loctite RTVS; tools; workshop manual; beer
The cam carriers went on OK, apart from the wrist-ache of trying to squeeze RTV through a 1mm hole to get a nice tight bead. Then the valve clearances: all OK. Cams both turn evenly. Quick slurp of beer, mmmm.
Now, the fun part. Jack the car up, get underneath and remove crank pulley. Fit the belt and tensioner. Climb stepladders to get into engine bay. Check pulley alignment, fit the belt. Piece of cake. Let the tensioner go, wind it up, spanner on the crank bolt and wind.
And the engine locks up. Huh? Must have done something wrong. Back off tensioner, lock it off, remove belt. Realign cams, check crank position, refit belt. Let tensioner go, wind it up. OK, that's definitely correct. Spanner on the crank and... phuck me, it's locked up again. WTF...?!
OK, take it all apart again. Let's make sure everything from the cams onward is correct.
I didn't make any notes when I originally stripped it because the manual seemed to have everything in it; two cams, three pulleys, what could posibly go wrong? The only thing I did have was a photo of the engine with the cam covers off. The pulleys are slightly different colours, so I could see that I'd definitely put the right pulley on the right cam. In any case the cams are identical (though I did double-check as I was starting to doubt it!). Not only that but the IN and EX marks were on the right cams. Just to make sure I took the pulleys off and checked the keys were intact!
Round about now I was starting to wonder whether the pulleys had been on correctly to start with. Did I have odd cams? No, both had the '7777' markings. The keys were in the same place relative to the lobes. I knew the crank pulley marks were correct (ie TDC in the right place) as I'd checked it and the flywheel with a DTI when the engine was in bits.
The sun was blazing, the beer was warm and had flies in it. I was getting annoyed. So I took five and sat in the house... with the aircon going... for half an hour. I considered the timing cycle. Cams rotate at half crank seed, so if the lobes are here now, by 90 degrees of crank they'll be... there... nope, it's no good, I can't think in 3D today.
By now the footie match must have been well under way. I could tell, because the main road a hundred yards away was deserted. No kids could be heard, breaking bottles or listening to rave music (do they still have rave music or has it moved on yet?) behind the local shops. Not a Police siren could be heard. I decided it was too quiet so I put MeatLoaf on the TVRs CD. Then I faced the Esprit again. It sat there, arse in the air, looking like some kind of dragster on acid. I climbed aboard, banging my head on the tailgate as oft times before, and picked up a spanner. Right, you phucker.
Cams. Timing marks. Pull belt tight. Wrap round tensioner, pull over ignition pulley. Let tnsioner go, preload the spring. Exactly as before. So what the hell's the problem? Spanner on the crank, wind it round... bugger, stuck again. Actually, I said rather more than 'bugger', but this is a family show.
I returned to contemplating the timing cycle. It looked as though the exhaust valves of #2 cylinder were just about fully-open, but I guesstimated that the piston was approaching TDC and had locked on them - although I still couldn't see WHY the timing was wrong
I fetched a screwdriver (down the steps, rummage in toolbox, up the steps, bang head, curse) and poked it down the spark plug hole. #1 of course was well down the bore... or was it? #2 was... nowhere near TDC. Eh?! So why the hell is it getting stuck? Right you bastard, where's that spanner. Ah there it is, I've just dropped it on the floor. Down the steps, grovel under car, up steps, avoid banging head, get spanner on crank. Heave like the Incredible Hulk getting that flat tyre off... and the engine turns over.
YOU MEAN TO TELL ME ALL THIS TIME IT WAS JUST BLOODY STIFF!!??
Edited by wedg1e on Saturday 1st July 21:57
Don't like the sound of that.
Last time that happened to me, it turned out the journals had been reground badly.
Did you check the crank turned OK when there were no rods connected to it, just the main bearings? And did you check the crank still turned relatively freely each time you connected up a conrod.
Knowing your background, I'm sure you did, but I had to ask. Sorry.
Oh, and the pistons were a good sliding fit in the liners?
Paul.
Last time that happened to me, it turned out the journals had been reground badly.
Did you check the crank turned OK when there were no rods connected to it, just the main bearings? And did you check the crank still turned relatively freely each time you connected up a conrod.
Knowing your background, I'm sure you did, but I had to ask. Sorry.
Oh, and the pistons were a good sliding fit in the liners?
Paul.
Is this really sad... But.... Wouldn't it be interesting to assemble a dictionary of colloquial words associated with car maintainance (or any DIY for that matter) Seeing words like "rummage" got me thinking. I think these words sound so appropriate to what they mean. Perhaps we should have a list made for people to add their own new words (a bit like Sweary May's dictionary or Roger's Profanisaurus from Viz)
What's your favourite word ? I think mine is "firkle" Perhaps I've just been sat at this computer too long !
What about "smidgen" or "widget" As David Byrne said: "Everything has a name" There could be a book in this. Add you own ideas below:
What's your favourite word ? I think mine is "firkle" Perhaps I've just been sat at this computer too long !
What about "smidgen" or "widget" As David Byrne said: "Everything has a name" There could be a book in this. Add you own ideas below:
Edited by toyroom on Sunday 2nd July 12:39
B16 RFF said:
Don't like the sound of that.
Last time that happened to me, it turned out the journals had been reground badly.
Did you check the crank turned OK when there were no rods connected to it, just the main bearings? And did you check the crank still turned relatively freely each time you connected up a conrod.
Knowing your background, I'm sure you did, but I had to ask. Sorry.
Oh, and the pistons were a good sliding fit in the liners?
Paul.
Last time that happened to me, it turned out the journals had been reground badly.
Did you check the crank turned OK when there were no rods connected to it, just the main bearings? And did you check the crank still turned relatively freely each time you connected up a conrod.
Knowing your background, I'm sure you did, but I had to ask. Sorry.
Oh, and the pistons were a good sliding fit in the liners?
Paul.
Yes, the crank was free enough before I added the cams. It is a long time since I did a twincam engine belt, I guess I was just not expecting quite so much resistance from the valve springs
. In hindsight there wasn't a definite 'stop' as I have experienced before with a mistimed cam. I thought maybe I was just one or two teeth out but I don't think I've ever seen an engine that would lock with THAT little error. As to words for the dictionary, I propose '912 paranoia'
toyroom said:
Is this really sad... But.... Wouldn't it be interesting to assemble a dictionary of colloquial words associated with car maintainance (or any DIY for that matter) Seeing words like "rummage" got me thinking. I think these words sound so appropriate to what they mean. Perhaps we should have a list made for people to add their own new words (a bit like Sweary May's dictionary or Roger's Profanisaurus from Viz)
What's your favourite word ? I think mine is "firkle" Perhaps I've just been sat at this computer too long !
What about "smidgen" or "widget" As David Byrne said: "Everything has a name" There could be a book in this. Add you own ideas below:
What's your favourite word ? I think mine is "firkle" Perhaps I've just been sat at this computer too long !
What about "smidgen" or "widget" As David Byrne said: "Everything has a name" There could be a book in this. Add you own ideas below:
Edited by toyroom on Sunday 2nd July 12:39
Maybe something along these lines...
www.pistonheads.com/rants/Default.asp?storyId=3585
ErnestM
ErnestM said:
An ex-girlfriend of mine had a brown Austin Princess..
Went like a train. But the car was pants
Well, if the "dictionary" is going to include all words, slang, etc... there would most def. need to be a chapter for/from those of us in the South... from what I can tell 'southern speak' is a lot closer to down under or Scotland than the northern states....
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
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