Engine bits.

[Philip]

Hi, the new Marina is smoking like a chimney. It is utterly embarrassing. This afternoon it was leaving a trail of fog, but this evening after work, it wasn't so bad. I am hoping this is a stuck oil control ring that keeps partially freeing. I am going to try a few bits tomorrow. It has a slight knock that I can hear more after adjusting the very slack tappets. It sounds like a little end to me. I have only rebuilt Honda engines and on the engines I have done, the small end bearing is part of the piston with the gudgeon pin being press fit into the conrod. What is the setup on A series engines? I doubt its ever had the crank ground so, providing the crank itself is in good nick, I am planning to order standard sized big end bearing shells, new rings, gudgeon pins, pistons, valve stem seals, head gasket, exhaust/inlet manifold gasket. Have I missed anything? Do I need to mess around with plastigauge to do any of that? I have never used that, thats all. How likely is it that my symptom is a stuck oil control ring?

[Number 63]

TBH, before you pull the engine apart, it's worth going over all the basics like oil level, breather etc. It looked like there was a replacement head (unleaded conversion?) so perhaps it's related either to the head itself or some damage to the bores and / or pistons as a result of the head swap. From my own experience of stripping A series engines, the top ring lands can break away quite a lot and cause all sorts of bore damage which in turn causes oil to get past the rings in huge quantities. If you want to keep yourself mobile, why not swap the engine in from your other car and then rebuild this unit at your leisure? A perky A series makes a great companion to a nice marina. Oversize pistons and all sorts of other goodies are available thanks to the mini so you can spend as little or as much as you like.

I have only used plastigauge a few times and found it to tell me what I could already feel. It's either too tight or too loose.

[Philip]

The engine in my other is smooth, a little whiny perhaps but I don't want to break it. I am quite attached to the old one. The new one I am getting annoyed with.
The new one has a lot of grunt, it has had an unleaded conversion. Done two years ago apparantly. I think I will take it apart and check for bore damage. The knocking sounds more bearingy than piston slap.
Thanks for your help.

[Number 63]

Good idea. A head gasket don't cost much and you get to find out what's wrong hopefully.

[Philip]

Right. I am very cross about this. I am going to have to take the new one off the road. The engine is totally shot. It's sounding quite bearingy and smoking like a chimney.
I'm supposed to be doing the p/c photoshoot on Wednesday and don't think a smokey marina is very impressive. So is it possible to change an A series engine complete on your drive with no engine crane? Also, does anybody in the vicinity of Swindon have a good A series already removed that is good to go? If it is possible then I would like to do it thus weekend. The other option is put some nasty horrible additives in the oil which is something I really don't want to do to buy some time.

[snowy]

You can hire engine cranes quite cheap for a day or two. They are not that expensive to buy either.

You can remove an engine from a marina in about 45 minutes. As long a you prepare and have everything you need to complete the job to hand.

So in reality you are looking at 2 x 45 minutes to remove the engine out of your new and old car.

Refitting is harder to put a time on. It depends if you find anything else wrong while doing the work. But if you do not it should take you the same amount of time to put one back.

[ClaytonSpeed]

As said hire a Crain and a friend to help! It can be done without a Crain but you may end up in bed for a week!

If I were closer I would off a hand!

Regards,

Ben

[Philip]

Thanks Snowy. Do you lift them out of the top or drop it out the bottom? I'm not breaking my old one. I am going to have a crack at the body over winter unless somebody wants to buy it to do themselves.

Cheers Ben, a hand would have been useful!
I did wonder whether it would be easier to drop the whole lot down, box and all and drag it out from underneath.

[ClaytonSpeed]

If you can get it up high enough then yes! I've done it like that before using a modified skateboard!

Good luck and keep us informed!

Ben

[MarinaCoupe]

I drop out my 1.8 from underneath. I drive the front up on ramps, disconnect the propshaft, fuel, all electrics, accelerator and choke. Then I drop the engine and gearbox out complete. If you take the rocker box off, you can then pull the whole unit out under the front valence.

[jiversteve]

Beaten to it by Chris.
The skateboard trick sounds good but I have a steel sheet/very large drip tray that can be dragged accross the floor with an engine on it.
All sorts of damage can be done if you try to drag an engine gearbox out without something to stop bitsfrom digging in and breaking off or wearing a hole.

Its so much easier to separate a gearbox from an engine when you are not under the car.

[Philip]

I have a 2 tonne trolley jack, small one, would that be sufficient to drop the engine and box down, I know it is capable strength wise, but I am thinking of balance. When you say car ramps, do you mean the type that lift the car about a foot off the ground?
Cheers Steve, that makes sense.

[snowy]

I take the engine up and out rather than dropping them down. Although i cannot drop it with mine now anyway. Both have their benifits and drawbacks.

Not sure what size ramps you have to get the car high enough to drag an engine out from underneath?

Shame you live so far away as i have everything you need here to compete the job.

Do you have another engine to install or do you want to freshen up the one you have??

[Philip]

I don't have an engine yet, no. I was going to freshen up mine but the bits appear to be very difficult to get hold of. I was going to take the head off, replace the valve stem seals, remove the pistons and check the big end bit on the crank, hope that it is ok and replace the big end shells, conrods, gudgeon pins, pistons and rings. But, now I am thinking of a different engine. I thought you scrapped your block?
You aren't that far away. I did it before!

[MarinaCoupe]

Philip,

I have a pair of standard Halfords car ramps, the type that you drive up. The front valance is already about 10" off the ground, the ramps raise the car by about 12" and when you take the engine weight of the springs, the bodywork moves up another 2" or so, allowing you to pull the engine out through the front.

snowy's way of out through the bonnet is just as good though. Snowy do you take the bonnet off first mate?

Steve's point about using something underneath is important, I have a sheet of 3mm steel about 18" wide and 36" long. I position it so that the far end is under the sump and then you can pull the engine forward on the steel like a skid plate a peice of ply wood would suffice.

I rent an engine hoist from a local tool rental shop and create a double sling out of some old ratchet strap webbing. I use my trolley jack under the gearbox mount. I do all this on my todd, you shouldn't need any help. Engine/gearbox out is about an hour to disconnect everything and then fifteen minutes or so to drop the unit out.

1.3 engine bits are easy to get from Ebay and real Mini websites like Minisport. Also the MG suppliers have parts for MG Midgets. What parts are you struggling to get?