Engine rebuild

[twilson@motionwear.net]

I spun a rod bearing. Who knows what else went wrong or why, but now I'm in for an engine rebuild. Why would a rod bearing spin? I lost oil pressure (don't know why yet) and the journal is scored and burnt. Any suggestions on key things to look out for or improvements to make as I do the rebuild will be appreciated. I haven't worked on an engine interior in years (I used to know TR3 engines really well in college - I first met them in Rod City), so it's another new game. I don't expect anything out of the ordinary. The engine isn't original in the car, although it's still an XPAG instead of a Volvo. Thanks. Tom Wilson TC0272 PS. Don't ever believe someone when they say a car is freshly, properly restored, in exquisite condition, with absolutely nothing wrong. Especially if upon further investigation it's held together with black Dow silicone seal.

[AJChalmers@aol.com]

>Don't ever believe someone when they say a car is freshly, properly restored, in exquisite condition, with absolutely nothing wrong < And never accept that an engine is in fine shape, especially if it's been sitting for years unused. The bearings will disintegrate from acids unless you know the oil was fresh when it was laid up.

[David Lodge]

Tom, Check your oil pressure gauge connections, It happened to me once! Regards David Lodge twilson@motionwear.net wrote:

> I spun a rod bearing. Who knows what else went wrong or why, but now I'm in > for an engine rebuild. > Why would a rod bearing spin? I lost oil pressure (don't know why yet) and > the journal is scored and burnt. > Any suggestions on key things to look out for or improvements to make as I > do the rebuild will be appreciated. I haven't worked on an engine interior > in years (I used to know TR3 engines really well in college - I first met > them in Rod City), so it's another new game. I don't expect anything out of > the ordinary. > The engine isn't original in the car, although it's still an XPAG instead of > a Volvo. > > Thanks. > Tom Wilson > TC0272 > > PS. Don't ever believe someone when they say a car is freshly, properly > restored, in exquisite condition, with absolutely nothing wrong. Especially > if upon further investigation it's held together with black Dow silicone > seal. > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[BobAlley747@aol.com]

I'm in the process of rebuilding my TC engine and wonder why they put a brass plug in one end of the oil gallery and a steel in the other. I had to drill the brass plug out and wanted to know if it could be replaced with a steel plug. Thanks Bob TC 6198

[Clive Sherriff]

The brass plug is at the rear. Brass is softer than steel and when screwed in will distort about the thread and form a tighter oil seal than would the steel one. If the front steel one leaks the oil drains back into the engine, if the rear leaks it gives a puddle on the floor from the bell housing and you thing the crankshaft rear seal has gone (same appies for the cam bearing core plug). Another reason both are not brass could be that non ferrous metals were in short supply after the war, but I doubt this as I think all the 1939 TB engines had the same arrangement. Regards Clive =================================================

----- Original Message ----- From: BobAlley747@aol.com> To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 10:40 PM Subject: [mg-tabc] Engine rebuild > I'm in the process of rebuilding my TC engine and wonder why they put a brass > plug in one end of the oil gallery and a steel in the other. I had to drill > the brass plug out and wanted to know if it could be replaced with a steel > plug. Thanks Bob TC 6198 > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > >

[BobAlley747@aol.com]

Well I guess I should have read the directions first. When I took my engine apart I didn't mark the orientation of the pistons thinkng that they would be clearly marked. Now when I started putting it together I can't find the front. The markings only indicate the size. Is there always a front and back to these pistons? Thanks for any help. Bob TC 6198

[ian thomson]

Morning All. For the third time in 40 years I am rebuilding the TCs engine as more of a precaution than anything else as there should be little wrong with it, and also because It gives me a chance to do jobs which have been outstanding for some time. So I have a couple of questions for your collective wisdom. Firstly; whay is the consensus on fitting valve guide seals? The engine has smoked a bit for a few years but the guides/valves clearances look OK to me. I haven't got the pistons out yet to look at the rings but I am putting +80 thou pistons in anyway so it will require a rebore. I found though that last time I had made the old mistake of putting the "O" rings on the stems instead of under the collets. Would this be enough to cause the smoking? I have got a set of modern top hat seals from Peter Edney but a friend of mine with lots of experience of these things (he will be boring the engine for me) reckons that guides need the lubrication. I am using modern bronze guides and stainless/chrome valves so I assume that they will be OK with modern seals. Or should I just put the seals on the inlets? Secondly; Having checked the flatness of the block it seems to be down a bit in the middle, if you understand what I mean. I will measure how much when I have stripped and cleaned it. The head gasket was fine though, as were the compressions, so I was wondering how much out of true was allowable and, If I have to get it skimmed, how much clearance would I need between the piston crowns and the top of the block. Can the pistons be shortened, and, I know this is a difficult question to answer without seeing the setup and measuring the pistons, if so, what piston top thickness is acceptable. All pearls of wisdom would be appreciated. Thanks. Ian Thomson --------------------------------- To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]