Mopar Muscle Association UK

Left head off, all looks nice, no broken bits.
Looks like its sump off time. Bananarama!

Just bite the bullet and pullit, chap; do it in comfort and give it a thorough check through.........I'll give you a hand if you want

Sump now off, lots of oil drips in sleeves.
Ive pulled no 8 big end and its down to the copper at one edge, not all the way across.

Not sure how much wear would cause a knock.
I wil pull them all out once I have a numbering system so they all go back correctly.

Hi Matt Realsteel are doing new mains for £55 and ends for £35 if it was me while its striped down I would fit new.
Changing the subject got mag and membership card yesterday. Great mag and good to see it back in hard copy.

any idea how the problem emerged Matt i.e why it went wrong?

I will probably replace the big ends in situ, if i can find a fault with them.

Just found a great guide on the Clevite site which describes wear patterns.
http://www.wilmink.nl/Clevite/Clevite_l ... h_info.pdf

Just need to pull mine all out now and see what I have got.
I am wondering if the engine standing for 15 years without turning after rebuild may have caused some slight internal corrosion which has got to the bearings.

Coffee finished, back to the garage.

Here is the worst bearing I have found, its on no 8 rod. Down to the copper and quite rough around the tag.
Not sure if this enough for a knock though?

Something not right thee Matt. The only time ive seen that was one i had where the piston wasn't free to move on the pin. So the rod was being forced over by the adjacent rod

Be worth checking the rod is straight also.

But somethings not square.

I think Roger is on the money, there is clearly uneven load going on.

I know you had the crank ground so that should not be tapered....
Oval Rod? Tight Wrist pin or bent rod??

..and now swarf in the motor............

Have you checked any of the mains?

Not checked the mains, I'm reluctant to pull too much more off.

The big ends are standard, so I dont think I did have the crank ground, it was 15 years ago I put the engine together. I know I had it bored for the pistons.

I am thinking it could be due to standing for so long after the build before running.

I have some standard big end bearings on order, so am thinking to clean and assemble the big ends properly and hope that sorts it. The crank looks good from what I can see.

I hear what Roger is saying about something not quite straight, but I am loathe to go for a full engine out, tear down and regrind etc. I want to drive this car, not lay under it any longer!

MattH wrote:Not checked the mains, I'm reluctant to pull too much more off.

The big ends are standard, so I dont think I did have the crank ground, it was 15 years ago I put the engine together. I know I had it bored for the pistons.

I am thinking it could be due to standing for so long after the build before running.

I have some standard big end bearings on order, so am thinking to clean and assemble the big ends properly and hope that sorts it. The crank looks good from what I can see.

I hear what Roger is saying about something not quite straight, but I am loathe to go for a full engine out, tear down and regrind etc. I want to drive this car, not lay under it any longer!

hey matt, stick new big end bearings in it have a little play with the oil pump check the mains replace if need be, and bottle it all back up fresh oli and filter with some zinc additive and run the thing it will be fine, its cheap enough to do a band aid job with it for now and enjoy the summer pull the pan over winter and see how it is going on,,, if i remember right you did lemans and a fair few runs last yr and it kept going as is,,,,, the others wont like what i say but bugger it the thing is not a 600 hp drag engine,,,

Cannonball wrote:

hey matt, stick new big end bearings in it have a little play with the oil pump check the mains replace if need be, and bottle it all back up fresh oli and filter with some zinc additive and run the thing it will be fine, its cheap enough to do a band aid job with it for now and enjoy the summer pull the pan over winter and see how it is going on,,, if i remember right you did lemans and a fair few runs last yr and it kept going as is,,,,, the others wont like what i say but bugger it the thing is not a 600 hp drag engine,,,

Dunc, I think you have read my mind! This is about as far as I wanted to go, just get rid of the knocking noise and run it for the summer and see how it goes.
I put over 2000 miles on it last summer, and the noise only started after not using it for 3 months over winter.
It is a stock 318, not a powerful motor, so I will check all the bearings and provided I dont find any other horrors, do what you suggest with clean up and fresh oil and additive.
I've done similar with Triumph engines many times in the past which wear the big ends quite fast, so hopefully this will keep me going for a bit whilst I consider a crate stroker for a few years time.

I'll pull the rest of the bearings today and see if anything else shows up.

While you're under there check the piston undersides for cracks. Unlikely but you don't want to put it all back and still have a problem.....

latil wrote:While you're under there check the piston undersides for cracks. Unlikely but you don't want to put it all back and still have a problem.....

Good point Steve. Initial look they seemed good, all nice and clean, but will get a strong light in there and check everything with the engine in place.

I just don't want to pull the engine out at the moment, too much else that needs doing with a Land Rover and Mini needing attention as well.

Understand your position (on your back!! ) - can you get the oil pump off and give it a clean / inspection whilst you are at it....