Many restoration works (crankshaft, bearings, piston rods, and other replaceable components), quite within the power of most motorists. Patience, the right tools, and common sense along with a basic understanding of the engine can give owner satisfaction and tangible economic results.
Tools
The tools required to overhaul an engine or replace parts will depend on the depth of your involvement. With a few exceptions, they can be found in the Mechanic's Toolbox (see chapter 1). Deeper work will require anything (or all) following:
- Round indicator (reading in thousandths of a centimeter) mounted on a universal base. The base may or may not come with a new appliance;
- Micrometers and telescopic sensors;
- Pincers, stopper, etc.;
- Gasket scraper; the best is wooden or plastic;
- Valve spring puller (compressor);
- Ring groove cleaner;
- Ring expander and compressor;
- Reamer for cutting outgrowths;
- Honing head;
- Tool for measuring clearances in plain bearings (plastidage);
- Engine stand. This single tool may be the most expensive piece of equipment in your garage, but it's worth it. The motor can be bolted to the frame and then rotated to any position to operate on the top or bottom end.
- winch or crane. The use of most of these tools is illustrated in this Chapter.
Verification Methods
Procedures and specifications are given in this chapter for checking, cleaning, and determining wear limits for most major components. Other procedures such as MagnaFlux and Zyglo can be used to identify defects and cracks caused by overvoltage. Magnaflux is a magnetic process only applied to iron (iron and steel) materials. The Zyglo process is the coating of a material with a fluorescent, coloring, penetrating liquid and can be used on any material. Inspection for suspicious surface cracks can be easily done using local control by staining. The dye is sprayed onto the suspected area, wiped off and the area is treated with a developer. Cracks must be clearly visible.
Overhaul Tips
Aluminum has become extremely popular for use in engines due to its low weight. Observe the following precautions when processing aluminum parts:
- Never hot-dip aluminum parts (caustic hot solution will corrode aluminum);
- Remove all aluminum parts (marking with labels, etc.) from engine parts to filling the tank;
- Always coat threads with a light coat of engine oil or anti-seize before installation to prevent seizing.
- Never pinch bolts or spark plugs, especially those with aluminum threads.
Worn out threads in any component can be repaired using some repair kits.
During assembly, the friction surfaces of engine parts must be lubricated to ensure lubrication during initial start-up (engine oil is not recommended for this purpose).