3.9 Engine

Hi All,

Is it possible to remove the pistons and con-rods from a 3.9 Rangie (via the sump) without removing the crank (and engine from the car)?

TIA.

Simes.

Reply to
Simon Atkinson
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No, they have to come out the top. You can do it in situ by removing the sump pan and heads, but if you're going that far it's best to just remove the engine and do the job right. You'll probably find crankshaft bearing wear (big-ends) as you remove the rods and it's easier to replace the mains (which you might as well do if you're changing the big-ends) with the engine out. Badger.

Reply to
Badger

Cheers Badger - I think I was having a bit of a senior moment - of course they come out of the top! Doh!

I've got a couple of jobs to do, but not the facilities to lift the block out. I need to fit a cam (I can hear the tappets under the bonnet at about 3000 rpm) and she's burning a drop of oil - about 1/2 litre every 2000 miles. So I thought that if I'm doing the cam and lifters, I might as well bung a set of big ends and rings in.

Everything else seems OK - oil pressure is good - no flickering light at tickover, even after 200 motorway miles pulling a trailer at decent speeds, and she pulls well enough, it's just a bit tired really.

Also a bit (not a lot) of smoke out of the breather filter when I pull the pipe off.

Reply to
Simon Atkinson

On or around Mon, 12 Apr 2004 20:36:17 +0100, Simon Atkinson enlightened us thusly:

considerable steam etc. from the breathers on mine, but no obvious heavy coolant use. where's it come from? Engine runs on LPG, of course, so that might be the answer. It's apparently running well enough since having a new set of rings on better pistons installed (and new head gaskets, of course). Not actually done an official compression test, but when cranking the engine all the post sound pretty even, so I tend to discount a cracked head or suchlike - also no damage noticed to heads when the engine was apart recently. Previous running problems have been made much less noticeable by connecting the distributor vacuum advance to the manifold rather than the stub on the carb, which doesn't seem to suck worth a light. The vacuum advance unit has quite a strong spring in it, and the mount of suck in the carb stub outlet was so small as not to do anything, I reckon.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Almost certainly - mine is puffing a /bit/ of exhaust smoke, so on LPG steam is the equivalent.

That's what I was thinking of doing - certainly rings and bearings, pistons if absolutely required, but usually they are OK (he says hopefully).

The vac on mine isn't working at the moment - I suspect the diaphram in the distributor - I can suck on the pipe and it just does nothing except fill my lungs with petrolly fumes!

Reply to
Simon Atkinson

Remember to hone the bores or the new rings'll never bed in. I use a sykes-pickavant bore honing tool in a cordless drill with excellent results. FWIW, the oil consumption limit for this engine is something like 450-500 miles per pint!! Don't think you've a lot to worry about at 4000 per litre. Change it at 3000 anyway, and filter every second oil change. Good quality

20W50 such as castrol classic or 15W50 GTX. Not the new 15W40, it's too thin. Good economy to replace mains at same time, the upper shells can be teased round the crank, carefully. Be sure to get all honing dust out properly or the new bits won't last 2000 miles! Sorry if most of above obvious, not trying to tell anyone how to suck eggs, don't know what experience you have so covering all bases.

Stick an MGB V8 oil pressure relief valve spring in at the same time, ups the pressure to around 45-50psi, helps prevent starvation of the rear mains at higher rpm's. Good luck.

Austin, if you're reading this, I haven't forgotten!!!! Send me your address again please.

Badger.

Reply to
Badger

I have a similar thing - dating back to the early 80's - called a flexi-hone. It's prolly crap, but good enough to bust the glaze.

I know - but my last one didn't use any oil at all... Ever! Putting a drop in seems a terrible burden!

I do both at each 3000 - always have. Filters aren't that dear anyway and I like to get as much dirty oil out as possible (without draining the oil pump).

Usually use Morris's 20W50 although last time I did use 10W40 - perhaps that's why it's burning a bit more?

Aye!

Might just go for a cam kit first and see how that goes. Getting 20mpg on a run and it pulls well - just this slight tappet noise - can only be heard under the bonnet, once the bonnet is shut it's hidden, but it shouldn't be there.

Fair enough. We can all do with a reminder now and again. Many thanks for the input.

Higher RPMs? I never go above 3500 rpm any way... I likes lazy car engines!

Ta.

Reply to
Simon Atkinson

On or around Tue, 13 Apr 2004 09:35:53 +0100, Simon Atkinson enlightened us thusly:

probably - 10W40 is better than no oil, but the engine is designed for

20W50, so it's too thin.

I tried mine on carlube 15W50 and it didn't like it, back with Morris's Magnol 20W50 now, which seems pretty good at the price. Unipart still do a

20W50, in green bottles, but not many places stock it.
Reply to
Austin Shackles

It's not leaking out - and the oil light goes out nice and quick on start up... Surely that's good?

What do you mean by 'it didn't like it'?

Reply to
Simon Atkinson

On or around Tue, 13 Apr 2004 22:35:43 +0100, Simon Atkinson enlightened us thusly:

lower-than-epxected oil pressure when hot, and when running for example up long hills, it developed a nasty additional noise in the engine. Switched it back to Morris's and it stopped doing it.

Though the noise could have been related to the then-dying piston.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Fair enough. Mine seems happy enough at the moment - apart from the tappetty noise :-(

Perhaps I should go back to thicker oil and see if it makes a difference.

Possible.

Reply to
Simon Atkinson

On or around Wed, 14 Apr 2004 09:52:09 +0100, Simon Atkinson enlightened us thusly:

It was the sort of noise that a poorly lubricated bearing might have made. Didn't find anything (other than the failed piston) in the recent engine work to indicate where the problem lay.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

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