998 Auto Rebuild

Started by MiniDave, May 05, 2020, 10:21:48 AM

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MiniDave

#75
I had tried to assemble the pistons into the block and they did not fit - so I called the guy that did the work and he came over Sat to see what was up. He then took the block and pistons back to his shop and said he'd have it back to me by Monday afternoon.

I guess it got his curiosity up cause he worked on it this morning and brought it back today with an interesting story to tell about what had happened. I had the deck surfaced after he bored it and he said that distorted the top of the cylinders slightly - they were out of round. He was able to clean them up with the rigid hone and it only took about a half thou out to clean it up.

Now of course, I have to completely clean the block up again before I can assemble it....first scrub out the bores with a stiff bristle brush and solvent, then clean them with 409 on another clean brush, then with some penetrating oil, then with regular oil, each time wiping out with a clean white non-shedding cloth. If the white cloth comes out with no black on it - it's good to go.

So, moral of the story, surface the deck BEFORE you bore the cylinders.

The machine shop guy I used to use (who retired right before I took this engine in) would have known this of course, the new guy doesn't.......the good news is the block is fine.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

BruceK

That's interesting.  So did the surfacing of the block create some sort of lip at the top of the bore? 
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

MiniDave

If you've ever seen one of the surfacing machines, it has a large spinning head like a big dinner plate to which the cutter is attached - just the one - the head is large and very heavy so the cutter will cut and not set up a vibration as the wheel turns over it and cuts the deck.

My guess is that as it passes across the deck surface it slightly distorts the bores - makes them slightly out of round....especially at the top. At least that's how he explained it to me......

All I know is that when he brought it back the bores were nicely honed and the pistons seemed to fit perfectly.

Got the pistons and crank installed, now I'm working on setting the cam timing.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Got a little more done tonight....

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#79
Well, things were moving along swimmingly till I noticed this......I don't know how I didn't see it before but there it is. That black line is where the rear main seal rides, and it has worn thru the surface hardening of the gear. I've never seen one wear like this before - I've seen them wear a groove in but not this, where the surface is worn off like this.

Anyone have one of these you don't need - for a 998? They're different from a 1275.....

I can get them new from MiniSpares, it's just the time delay waiting for it that annoys me. About all I can do in the meantime is mount the engine to the trans and bolt the head on.....

Oh, A+ 998 only......

Edit - OK, A+ automatics are different than ALL the others, so I found a new one at Somerford and it's on the way.

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Today after I showed this gear to a friend of mine he said he knew a company that could fix it, they do a precision grind down to good metal then build it back up with a chrome process that gives a good hard seal surface again. Cost would be about the same as a new gear and take about two weeks......  ::)

Of course, I already have the new gear coming from Somerford, but it's good to know there are alternatives when needed.

So I got the cam timed in and the head back on, tomorrow I'll bolt it onto the gearbox  then I'm stopped till the gear comes and I can put the back cover on and the torque converter.

I'll need the engine hoist to get it down off so I can put the gearbox up on the bench, then lift the engine onto the transmission.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

tsumini

I would guess the spring in the seal broke thru and rubbed on the land. Doesn't look too deep so plate repair should work.
Your friend is right. In the world of aircraft repair grind and plate is a common repair. If I were to do it I would grind, nickel plate and finish grind especially if there is appreciable thickness. Chrome plate tends to peel off and is  good for thinner build up. Too bad you don't have TWA around anymore and friends there. Unfortunately these repairs to aircraft quality are expensive and make sense only to aircraft parts cost wise. Auto parts could be done to SAE but that would probably still be  uneconomical unless batch run.

MiniDave

The seal was original as far as I could tell and the spring was still in place, car has 57K kilometers on it and the seal looked and felt viable, I was very surprised to see how deep it had gone - in that you can feel it with a fingernail, or screwdriver.

Someford's online ordering process is so clunky - you place the order, the next day you get an email with the shipping quote, you reply that you want to go ahead with the order, then the next day they send you another email with a link in it, then you go pay for it, THEN they package and ship - it adds at least an extra 3 days to the process and they will only ship FedEx.....who is completely overwhelmed these days with packages.

Remember when FedEx used to advertise "When you absolutely positively have to get there overnight"?

Now it's more like when you absolutely need it to get there someday - maybe......
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

tsumini

I avoid somerford for that reason

MiniDave

Not my first choice either, but on some of this odd stuff they are the only game in town.....I'm just happy they had it.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#85
Primary gear is supposed to be here on Friday.

In the meantime I got tired of sitting on the couch so I went down to the shop and fiddled about for a bit......added the studs and pins to the bottom of the block and set it on top of the transmission, bolted it down, installed the kickdown lever and linkage and buttoned a few things up......
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MPlayle

How much do we need to admonish you about potentially overdoing it while still recovering from your recent "near death" experience?


BruceK

Quote from: MPlayle on July 08, 2020, 02:35:45 PM
How much do we need to admonish you about potentially overdoing it while still recovering from your recent "near death" experience?

Yeah!  Exactly my sentiment too!   Geez it's just a week since you were dead, dude. 
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

MiniDave

#88
"mostly dead" anyway!

That was less than an hour of work, so no worries.....  77.gif

And I'm done for today, tomorrow will be spent looking for the correct fasteners and laying them out, attaching a few more bits and bobs and so on.

Friday the primary gear is supposed to be here, so then I can add the rear cover, torque converter, oil pump and lines and so on, then it's about ready to go into the engine stand - that will be a red letter day!

I may have a buddy come over first and help me set it into the box again so I can make sure it will fit and look at how I'm going to brace it up.

Once it's in the engine stand I'll fire it up and run in the cam, once I get the timing set and all that, let it cool down overnight and retorque the head, reset the valves and fire it up one more time, then it's ready to go into the box and get shipped off. I'm going to have to check but I think my original estimate of time - given all that was going on - was back to him by the end of July - I'm right on pace to do that.

I may try and turn it over with my big ass 1/2" drill motor on the bench, otherwise it my have to crank an awful lot to fill the torque converter before it pressurizes the bearings.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Some more piddling around today, mostly mocking up and finding all the correct fasteners.....tomorrow the primary gear is supposed to arrive, then I can button up the back end and drop it in the engine stand for a fitting and wire up. I still have to clean and paint the alternator and starter before I can hang them on the engine too.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

Willie_B

Looks like you would make a big mess changing the oil filter. Kinda hard to get to it also.

MiniDave

#91
I just loosen the cannister and let it all run down into the pan, I don't think it's too hard to get to from below......all the automatics are sideways like this....

I'm planning to run it up with my electric drill to pressurize the oil system since the cannister is pretty big and you can't exactly prefill it - plus you have to fill the torque converter too.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#92
The new gear showed up today, so I got it cleaned up and installed on the crank and measured the clearance - it's spot on.

Then I covered the splines so they wouldn't damage the new seal and slid the rear cover on and bolted it all up....note where the dipstick is located.....there also is a nut at the bottom that I need to torque but I haven't figured out how to hold the shaft while I do that. Working on that idea.....I haven't even found a torque spec for it yet but it's either the same as that on the manual or just "gutenteit"!  ;D

Next up the torque converter goes on, but first I need to clean up and locktite the three bolts I took out so I could use the puller to get it off the crank taper.

Then I need to clean up and paint the starter and alternator, then install the dizzy and set the timing. With all that done it will be ready to fill the oil and see if I can crank up oil pressure. Before I do that I'm going to set it in the crate and evaluate where I need to put blocking to keep it from shifting in transit. I may build some simple braces out of EMT to keep it from toppling too.....

IF it fits in my engine stand, then next I'll see if it will run.......more as it happens!
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

BruceK

It's weird looking at these photos of the automatic and seeing familar things I recognize and then really weird things I've never seen before.
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

MiniDave

#94
I know, right?

Looks like my assumptions were correct, I did have to drill new holes in the mounts as it sits a little higher than a regular manual transmission engine does as the mounts are about 1/2 wider on an automatic subframe. No real matter as I just drilled 4 new holes and bolted it down. The engine steady will be a different matter tho, I will have to rework the engine end of the steady mount since I usually bolt onto the slave cylinder boss - and there is none......going to be an interesting challenge to figure this mount out.

I wound up taking the intake and exhaust header back off - I managed to get it in the engine stand with them on, but could not get them out again without scratching things, so I removed them.

Next up once I've got the engine stand mounts figured out, I'll pop it into the shipping box and see what I need to do there to secure it for the trip home. Then I can build all that stuff at once and have it ready to go.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#95
I took the weekend off to rest up a bit, today I sat the engine in the shipping crate to make sure it would fit - and it does - perfectly! In the first pic you can see the base I built to support the engine so it wouldn't flop over like it did when he sent it to me. Now I have to figure out how to strap it down so it won't move in shipment and damage anything.

I will have to leave the intake and exhaust off, but I wanted to make sure the radiator and valve cover wouldn't hit the top of the crate and they do clear, no problem.

EDIT: turns out the intake and exhaust will fit after all, so I will be able to ship them installed. I also turned it 45* so that it's square to the box and it fits that way even better than the way I have it in the pics. Now I'm working out how to strap it down to the base so it won't shift - I was planning to screw some blocks down to keep it from sliding, but I figure I'll also need some straps or brackets to keep it from toppling. It probably won't tip over, but I don't want to take the chance so I'll build some sort of strapping......
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

I got the engine mounted up in the test bed, all wired and plumbed except for the water temp, I seem to have misplaced the adaptor - I can get one from Vicky Brits so I'll do that this afternoon.

In the one pic you can see my modified engine steady bracket - this engine really wanted to lean over in the test stand so I had to adjust the turnbuckle quite a bit to get it straight.

I also still have the lift bracket Clancy gave me on the engine and I'm using my "paint" valve cover rather than the nice aluminum one I bought for him, because the tin one works with the lift bracket  and the aluminium one doesn't - makes it easier to get it in and out of the stand.

Next up, crank up oil pressure. I used my big half inch drill to try and crank up pressure on the bench but it would barely roll it over, and it got hot pretty quickly - I think the oil pressure came up but it had to fill the oil filter cannister and the torque converter - I put 5 qts in and now it's a quart low. I have to take the red bracket off to get the oil cap off so I can add oil - PITA. At any rate, I don't think it will take much cranking to get pressure on the gauge now, but before I could try it I had to charge up my battery.

Next up..............videos!

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

tsumini

I'm curious, how/where do you apply the drill to get oil pressure? I couldn't figure out where/how on mine  so I took the banjo nut off at the pipe to the filter and poured oil in as much as i could then cranked it. 5 second to OP.

MiniDave

On the crank bolt, before I bent over the locktab.....and of course the radiator and bracket have to be off too. I have a driver that takes 1/2" drive sockets....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

tsumini

Ok so no flywheel and starter.