2. Remove the cover from the end of the connecting rod of the 1st cylinder (check the marks made during removal). Remove the original bearing shells and wipe the connecting rod bearing surfaces and cap with a clean, lint-free cloth. They must be kept immaculately clean.
Installing the piston and checking the oil clearance of the connecting rod bearings
Note. Do not touch the surfaces of the new bearing shells with your fingers. The oil and acid from your skin will contaminate the bearing surfaces.
3. Clean the back of the new upper bearing shell, then place it in place in the connecting rod. Make sure the tab on the bushing fits into the notch on the connecting rod. Do not hammer the bearing shell into place with a hammer, be very careful not to scratch the bearing surface. Do not lubricate the bearing at this stage.
4. Clean the back of the other bearing and insert it into the connecting rod cap. Again, make sure that the tab on the liner fits into the recess on the cover, do not apply any lubricant. When assembling, it is important to observe perfect cleanliness and the absence of oils on the mating surfaces of the bearing and connecting rod.
5. Position the piston ring locks around the piston in a criss-cross pattern (see illustration).
26.5. Location of ring locks: A - oil scraper ring, B - middle compression ring, C - recesses in the piston, D - expander, E - upper compression ring
6. Put on a piece of a plastic or rubber hose on each bolt of a cover of a rod.
7. Lubricate the piston and rings with clean engine oil and install a mandrel on the piston to compress the piston rings. Leave the skirt protruding approximately 1/4 inch to guide the piston in the cylinder. The rings must be compressed until they are flush with the piston.
8. Turn the crankshaft until the neck of the connecting rod of the 1st cylinder is at BDC, and apply a coat of clean engine oil to the cylinder walls.
9. By placing a mark or notch on the top of the piston (see illustration) so that it points towards the front of the engine, carefully insert the piston into the 1st cylinder and place the lower edge of the mandrel on the engine block.
26.9. When installing the pistons, the notch or arrow on each piston must be directed towards the front end of the engine (to the timing chain)
10. Tap the top edge of the mandrel to ensure it is in contact with the block around the entire circumference.
11. While guiding the connecting rod head to the crankshaft journal, gently tap the top of the piston with the end of a wooden or plastic hammer handle (see illustration). The piston rings may try to jump up off the mandrel just before entering the cylinder, so press the mandrel down lightly. Proceed slowly and if resistance is felt as the piston enters the cylinder, stop immediately. Find out the cause of the jam before proceeding. Under no circumstances force the piston into the cylinder - the ring and/or piston may be broken.
26.11. Carefully insert the piston into the cylinder with the end of a wooden or plastic hammer handle
12. Once the piston and connecting rod are installed, you can check the bearing clearance of the lower end of the connecting rod before installing the cap in place and tightening the connecting rod bolts.
13. Cut a piece of Plastigage wire to the required size (slightly shorter than the connecting rod bearing width) and place it on the neck of the connecting rod of the 1st cylinder, parallel to the axis of the neck (see illustration).
26.13. Position a piece of Plastigage wire on each journal under the connecting rod bearing parallel to the crankshaft axis
14. Clear a surface of a cover of the bearing of the lower head of a rod, remove protective pieces of a hose from cover bolts and establish a cover of the lower head of a rod. Make sure the mark on the cap is on the same side as the mark on the connecting rod.
15. Install the nuts and tighten them to the torque specified in the specifications in this chapter. Carry out the tightening procedure in three stages.
Note. Use a thin walled socket to avoid incorrect torque values due to socket jamming between the connecting rod cap and nut. If there is a tendency for the head to jam between the cap and nut, make sure that the head does not come into contact with the cap (lift it up a little). When carrying out this operation, make sure that the crankshaft does not rotate.
16. Loosen the nuts and separate the connecting rod cap - be careful not to touch the Plastigage wire.
17. Compare the width of the flattened Plastigage wire with the scale printed on the wire package and determine the gap (see illustration). Compare it with the specifications in this chapter to verify that it is the correct value.
26.17. Width measurement using Plastigage wire to determine the oil clearance of the connecting rod bearings (make sure to use the correct scale - both inch and metric are available)
18. If the clearance does not meet the requirements of the technical data, this may mean that the size of the bearing shells is incorrectly selected (which means that other inserts will be required). Before deciding which size bearing shells are required, make sure that no dirt or oil has been ingested when measuring the clearance between the bearing shells and the connecting rod or head cover. Also, recheck the neck diameter. If the Plastigage wire is wider at one end than at the other, then the neck has a taper (see section 19).
Connecting rod installation
19. Remove any remaining Plastigage wire from the connecting rod journal and/or bearing surface. Be careful not to scratch the bearing.
20. Keep the bearing surfaces perfectly clean, then coat each with a uniform coat of clean molybdenum based grease or a coat of special engine assembly oil. Push the piston into the open bearing cylinder on the connecting rod (do not forget to first put protective hoses on the bolts of the cover of the lower head of the connecting rod).
21. Insert the connecting rod into its place on the neck, then remove the protective hoses from the connecting rod lower head bolts, install the connecting rod cap and tighten the nuts to the torque specified in the specifications of this chapter. Tighten in three steps.
22. Repeat the entire procedure with the rest of the pistons and connecting rods.
23. It is very important to remember the following:
- A) When assembling, keep the backs of the bearing shells and the insides of the connecting rods perfectly clean.
- b) Be sure to select the correct piston and connecting rod for each cylinder.
- V) The arrow or mark on the piston must face the front of the engine (where the timing chain is).
- G) Lubricate the cylinder walls with clean engine oil.
- d) Lubricate the bearing surfaces when installing the connecting rod caps after checking the clearance.
24. Once the pistons and connecting rods are properly installed, turn the crankshaft several times by hand to make sure there is no noticeable jamming.
25. In conclusion, it is necessary to check the axial clearance of the connecting rods (see section 13).
26. To verify that the axial clearance is correct, compare the data obtained with the specifications in this chapter. If the value was correct before the original crankshaft and connecting rods were reinstalled, it should remain correct. If a new crankshaft or new connecting rods were installed, the end clearance may be different. If this happens, the connecting rods will have to be removed and sent to an auto repair shop for resizing.