removing the head and cam towers

[Splashout]

Cambelt tensioner! Get it serviced

[bigsi]

today i carried on with some polishing.

i was able to really get to work on the fuel pressure regulator and the diffuser valve that it bolts to.

the bolts holding them together are temp bolts to show the pieces together.

as you can see they have now come up a treat, the pictures do not do the finish any justice, they are like chrome.

still more to do!!

Edited November 11, 2006 by bigsi

[USAndretti42]

You could get a job with Penske Racing with polishing skills like that!

[WayneB]

while the head is being done and the tappets re-done im going to have the cam seals replaced also, a sensible thing to do while its there.

any other suggestions of things to do while the head is off?

is it worth me taking the starter motor off and servicing it? clean all the contacts and connectors to it and re grease.

i need things to do, take off the car, bring inside, strip, clean sevice ,refit.

ideas on a post card please.

si

Simon, its worth going through the starter motor and the alternator whilst you have the time. I would also re-build the water pump aswell and change all the belts.

One of the forum members asked me why my car never seems to malfunction, I guess its because I went right through the thing and repaired and restored all the components before I started to drive it.

Buying a old car and just assuming all is well is a bit of a gamble (that usually backfires)

Keep up with the detailing and polishing, it will look great ! B)

[bigsi]

Simon, its worth going through the starter motor and the alternator whilst you have the time. I would also re-build the water pump aswell and change all the belts.

One of the forum members asked me why my car never seems to malfunction, I guess its because I went right through the thing and repaired and restored all the components before I started to drive it.

Buying a old car and just assuming all is well is a bit of a gamble (that usually backfires)

Keep up with the detailing and polishing, it will look great ! B)

well im way ahead of you today wayne!!

i took the started off and began work on it as you can see here.

i plan on taking the whole thing apart tomorrow and finishing it all off.

as for the alternator i have got that on the bench also, are you also saying to take that apart and service it as well?

also i would like to take the distributor section off, on this picture can you point out where i can remove it from the engine and replace after cleaning ,servicing.

as for the water pump i cant get to that unfortunately neither can i get to the tensioner to remove it.

so theres two parts i cant sort out unfortunately, im pushing things as it is and woman got very mad with me working on the car today when im supposed to be resting.

[bigsi]

double post please delete

Edited November 12, 2006 by bigsi

[iainskea]

Hi Simon, nice polish job!

I had a small oil leak inside the disy, that needed a nylon bush to be fitted - I think there is an o-ring at the end too. The whole assembly comes off and you get a dribble of oil from behind it.

Here is a table of sealants for sticking your engine and bits back together, if it helps:

http://www.elanfactory.com.au/pdf/technica...%20sealants.pdf

Iain

Also - is that a 'red' hose' on your clutch?

...if it is, it is known as the 'red hose syndrome', probaly covered in this forum somewhere - mostly from folks living in hot countries. The hose expands on hot days and the clutch fails to open, locking the car in-gear on a hot day (very frustrating and embarresing!). The standard repair is with a braided line and you can get the kit most anywhere.

See: http://www.elanfactory.com.au/pdf/product_...utch%20hose.pdf

Iain

[AJay]

Si

You realy must remove the tensioner and overhaul it. You can get to it, i remove mine every two years when i do the belt.

The casing that holds the bearing fractures and then the whole assembly falls of with one wrecked engine as a result.

The detailing looks great, but it will all be a waste of time if the tensioner fails an wrecks the motor.

Keep up the good work

AJ

[WayneB]

Simon, to remove the distributor, remove the two bolts from its mounting plate attaching it to the oil pump housing, and pull the distributor out. The drive is offset keyed to the pump, so there is only one way you can put it back in. the one bolt is plainly visible (on top) the other is underneath (might want to remove the oil filter to get to it.

I noticed your oil pressure gauge line has been messed with, and what looks like the correct one is lying next to that brand X oil filter (replace with a genuine Lotus or Crosland one). I would remove those camps and rigged rubber hose and replace it with the proper line and fittings as you dont want that blowing off at 7000rpm

[bigsi]

the one that you can see the head of is from the little "L" shaped copper piece that is on the side of the diffuser box by the firewall. that one goes there as you can see in the picture. that "repaired section" is just that looking at the service history, and its something i will have to address

the oil filter is a "coopers" oil filter, the company used to be down the road from me who made that, so i know its a good filter, just will be replaced with a lotus spec one.

as for the dizzy do you mean these two bolts as arrowed

Edited November 12, 2006 by bigsi

[WayneB]

Yes Simon, its the two arrowed bolts (or nuts as I think the oil pump housing has studs).

The other line must be for your boost gauge, its different to the one on my car, and attaches to the plenum chamber in a different place.

Edited November 13, 2006 by WayneB

[bigsi]

i have been thinking about the work i have undertaken on the car this evening.

i never in my wildest dreams would have even attempted anything like this on my last car, let alone any car.

The fact im doing this on a supercar makes me all the more proud and weary at the same time!!

i realised tonight that i had intended to bag nuts and bolts as they came off the car and label them up... guess what . i didnt, so i will be going through everything at some point trying to remember where it goes!

i will try and take the tensioner out this week as in the service notes it looks like its attatched by two bolts to the block (correct me if im wrong) and i will overhaul it and re-fit.

as for the water pump i will have to see, the problem for me is i am at the limit of what is comfortable for me work wise and body wise. my confidence has grown but not to the point of stupidity!!

i will see how it goes over the next week or so.

si

[kyliesmith.com]

Si, the polishing work is awesome! Love it, keep the pics coming

[DBredS4]

Hi Bigsi, nice to see you're tackling a tough job, wish I had the time and tools to do mine.

I notice you have a red hose on the clutch, are you going to get a stainless one? Might be worth it, it was one of the first little jobs I did and may improve the feel of the clutch.

Cheers

Dom

[bigsi]

ok phone call today.

the head is ready, the exhaust manifolds mating flanges have been machined also, the wastegate cups are done, so now its putting it all back together at some point.

i need to get the cam seals changed, thats common sense and get the gasket kit and more importantly the two special gaskets for the wastegate cups where they join. and the gasket to join the wastegate to the aux manifold.

Edited November 13, 2006 by bigsi

[bigsi]

todays progress:

removed the old boot lid rams and replaced them lid stays up longer now!!

removed the alternator and the distributor and have them on the bench for cleaning and polishing.

i will hopefully start replacing things next week, but im still not allowed to do too much..

progress so far:

cam towers removed and seals replaced, new tappet shims fitted

head removed, valve guides upgraded and valves machined and seals done, head skimmed slightly

head cleaned also cam towers.

carburettors cleaned and ready to refit, spacers cleaned and polished new seal rings fitted and ready to fit

manifold cleaned, yet to be powder coated.

plenum, diffuser box back and front plates yet to be powder coated.

new fuel lines, aeroquip connectors and clamps to be fitted

new engine bay coolant pipes to fit

starter motor removed and serviced, polished and ready to refit.

alternator removed for cleaning

distributor removed for cleaning

boot panels to be colour coded

new boot tray to be finished and covered

so not a great deal to do , i just have to fit everything back together, then get it timed up, new oil etc and fire it up!!

[Jussi]

Excellent progress

Keep up photos coming about your progress, it's been nice reading. Hoping to get my car done also in some day.

[bigsi]

today the gaskets kits arrived and also a load of other parts finally.

the cam towers are having new seals fitted front and rear so will be ready to pick up tomorrow.

i will hopefully be refitting the head this weekend if the weather is good all day.

i can thenget the belts on and finish cleaning the engine casing. i am going to give the engine bay a blast with the power washer, this will be ok now as i have removed the starter, distributor and alternator, the various holes and leads are now bagged over and taped up so a few good blasts in carefully placed spots will allow me to finish cleaning everything before final fitments.

lots to do yet before its finished but im on the final leg of this work.

i have quite a few pictures to add and i am going through them at the moment, they will be added shortly.

after this i will be working on the interior and adding some custom made parts so expect more how to's and pictures with that thread.

[bigsi]

ok well im hoping to get this head on as soon as the weather breaks for me!

quick questions before i do.

do i need to clean the crowns of the piston heads prior to refit? as shown in picture below, and if so what do i use to clean and then wipe? i will be dropping the oil and refilling with new, so what grade oil do i need also and how much for my car?

when i refit the belts, how do i get the tension on the cambelt right without a burroughs tension meter?

im really worried about that step reguarding getting the tension right.

sorry for the delay on adding to the thread but im making sure all is right before i do anything else!!

info gratefully recieved guys.

bigsi

Edited December 7, 2006 by bigsi

[fjmuurling]

As for the belttension, if you have a laptop with a decent mike it is real easy with Tune!it. Do search on the forum and you will find more info. The procedure is on one of the LEW technical pages.

Freek

[WayneB]

Simon, if your car has a manual tensioner you will have to tension the belt with the aid of a Burroughs gauge.

If like my car , it has the Semi-Automatic tensioner, you can get away with setting it as per the Federal air Pump equipped cars, that is to screw in the adjuster screw until there are one or two threads showing above the locknut, and tighten the locknut down.

After I did mine this way, I checked it with a Burroughs gauge and the reading was 92 units cold which is in the acceptable range.

I would still buy or borrow a gauge though as the consiquences of getting it wrong are not nice.

Re. the piston crowns, mask up the waterways (to prevent any carbon from getting in) You can clean the carbon off the pistons with a small scraper, some carb cleaner and some wire wool. (You might also get away with a brass cup brush in a drill as long as you dont scratch the bore surfaces) Blow out the dirt with an air gun. Dont roll over the engine with the head off as the liners will become dissloged, breaking the lower seals and you will have to pull the pistons out to re- seal them.

Oil wise, they take 5 litres if you just change the oil/filter and 6.5 litres to fill the whole system (oil cooler/pipes etc.) from scratch.

Reccomended oil grade is 20w-50 mineral, (Valvoline is good) , I have been using Mobil 1 synthetic in mine 15w-50.

Dont be tempted to run thinner oils (less than a 50 weight) as these engines run with largish clearances , and you will notice leaks, low oil pressure and high consumption at the least, and at the worst a knocking bottom end / and or a rod poking through the side of the block

Edited December 8, 2006 by WayneB

[bigsi]

many thanks for the reply wayne.

is cleaning the piston crowns a neccesary thing?

also i do not know what kind of tensioner i have on the car, all i know is that i undid the locking nut and unscrewed it back until i loosened off the cambelt.

if there is anyone here in the uk who has a burroughs meter they can loan for a few days it would be appreciated, i cannot justify buying one for a once in a blue moon useage.

[WayneB]

Cleaning the piston crowns is not realy neccesary, but is is a good idea to clean them so you can give them an inspection for any possible pre-ignition damage.

Here is an illustration of the Semi-Automatic tensioner.

If you have this type, you will have to put it in a vice, to get the spring and plunger back in to install a pin to hold them in place (an 1/8 drill bit will work)

[bigsi]

update.

i have managed to get a few things done today.

i removed what was left of the left hand radius heat-shields that cover the left hand engine mount and body mount, mine had crumbled away to nothing, they will upgraded to stainless steel versions from pnm engineering, in the meantime i removed the old corroded nuts and bolts and cleaned the surfaces up.

i then removed the turbo to sump oil drain pipe as it was absolutely stinking and has a coating of oil all over it, got that cleaned up and ready for re-coating.

the exhuast manifold has had its head plates machined down as they were so badly corroded there was nothing there for a gasket to make a seal with when bolted to the head.

the head is now ready for me to finish cleaning it up, the surface has been machined and its all ready to go on, i forgot how heavy it was.

i guess it will have to wait until the new year before it goes back on, in the meantime i have had to spray some wd40 in the liners as there was a small amount of oxidisation in them, a quick wipe and more wd40 and all is well, however its something i have to now keep on top of!.

i plan on removing the tensioner assembly tomorrow to inspect it and see if it needs servicing, if it needs a full service i will just do an exchange with pnm engineering for one already done on an exchange basis.

Edited December 21, 2006 by bigsi

[Kimbers]

You sir are a nutter!

How do you know how heavy it is Si? when you are meant to be taking it easy!

If you don't stop it I'll spank you! .................... Just remembered where I'd heard that before