engine question

joet4143 · 03-12-2004, 05:30 AM

I bought a used 2.2 e motor and am looking for some input as to ways i can check out to see if all is well prior to installing it in car only to find out its does not work as promised ? any suggestions besides the obvious (tearing into it )?

68'911 · 03-12-2004, 06:08 AM

check pionts, plug gaps, linkages, other than the obvious things like that i can't think of a thing short of putting it in and starting it up, but mabye sombody else can help you out more than i can.

Hladun · 03-12-2004, 06:23 AM

I've never done it, but you should be able to do a leakdown test with the engine out of the car. If the engine hasn't run for a long time I'd look more for consistency rather than low values.

Grady Clay · 03-12-2004, 09:22 AM

joet,

Does the engine turn over correctly with the plugs out? Stuck engine, big problem. At this point, oil the cylinders.
The next step is to remove the covers. Take the intake valve covers off first and look. Rust on the cam and rockers – big problem.
Next, remove the sump plate and screen. Carefully inspect the screen where it meets the aluminum flange. The small area between the case and screen tends to trap the most debris. Little black pieces of sealant probably OK, metal particles bad, metallic gold flakes worse.
Remove the exhaust valve covers and chain covers and inspect. Lift on the idler arm and see if the tensioner will hold at all (you will want new late tensioners.) Inspect sprockets, ramps and chains.
If OK, now measure cylinder leakage. Try these two threads.
Leak Down Numbers
leakdown results!!??
Read WD p.15.
There are lots of opinions about how much cylinder leakage is too much. I would continue testing with say 20% total cylinder leakage.

At this point if most looks OK, remove the right side cover of the MFI pump and inspect for clean oil. Rust is bad. If OK, squirt fresh oil everywhere in the pump, cams, rockers, chains, sprockets, etc. and put the covers back on, pump, chain, valve, and sump. This where you might want to update the tensioners, check valve clearance and cam timing, and check MFI pump timing and condition of pump Gilmer belt and pulleys. Put a few drops of Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) and fresh fuel in the fuel lines to the MFI pump.

Put the engine in the car with clean oil and no sparkplugs. Unplug the CD box (fire prevention.) With fresh fuel and a little MMO in the fuel tank crank the engine until you have oil pressure (the oil light goes out.) Critical issue: Inspect for leaks, particularly fuel leaks. Repeat several times. Don’t crank more than 15 seconds or so without letting it rest 10 minutes or so, you don’t want to kill the starter motor.

You could do a cranking compression test at this point but it won’t mean much due to all the oil in the cylinders.

Now comes the biggie.

Install new (hot) sparkplugs, reconnect CDI, make sure the ignition works correctly and is in (static) time, oil is in the sump tank, and no fuel leaks. The engine should start and run within a few turns of the starter. If not within 10 seconds or so, stop and find out why. Any unusual noises, stop. Keep an eye on the oil pressure. It probably won’t idle correctly so run it at about 2000 RPM, find a sweet spot where it runs smoothly. The break-in period is even more important than for a newly rebuilt engine.

This is probably THE most critical moments in an engine’s life. The care you take here can make the difference between an engine that will run properly for many miles and one that needs immediate rebuild.

Best,
Grady

joet4143 · 03-12-2004, 02:29 PM

could it be checked out of car?

Grady Clay · 03-12-2004, 03:48 PM

joet,

Yes, most of that is best checked out of the car. The issue is that you can see and measure all the stuff better.

Best,
Grady

joet4143 · 03-22-2004, 05:23 AM

ok everything looks good waiting for clutch and pp to show up when you say break in any other suggestions as far as that goes?

osidak · 03-22-2004, 06:22 AM

ok what the heck is up with the picture of the motorcycle and joker at the bottom of every post.

Grady Clay · 03-22-2004, 07:25 AM

joet,

Find some race gasoline, 100+ octane. The oil will reduce the octane rating and you need both sufficient octane to prevent detonation AND the oil for lubricating the rings-to-cylinders.

The big issues are the drag on the rings and friction in the cam-rockers-chains. I would fire it up, keep it at some sweet spot below 2500 RPM, and turn it off within a few (2-3) minutes. Let cool for ten minutes or so and repeat several times. You can disconnect the cold start solenoid on top of the fuel filter console and use a hair dryer or heat gun to encourage the thermostat to turn off sooner. You don’t want excess fuel to wash the cylinder walls.
Go drive it as soon as possible. Very low RPM (<3000) and low torque at first. Watch the oil temperature, there is a lot of unusual friction in the engine at this point. If in doubt, stop and let cool for 30 minutes or so. Repeat for many short trips, slowly increasing the revs and load.
At this point, I would pull the plugs and look, pull the sump plate and inspect, etc. Always be looking for fuel leaks. There will no doubt be oil leaks showing up.

The art of this is to VERY slowly get up to full power and max RPM. How long? I would think 1000 miles or more. Lots of sustained 3-4000 RPM highway driving is appropriate.

I’m sure others have more suggestions or will properly take exception to some of this. There is not a perfect answer and there is some significant risk.

Best,
Grady
gradyclay@hotmail.com