Starting engine project

[k9sar]

I use the t-belt to hold the crankshaft. I install the lower t-belt cover, then throw a screwdriver through a hole in the cam sprocket and brace it on the head. Then I can tighten the pulley on the crank cause the t-belt will hold it tight enough for you to get the 90 to 95 ft-lbs of torque ont he crankshaft pulley bolt.

 

as for the overhang on the sprockets... there is a crank pulley plate that fits over the lower sprocket and keeps it in place behind the crankshaft pulley. I think the upper belt cover also acts as a guide for the t-belt but I have always seen the belt riding completely on the cam sprockets.

Edited March 30, 2006 by k9sar

[Earth1]

Cool that's how I tightened the cam sprockets, w/ a wedged screwdriver. Just didn't think about it b/c I already had the top cover on. Out of sight out of mind I guess.

Edited March 30, 2006 by Earth1

[88pathoffroad]

Another way is to put the pulleys back on the crank temporarily and use a v-belt pulley wrench to hold it while tightening the crank bolt.

[Slick]

Another way is to put the pulleys back on the crank temporarily and use a v-belt pulley wrench to hold it while tightening the crank bolt.

that's how we did it

[Earth1]

Another way is to put the pulleys back on the crank temporarily and use a v-belt pulley wrench to hold it while tightening the crank bolt.

I didn't know about those. Ended up just using air on the crankshaft bolt, with a very special "camshaft stopping rig" and it worked great.

 

I took the day off to try to get everything ready for this weekend. I need to do a couple of parts runs, and start labeling my old engine stuff, and PBing some stuff.

 

The new engine is pretty much ready. I'm not sure if the lower pulley (with the marks) is in the right place and the distributor is off a little. I'll look that stuff up in the FSM and tweak as necessary. Once I get the belts on, headers on and new plugs it's ready to go. I have this reoccurring nightmare that when I try to start for the first time I'll get these awful sounds... and smoke and... POOF!

 

I have just recently changed the oil in my old motor. I was thinking of using the old filter for the first few hundred miles cycle. Would you use new high quality oil and fuel filters for the first run, or should I just use my old ones since I'll be chucking them soon anyway? I guess I'll change the oil after the first 200 miles or so and then again maybe 500 after that. I was thinking I'd just cycle the cooling system and do an immediate change, and then after 200 with my first oil change.

Edited March 31, 2006 by Earth1

[k9sar]

if the engine was sitting for any length of time, I'd use cheap oil and other fluids for a break-in. Then do a good flush and replace with a good high-mileage oil. I use Castrol in mine

[Slick]

if the engine was sitting for any length of time, I'd use cheap oil and other fluids for a break-in. Then do a good flush and replace with a good high-mileage oil. I use Castrol in mine

that's what i did. started off with wal*mart brand 20w-50 i had left over, ran her 500 miles then drained the rad, and oil, and dropped in valvoline max life, can of restore and a new filter, new water (after flushing rad as best i could) and new anti-freeze. i have run her another 500 miles and will be flushing the rad again today. all that brown poop running through your cooling system will not do it any favors.. i plan on draining and flushing every 500 miles for the first 2,000 miles for maximum effect and cleansing.

i have 500 miles to go til i change the oil and filter again. (that will make it 1,000 miles on teh valvoline).. after that.. every 3,000 religously :bow:

[Earth1]

Here it is Saturday morning 10:15. I was wanting to get started at like 6 or 7 this morning and my helpers are all "busy". Jerks. I need to get this thing done and have to do it over a weekend or as close to over a weekend as possible so I'm not without my truck for work for too long. It's looking more and more lke I'll have to put it off till next weekend.

 

But.. my shiny new Thorley headers look sweet on the new engine.

[Slick]

well.. though it is (winces) possible to put the motor in with the headers on.. i don't recommend it..... not unless you are extremely precise and don't mind battle scars on them..... and have lots of help to watch out for the fuel and other lines

[Earth1]

I was debating whether or not to do it. They have already been bolted up with RTV on the gaskets... but I put the damn studs on backwards. I'm gonna have a hell of a time getting them out without damage to the threads. I guess I'll wrap something around them and use some vice grips. Think I should just pull them off, or since the gaskets are already gooped on there maybe I should try to wrap 'em with somthing to protect during install. I should have some folks around to watch out for hangups.

 

I'm getting impatient. I can't wait to get this thing in.

[88pathoffroad]

I'd pull 'em off. You can re-attach them with the same gaskets if you're careful. Leaving them on is gonna be a major PITA to get the engine back in.

[Earth1]

This weekend I disconnected everything from the old engine. Lines and wire harnesses off, tranny bolts out, diff/crossmember dropped, engine mounts loose, exhaust off. The engine should be ready to pull. I couldn't wait for help anymore so I did most of it by myself. A couple of wire connectors are in bad shape so I'll try to fix them, but they look like they aren't really reuseable. The engine mounts are a PITA, and I may have done some unnecessary work by loosening the center bolts through the engine mounts. The exhaust was harder to get to than I expected, probably even tighter once the headers are in place.

 

One weird little issue I came across this weekend. The new motor only has the throttle assembly (the half circle that swings open the valve) on the intake. It looks like there never was an ASCD "thing" beside it. The throttle bolt through the intake valve simply stops at the throttle. Just a shorter bolt there with a nut on the end. What is the ASCD and what is the "cannister" that it goes to? I'm just gonna use the throttle body off the old motor, unless someone here says otherwise. I do have some pics of what I'm talking about, but my camera is elsewhere.

 

On a side note; What was Nissan thinking when they put the starter right under the oil filter? God that thing was dirty when I got it out. Gunked up with years of old dripped oil and dirt. I will be seriously considering moving the filter, or at least rigging up a drain sheild for now.

Edited April 10, 2006 by Earth1

[k9sar]

ACSD = Automatic Speed Control Device. The cable runs over the top of the engine to the firewall in front of the passenger side where it hooks to a diaphram and a pump.

 

there's a pic here

Edited April 10, 2006 by k9sar

[Earth1]

The engine came from Japan, looks like maybe they don't use them there. The ASCD and related wires/vacuum isn't crucial to the engine running is it? It's just for cruise control right? What if I use the new motor's throttle body (sans ASCD cable) and chucked the pump and stuff? I've never even used the cc. Might be a good place to put the oil filter.

[k9sar]

ASCD is cruise control only.

 

wiring harness to pump... pump has a vacuum line to the diaphragm... diaphragm has a cable to the throttle body. Easy enough to leave it off.

[Earth1]

Cool! I have pulled my first engine. I had some help tonight finally and we got it out. It really wasn't too bad at all. It took a little coaxing with a jack under the transmission, stands under the differential xmember, some patient wiggling of the hoist, and a little muscle. Once we realized the oil pan was catching on the xmember so it couldn't move forward, it came off pretty easily.

 

It seems like getting the new motor to slide in and putting everything together will be one of the harder parts, but I'm over the halfway point now. Hopefully my labels and cataloging and pics will make it go smooth. I'll spend tomorrow night cleaning the engine bay and parts and start swapping the stuff I need over to the new eng. I'm debating whether or not to mess with fixing a couple of electrical connectors. Will I be able to find spades that will fit into some of the clips at an auto parts or RadioShack easily? Is the best way to splice a wire to solder it and wrap it with shrink tube and tape?

 

Some other questions. What is a good degreaser for soaking the engine bay for cleaning? Cleaning parts? Is there anything that I shouldn't get wet while power washing the bay?

 

Are the aluminum plates on the engine mounts just heat shields?

 

I left my windows down. Any way to get em up manually?

 

Is there anyway to "quickly" check the clutch for problems while the engine is out?

 

Any tips for getting the engine to slide on the tranny spline?

 

I think I could be up and running by the end of the week, but I've pretty much given up on a time line by now.

[Earth1]

Another question. Is the rubber tube coming out of the starter just a breather, or is it some kind of vacuum line? Does it connect to something besides the starter?It came out somewhere along the way and I just stuck it back in the hole.

[k9sar]

tipping the tranny will help. the tube on the starter is a breather

[Earth1]

Thanks. I'm just about ready to put the new one in. As soon as I have some extra hands we'll drop it in, tonight hopefully.

 

I went a little crazy with the electical tape, I guess I'd rather be safe than sorry. Some of the old harnesses had some decent dirt and were brittle where the wires are exposed going to the connector. I taped the ends of all the connectors from clip to wire with the only tape I had left, which just happened to be grey. It actually looks kinda cool. For the wire stuff I had to swap from the old engine I used some twist type splicers, with a screw-in cap on both sides. They worked great I hope, guess I'll see soon enough. I had to rig the clip on the front of the power steering pump. My old one snapped a wire right at the connector, and the grey plastic clip broke on the new one. I looked everywhere for some tiny square end spades that would fit into the clip, and no one had them. I ended up using some audio connectors with a similar profile, but rounded a little. As soon as I find some proper ends, I'll replace them. That may be something I'll have to get from Nissan. The temps dont really "click" into the clips like the originals but they're tight enough they won't fall out anytime soon.

 

With the new engine mounts should I tighten the mounts to the frame first before getting the engine in there, or would it be a better idea to wait until the engine is close to being in place? Those will be a major PITA to replace if I break another in the future with the headers in the way. Hopefully it won't be a prob, but I'm anticipating they'll break eventually. Any thoughts on static engine mounts? How important is the flexiblity of those? If they were solid I suppose the engine and tranny would take some of the shock and play if anything were to flex. I'm guessing vibrations while off road might not be too good for the motor with a static mount.

 

One more thing. I'm considering relocating the oil filter, and I've read probably all the discussions here about it but I have a dumb question. How do I know how much more oil it will take? I could see how much liquid the new line section holds, or just check the oil level on the dipstick, right?

Edited April 13, 2006 by Earth1

[88pathoffroad]

If access to the engine mount bolts is good, then you can leave them a little loose beforehand.

 

Engine mounts don't usually break unless you offroad it hard or make a lot of power by highly modding the engine. You can get NISMO hard rubber mounts if you really want to, they're supposedly a step up from the stock soft rubber ones. They cost twice as much, though. I wouldn't go with solid mounts personally, I don't think the trans mount would like taking up the slack and you could possibly crack a cast part (tranny case, t-case) if the engine torques over enough under high RPM's.

 

On the oil capacity...drain, refill with 4 qts and check the stick. Add more if needed.

[Earth1]

I've already picked up some standard mounts with a 1 yr warranty which I guess will have to do for now. I had ordered some "nismo" mounts (only got one) and it wouldn't fit, so I sent it back. IIRC the box said NISMO. I was looking for poly but couln't find any. I'll check some other sources for nismo mounts against nismoparts.com to see if the part# is dif, but that may be the only nismo mount being sold.

 

Define highly modded. I have new cams and headers. Or are you talking superchager or 350. I do tend to wheel hard and have already snapped one stock one. Granted it was like 13 years old, but I really hope to not have to get in there with the headers in the way. Or trying to fish another ratchet strap around the hot headers on the trail if I do break one. Guess I'll keep working on a my idea for a flex limiter on those buggers.

 

I just found this on N4W, exactly what I was thinking of. Apparently it's no new idea. I may give it a shot but with a little more room for movement. Maybe 3 shorter links or 2 bigger.

 

[Earth1]

Clutch issues:

 

What is a normal clutch plate supposed to look like? Mine has a bunch of cross-hatched scores on the pads, and it might be pretty worn. I just had the clutch rebuilt a year ago. The manual says the pad limit is 3 mm from the rivets. I measured it as best as I could and it's pretty close to that. Is the tolerance a super finite measurement, or shoud it be considerably more than 3 mm? The pilot is cracked (several small pieces came out) and two of the plate springs have a knick on them. My clutch has been tricky for a while, but I thought it was just my 32s. I'm starting to think now that they took me on the clutch repair, and somehow just tightened it up to make it feel better. There is also a slight groove on the flywheel plate. None of this seems like signs of a year old clutch job. I'm gonna look at a new plate to compare and decide from there what to do with the mechanic that did my clutch. Should have done it myself.

[Slick]

well... here's a shagged clutch...

[Slick]

and here's a new one....

[Earth1]

Thank you Slick. Mine looks more like your new one than the old one. I think I'll wait until my tranny takes a dump until I replace that. I think it's possible I broke the bearing pulling out the engine.

 

I spent a huge part of the day screwing with that !@#$ ATM bearing adapter. The first puller I rented broke. The second had been repaired at some time with 2 different puller arms and wouldn't line up straight so it wouldn't work. The third was a completely different type and the teeth were too blunt to catch the groove. I'm working on this thing out in the sticks, so everytime I leave it's a huge PITA. Today was pretty much a huge waste of time. I'm at the end of my rope tonight. Tomorrow I'll be resorting to the BFH. Should be cathartic.

 

At least I got the new spark plugs on today. I'm trying the NGK Irridiums this time, I used NGK BRK6ey's last change. That #6 is actually the easiest to change when the engine is out, kinda weird to be able to see it. Cleaned up the plug wells and used some anti-seize and boot protector, which I've never done before. Should make the next change a little easier. And I found my #6 plug on my old motor had a crack in the insulator, likely the cause of the weird misfireish problem I had.

 

If I can get the clutch up on the new one I'm ready to install. Just pluggin and tweakin after that.