Going to get started soon

[optmaxx]

Cool, thanks. How about that question about the second half of the seal? Did it make sense? Does it go on the first slot which is marked in red? or does it go on the second slot that the bearing seal lines up with?

[bigal389]

The seal goes in the back slot. If you look at the photo you posted it goes in the slot where the blade isn't, it will mat the seal on the main bearing cap. As for which way the caps go, the tabs on the the bearing will line up with each other. The rods are the the same.
Al

[optmaxx]

I've been out with a bad cold so I had to put my engine aside, but now I'm ready to back to it. Any tips on staggering the piston rings? Pics would help.

[Russ Pottenger]

I've been out with a bad cold so I had to put my engine aside, but now I'm ready to back to it. Any tips on staggering the piston rings? Pics would help.

Deburr the ring end gaps and stagger the top and 2nd rings 180 apart parallel to the wrist pin.
Reason is if it were to leave a scratch in the cylinder wall it wouldn't transfer it to the piston skirt.




Russ

[optmaxx]

So I've been installing the pistons, and the ring compressor has been a pain in the butt. All of the oil and only having two hands made it difficult to keep my rings staggered the way I wanted, so I kept starting over till I would get them close enough. Is it a big deal if the ring shift a little when using the ring compressor? Also, if the piston went pretty smoothly, that's a good sign that rings stayed in their grooves?

[nicpaige]

ring.gif

[optmaxx]

Ok, so there's an issue, I think...

My pistons aren't offset, so they don't have any markings to show where to face them, and they are round dish. So I was told to face all of the bottom markings of the piston the same direction, and it didn't matter which way I decided to face them as long as they were all facing the same direction, but because the way the pistons were installed on my rods, I realized that my oil squirters will not face the same direction. Some will face the camshaft and some will not. Do all oil squirters need to face the camshaft?

Should I take my pistons to the machine shop and have them flip the rods that need to be flipped so that the oil squirters face the same way? I only have two pistons in, but I kept reinstalling one of them, will I damage the rings from taking the pistons out and putting them back in too much?

[bigal389]

I may have missed it but if you have Racetec/Bulltear piston they all need to be oriented the same way on the rods, in other words where the writing on the bottom of the piston should face the same way with the piston installed on each rod the same. Pics would be helpful.
Al

[Russ Pottenger]

If your custom pistons have a offset, with the piston facing forward the pin will closest to the camshaft side of
the block.

Yes, all of the oil squirter's need to go towards the camshaft.
Make sure your machine shop that your using has a pin hone mandrel just in case he has to dust
the pin bores after he presses off your pistons. Have to be real careful when reinstalling a press fit pin. Very easy to distort the pin bore or damage a piston.

As long as you have a decent chamfer on the top of the cylinder bore and your careful, your not in any real risk
of damaging the piston rings no matter how many times you install them.


Russ

[optmaxx]

Yeah, he said that there's a chance but he's confident that he can do it without damaging the piston, and I am using the markings on the bottom to make sure that the pistons face the same way. He said that it doesn't matter which way they face, but he'll flip them.

I'm glad this happened because I noticed that the rod bearing for one of the pistons I had to take out had a big scratch on it all the way around. I couldn't see any debris on the rod journal, and there were no scratches on there either so I don't know how that happened. The only thing my crank has is water spots, but none of them can cause cause a deep scratch like I saw. I'm going to check the other bearing, maybe this one was bad? I did lube the heck out of them with engine assembly oil and the clearances are between .0015 and .0002. Should I remove the crank and clean off the water spots? Everyone tells me that water spots shouldn't cause deep scratches. This happened after turning the crank by hand.

[Russ Pottenger]

Since you have to go back to your machine shop to have them swap the pistons, bring the crank with you
and have them micro polish the crankshaft.

[optmaxx]

I removed the crank and all of the new bearings looked great, even the rod bearings from the other piston that was installed was good. Maybe some debris made it into that other new bearing when I was installing it, and caused the scratch? There were some very small minor scrapes on two main bearings that I couldn't feel with my finger at all, and from what I looked up those types of scratches are normal. I will replace those though since I ordered another set of bearings.

Anyways, I will take my crank back and ask for the polish, and since I have everything out, and I have some time now again, I will be going back to square one and wash everything again. Except I will not take as long so that I have a better chance of keeping debris out. Also, when I wash the block, can I leave the new main bearings that are installed, in?

I think I should also point out the way I was installing the pistons; I was planning on installing them two at a time. Like when the number one rod journal and number 6 journal faced the 6 o'clock position together, I would go in and install the #1 and #6 piston. Or do I have to install them by order going from 1, 2, 3 and so on? Just wondering if that could have damaged the new rod journal, if not, then I guess it was debris.

I'm using Lucas assembly lube, I think that I should mention that too. It has good reviews and it's very sticky, it was the only stuff I could find though. Finally, should you wash new bearings before installing them?

[Frankenstien]

Lucas assy lube is good stuff, it's also used by Lamborghini as well for the protection during assy and start up.

[SilverXJ]

Also, when I wash the block, can I leave the new main bearings that are installed, in?

Why not just take them out?

I think I should also point out the way I was installing the pistons; I was planning on installing them two at a time. Like when the number one rod journal and number 6 journal faced the 6 o'clock position together, I would go in and install the #1 and #6 piston.

that is fine.

Finally, should you wash new bearings before installing them?

No, just give them a wipe with a lint free cloth.

[optmaxx]

Ok, so sort of bad news. My machinist, in the end, didn't feel comfortable removing the rods and flipping them without damaging the pistons. He kept reassuring me that since the pistons had no arrow and are symmetrical, that it didn't really matter which way they faced. Racetec did tell me that these pistons don't have the pin offset which is why they didn't come with an arrow, but they were the ones that suggested to face the bottom markings the same direction.

I don't know, I'm thinking of just leaving those two pistons that way and installing them so that the oil squirt holes face the same way, but the bottom logos will face differently compared to the other four. Yeah, I'm a little frustrated and mentally tired on figuring out what to do, but research does point to that since the pistons came with no arrow that it doesn't matter which way they face. Again, Ractec told me that these pistons are made without the pin offset.