Bit gutted.........well lots actually

[BarryH]

Some of you know that I've benn building a diesel for the boat. Well I got hold of a Ford Puma lump from a wrecked tranny.....no the van, not a drunk cross dressing man!, pay attention. It had less than a 1000 miles on the clock. All for 500 notes.
So off i go and get all the bits to make it work in the boat. Stripped it down to check ends and stuff, cos a mad parcel delivery driver "cared" for it from new. Had to buy a new cam for it as the case hardening on the exhaust one wass peeling. Bit of a bugger cos they only sell them in sets. Anyhow got one for it and put it all bacvk together. Starts it up and it run fine.
So thinking "ah ha" can get a few more horses out of this I play about with the fueling turbo etc etc. All done on a dyno thats owned by a "mate". Well his company owns it, but the less said 'bout that the better!
After lots of spanner twiddling and an oily hand print on his pristine white workshop wall it was running sweet as a nut, as they say.
Back home in my greasy walled workshop and the kitchen I fittewd all the boat stuff. Heat exchanger manifolds, that sort of stuff.
Took it back to the White walled workshop and bolted it all to the test bench. Started the thing up and let it warm up under mild loading. Temps indicating normal, if 88c is normal, and wind it up to see how it all goes. Idea was to sort of run it in on the bench then stick it in the boat when I get time and get the bellhousing modded to take the lump.
Running nicely at 2000 revs. Next step is to see if its still putting out the indicated 148 horses as before. Open the bugger up, theres an almighty bang and No1 con rod exits the side of the block taking the oil pump with it.
So moral of the story........forget it and stick with the volvo petrol lump. Reason for self destruction. Don't know yet but it looks like the bearing cap broke up.

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[Nauti Fox]

Bugger

<hr width=100% size=1>No dear,the water goes in the other one.

 

[tr7v8]

Barry does it run bolts on the mains or studs?
If bolts that could be the problem, also did you replace the big end bolts/nuts?
This seems to be a bigger problem these days, I see more and more bolts that are single useage.

<hr width=100% size=1>Jim

Draco 2500

 

[PaulF]

Oh Boy! My commiserations.
I think Mike B at Lancing has supplied these engines as a package. It may be worth a word with him. Maybe the end caps are normally changed if uprating.?

I am waiting to back a horse called 'Hindsight', when I find him I'll give you the nod!!

Never mind, have another beer and start again!

Cheers, Paul.

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[Dave_Snelson]

Oh dear....there is only one piece of comfort that you can obtain from this......you weren't 3 miles out when it went pop!

<hr width=100% size=1>Madoc Yacht Club
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk>http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk</A>

 

[anchorhandler]

Tut-tut...playing with the fueling and the turbo boost pressure is a very complex job on diesel engines. if you'v advanced the timing for any reason and increased the boost pressure then you really are in for trouble....if the crank was 'underslung' which most small engines are, you've probably overloaded the piston/bearing in question which has led to the studs failing. (bottom end studs are very stressed components on a standard engine never mind one that has been "uprated".)
Sorry to hear about the damage though, its always a bugger when things go pop!
Simon


<hr width=100% size=1>I'v got 2 ears.2 eyes and 1 mouth....if only i could use them in that proportion!

 

[burgundyben]

Ooo, pants.

Being positive, you'll need gaskets and seals, a bare block, a conrod, maybe a piston and some valves, if v unlucky a crank, prapas a few other bits, but expensive stuff like water cooled manifold and fuel pump and turbo should be ok plus all ancilliaries.

Few hours with the spanners.

See, not soo bad after all.

<hr width=100% size=1>Sod the Healey - I think I'll buy an E-Type.

 

[Col]

Ben- forever the optimist

Bad luck Bazza. Are replacement engines easy to get?
BTW a few of the Transits owned by that well known telecom company have gone the same way.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/colspics> Cols Picture Album</A>

 

[BrendanS]

oooeerrr! I take it that is all techie speak for 'it broke'?

bit of a sod after putting all that work in!

<hr width=100% size=1>Utinam logica falsa tuam philisophiam totam suffodiant

 

[steverow]

Keep on Keeping on mate.
Dont let it beat you.
The end result will be all the sweeter.

Steve.


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[duncan]

if it makes you feel any better the Red Lion in Swanage has Wrecked on at the moment instead of the Ringwood.............but it probably doesn't.

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[gonfishing]

Hi Barry
now your'e not trying to make me feel better are you ???
still at least it was on the bench and not in the boat!!!


Julian

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Had that happen to one of my car engines once. month previous I had stripped head, polished and rebuilt, took it rolling road for tune up. Guy says, my word, never seen such low leakage on one of these at this age. Me chuffed, 18 years old, whopping 80bhp.

Two weeks later threw number 3 right out the front of the block, must say, it made a great noise though!

Commiserations, is the block shared with the ford mundano or is it tranny only?

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>Top Cat Homepage</A>

 

[BarryH]

Re: Post Mortem

It died a quick death. Basically had a word with a person in the know. His words "a few of them have done that" Oh great help.

Had the remains of the engine to bits. The bearing cap wasn't the cause of it. As far as we can see the con rod fractured at the bottom where it opens out at the bottom. Both halves of the bearing cap are still connected to their bits of the con rod. They rod gave way at approx 3600 rpm according to the print out from the dyno. Still had bags left in it before the max revs would have been reached. Hey ho!

The oil pump was taken out with the rod. The abrupt difference in crank v's cam speed also snap'd the belt. It didn't make too much difference to no! cylinder as the wasn't a piston in it! Also the unbalanced crank has taken on a bit of a twist.

No1 cylinder has some nice score marks that would do any 2 stroke siezure merchant proud. One thing that did surprise me was how thin the engine block casting is. Seems a bit "flimsey" compared to other lumps I've built.

So where do I go from here? I'm not going to get one of those engines at 500 quid again. The cheapest I've seen them is for 1000 min. They are the same as used in the Mundano. Altho the set up is slightly different. In hindsight I think that if I do it again I'll use the mechanical pump and not the leccy controled stuff. It was a right royal pain sorting out the wiring and where to incorperate the brake light switch. I kid you not, thanx col. I wondered why we kept getting error codes!

I'll persevere with it as I'm always being told that diesel "is the way to go". Not the way you lot are panicking about it its not!! This block is a write off as far as repairing it goes. Thers a hole in the side that I can get my hand in with a crack running about a third of the way along it. The crank is stuffed as well. "Quite impressive failure" are words being banded about my merry group of grease monkies. And I thought this hobby was supposed to fun and relaxing.....wheres me gun I'm going shooting to get away from it all, Elmer Fudd make room for me!



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