I mounted the engine back on the stand. This time I had added some extra bracing bars to the arms of the stand - made from very sturdy angle. These allowed me more flexibility as to the mounting point I could choose on the engine - thus distributing the load better and putting less strain on particular parts of the block. It had been quite fiddly deciding quite how to cut these and where to put the holes. I also had to factor-in the need to be able to put the sump back on. Trial and error proved the way forward.
With the block painted and on the stand, the serious work of rebuilding the engine could begin. Lots of research....
With the block painted and on the stand, the serious work of rebuilding the engine could begin. Lots of research....
The procedure for reassembling the engine is covered in Operation 100-3, which you can find in Section 2 of Volume 2 of manual 814.
I also used a very handy set of three videos from DSSMPassion. You can find the first part here:
Engine Rebuild Video - First Part
I'd drawn a blank on trying to find the correct spec. head gasket and liner seals for my DX engine (see other post....) and had decided to go with the contents of the 'standard' gasket set I'd bought from Citroen Classics a year earlier.
The first thing fitted was the liners. That meant fitting the delicate paper seals around their waists. I'd been dreading this...... Not only are these seals very thin and delicate, but they are also a notoriously tight fit around the liners. If they tear and the liner is not properly sealed, coolant will leak into the sump. I won't know if I've done this right until I give the engine a proper test with radiator and coolant fitted.
Well, the seals that came in the gasket set were tight. VERY tight...... I tried the set from Citroen Classics. They were marginally better. Boy these things were tight!
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| Fitting The Liner Seals - 3 August 2017 |
With the inner diameter stretching to fit over the liner, the shape distorted and they wouldn't lie flat. Once they were close to being in the correct location, I had to carefully tease them flat again. Even then, they end -up with a curled inner edge.
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| May Look It, But These Aren't The Wavy Edged Seals |
I did a test fit of the liners: according to step 12 in the version of Operation 100-3 in Manual 518, the liner top should between 0.12mm and 0.16mm higher than the deck. Mine came up a little less than the minimum. When it came to committing for the fit, I believe the seals are meant to be fitted dry, but I put a tiny amount of Hylomar Blue on the bottom face of each seal. The liners were carefully lowered into place and the clearance over the deck check again. Still a little shy of 0.12mm, but very close. My main worry was whether, unseen, any of the seals had torn as they were being compressed.
Once the liners are in place, they should not be moved or rotated - for fear of tearing the paper gaskets. The tactic is to hold them in place with a couple of bolts and washers in appropriate cylinder head bolt holes. Planning ahead, I knew I would need to insert the pistons - so I shaped the washers to allow the pistons to be slid past when the time came.
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| Liners Fitted - 3 August 2017 |
With liners fitted and clamped at several points I turned the engine over and set to work re-fitting the crank. Bearing shells were lubricated and laid in the journals before the crank was lowered in. Lots more oil.
With the two intermediate caps fitted (caps 1 and 3, the end float on the crank was tested using a dial gauge on a magnetic stand. The DSSM Passion video was very handy for showing how to go about this. The end float is adjusted by using thrust washers of different thicknesses - standard or over-sized. As I only had the one set, I was mightily relieved when the end float came up within tolerance!
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| Crankshaft End Float Checked - 4 August 2017 |
With the end float checked, the remainder of the bearing caps and thrust washers were added and the caps torqued up.
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| All Bearing Caps Fitted - 4 August 2017 |
Hi Paul. I've just been going throught the same confusion with the paper liners and head gasket crimping. What is all about. I previously watched the DS SM Passion videos and noticed the guy oils the paper liner gaskets at the end. Is this wise and what for? Any ideas. I know you added a small amount of Hylomar, which was proably a wise decsion. Its such a thin flimsy area/gasket seal isn't it. I'm about to tackle the task and like you not looking forward to teasing the liner gaskets on. I too have the Glaser set with 2 or 3 choices.
ReplyDeletePeople often put a small amount of oil on one face of a gasket simply to make it easier to separate the parts at some future point. I put a little Hylomar on my liner seals partly to try and improve their sealing, but also to make them a little more moist and so flexible (and so less likely to tear?). There was no science involved, I just thought it might help.
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