Crankcase anomaly

[lee_rob]

Hey all,

Well as you may or may not be aware I have been having a few issues with my newly acquired minor from new Zealand. Well after some nasty noises started coming from the engine I decided it was probably best to take it out an investigate,
Turned out that I had a very very loose flywheel, by this I mean I unscrewed the nut holding it on by hand so I guess that wasn't done up to the correct torque...anyway as I need to put it back on and lap the flywheel into the taper I needed to take the crank out as I didn't want to risk grinding paste near the lovely white metal rear main. Well you know how one thing turns into another and before I know it I have completely stripped my engine down. I thought it would be a good time to check the big ends as I know they haven't been touched since the 50's....and they are absolutely fine which is a great relief. I also checked my front bearing as I had a great deal of crankshaft end float of around 10 thou. The bearing looks OK but the wrong thrust washers had been used to assemble the engine so these will be changed to correct the end float.
Anyway the point of my post is to ask whether anyone else has bolts through the side of their crankcase, some with pieces of plate behind them (see attached pics), I am not sure what they actually do, or if they were done to correct cracks in the case but they seem too uniform for that..any idea folks..????

Incidently I had no idea that the big ends on the minor were so tiny...those bolts and nuts are very small its amazing they hold up the revs these little engines get to..

Your comments are appreciated

[Ian Grace]

Hi Lee,

Congrats on taking the bull by the horns and going right through the engine - I'm sure this will turn out to be the best decision in the long run. I did suspect that most of that noise was coming from the flywheel. The nut was originally locked into place with a rectangular steel bar jammed through the castellations on the nut and cruciform slots in the back of the crank. The problem is that when you torque up the nut, the slots don't necessarily line up, so some judicious filing of the nut is sometimes required. Was there any sign of this rectangular bar in your engine?

As for the bolts through your crankcase, I've never seen anything quite like it. I don't see how they would be holding any cracks together. Maybe someone in the past had something bolted to the offside of the engine, which has now been removed? Since it came from New Zealand, maybe it was fitted with sheep sheering gear?

Re the big end bolts, if I were you, and while the engine is in pieces, I'd invest in a set of new big end nuts and bolts from Mike Dowley which are made of racing quality steel. I would never trust old ones in any of my rebuilds.

[lee_rob]

Hi Ian,

Yes I did have the steel bar inside the nut but when I say this thing was very loose I mean really loose and it could easily have been tightened up more and still got the locking bar in place. I have already ordered new big end bolts and nuts as I suspect mine are home made anyway.
As for the sheep sheering well you never know New Zealand it a strange place lol

Also I have attached a pic of my oil pump which has a nice piece broken out of it, doesnt seem to be affecting its working as I had loads of oil pressure before I took the engine apart. I am wright in thinking the thrust on these pumps is taken in the end place and so it wont matter if there is a small piece missing from the housing although I understand not ideal. I will probably put it back for now and seek a new housing at some point when I have extra funds.

Also I am having the cylinder head rebuilt (at great expense) and set up properly with a new Camshaft (12/12) so that should improve the performance, along with a modified VW distributor..

Lee

[lee_rob]

Heres a pic of the offside of the engine and you can see a couple of the bolts there. There are 4 bolts on the nearside which are very similar, these look very uniform to me like they were there for a reason..

[Ian Grace]

Lee,

I'll check to see if I have a spare oil pump. This one obviously works, but it would be nice to see it replaced while the engine is in bits.

And those bolts will certainly be a conversation piece if you get it to the summer rally!

[lee_rob]

Ian,

That's great if you have one lying around spare, although at least this part can be swapped out later if necessary with the engine in the car. Trying to get the car on the road before next weekend as I need to get it sorted and with a buff form before the LCES welsh weekend..

Lee

[Ian Grace]

Lee,

Delighted to hear you are targeting the Light Car Welsh. I will see how many other Minors we can get there this year. We have had up to 12 in the past, but numbers have dwindled in recent years - a trend I very much hope to reverse.

[Simon]

Taking a long shot. Could the bolts have been used to mount an extra horizontal dynamo or alternatively a supercharger.

[lee_rob]

Hmmm I doubt it would be a supercharger the bolts don't look big enough to support the weight.

[halbe]

But the idea of a small Cozette is rather tempting don't you think

[lee_rob]

I would fear for my 50 year old white metal big ends!!

[Ian Grace]

Not to mention the ones in your engine.

[Ian Grace]

Lee,

You are in luck. I have an oil pump - missing the bronze idler gear and cover plate, otherwise perfectly sound.

Ian