1600 711m piston seizing problems.

[samii]

jsut brought a new engine for my escort, (old one was giving too muxh hassle) anyway rebuilding it, one conrod wouldn't move so crc bombed the shit outta it and it mooves freely as all the other pistons and conrods now. but i'm having problems with getting the rigth bearings and pistons matched up. i've marked up all the pistons to match the bearings they came out of the engine originally with. but having no luck turning the crankshaft no matter how many different ways i try the bearings around. j8st wondering if anyone could offer any advice? or if anyone has been across this problem before?

thanks.

[fuel]

are they the correct size bearings? did you get the crank measured to make sure it is standard size or undersized? if the crank is standard sized perhaps the bearings you have are oversized (to suit undersized crank)?

also if one piston in particular was hard to move then perhaps the piston has expanded by being overheated previously or again its an oversized piston in a standard sized bore. Have you checked the piston to bore clearance?

Have you checked any measurements in the engine at all??

[samii]

yeah i've had some measurements taken, the old man did them for me. the pistons are standard size same with the bore. haven't had chance to get the crank measured yet.

[Unclejake]

jsut brought a new engine for my escort (and I am) rebuilding it.

having no luck turning the crankshaft no matter how many different ways i try the bearings around.

Have you fitted new main bearings or not?

The size bearing the old motor was assembled with should have been stamped on the back of the old bearings.

If you have fitted new main bearings to the crank I will also assume you have the cam chain off.

With no conrods connected and no flywheel on the crank losen off all the main caps and turn the crank by hand. Nip up each main cap, one by one until the crank goes tight. The Main that makes the crank go tight is to one with the tight bearing. It would not be the first time that a crossflow Ford was put together with one odd sized main journal and bearing.

After you have confirmed the crank is good then do the same with the conrod and piston assembly and then the camshaft and lifters

Have you used engine assembly paste/lube? Did you re-insert the thrust washer correctly and measure the crank endfloat?

Perhaps post a picture of the engine as it is right now so we can get a better idea of what you are doing.

What does 'rebuilding it' mean in this case Samii? Dissasemble, clean and reassemble or are you hoping to freshen it up with rings, bearings but no machining?

[samii]

sorry used the term reuild kinda loosely, i'm not to flash with all the terminology ae. still learning i put in a new cam and lightened flywheel i got the problem sorted, there were markings on the bearings and the conrods (eg, 1,2,3,4 on both conrods and bearings) but they didn't match up like 1 ended up fitting with 3 and so on. (they weren't factory stamps, they were done with a vivid type marker). so i just mixed and matched the bearings with the conrods and did the process you said and after about 3-4 hours of trying all the possibilities i got it.

anyway thanks for the post ae

[cletus]

sounds dodgy id be pulling it apart and checking clearances properly, it might turn over now but will probably give trouble when its running

plastigage is a cheap form of insurance

[Hemi]

sounds dodgy id be pulling it apart and checking clearances properly, it might turn over now but will probably give trouble when its running

plastigage is a cheap form of insurance

expensive , but yes this shit rules compared to the old method and then you KNOW , you have x thou of clearance