Project: Engine Rebuild

Projects: [Refrigeration] [Computer Central] [AIS] [Deck Rebuild] [Watermaker] [Osmosis Repairs] [Engine Rebuild] [Replace Diesel Tank]

We were getting ready to leave Newcastle, New South Wales in early February, 2005, and head down to Tasmania to cruise around for a few months. Two days before we were to leave, I checked the engine ... the signs weren't good. I found the coolant in the expansion tank had disappeared. And when I pulled the dipstick, it showed that we had gained 2-3 quarts of oil above it's normal full level. A check of the sump, using an oil change pump, showed that the sump had a bunch of water below the oil level. Somehow the coolant in the block had leaked into the sump, maybe a cracked block, maybe a head gasket leak.

So we pulled the head off but couldn't find any apparent problems with the head gasket. An in-the-boat repair was therefore out of the question as the engine had to come out and be disassembled for any further diagnosis.

A combination of block & tackle rigged to the mast and a chain fall from the boom allowed us to lift the engine to above the cabin sole, where we pulled the transmission, intake and exhaust manifolds, and starter. More maneuvering with the chain fall etc. resulted in us getting the engine out of the boat, swung over the side on the boom and lowered to a waiting dockside cart. We had rented a self-store storage unit a couple of blocks from marina to use as a workshop and bought some inexpensive shelving to use as a workbench, so we were now in the engine disassembly (and, hopefully, reassembly) business.

A little bit of wrench twiddling revealed that this engine was a variation that used "wet liners" rather than having cylinders that were integral with the block. This means that the cylinders (i.e. liners) were separate assemblies from the block and relied on elastomeric seals at their bottoms and the head gasket at the top to maintain a water tight seal with the block. Sure enough, it looked one of the seals had given up the ghost after 21 years of good and faithful service. There was a good chance the engine could be rebuilt.

So off the engine went to the local machine shop (engineering works) for a full tear down and examination. The answer came back that the block and head were fine, that the bearing surfaces and cylinder bores and pistons met the original factory specs for clearance (i.e. absolutely minimal wear), and that essentially it appeared to be eminently rebuildable. This WAS really good news because years before I had bought all the materials required to rebuild the engine; a complete gasket set, a full set of bearings, rings, and seals, replacement valve springs and several new valves, new hoses, fuel injectors, lift pump, water pump rebuild kit etc. etc. We had been carrying $1500 worth of this stuff around for 12 years just in case this day would come.

So we were ready ... let the rebuild commence. I asked the machine shop to do a cleaning dip of all parts, surface the head and block, hone the cylinder liners, regrind the valves and seats, and replace the valve springs while I started the balance of the rebuild, starting with an exterior priming and painting of the block, pan, and front cover (the color is Chevrolet V8 red). The fuel injection pump was inspected and rebuilt by a local service agent. Photo series follows:

	Interior cleaning and rust-proofing after initial application of exterior paint. If you look closely at where the cylinders should be, you can see that the cylinder liners have not yet been installed.
	Cylinder liners have been honed and pressed into place (note liner retaining bolts)
	Crankshaft installed w/ main bearings torqued down. The grease visible on the piston bearing journals is assembly lubricant.
	Pistons, cam shaft w/ gear, and oil pan installed (oil pump too).
	Rebuilt fuel injection pump and timing gear installed. Note that timing is all gear drive with no timing chain, unusual but very reliable.
	Front cover and pulley, head, fuel injectors and valve cover installed & ready for final painting before installation. Flywheel, transmission, starter, intake & exhaust manifolds, and water pumps are installed after engine is inside boat.
	Here's the final re-installation. While the engine was out, I replaced the starboard fuel tank and holding (sullage) tank, did a full sound-insulation of the engine compartment, replaced all fuel lines and installed partitions in the bilge to keep any oil and diesel drips from the engine separate from the water in the bilge. I had installed new fuel injectors and coolant hoses while in New Zealand (2003) and had the starter and heat exchanger remanufactured just before leaving Mexico in 2001. What we have here, for all intents and purposes, is a new engine!
A closing note (and recommendation): It had been my practice to change the oil and filter about every 100 hours of run time and I had always used Chevron (Caltex) DELO 400 oil, which had a very high reputation in the industrial part of my previous life. When I pulled the oil pan off, it was almost spotless inside, just a very minor bit of sludge in the corners. You can be sure that I'm going to keep doing this and recommend it to everyone!