Most liked posts in thread: My next project: ENGINE OVERHAUL!

If you are going to pull the engine Matt I'd go ahead & pull it all the way apart. New piston rings & new bearings, both rod & crank.

If you go to the trouble to remove the engine, new clutch, pressure plate & throw-out bearing.

The A series engine is dead simple to work on. You can do it!

When I put K&N air filters on my 69 Midget I had to re-adjust the carbs. It was lean, but easily adjusted. You only have one carb so it is even easier.

 

Subscribing, I want to keep up with this thread!

 

Matt the way I see it is, if you are going to do this you might as well do it right. Besides it is fun spending your money.

If you just want to do the head I'd recommend doing a leak-down test. It will help you pinpoint the health of the valves & rings. Could be that your MINIs bottom end is good. Although it will tell you nothing about the bearings.

I'd pop for the silicone hoses if they are available. They will last longer than the regular replacement ones. I recently read somewhere in a British rag that someone is making silicone hoses with a dull finish so they look like the original ones.

 

Yep do it before the engine comes apart. It will give you a good idea of the engines overall health. Yes they can & will do a good job. Tell them what you are planning to do.

 

Plastigage, STP and a torque wrench. For us old farts, three essential items for main and connecting rod bearing replacement. Remember to Plastigage 90 degrees from the bearing split. And slop that STP generously.

Oh man...what fond memories. And I'm serious.

....Les

 

Try this site

Genuine Plastigauge - How It Works

 

STP is what us old farts used for assembly lube. Yep plastigauge FTW!

A fun project for you & Grayson would be to get an old mower engine to pull apart & reassemble. You'll learn a lot & have fun doing it.

 

If you replace the bearings you need to verify that the clearance is correct. If not your newly built engine will not last long.

They are a tool.

 

ostcount

 

Nothing to freak out about. It is just an engine, follow the steps & build it up. An A series motor is a simple little lump.

 

Subscribing..... I need to do this to my wife's classic soon. It too has tons of leaks, and two weeks ago the heater valve broke. Steam cleaned the right side of the engine, so I guess that was a + :biggrin5:

Nik

 

:cornut:Mine's not a classic but an 08 R56 MCS JCW manual and I just drive to the (hand held wand)car wash. Put a plastic bag over the air intake and any electrical boxes that I'm worried about(Saran Wrap). Spray with degreaser, then power washer detergent, rinse with water and I'm done. I've been doing this for over 4yrs and no issues yet except for the Dealership Techs asking," how do you get your engine that clean?" I tell them and they ask about shielding electrical and air intake etc. They mull it over and say,"I never thought of that."(if the car dies as you're leaving the car wash............you forgot to take the plastic bag off of the air intake. Yes.......I was that stupid.)

Jason

 

one other culprit for the engine smoking is oil is leaking around the valve seals and getting into the combustion chamber...i would pop the spark plugs out and shine a light through the tubes to see if you have anything wet and shiny in there...especially if it hasnt been driven in awhile...new viton seals would go a long way...and really the engine is as simple mechanically as possible...hell the clutch is on the driver side (RHD) and it sticking out of the side of the engine...its not like a R5x mini ...since the transmission also doubles as the oil pan