Barry (and anyone else who can help),
I have been a little slow in getting into my engine but you were right.
The knocking noise, I thought were bearings, was really an aftermarket
water pump. When I disconnected the fan belt, the knocking noise went
away. It could still be the generator, but I am virtually sure the noise
was not coming from there.
So far taking the fan belt off has been the most difficult task I have
found on the TR3. I elected to check out the bottom end anyway, as I was
concerned about the low oil pressure at hot idle, 15 psi and the
potential for a really worn bottom end.
So far I have:
Checked out the oil pump. It is well within specs on the gaps between
the impeller and the concentric and the concentric and the housing. The
end float is a little loose. I will probably lap the case to bring that
in. I had to do that on my Norton motorcycle, different style pump, same
problem.
Thrust bearings are 0.011. Spec is 0.004 to 0.008. The bearings looked
a little worn on the faces. One had some surface erosion which went
radially outward through the entire bearing face (white metal only). I
will be ordering standard thrust bearings as well as trying to figure out
how I can measure the gap to know if I need oversized.
Pulled off the center main bottom and plastigaged it - 0.003 in two
places, and the bearing looked good. It is a little loose, but ok for
now.
Pulled the number two big end, I have not plastigaged it yet but it
looked great. I will probably do all four before I close it up.
The engine is still in the car. Since the center main bearing takes the
most abuse/wear (my assumption) depending on just how hard it is to pull
the front and rear bearings, I may not check them out. The car was
reputably in top notch shape when I bought it and it does seem to be
pretty solid.
My request for you is, what is the best way to check out the other main
bearings? In an earlier correspondence you told me you could provide
more detailed info if I ended getting into the bottom end. I am working
with an original TR2 manual and a Haynes manual, but the directions for
doing the work with the engine in the car are very sketchy. My biggest
concern is how does one get the top half of the bearing shell out without
pulling the crank?
Also, is silicone seal a good substitute for shellac soaked felt?
Any help/advice I can get would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Jack Brooks
Hillsdale, New Jersey
1960 TR3-A TS69032L
1974 Norton Commando Roadster
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