Hi,
James asked: Is it possible to change TR6 thrust washers with the engine
in the car.
Answer: It most certainly is possible. Just drop the oil pan (drain it
first!) and remove the rear main cap. I used a small nylon ty-wrap to
push one end of the T.W. enough until I could grasp the other end as it
comes out the other side.
Biggest problems: 1. When retorqueing the rear main cap, I had to remove the
oil pump pickup tube to get enough arc from the torque wrench. Your
experience may be different. 2. To measure the end float with the new
T.W.'s, you need to remove the radiator and the cross brace to get a dial
indicator onto the crank pulley. I bought a pair of all available
thicknesses of the T.W.'s in order to be sure that I could set the end
float within spec.
Note: T.W.'s come in various sizes. If you put in one standard and one
.005 over thrust washer, you reduce end-float by .005. If you put in two
.005 over T.W.'s, you take up .010 of end-float. By "mixing and
matching", you can take up just about and play in the crank.
Don't forget: the babbiting or the side with the groves faces the crank,
not the block. Apparently, these T.W.'s get installed backward quite a lot.
Oh, and don't forget the assembly lube when you put it all together!!!
Note also: I had the chance to replace T.W.'s after I had installed them
backwards. Even with 10K miles on the engine after the rebuild and the
backwards washers, the crank was only slightly dished. I was able to get
the prescribed end-float with one std. and one .005 over T.W.. Your
mileage may vary. Also, I don't use the clutch, so that probably reduced
the wear on the crank do the improper installation of the T.W.'s the
first time. It is not clear that the dish on the crank surface has
reduced the strength of the crank, but I think that resurfacing the face
of the crank that contacts the T.W. would be worthwhile. You gotta take
the crank out to do that, and that means yanking the engine.
Note too: If you want to keep the T.W.'s from falling out, you need to
figure out your end float then pull everything apart and have your local
auto machinist "dowel" or "pin" the thrust washers to the block. If you
do this, they won't fall out. Also, some folks do this one step better,
and I think I read this from Ken Gillanders of British Frame and Engine:
have your machinist cut the rear main cap to accept top and bottom thrust
washers. And pin those. If you do this, you won't have any thrust-washer
related problems. I have no idea how much it'll cost, but it is certain
the machining costs will exceed the cost of the T.W.'s by a lot. Figure
$100 or so, but it is insurance against crank failure... And if you do
this, have the machinist machine some spares of varying thickness so you
can fix any future problems. It'll cost you less in the long run because
they only have to set-up once do do a whole bunch...
Ah, if we only had money to burn....
bye,
rml
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Quote: How many Triumphs do you own??? Not 3 and not 4, sort of 3.5.
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