>Hi, all!
>
> I have just confirmed by inspection the "cracked piston" diagnosis that
>the PO gave me when he sold me The Grape. Have any of you ever undertaken a
>piston replacement job on a 1500? If so, may I pick your brains re: the
>procedure?
>
OK, let's talk about it. How do you want to do it? Just a staight piston
swap, or are we going to do the whole engine while we're in there?
Now, my experience is with a 1296 in a Mk3, but let's assume there are
considerable similarities...
You CAN remove the pistons and replace them with the engine in the car.
The procedure is, pretty much:
1. remove the head.
2. drain oil, remove the sump
3. remove big end bearing cap bolts.
4. shove piston out top of engine.
Now, for the problems:
1. CLEANLINESS! Difficult when you're doing everything from under the
car.
2. If there is any ridge at the top of the bores at all, it's hard to
push the rings past it. You'll probably break them in the process.
3. you will have to use a ridge reamer and a hone to remove the ridge
(otherwise your new rings will break on them) and them break the glaze
on the cylinder walls so the new rings will seat. Not for the weak of
heart!
4. you won't get to polish or grind the crank or look at main bearings or
any of that other stuff.
I tried doing that, just to replace rings, and it didn't work too well.
I'm currently rebuilding the engine completely, and it's nice to see the
cross-hatched pattern the machine shop so neatly put into every surface
that will be broken in.
Of course, I had a $319 machine shop bill, along with the cost of pistons,
big end bearings, small end bushes, main bearings, camshaft, lifters, timing
chain, tensioner, valves, springs, guides, gaskets, seals, studs...
But I hope that this will be a sweet little engine that will last me long
time...
>Thanks in advance!
>
>Brian Knopp
>Programmer
>Travel Technologies Group
>
>"I don't care, I own a Spitfire!"
I don't care either, I own 2 of 'em and a GT6+!
Larry
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