Yea I’ve been going over everything in my head and will probably write a list aswell just in case, and will still be thinking I’ve forgotten something until the engine (hopefully) starts again…
Got the case back together, barrels and head back on, a couple of schoolboy errors but I think I got away with it…
The engine turns over fine by hand but strangely, when I stop turning and go back to it a minute later, it’s very hard to turn, once it’s turning it turns over fine until I stop again
No just by hand with the crank pulley. It turns over as easily as it ever did but it’s just the initial turn that’s very hard-I can still get it moving by hand but only just, then once it’s turning it’s as easy as anything- it’s very strange……unless it’s just my imagination
Have you got the plugs in - might be fighting the compression? Even with them out, might feel stiff turning them over by hand. Did you fit new rings? The Vege engine I fixed up with new bearings/rings etc is pretty stiff to turn by hand, but cranks over fine on the starter.
There are a few things that can do this, like the cam working against valve springs, the new sharp rings and generally a lack of oil that your repeated attempts to turn it over won't be helping. If it turned over easily, like wit a finger, before you put the barrels, pistons and heads on, I wouldn't worry. if you haven't put the cooler on yet, get a small funnel and add a cupful of oil down the holes - this will make it's way to the bearings. You could do this quite often if you wanted to and if you're determined to keep turning it over I would do it as otherwise when you start it up your case will be dry. Obviously this oil WILL slowly make it's way past the bearings but every little helps. IIRC it will also get to the pump if you brim it down those holes. On the subject of oil, I hope you didn't slather the barrels in engine oil as this does not help the rings bed in.
Yea the plugs are out-all original parts except the cam follower. I’ll just go with it- I’m maybe just paranoid that somethings wrong
I only dismantled one side so there was always resistance from the side that still had pistons and barrels and reassembling the other side only made it slightly harder to turn. It’s perfect once you get it turning but it’s just the initial turn that’s tight-really can’t think of anything that would do that-could be an oil thing- I used assembly lube so there is lubrication there. I’m sure I’m just over-thinking it-it was quite possibly like that to begin with and I just never really noticed, I suppose I’m looking for a fault since I’ve had it in bits and am probably worrying I’ve done something wrong.
Who doesn't! Remind me what you've replaced while you had it apart - if it was just that cam plug and the crank and cam sat firmly in the case half the whole time you shouldn't have any problems. BTW you should not turn it over without a distributor fitted as the drive can rise up and jam things.
Haha, that’s one of the schoolboy errors I mentioned earlier, got the case assembled and then turned it over-the drive rose up and the shims snagged on the crank gear then I broke the fuel pump pedestal trying to remove the distributor drive. I only replaced the cam plug and one cracked tappet but I had the camshaft out to check the tappets on the other side and the crank came adrift at one point. Had a bit of a nightmare lining up the crank bearings with the locating dowels but got it in the end and made sure the crank/cam timing marks were lined up.
^this. If the crank and cam stayed put, that eliminates any bindy-ness in the bearings. On your behalf, I've just been out to hand-turn the Vege I did up. Quite stiff using the flywheel, but turns fine. Did worry me, but I've turned it over on a starter, and it whizzes round just fine.
Bearing sitting on top of a dowel is easy to do: they don't protrude much. Mark the dowel positions with a felt tip before you slap the whole lot in.
Oops - you won't do that again... or that... or that. lol Let's hope you didn't damage the brass gear.
So I used Curil to seal the case together a week ago and the small amount of residue that has oozed out is still liquid, is this normal?
Its just as well, you do not actually want the sealant to hold the case halves apart, you want the resin in the curil to block the seepage of oil through the very small gap between two flat machined surfaces (unless the mating surfaces were gouged with tools leaving peaks and valleys in the surface, then you may have problems..) . The solvent will evaporate in the end and then the remaining sticky resin will block the gap. Its not meant to ever totally set.
