engine showing low oil pressure.

[Datsundude]

No wonder Krylon sound familiar... I was asking my self I heard this brand before but where?


Ben (Datsundude)

[Datsundude]

This motor will be temporary use. I don’t want to spend too much time and $ into this motor however I still want it to last as long as possible until I have extra $ to have my original # matching motor that goes with the roadster rebuild professionally. I am lack of mechanic skill so I just want a strait forward easy rebuild, dismantle, clean and replace seal/gasket this kind of rebuild.
Can you guys please give me some suggestions on what and where do I start on the motor? and when I got the engine head or block apart, What is the most common worn out parts or clue that I should look for on this type of motor (R16)?
How can I verify if the oil pump is still good? Can the oil pump be rebuild?
Worn out bearing, what kind clue I should look for?


Punch list.
1, dismantle engine head and block
2, inspect (mechanical parts and bearing)
3, clean
4, replace seal/gasket
5, put back together.
Is there anything else I might have missed?

Prior to dismantle the motor, what method I should use to identify if this motor is worth the efforts and money?
I hand turn the fly wheel that still mounted on the motor, turn easily, is this a good sign?


Thanks in advance.
Ben (Datsundude)

[ppeters914]

I'm gonna echo Sid and Dave and say that (IMHO) the cheapest and quickest option would be to just clean it up, fix/replace whatever is obviously not right, spray can paint the block, and call it good.

If it's questionable, you might consider replacing the rear main rope seal and oilpan gasket since the engine is already out. I'm guessing you can also see the condition of the cylinders w/ the oil pan removed.

Then slap that puppy in, do all the basic pre-ignition stuff, and fire it up. Once it's running, you can do compression, vacuum, and leakdown tests to determine whether a rebuild is necessary.

Yes, you've spent a few hours, but it's still less time and $$$ that doing a rebuild. Heck, even if you find that the engine DOES require rebuilding, figure it was a good learning experience, and you'll be faster next time.

As for a rebuild checklist, did you visit the link that Dave provided to Gordon's site? Lotsa good info on how things are put together, how they're supposed to work, and what to look out for.

[Datsundude]

Ok thanks Pete... I know the oil pan gasket but what the heck is the rear main rope seal? where is it on the motor?

Dave,
thank you for the links, this is very helpful info.

Ben (Datsundude)

[ppeters914]

Almost every engine has a front and rear seal for the crankshaft, which are generally referred to as the "main seal." Regarding the Datsun, I'll just quote from Gordon's website:

"The rear main bearing has a concentric, two-part, graphited rope seal to prevent oil leakage. In addition, the rear main bearing cap has two rubber bar seals to prevent oil leakage between the bearing cap and the engine block."

That said, my comment about maybe replacing this seal since the engine is already out may have been a bit premature. Read this and decide for yourself:

http://www.311s.org/tech/engine/rearmain.html

And did you notice where that article is? Yup, right here on 311s.org.

Take some time and review some of the Technical Info and other stuff. I'll bet many of your questions will be answered there - sure beats reinventing the wheel.

Are we having fun yet?

[dbrick]

Best bet may be to put in an oil pump and crank seals and toss it in. If it's no good, the oil pump can go in another engine and all you wasted was time. Worst thing that can happen is you trash a free engine.

If you don't psyche yourself out before starting, most repairs and even major rebuilds go smoothly with a good manual and someone patient to answer any "stupid" questions.

I'm not that bright, and I rebuild all kinds of stuff (Scary part is I fix fire alarms for a living)


Good luck,
Dave

Oh, on the Krylon kits, I used dark blue, you could use the orange but then it requires 92 octane gas and a chrome exhaust tip to handle the extra power.

[ppeters914]

"Oh, on the Krylon kits, I used dark blue, you could use the orange but then it requires 92 octane gas and a chrome exhaust tip to handle the extra power."

Yeah, too bad we no longer have Sunoco 260 and those dial-your-octane gas pumps!

[Datsundude]

Hey guys, this is great tech info, thanks all you guys. From you guys advise and suggestion the main seal and oil pump is what I’m concentrating now when rebuilding this motor.
Is there anyway I can test out the pump to see if it still good, if not where else can I get the pump beside our vender and what’s the price for a new pump?

Krylon paint, what did you guy used, the regular low temperature or the high temperature Krylon paint?
And I think I will stick with Dark blue color, I want to keep it stock looking.

Speaking of Krylon paint, do you guy recommend to use Krylon paint to paint the engine bay? I used a different brand other Krylon to paint my suspension, frame and other parts of the car, the paint just chip easily even just a light impact with other parts and I even left if dry for days before putting it back together, of course I used premier and prior painting I remove old paint and clean the surface with alcohol. It does not bond as good as a professional paint job, why? Do you guys have this problem using Krylon spray paint to paint your suspension and engine parts?
Other than professionally, what have you guys used to paint your parts and engine bay?

Thanks
Ben (Datsundude)

[spl310]

If you want to keep it close to stock looking, get GM Corporate Blue engine paint. It is very close.

[Datsundude]

Guys,
Is Crankshaft seal mean the same thing as crank seal? I found this on AutoZone parts store, they listed as crankshaft seal, I just want to be sure that this is the same part before I purchase it.


Sid,
thanks for paint info.

[dbrick]

As far as chassis paint, I used to use Russel Chassis epoxy, was very tough. Remember that surface prep is Everything with paint. All grease wax and rust must be removed or you are wasting your time and paint.

I would go to Eastwoods.com and see what they have. They are very thorough in their reccomendations.

There is something called POR (paint over rust) that is reputed to work well as a surface prep and primer, but I havn't tried it.

I use engine enamel for engine blocks, and you can use a clear coating on aluminum. Exhaust paints don't hold up for long, ceramic coated or "Jet Hot" is worth every cent.

[dbrick]

I just read Ben's posts a little more thoroughly. I was thinking we were speaking of a running car on the road (Wish I had one of those)

If you have the frame and body seperated for a restoration, and will be rebuilding a motor anyway, I would just plan on doing one motor and doing it right. If you think you might want to make a stroker, do it now, don't spend money twice. Same with tools and equipment like jacks and stuff...If possible buy the good stuff first instean of cheap tools. You will save messing up alot of parts and knuckles. That way the engine can be in the car when you bolt the body back on, and you won't have to remove and install the motor and trans in a freshly painted car. Don't rush to get it done and finish the details later, they won't get done. I just spent 4 months straightening out a kit car someone started right and finished in a hurry. It was a mess. (windshield was held in with 4 loose #10 sheetmetal screws into fiberglass)

If you are going to disassemble the motor, get a big box of ziplock bags and a Sharpie for the bolts and nuts and small parts.
Make a head board. This is a scrap of 2x4 with 8 nails and 8 holes numbered 1 exaust 1 intake 2 exhaust...etc. Nails are for the valve springs, holes for valves. Egg boxes work well to seperate small parts too. The plastic trays for 64 oz soda bottles are great for pistons. Take lots of pictures.
Clean the parts 1 bag at a time and put them back in the bag, or a clean bagand relabel. you can spray with some oil to prevent rust.
Most important, don't mix up any parts such as bearing caps, connecting rod caps or main caps between cylinders or between engines. They are machined in place and only work if put back where found.

Disclaimer: This is the proper way to do things...It is not necessarily the way I do it. I tend to work from a large pile of mixed nuts and bolts burried under stuff on the workbench. But engine assembly is serious

[ppeters914]

Yes, Ben; crankshaft seal, crank seal, and main seal generally refer to the same thing. Like anything, always triple-check when ya can.

[Datsundude]

Dave,
I agree with you on not spending twice the money… I may have spend some extra dollar and time but its worth it for the experience, I will not spend alot of time and money into this motor except for some minor stuff like gasket/seal, oil pump and crank seal. Just to get it run for temporary. Until the other motor is professionally rebuild.


Thanks
Ben (Datsundude)

[Datsundude]

Thanks Pete.