SAAB V4 Forum
SAAB V4 Forum
Home | Profile | Register | Active Topics | Members | Search | FAQ
Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

 All Forums
 Technical
 Projects
 Veronica
 New Topic  Reply to Topic 
 Printer Friendly 
Previous Page | Next Page
AuthorPrevious Topic Topic Next Topic
Page  of 17

john-saab
Administrator

United Kingdom
2679 Posts

Posted - 06 Dec 2009 :  18:38:25 Show Profile Reply with Quote
I have another engine almost ready to fit...just needs a clean and a few gaskets so i will investigate the old one later..it was never good as far as oil pressure goes.
Go to Top of Page

john-saab
Administrator

United Kingdom
2679 Posts

Posted - 19 Dec 2009 :  16:38:37 Show Profile Reply with Quote
I have been working on an engine that i plan to put into Veronica, it came from a reasonably low milage car with a later built engine (36,000 miles on a 79 engine)I had a quick drive in the car that this engine came from and it went like stink..on a FoMoCo carb...it was quiet and full of power. The engine was dirty and i thought that it could do with a clean, de-coke, new gaskets/seals.. i wanted to check the whole thing out as I plan to fit the twin carb and either the Highgate or a Jetex exhaust later. The engine...difficult to see here but the block is painted yellow.


With the sump off i could see this engine would need a good internal clean..there were lumps of carbon and grit in the sump and on the oil filter...more of an issue was that there were a few very small shiney bits of metal..

A thick sludge and dirt in the sump..

With the heads off i was very pleased with the condition of the pistons and bores..just a very small amount of carbon on teh piston tops and a little glazing on the tops of the bores..

Bottom end looked good..I couldn't detect any excessive wear in the bearings..

It was then that i took a look at the timing gear..it all looked in very good condition..


There was no play in the balance shaft..

BUT there was a LOT of play in the camshaft..this was a worry so the timing gear came off and i could see a small slither of metal poking out of the camshaft end..out came the shaft..in good condition..

The same can't be said about the bearings..they were falling to pieces at both ends..the middle bearing also looke suspect..


The camshaft ends..


A few questions..will the camshaft end need re-grinding?..do camshaft bearing come in different sizes as standard of is it a "one size fits all" situation. I'm happy to have a go at fitting the bearings..i will warm the block and freeze the bearings but ho do you fit the middle bearing..is there a special tool and if there is does anyone have one i can hire? Who's best for buying bearings?..Scantex sell them but i may try a Ford dealers I know that has a good pile of old spares..anyone have the Ford part number?

Edited by - john-saab on 19 Dec 2009 18:28:42
Go to Top of Page

john-saab
Administrator

United Kingdom
2679 Posts

Posted - 20 Dec 2009 :  13:22:58 Show Profile Reply with Quote
I have done my homework (shame it wasn't spelling..just re-read my last post) and have found a lot more info on fitting the bearings..my parts book doesn't list a special tool for the job.
I bumped into a guy who i haven't seen in ages..he runs a little country side garage and I mentioned the engine..turns out he has a pile of SAAB spares i can have including a set of steel timing gear
Go to Top of Page

pchristy
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
1790 Posts

Posted - 20 Dec 2009 :  13:35:53 Show Profile Reply with Quote
You jammy s**!!!!!


--
Pete
"Duct tape is like the Force: It has a light side and a dark side, and it binds the Universe together!"
Go to Top of Page

Woody
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
2758 Posts

Posted - 20 Dec 2009 :  16:06:40 Show Profile Reply with Quote
What is the condition of the balance shaft bushings? Bores do look good, maybe just a glaze bust. The pistons will clean up easy.
Go to Top of Page

john-saab
Administrator

United Kingdom
2679 Posts

Posted - 02 Jan 2010 :  08:42:24 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Bearings for cam and balance shaft have neen ordered and should be here within the next week. Still not sure if it's a job better done by an engine builders as i'm sure the cam will need a light skim..i haven't taken the balance shaft out yet buy i'm going to replace the bearings anyway...might as well also go for a glaze bust if it goes away.
Anyone who know me knows i don't like to spend if i don't have to but camshaft skimming isn't something i can do at home..any ideas what this will cost..any ideas where the best place is to get the work done? I have a company..a well established company, not too far from me but i have been told as many bad tales about the company as good so i'm a little unsure if i want to use them.
I have an engine that is possibly scrap.the balance shaft stripped it's teeth so i will take the camshaft out of that today to see if that's a better option..unless anyone out there has a very good camshaft they would sell?

Edited by - john-saab on 02 Jan 2010 08:53:57
Go to Top of Page

Woody
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
2758 Posts

Posted - 02 Jan 2010 :  12:15:43 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Call me tight - (scot's blood you know) but I would try cleaning the journals and lobes with fresh oil and wire wool or pre-used wet/dry paper then scrub the castings with a stiff toothbrush and degreaser. Are the journals and lobes badly scored?
It doesn't look any worse than my standard engine which had done 115K miles back in 1987 and it had all new bushings and is now sat in the Troll.
Go to Top of Page

john-saab
Administrator

United Kingdom
2679 Posts

Posted - 09 Jan 2010 :  09:36:35 Show Profile Reply with Quote
I'm normaly an early riser but with a head full of cold I planned to stay in bed a bit longer this morning. At 7.15am the front door almost came off it's hinges with desperate banging, I thought the worst and expected to open it to find the fire brigade. It was a delivery man trying his best to get the days work done and avoid the deep snow predicted. So what whas he delivering...my new engine bearings...

Now I have to make the desision..home re-build or ship it out for a machine shop to do..I'm going to leave thet desision for now until my head clears.

Edited by - john-saab on 09 Jan 2010 09:40:10
Go to Top of Page

john-saab
Administrator

United Kingdom
2679 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2010 :  20:51:38 Show Profile Reply with Quote
A little more progress on the engine today. I removed the crank and it looks in excellent condition..as do the crank bearings. The conrod bearings are showing signs of wear so they will be replaced. The balance shaft didn't have any play but when i removed it there was wear on one side..the oil groove is worn away on one side of the front end..so it also needs replacing.
Go to Top of Page

john-saab
Administrator

United Kingdom
2679 Posts

Posted - 14 Mar 2010 :  08:06:01 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Slow progress on the engine but i now have a good balance shaft and a good cam shaft.
I drifted the old camshaft bearings out with a socket and drifted the new bearings in with the same socket..disaster with the middle one as teh socket slipped and damaged the edge..the 2 outer bearings went in fine and i think i can smooth the inner bearing enough to save it.
I didn't have a big enough socket to remove the balance shaft bearings so i used a screw driver..it done the job. Drifting the balance shaft bearings in was a doddle as you can lay a piece of wood over the end and tap them in. The balance shaft fits a treat with no play..it turns..dry..by hand with a little bit of effort and once i dropped a bit of oil on the bearing it was perfect..no tight spots. The same can't be said for the cam shaft..i will smooth the damaged bearing off today but i may have to buy another set..next time i will get a proper drift made up.
Once the camshaft is done i will start re-building the engine...thats the easy part..I HOPE!
Go to Top of Page

john-saab
Administrator

United Kingdom
2679 Posts

Posted - 31 Mar 2010 :  16:54:45 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Fitting a Jetex exhaust to Veronica.
A small windfall on Ebay left me with a bit of Paypal money that was burning a hole in my pocket...BUY A JETEX shouted the Devil on my left sholder..put it into the bank said the angel on my right sholder...it didn't take much and I hit the BUY IT NOW button for a Coventry based company "CVP Services" I know nothing about the company but i ordered the exhaust on Sunday and it arrived on Tuesday!
I had read on this forum that fitting the Jetex was possible on a 95 but it's not a straight fit..an extra section is needed so i collected a piece from a local motor factors..it cost £8.00.
First job was to remove the old exhaust and although it passed an MOT a little while back the rear box fell to pieces..it had rotted from the inside out and i think that the insides were restricting the flow..the fibers inside were black and sooty.
The front section of the exhaust looked OK but it was also rotten inside so rather than struggle to get it off i cut the silencer in to two..the long pipe was on it's last legs so it's all been thrown into the scrap pile.
I fitted the front pipes first..then the center silencer..nothing was tightened at this piont but the joints were smeared with copper grease.
The original hanger lined up with the rear box but it left the tail pipe hanging out past the bumper over rider..it looked silly and it was vunerable to nudging so i lined it up to where i wanted it and made a new bracket..a flat plate that moved the hanging position forward about 5cm.

I tried to fit the pipe that sits inbetween the rear and centre silencer but it was too short and it touched the lip from the lower edge of the inner wing to floor pan..something that doesnt exist on the 96..

I could have opted to hang the exhaust lower but that would affect the way it fitted in the middle of the car..drastic action was needed..i had a choice of trimming the lip..something I didn't want to do as it could allow rust in later or taking a big hammer to the new exhaust..that method worked a treat and it didn't need much to give the pipe enough clearence for a good fit.

This re-fitting left the rear pipe section in a stange angle and although it fitted it was only just hanging onto both silencers..that's where the extra section came into play..it fitted onto the rear of the center silencer and filled the gap..

With the whole thing in place i started to tighten things up...revealed a few more problems..the front pipe on the drivers side goes from the manifold and through the engine bay floor very square..
Plenty of room all around..

The passingers side is a different story..it's very close to the rear edge.i'm not sure why and there is little i can do about it..the pipe is also very close to the washer bottle and pump..

I will add support brackets later (not included in the Jetex kit.)
With everything tightened i tried to fit the rear mud flap bracket..it was touching the rear silencer even before i tightened the bolts..

I had to grind a bit away to make it fit..another reason the exhaust can't hang any lower..

The fit is good..you may notice that the right hand bumper on my car is sagging a bit..the car has had a shunt at the back in the past and the bumper bracket is bent..i plan to pull the back end apart later and straighten it all up..i have a NOS bracket to fit and a better rear bumper..the exhaust is a reasonably tight fit at the moment but when it's all repaired it will sit a whole lot better..

I mentioned at the beginning that the original rear silencer may have been restricting the flow..the difference with this exhaust is nothing short of amazing..not just a few extra HP but the car drives like it never has before..so much more power and so much nicer to drive..and that Jetex sound is superb!








Edited by - john-saab on 31 Mar 2010 17:01:12
Go to Top of Page

Derek
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
2187 Posts

Posted - 31 Mar 2010 :  18:11:08 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Well done. Have to say that it looks desperately tight in places and I think you'll be doing a few more tweaks. Glad it goes better though. That pump can be move sideways, I note you only have it fixed by one screw so that will move to the other side easily. The later big washer bottles fit down there and often show signs of having been removed when the exhaust is still hot. Not an easy job, with the battery getting in the way too. Exhaust does keep the washer fluid warm though, which is a bonus.
Go to Top of Page

pchristy
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
1790 Posts

Posted - 01 Apr 2010 :  10:04:56 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Sounds like you've finally got a running engine there, John! Well done! I know you've had a few disappointments in that direction!

--
Pete
"Duct tape is like the Force: It has a light side and a dark side, and it binds the Universe together!"
Go to Top of Page

john-saab
Administrator

United Kingdom
2679 Posts

Posted - 01 Apr 2010 :  16:25:15 Show Profile Reply with Quote
Engine still playing up but i ditched the Weber for now and i'm back onto the FoMoCo..less power but it idles fine..the oil pressure gets very very low at times.
I have another set of camshaft bearings on the way from Scandix..these i will fit with more care.
I took the car out for a good hard drive today and with the old exhaust it never was happy over 65mph..it went a lot faster today and with a lot less sffort!
Go to Top of Page

rsimps
V4 Guru

United Kingdom
1616 Posts

Posted - 02 Apr 2010 :  07:35:16 Show Profile Reply with Quote
I tend to machine some nylon to fit all bearings when drifting them in. You can make a step so the bearing will locate on the nylon. Handy having a little lathe if you can find one at a good price.
Go to Top of Page
Page  of 17Previous Topic Topic Next Topic 
Previous Page | Next Page
 New Topic  Reply to Topic 
 Printer Friendly 
Jump To: 
Snitz Forums 2000
SAAB V4 Forum© 2000-04 Snitz CommunicationsGo To Top Of Page