Technical, Blog, Parts
“Your Engine Our Passion” our 14 Step Guide to Happiness
Your Engine Our Passion
We don’t take this statement lightly, we live by these words, we treat every engine as if it’s one of our own. We do not just pump out generic engines, we build your dream engine, the right way the first time by following our 14 step procedure.
Step 1
Remove the engine from the vehicle
Now while we know some people like to remove their own engines not everyone can so that’s where we will start step one. We take photos of the vehicle from every angle prior to removing the engine and give the job its own job number which we tag the keys with. Next, we take photos of the engine before we dismantle it as not all engines are the same so we can refer back to them to double-check the engine at the end of the rebuilding process. We then dismantle the engine taking photos of the engine’s internals to show our customers and tag all of the engine components with tags that include the job number so everything is easily identified once it’s in pieces. We then allocate one of our engine containers to store the parts in while we get everything ready for our acid bath and hot wash tank or our ultra-sonic cleaner.
Step 2
Cleaning the engine
Acid Bath, Ultrasonic Cleaner and Hot wash
All of the engine components including the block, cam, crank, con rods, and cast heads are put into the acid bath which completely immerses the engine components to remove all of the built-up carbon and dirt and residue collected throughout the engines life, this means we clean out every bit of build-up even in the internal galleries of the block and cylinder heads, while any aluminum-based components are placed in our agitating ultrasonic tank and then into our hot wash tank. We also place our acid bathed components in the hot wash to clean out any leftover acid from the bath.
Step 3
Measuring and quoting
All engines are measured against manufacturers specs to find out how much machining needs to be done to the components using our calibrated measuring equipment so we can go through and quote up everything that will be required to rebuild the engine after the customer has received the quote and has given us the go-ahead to rebuild their pride and joy.
Step 4
Reboring, Sleeving Honing and Decking
Once the block has been acid bathed cleaned and measured against factory clearances and tolerances and the customer has given us the ok we set the block up on one of our AMC boring and milling machines, once bolted down into place and we rebore each cylinder either for a new sleeve to take it back to standard or we bore the block out oversize usually to either -020 or -040 as per the quote, we then use our Sunnen hone to get the bore size to the exact tolerance needed to give the engine its best chance at a longer and greater engine life. From here the engine is then either decked or the counterbores are cut for sleeves and then decked ready for the new pistons and rings or the sleeve which is then rebored the same way as the parent block.
Step 5
Linishing or Grinding
Whilst the block has already been machined we need to look at the rotating items of the engine such as the Camshaft and the Crankshaft as they have both usually seen better days and need to be either linished/polished or they need to be reground to remove any pitting or imperfections from the previous life they lived, we also check the seal running surfaces for the front and rear seals as dirt and build-up usually gouge out or run a line in the seals sitting area so we grind out the seal area and rebuild it back up by metal spraying and remachining to the correct size, we can also do this for the nose of the crank should the keyway have damaged it.
Step 6
Cylinder Head Machining
Every cylinder all head is crack tested and pressure tested and any faulty heads are replaced, whilst we have already decked the block surface the cylinder head will also require the same process after the valve train has been machined and restored to the manufacturer’s specifications. We start by checking the cylinder heads harness and then when this is within spec we move onto the drivetrain of the cylinder head. The valves usually wear the guides and the seats out from wear and tear over the years of service so we have to either replace the guides and seats or remachining the existing components. It’s after all the head is ready to be assembled we reface the cylinder head ready to be assembled.
Step 7
Connecting Rods
Whether they are forged or cast rods they need to be checked for straightness and size for the gudgeon/piston pins and the crankshaft diameter if they are out of specification some rods can be straightened and the pin bush resized on our con rod hone ready for assembly.
Step 8
Replacement Parts
All existing parts such as fuel pumps, injectors, turbos, timing chains, gears, oil pumps, camshaft, main and big-end bearings, hydraulic lifters, rocker shafts, rocker arms, gaskets, and seals are checked for correct sizes or damage and are either cleaned up or they are replaced as required which is part of the original quote, we like to check everything in a two-step process at the time of quote and once again at the time of washing and assembling as sometimes the engine components require more work than what was quoted on originally.
Step 9
Final Washing
After all of the machining is finished our team carefully washes all engine components major and minor to make sure every spec of contamination has been removed and that the engine parts are all ready for final assembly, this is not like the cleaning at the start to remove dirt and build-up this is to make sure there is no swarf or any foreign objects in the engine and galleries that could harm the engine before it’s had a chance to live.
Step 10
Long Engine Assembly
Engine assembly is carried out by qualified and competent engine reconditioners. This immensely important stage is carried out in a sealed and temperature-controlled area ensuring the engines stay extremely clean and dust-free. Whilst assembling is carried out by measuring and testing components at all stages and continually referring to the engine technical datasheets, including checking piston heights with dial gauge for precision to give precise compression ratio, which is critical to overall performance and fuel efficiency. All components are fully tested including the oil system on our test bench where we run oil through the oil system of the engine to ensure that the engine has the correct flow prior to sealing the engine and cleaning everything up ready for shipping or for complete engine assembly.
Step 11
Long engine vs Complete engine
Now while some customers only require a long engine which is the rocker cover through to the sump to seal the engine this does not include any of the timing elements of the engine or any of the accessories such as the fuel pump, injectors, turbo, manifolds, alternator, spark or glow plugs for this you need to continue on for a complete engine which is still a few more hours work to get the engine ready for shipping or for install. All engines are cling wrapped to maintain cleanliness during storage or for fitting in our in-house mechanical workshop.
Step 12
Engine Installing
Now that the engine builder has finished working his magic it’s over to our highly qualified mechanical team to inspect his work and check to make sure everything is ready for the vehicle to be brought back to life. The team inspects all of the cooling systems, mounts, clutch, and flywheel have either passed inspection or have been replaced or upgraded. Once the engine has been carefully refitted to the vehicle the team pressure test the cooling system and double-check over the timing, the fuel, and the oil before breathing life back into the engine ready for the final step.
Step 13
Startup and Run-in
Now that the engine is back ready to start we get our engine builder back and as a team, we start up and bed in the camshaft and internals whilst checking everything step by step, after the cam is bedded in we shut the engine down and inspect for any oil, fuel or coolant leaks we then refit the bonnet and tighten up the hoses ready for its maiden voyage sticking to our warranty run-in procedure and service schedule. After the vehicle has been cleaned and inspected again the customer is informed that the car is ready to collect or if requested we can run the engine in for the 1st crucial service.
Step 14
Enjoy all the hard work the Team at Noordeman Diesel has put into building your new dream engine.
