Super Major Engine rebuild

[Fixersteve]

Morning Adrian, The crank pulley is looking fine, I have got some cheap 30 grade mineral oil to run her in on.

Had a fairly good weekend on her, Didnt get her started though. Ran out of time and energy

Hope fully this evening after work i will get her running. Just got the valve clearences, Oil filter, fuel pipes, side rails, tomb stone, radiator and battery box left to put on.

Will take some more pics later.


Untitled by fixersteve, on Flickr


Untitled by fixersteve, on Flickr

[AdrianNPMajor]

Hi Steve

My 63 NP Super had a bronze pilot bearing. From the photo it looks like yours has the same. The bearing was completely unworn so I nearly left it but did replace it in the end. I suspect you've left yours for the same reason, which I wish I had done now. I don't like replacing stuff just for the sake of it - there has to be a good reason for it.

Have you got a way of putting some load on the engine to bed the rings in? I put mine on a subsoiling plough. As you probably know, it needs to grunt a little.

Wish you lived down the road. I would love to be there when you crank her over for the first time.

Best

Adrian

[Fixersteve]

Hi Adrian, yeh mine has a bronze pilot bearing and it is completely untouched! So i have left it. Yeh need to find some hard work for her, have got a couple fields that need reseeding for grass, might stick the plough on her and put her to work.

Yeh cornwall and sulfolk are a fair stretch apart.

[AdrianNPMajor]

You are going to love just listening to her run. As she does so, you'll find yourself rebuilding her again in fast forward in your mind, running through all the moving parts that are contributing to the lovely noise that you are hearing. There are no better diagnostic tools than a Mk 1 eyeball and earhole!

Best

Adrian

[Dandy Dave]

haha I like the sound of a Farmers omlette what does it consist of ?? We have omlettes but to be honest there not the most exiteing meal over here, its basically just cheese and onion haha. Just out of interest how much does the normal white diesal cost in your parts?? We are up to £1.35 - £1.50 in the uk. The price we have to pay for a country being ran by monkeys haha

All the best dan.

The Recipe verys as it is made with whatever you have on hand for veggies and pork. here is a good recipie. I usually skip the potatos... A Western Omlete is another good one. http://www.neighborlyfarms.com/recipes/ ... melet.html

Diesel here is above $4 US dollars a Gallon in my area. This state like to put a high tax on it. Yup, over here things are run by a, "Congress of Baboons." Now back to Fordsons... Dandy Dave!

[AdrianNPMajor]

This made her growl!

[URL=http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/ ... .jpg[/img][/url]

[AdrianNPMajor]

Steve

I wonder what kind of thermostat you've fitted. I am an advocate of a higher end operating temperature. The Operators' Manual for the New Super Major (original copies appear on eBay from time to time) says that coolant temp should be in the range 160F - 190F. I have fitted a stat that keeps her at 190F. She warms up quickly and sits at this temperature afterwards. The engine has a lovely note to it and there's no hint of any incomplete combustion. The link below takes you to a US manufacturer's website, and an explanation of their technology and the theory behind it. I haven't got one of their stats but I buy into the theory behind it - see extract below.

Food for thought!

Best

Adrian

http://www.dieselsite.com/dieselsite203thermostat.aspx

[url]Question: Why do I want my truck to run warmer?



Answer: You want the engine oil/water temps to be warmer so you get a cleaner, more complete combustion. This can actually bring exhaust gas temperatures DOWN. Diesel ignites from heat of compression. The idea is to compress the air charge to build enough heat to light the fuel, but if it's fighting against a low engine heat, the fuel will ignite, but not as complete as if the cylinders were just a bit warmer. The more complete the combustion, the cooler the exhaust temperatures. Diesel fuel combustion tends to complete best at temps above 200°. An added benefit from using the 203° thermostat is better working cab heaters in the cold months. Another added benefit is better fuel economy. We have seen everywhere from 1-4mpg increases. This depends on climates, driving habits, etc. Even a modest .25 mpg increase will pay for the thermostat in a few miles.



For anyone who doesn't think 8 degrees can make a difference, consider that at 211 degrees water is hot, at 212 degrees, its converted to vapor. At the right critical point for every matter on earth, a degree or a few degrees can make a HUGE DIFFERENCE. [/url]

[Fixersteve]

Well adrian, I have fitted the thermostate supplied by Agriline. At the moment i will settle for her starting on the button and running sweet

The to extracts you posted do get the old gray matter cranking over......

[AdrianNPMajor]

Se how you go, Steve. After all the great work you have done the hotter thermostat is just a tweaking issue and easily carried out if you decide you want to go down that route.

Best

Adrian

[Pavel]

I suspect that this is not the best. or proper, place to air this subject -- but since it has been 'recommended' above, and in other posts -- here goes.

Flogging a newly reconditioned engine [new liners, p/rings, crank re-grind and bearings etc.] by giving it some seriously hard yakka straight after start-up is not the way to go!
Agreed, if you pussy-foot around under no-load conditions you are inviting cylinder bore glazing resulting in bad compressions and power output. However, all new moving parts will have machining marks that need to be bedded-in -- and that applies equally to the cross-hatched honing on cylinder walls.
I would suggest that for the first outing, probably a whole day, an engine is given moderate work and that the revs should be regularly changed from just under 50% max to just under 75%. The trick is to not allow the engine to maintain the same revs. whilst working for any length of time. This will let the p/rings load up against the cylinder walls and ensure both rings and liners obtain the desired matching surfaces. Bearings and journals will also bed in.
Then, after this initial process, an engine, especially a diesel, will be ready for serious hard work.
I would also suggest that after a week of work, the oil and filter should be changed to get rid of the microns of metal particles worn off during the process.

Pavel

[AdrianNPMajor]

Couldn't agree more, Pavel. If you re-read my posts, I wasn't advocating starting the tractor in the field attached to a sub-soiling plough.

Best

Adrian

[Fixersteve]

Okay after busting a gut to get her back together this evening............. the news is.......... She still wont come to life! but on a good note ive got 45psi on the guage when im cranking her over.

Ive made sure she is bled up properly and i have got fuel to the top of the injector pipes. But not even a sign of any smoke from the stack!

She is flying over on her new starter and freshly charged 100ah lifeboat battery.

Anyone got any tips??


Untitled by fixersteve, on Flickr


Untitled by fixersteve, on Flickr


Untitled by fixersteve, on Flickr


Untitled by fixersteve, on Flickr

[thestig246]

could be a fuel problem somewhere or maybe a timming issue.

[scoobyjim]

Timing or no timing. No smoke means no fuel.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Hi Steve

You've still got air in the system. Give her a good crank over with all injectors nuts open, then close them and crank her again. Loosen a single injector nut next if necessary.

Great oil pressure on cranking.

Best

Adrian

[Pavel]

Steve, as Adrian suggests, loosen, or completely undo, the fuel pipe connecting nuts at the injectors and use the starter until fuel squirts out of all the pipes. Whilst the priming lever on the lift pump can be used to expel air from most of the system, it can only do so as far as the injector pump; which leaves an air buffer still in the distributing pipes -- and air pressure alone will not open the injectors.
Also check the obvious -- that the stop lever is in the 20 to 25 o'clock position and that the fuel lever at the rear of the pump responds to movements of the hand throttle.

Many of us wait with bated breath to hear that your hard work is rewarded with the success it richly deserves.

Pavel

[AdrianNPMajor]

Any news, Steve? As Pavel says, we're on tenterhooks!

Just to run through the basics, she needs to be timed at 21 degrees BTDC. Assuming this, and the correct adjustment of the tappets (inlet 0.015"; exhaust 0.012"), then it's just a question of bleeding the diesel line. Flick the starter until the lift pump is off the cam, remove the exit bleed bolt on the fuel filter and pump until diesel spurts out, replace the bolt and then open the bleed bolt at the top of the fuel injection pump (the rearmost one - there are two). Continue pumping until the fuel flows without fizzing. Close the bleed bolt and then you're ready to start cranking with the starter motor. Do this first with all injector nuts open to fill the pipes, then tighten them when you're happy fuel is flowing from each. Crank her over again and she should fire. It's possible there might still be a bubble of air in the pump, so open one injector nut again whilst cranking and then close it again. She is now bled and should fire - after all you've done she can't not fire! If she doesn't, the only place to look is the injector pump.

Best

Adrian

[Fixersteve]

Thanks for the advice Adrian and Pavel, Unfortunately im going to have to wait unti 4.30 when I finish work to have another go at starting her.

Will let you know the out come....... fingers crossed

[thestig246]

A video of a 1st start up would be grand. Hope you can get her to fire.

dan.

[AdrianNPMajor]

When I started mine for the first time after the rebuild, after bleeding her as described above, I cranked her over for what was probably 5-8 seconds, which seemed like an age, with nothing happening, then she started to fire and within a few seconds was running smoothly.

Once you've got the air out of the system and fuel is being injected, the laws of physics will take over!

Best

Adrian

[Fixersteve]

Okay....... well ive done everything you chaps have suggested........ and still nothing not even trying.

Have tried the injector pump timing through the whole range of its adjustment.....still nothing

Do you think i should have the pump looked at??

HELP!

[Nick]

Could the timing be 180 degrees out? I got it 180 out on a super major engine and that didnt blow any smoke at all! Have you got decent compression? How far does diesel squirt out the injector pipes if you point them away from the engine? Mine went about 5ft.

[henk]

I think Nick has got it right.

[AdrianNPMajor]

Steve

No 1 cylinder needs to be on compression stroke when you time her. Line up the timing mark at 21 degrees BTDC in the bell housing sight hole, then take the oil filler cap off and feel the tappets for no 1 cylinder. They should be slack. If they are not, rotate the engine one revolution until the 21 degrees BTDC timing mark in the bell housing sight hole lines up again. Feel no 1 cylinder tappets again. They will be slack. Now mount your pump - the coupling timing marks should line up within a little - make any final adjustments on the claw bolts.

Best

Adrian

[Fixersteve]

Morning guys, have just double and triple checked the timing and it isnt 180 out. If i take the exhaust out the manifold there is what looks like exhaust gas coming out. Is it more likely to be the pump rather than all four injectors failing???