Tilton Slave, Zircotech Headers and Injector cleaning

[aide]

Adambul said:

Have a set of Helicoils handy when you refit your headers. I put ACT gaskets on mine after re-fitting which shortens the bite on the bolts by a mm or two. On top of that some previously heavy handed person had been there before me and I ended up re-threading 8 out of 16 of the exhaust bolts. The aluminium is so soft it was an easy job and provides a better thread so may be worth doing anyway IMO.

Thanks for that Adam, that's very interesting and much appreciated. When I was removing the headers I was wondering why every bolt had two washers, now I know why. Thanks, you've probably saved me a world of pain there. I'll measure how deep The bolts can go to make sure they firmly hold the headers in place. Sound!

Edited by aide on Sunday 3rd January 20:10

[aide]

djstevec said:

aide said:

I need to order a few straps to use wth the the engine crane.
Looking at stuff on MachinMart
Can someone let me know if I only need a couple of straps?
Many thanks
Aide

Only took a couple to lift my engine out. Happy to post them over if you'd like?

Hi Steve
Nice profile pic
YHM!
Aide

[aide]

Np - btw - when building the dollies, the washers are used as spacers. They're used to stop the ends of the bolts from catching on the top of the castors.

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aide said:

djstevec said:

aide said:

I need to order a few straps to use wth the the engine crane.
Looking at stuff on MachinMart
Can someone let me know if I only need a couple of straps?
Many thanks
Aide

Only took a couple to lift my engine out. Happy to post them over if you'd like?

Hi Steve
Nice profile pic
YHM!
Aide

Thanks for calling over yesterday Steve, much appreciated, and a great chat..



These engine straps will be put to good use.

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Some more progress today.

My headers and decats should be collected this week by Zircotech and I've more or less decided what essential work needs to be done to the engine.

And I got some more tools.


Hole saw:



Engine Crane:











Engine Dolly:





I'll remove the engine this week and then strip the fuel rail, tag the injectors and send them off for a refurb.

Will also order the Tilton parts and have a think about how I'm going to fit the new slave such that future clutch replacement can be done as easily as possible.

Best wishes
Aide

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Revvit said:

It would be great to see some pictures of the slave in-situ and your view on how easy it was to install.

My finger is hovering over the purchase button, as having the car in bits at the moment it seems madness to have it put back together using the same old fragile parts.

Hi, will post detailed photos and notes as I progress. Np, Aide

[aide]

Some more progress..

Boxed up the headers and decats for collection by Zircotech tomorrow.


Removed the radiator to have it recored on Saturday:









I'll remove the engine next and then work on the Tilton solution with full access to the engine, bellhousing and gearbox.

It should be easier to test and measure everything that way.

Best wishes!
Aide

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djstevec said:

Hey Aide,
Hows it all going? Hopefully a successful weekend

Hey Steve,

Going good so far.

-o- Headers arrived at Zircotech today
-o- rad being recored (I'll get a new condenser and new receiver drier while it's all stripped)
-o- Injectors to be sent tomorrow or Thursday
-o- Will order Tilton parts tomorrow and
-o- remove the engine Friday evening

I then just need to check to see if my bellhousing and engine are square. The (RP) slave has failed many times and I want to check to see if it actually engages squarely before I mod the bellhousing.

While I'm waiting for the headers to come back I'll get a few bits powder coated and clean up the engine bay.

TBh the chassis rails near the headers are in pretty good shape - there is only the slightest of surface rust - so I'll clean it all up, treat it and add some more shielding.

Does any one know how hot the AJP headers can get?

Aide

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Headers and decats should be back in 10 days or so, went for Perfromance Matt Black.

Removed the PAS and Oil feeds attached to the engine this evening.

The magnetic sump drain plug was perfectly free of any metallic particles.

I wanted to remove the fuel rail and get the injectors ready to send off for cleaning.

However, I'm a bit stumped...

I want to remove the engine, it's resting on its mounts and propped up level at the rear, under the sump, wiith wooden blocks. So all that is holding it in place are the mounts.

I should be able to remove the aircon pump, but I'm not sure how to go about removing the fuel rail and electrics on the top.

Can someone let me know how to strip the fuel rail off and prep the top to get the engine ready to lift out?

I really don't want to balls up anything as I'm disassembling.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Aide

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pmessling said:

Evening aide

The fuel rail has two straps that hold the rail down. There is a bolt probably Allen bolt from memory on either end of the straps they are stainless steel bent into a v but upside down as it is bolted to the throttle bodies. The return to tank regulator is on the end which can be left on. Once the straps are off just pull the fuel rail up. You'll find some injectors will stay in the throttle bodies and some will come out with the rail. Disconnect the plugs label them easier to unplug throttle pots as well all on the same part of the loom. You can see the straps in my photo.

Edited by pmessling on Wednesday 13th January 23:57

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your help

I’ll remove and tag everything this evening.

Will any fuel leak out of the rail once it’s removed?

Thanks
Aide

Edited by aide on Thursday 14th January 10:41

[aide]

Some good progress this evening.

-o- Removed, bagged and tagged the injectors for posting tomorrow
-o- Stripped and tagged the injector loom
-o- Removed the HT leads and drew a diagram of where each lead connects to the coil packs
-o- Removed the fuel lines

Will post the injectors tomorrow and then remove the air con compressor and bonnet so I can lift the engine.

The front crank seal is leaking and so are the cam covers.

Plus, some of the head bolts are weeping around the washers.

I have a stripped bolt (bellhousing to engine)

On top of that the PAS pump coupling is loose.

I'm leaning toward sending the engine off to a garage. At the very least I'll get all the above issues attended to plus the tappets.

I'd say the engine is fine - it ran 414bhp on SRR a while ago (running tesco petrol and with the cats in)

Aide

[aide]

Yes, coolant weeping from the top of the head bolts.
I think you're right gruff - a refresh would be a good idea.

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Just for info.
All the injectors were marked with:
E3427, D1720CE, 2290

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Hi Will

That's a really great idea and if the new line is run along the top of the greabox (like the lambda sensors) it'll be safe from manifold heat.

Just thinking about it - the RP slave - I wonder why they didn't just swap the bleed hose for the feed from the master cylinder in the first place? (Probably because it's easier to get all the air out when bleeding if the bleed hose is situated on the top?)

Which begs the question, do you have to position the Tilton slave such that the bleed hose line is at the top?

I've also been thinking about how to route the lines so that we can remove the gearbox with the Tilton still attached and the bellhousing still in situ.

Aide

[aide]

Hi Will

Yes - that's what I was thinking - running both the line from the master cylinder and the bleed line in between the gearbox and bellhousing via a slot or groove cut into the bellhousing.

That way, if you wanted to change the clutch you wouldn't even have to drain the fluid.

Running the feed from the master to the salve in your pic's is the absolute best way to route that line.

I think all the above plus the Tilton itself (and a Kevlar clutch) will completely rid the Cerbera of it's Achilles tendon for good.

Aide

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julian64 said:

where are you based aide? It a shame cos if you were anywhere near me you could have used a two post ramp sitting idle in my garage. Getting the engine out as the first thing would've made the manifold etc easy, and it doesn't really take that long to do.

I had one chap who hired a trailer for the day and by the evening he was going home with the car and engine secured to different bits of the trailer.

Thanks Julian, that is a very kind offer and sincerely much appreciated. Having a two post ramp would certainly make life easier.
I did manage to make some progress today.
Aide

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Got the injectors back today:



Pulled the engine this evening.






Will refit the bellhousing and take some measurements tomorrow before getting it ready to ship for a refresh.

[aide]

More progress this evening.

The Zircotech headers are ready and the radiator has been recored, so I should have those back this week.

Took a few pictures and some measurements for the slave installation.

The engine is being collected this week and while it's away I'll work on fitting the Tilton slave and clean up the engine bay.

Some pictures..

2, 4, 6, 8 Exhaust Ports and Spark Plugs:



1, 3, 5, 7 Exhaust Ports and Spark Plugs:




Chassis Rails look pretty ok, I'll replace the heat shielding and check them all round.

N/S:


O/S:



The Tilton Slave install guide says that you need to measure the depth from the face of the bellhousing to the diaphragm fingers:


And also need to allow for the thickness of the ruler:


Aide

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NilsP said:

So you went in for a clutch slave and ended up doing an engine rebuild
Well that escalated quite fast

I always knew it was on the cards. After seeing it out on the ground, with easy access and to be able to have a really good look, I'm delighted I decided to pull it out sooner rather than later. Have to admit, it is a slippery slope

NilsP said:

Top Job btw. Will come in handy when I get in there for a flywheel and some other things

Thanks, glad to help.

Aide

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Headers arrived today: