Yet another XU9/10 engine build

[petert 600]

Good to hear we're exporting something!

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Yep. But do not expect it to have a massive impact on your nations overall balance of trade figures . I am not sure that $189 au will quite do the trick .

Andy

[petert 600]

Mind you, we probably exported the iron ore and coal to China, then bought it back as steel rod, at a greatly over inflated price.

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Almost certainly . Oh. Valve clearance. I checked at 6 and 10 degrees after tdc on the inlet and the same btdc on the exhaust. The down side of long rods ( relatively ) is that for a few degrees around tdc, the piston hardly moves . In the meantime, the inlet valve is trying to catch up with the piston . So, when the lifter shims arrive , allowing me to get somewhere close to the correct valve clearance, I will pop the cams back in( I have timed them up) , install just two valves with weak springs , pop a belt on and check all the above again with the cams timed . That way, I can see ‘for real’ just how much clearance I have at various crank positions around tdc. Unless, of course, you have a spreadsheet with the lift vs. crank angle for your cams in which case  I can use the measurements I have and check theoretically .

Just to save you asking (!) ,I measured the following :

exhaust :      @tdc  4.85mm

                   @6 degrees btdc   5.30mm

                  @6 degrees atdc. 5.35mm 

 

Inlet :         @tdc.     5.85mm 

                  @6 degrees btdc 6.08mm

                  @6 degrees  atdc  5.75mm

                  @10 degrees. atdc   6.75mm 

All look o.k, but , I used my Cometic 1mm mls gasket , so the bolts were only nipped up. I probably need to subtract maybe 0.5mm from the above readings . I do not have any used Xu10j4 head gaskets , otherwise I would have used one of those those, tightened some old bolts and subtracted the excess  compressed gasket thickness.

The only slight worry with the above data is that it does not look consistent.. At 6degrees atdc, the inlet loses  0.1mm. At the same position, the exhaust gains 0.5mm , and this has nothing to do with cam profiles, as I moved the crank independently of the cams , made sure the dummy valves were closed and measured the clearance by turning the cam until the valve just made contact with the piston . Hmm 

Andy

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Progress still frustratingly slow. Shimming up solid lifters would be quite easy with a complete set of shims covering the ranges I need for bot( inlet and exhaust . But I do not have access to that luxury, so now a pause whilst the set of shims to finally get the clearances correct  arrive. Then I can crack on with building my engine, installing it, making a loom to suit my ecu, install a digital dash from Stack ( when it comes ) hope to hell that the exhaust manifold clears the tunnel and deal with what I am sure other problems will turn up. 

Oh, took up the offer of a DW12 96mm crank at a really good price yesterday which will drop nicely into a spare Xu10j4 block that is already bored to 87mm . Even have some forged 158mm rods ( albeit Chinese in origin ) so I almost have a spare 2.3litre bottom end which will lurk in the corner of my garage until I find something to bolt onto the top of the block and  a car to put it in !

 

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Shims arrived and cams finally shimmed . I gave myself a near heart attack when I put both cams  in together. I will use a pair of vernier cam wheels , but for setting up, timing and shimming purposes, I used some o.e cam wheels . So, although the  cam relationship would not be perfect, to install I lined up the timing holes in the cam wheels roughly , then progressively tightened down the caps. Having torqued up, I was then puzzled to see that the valves on cylinder four were all open , and I mean open, which cannotbe right, so I looked at my timing marks( I timed both cams at tdc) and to my horror saw that the inlet cam was about 45 degrees away from tdc but the exhaust 90 degrees . Checked the timing holes in the cam wheels and they were lined up with the relevant holes in the head, so rather surprised . Anyway, very gently and progressively got to the correct phase relationship bygetting both cams to tdc( not as easy as it sounds without removing them and starting again ) So, question to Peter if you read this, as the inlet cam is a new billet grind, is the cam drive woodruff key location as o.e or just machined on the cam in a convenient position ?

[petert 600]

There are two keyways in the billet cam, one for exhaust applications and one for inlet applications. Make sure you use the keyway which matches up with the lobes of #4. It will be fairly obvious. Compare to a std cam if in doubt.

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Whoops. Cheers. I know what I have done . Not the end of the world but I will need to make sure I put the vernier cam on correctly located .

 Andy

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Sorted. Thank you Peter.

 

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

I actually stopped playing with car electrics and began to resume my engine build. Rings gapped, piston skirt clearance checked so now my Wiseco pistons and Robson rods are safely  tucked up into the block . New 26 tooth oil pump sprocket fitted along with my rebuilt pump with the PeterT oil pickup extension. The windage tray has to go in before the pump is bolted down , but I ran out of energy so stopped ( too many miles in the Derbyshire hills on an ‘old school’ bike yesterday ) 

At this rate I will be fitting the spacer plate and sump tomorrow and closing up the bottom end . The head is ready to fit too so I am hoping for some reasonable progress during the next few days. 

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Oh.I knew this was too easy. Dipstick tube. I have an xu10j4R engine in bits . The dipstick tube protrudes into the sump and then curves around the windage tray to the other side of the block. I would quite like to use it but I have so far failed to get the damn tube to come out of the block. I have tried heat, to no avail . Suggestions welcome .

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

And the next little problem I had not thought about. Easy enough to fix but slowed progress. The spacer plate has a couple of Cross pieces , lending to the idea that in the Mi16 engine it was a strengthening plate. Anyway , the windage tray was in the way of the cross pieces. The latter were not in the way for long !

[SRDT 186]

It doesn't bolt on the main caps but it is indeed a strengthening plate.

[petert 600]

Yes, that's correct re spacer plate. Those two items were never in the same engine. An oxy torch usually gets the tube out. Although why can't you shorten it, if you'd like to keep it?

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Hi Peter. Voyage of discovery. Generally all Xu10j4 blocks are the same .However, as I am learning , generally is not the same as exactly . I was trying to use the dipstick tube from an xu10j4rs , which is not quite the same as the arrangement in the block that I am using , which was from an S16 . On this block, the dipstick tube at a straight tube, about 22 mm in diameter an is a press fit into the block , at the front, close to the oil filter . Anyway, I had one , so now installed. I then machined up an  insert to press into the top of this tube so that my XU9J4 dipstick holder would fit . 

That job done, bottom end sealed up and the head now on , complete with your oil restrictors ( remember those ) 

[SRDT 186]

Another change is that the deck is a bit more open on a XU10J4RS or XU10J2TE block.

The XU10J4 and XU10J4TE still have meat where the XUD prechambers should seat.

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Cheers. Not spotted that one either.

Andy

[petert 600]

I hope all this engine building isn't getting in the way of your cycling?

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Hi Peter,

 Nope, but a hairline fracture of my right kneecap in late April kept me off the bike for three weeks. Track league tonight so I will see how much fitness I lost after nearly a month off the bike. Engine progressing, but to my slight irritation the valve clearances have shifted a little now the head is on. I spent this morning removing the cams and correcting the clearances . Oddly not all of them had moved , and those that did, not by much, but I really did want 0.010” and .012” for inlet and exhaust . Anyway, belt to pop  back on and I will re check . 

 

[petert 600]

Nice, well done.

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Water outlet on the rear of the block. It has an extra outlet on the iron block engine. I know that a short piece of rubber hose, two clips and an old bolt would have done the trick, but one core plug ,hacksaw, file and a little core plug sealant later .........

[Tom Fenton 1,547]

Neat job Andy.

Are you coming to Hope show later?

[Andy 105 1 Cars]

Hi Tom,

Sorry. Jan out so no car . Sob .Will be at Pugfest though !

Andy

[petert 600]

I turn up a bung and TIG it. That weird looking aluminium welds really nicely.

[SRDT 186]

It looks like styrofoam because that's how you make the mold with the lost foam process, there is little to no machining needed after but on the other hand they probably can't use crappy pot metal.

Speaking of pot metal not all XU water outlets welds nicely.