Mi16 - XU9J4 - engine rebuild to go into a 309

[welshpug 1,666]

Only need to paint the covers as they're magnesium, the rest can stay bare, some wd40 will keep the corrosion at bay.

[petert 597]

Good work. I've never used 1215. Same sort of stuff by the looks of it.

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

The 1215 that i bought seemed to have the same spec as the one you recommended , just the colour was different . I am going to paint the cam covers in black VHT wrinkle paint , i am currently experimenting on a piece of steel and i can't get it to wrinkle at all at the moment , 3 coats on as instructions state and no wrinkling so have put a 4th on and will check in the morning . Will use satin black engine enamel if i have no joy with the crackle finish . The block is mint after wet blasting and i am not taking any chances with the glass beads so it was in the bath with the shower head cleaning out all the oilways with the help of bottle brushes . Liner ( Goetze ) protrusion looks good as well , i have a bit of pitting from corrosion of the inside of the block , is there anything worthwhile to apply to protect for the future .

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

Have put several coats of black VHT paint on the exhaust manifold and cured it in the oven ,

[petert 597]

Black ceramic coating would have been nicer. It's not too late.

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

I was just cleaning up the oil spray bars before refitting them to the block and i assumed that you would be able to check they were not blocked by just blowing through them , needless to say they appeared blocked and even connecting a length of dizzy vacuum advance pipe to a bike pump couldn't get any movement . After a few cycles through my ultrasonic cleaner and a bit of poking with some wire ( bike gear cable ) i can now blow air through but there is more restriction than i expected - is this normal ? I will be loctiting the 8 bolts when i refit them but was wondering if i need to use some sealant on the little spigot that goes into the block , its not a very tight fit . 

[petert 597]

They can become blocked. I gave up on an XU10J4 spray bar yesterday in fact. The check valve is usually the culprit. You can usually make it flutter with some compressed air. No sealant on the spigot but use 243 Loctite (or similar) on the threads.

[SRDT 186]

At what pressure are they supposed to open? You probaby don't want them to open at idle.

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

I have measured my crankshaft journals and they are just within tolerance to be able to fit a set of new std size shells , i am going to check the running clearance with plastigauge but the Haynes manual does not have a Peugeot spec for the clearance but instead states 0.025 to 0.050 mm as a guide . Are these figures correct and what would be an acceptable result .

[petert 597]

Mains 0.0015-0.002"

Rods 0.002-0.0025"

I've run 0.003" on the rods in a race engine.

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

I checked the running clearance with plastigauge and the big end journals are within tolerance but the mains are just outside so i have dropped my crank off to be ground 0.3 mm undersize , no point skimping as i want an engine with decent oil pressure . I have decoked the cylinder head and removed a few lumps and bumps in the ports with a Dremel , the head is flat and does not need a skim . After i have lapped the valves in i want to thoroughly clean the head including the oilways before putting it back together , there are 2 hex headed plugs on the end of the head , these give access to the oil gallery , is there a valve or something behind ?

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

After i cleaned the head up properly i gave it a proper look over as the popped out core plug is a possible sign of the engine freezing up , sure enough i found a hairline crack running from one of the small core plugs ( which had not pushed out ? ) i had thought it was just a sharp scratch on the casting . Put this head back on the shelf and have stripped another which is in better condition all round . Tried the VHT wrinkle finish paint on 2 cam covers , it didn't look like it was going to 'crackle' but it did overnight . I put 3 heavy coats on as per the instructions but in places its probably too much so if i do another cover it will be 2 heavy coats . Have wet sanded the ribs .

[mmt 15]

Looks mint. Well done. 

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

After i am done decoking the combustion chambers and ports plus grinding down a few casting flaws i am going to clean out the head and the oilways ready for reassembly , i have removed the hex headed plugs from the end of the head , i assume the one way valves are not removable , I will squirt brake cleaner through the valve and try to get some tiny pipecleaner type brushes into the galleries . I am going to make a tool out of a length of broom handle with emery paper wrapped round to clean out the spark plug holes . I am turning up a couple of tools to help fit the 4 oil seals to both ends of the cams .

[petert 597]

Lordy! Those valves are definitely removable. How else can could you successfully clean out the head? Use a long M6 bolt and wind it into the valve a few turns. You will then be able to withdraw each valve. You will probably need to replace the o-rings, or buy new valves. The same valve is used in GTi6 heads (one only though), #023517.

 

Next step is to use a long piece of Ø6 rod, say 450mm long, to knock out the mild steel bungs on the flywheel end of the end. Only then can you be guaranteed of cleaning the head properly.

 

Use Loctite 620 on the bungs when re-assembling and Loctite 569 on the hex headed plug threads.