Right, been under the car for about 3 hours now and have just managed to get the sump off.

To my surprise i found main cap number 3 just sitting in the sump with its 2 bolts

Reckon this could be the problem with the oil light coming on at idle?!?!?!?

I'm fucking horrified, everything was torqued to what the haynes said and double double checked.

The bearing in the cap that had fallen off seems fine though, no wear etc...

Gonna go double check everything now, getting dark though.

Any advice appreciated

 

that would do it!

I'd say you need to get everything checked over properly! somthing is BADLY amiss here.

alex

 

HMMMM that aint good mate! you sure you aint been torquing in nm instead of lb/ft
were they standard bolots you used or A.R.P ones? it is VERY strange that the main cap/bearing has come off!
As least it wasnt a big end and everything seems to be ok..
Deffo get everything checked though as there is NO WAY that should happen.. even if youve use the same main bolts 10 times!

 

opps could of been worse mate.
got away lucky me thinks

 

Well i tried to go back out, but it was getting dark so i took a torch.

Everything seemed fine to look at, even the thrust bearings were still in place...only just! LOL

The part of the crank that the main cap covered (cannit remember what they are called) didn't have any nasty score marks or anything.

So from first view it looks like i've been lucky.

Been asking around and been told either get new bolts or use thread lock glue stuff on the same ones instead.

But what would cause it to do that in the first place? Knackered threads or summit?

Or more serious?

 

Don't know why that would happen, apart from incorrectly-tightened bolts, which you say isn't the problem. No idea...but I think if one's fallen off, the other's COULD do the same, so surely it's worth using an anaerobic adhesive of some sort on all bolts, and/or upgrade them all, as opposed to fixing the one cap on its own?

 

its neigh on impossible to bugger the thread on a main bolt its fucking huge! and you are torquing into cast iron! (on which there wont be much strain anway)
i cont really see any reason for it 'falling off' unless it wasnt correctly torqued.
What bolts were they? standard or A.R.P?
If A.R.P then they prob need more torquing just like the big ends do!

 

Just standard ones pal!

I'm honestly amazed myself, i was busy shaking the sump trying to get it loose and i hear this rather disturbing clunk clunk clunk.

Eventually gets it off and there it was, just standing in a small pool of oil with one bolt in and the other had fallen out.

 

so was the car running then? howcome nothins bin damaged?

bit weird that init?

 

The car has been running for just over 90 miles since the rebuild until the oil light came on.

Like i said nothings seems damaged like, but i guess time will tell

 

Fookin lucky it wasnt a big end pal

Get 10 new bolts and lock em in proper... if they torque up you should be ok


Right, thats teh professional advice out the way, now for my original reply























Sorry

 

Which ones fallen out is it middle ? if so sounds like you've not put the caps on in order. Also iis your torque wrench new ? if your using an old one and someone left it under tension then its useless
Ofcourse it could be none of the above.
PS Your lucky

 

Who built it?

 

Yes the middle one mate. Torque wrench is hardly used less than a year old.

What order do they go on? Same as they are numbered? Can't remember how i put them on now to be honest

Stu - Ya bastard

 

Me Phil LOL.

First one ya kna, gis a chance

 

Maincaps have to be installed in the places they came out of mate.....in that order and the correct way round as the crank journals are line bored so wont fit propperly anywhere else.

Take all the bolts out and redo them mate, checking the caps and their order. Use a bit of thread sealant too

 

Ah, yeah they were put back in the right order and the right way round...the first time i done it they were completely the wrong way round and the crank wouldn't turn PMSL.

But i dunno if i put them on in the wrong order if you can do that...Ie 1 then 5 then 2 then 4 then 3, if you know what i mean.

 

Can someone confirm the order they need to be torqued up please?

And at what lb/ft or Nm please just incase i was looking at the wrong ones in the haynes

 

BTTT

 

IIRC there are numbers on the main caps.. and an arrow... i **think** number 5 is the flywheel end!
if youve got a haynes manual you can actually make out the number on they picture and which end the arrow is pointing to..
wonder how i know this random piece of knoledge, its because when i rebuilt mine my mum moved all the stuff and muddled everything up! i ended looking in the haynes manual and saw a pic of the engine and happened to notice the numbers!
I havent got a clue what the torque settings are TBH.. maybe somerthing like 90Nm (wild guess )

 

Not sure if anyone has said this as I didn't read it all, but remember that Number 3 holds the Thrust Washers too doesn't it?? So that may be astray somewhere.

 

hes allready said the thrust bearing were still there!

 

Cabrio mate, i know they are numbered and i have them in the correct order, bit i wasn't sure if there was a tightening sequence if you know what i mean.

But like head bolts or something. Or if i just do 1 then 2 then 3 etc...

 

oh sorry!
as far as im aware then you just 'tighten em up'

 

wait.. which one holds the oil retun pipe in place? you sure you torqued that right?

 

LOL ok mate cheers

 

sorry dood some bad luck there

go down halfords and buy a new torqu wrench and then take it back

you didnt re-use the original end cap bolts did you ?

 

Craig mate, nowt wrong with the torque wrench 99% certain of that.

I reused the main cap bolts but replaced the conrod bolts.