Insert a drill or pin of suitable diameter into the groove of the side seal (refer to the accompanying illustration). This diameter will be the size of the side seal groove. If it is less than or equal to 5 mm, a side seal with a thickness of 5.10 mm must be used.
If the dimension is greater than 5 mm, a 5.4 mm thick side seal is required. Please note that silicone sealant is used instead of side seals only when the engine is assembled at the factory.
1. Clean the back side of the bearings and the bearing surfaces of the bearings in the cylinder block and in the covers.
2. Insert the inserts into the lids, making sure that the tab on the insert fits into the recess in the lid. Please note the following paragraphs.
- a) On all engines except the K7M, liners without lubrication holes are installed in the covers.
- b) On the K7M engine, in the caps of main bearings 2 and 4, liners with grooves are installed, and in caps 1, 3 and 5 - liners without grooves (refer to the accompanying illustration).
3a. Insert the liners into the seats in the cylinder block. Note the following paragraphs.
a) On all engines except the K7M, the block has liners with lubrication holes/grooves. On the E7J engine, the upper main bearing shell #5 differs from the others, it has a lubrication chamfer for the oil pump gear, which should face the drive belt (refer to the accompanying illustration).
- b) On the K7M engine, in the caps of main bearings 2 and 4, liners with grooves are installed, and in caps 1, 3 and 5 - liners without grooves (refer to the accompanying illustration).
- c) On all engines, if old bearings are used, they must be installed in their original positions in the block and in the covers.
4. Before finally installing the crankshaft, check the main bearing clearance; this can be done in one of two ways. The first method (you will need internal micrometers or calipers) - install the main bearing caps on the cylinder block with the liners in the working position. Tighten the cap mounting bolts to the specified tightening torque and measure the diameter of the hole formed by each pair of liners (bearing inner diameter). Measure the diameter of each crankshaft journal and subtract it from the bearing inside diameter. The result is equal to the main bearing operating clearance. Second (and more accurate) the method consists of using a special tool called Plastigauge. The tool consists of a scale and plastic threads of round cross-section. The procedure using Plastiquage is performed as follows.
5. Install the upper main bearing shells into the working position and carefully lower the crankshaft into the crankcase (refer to the accompanying illustration). Do not use any lubricant, the crankshaft journals and bearings must be absolutely clean and dry.
6. Cut several pieces of Plastigauge thread to the appropriate size (they should be slightly shorter than the width of the main bearings) and place a piece on each neck (refer to the accompanying illustration).
7. Place the covers with inserts in their places. Be careful not to displace the Plastigauge.
8. Starting with the center main bearing, tighten the main bearing cap bolts to the torque specified in the Specifications and turn the remaining bolts to the angle specified in the Specifications (k7M engine). Do not turn the crankshaft during this action.
9. Unscrew the bolts and carefully remove the main bearing caps.
10. Compare the width of the deformed thread with the scale. The working gap is indicated on the scale (refer to the accompanying illustration). Compare the obtained result with the data given in the Specifications.
11. If the gap is too large, the bearings are of the wrong size or are excessively worn (if old liners are reused). Before deciding that the crankshaft is worn, make sure that no dirt or oil has entered between the bearing shells and the caps or block when measuring the clearance. If one end of the Plastigauge thread is wider than the other, the crankshaft journal may be tapered.
12. Carefully clean all traces of Plastigauge from the crankshaft and bearings.
Final installation
1. Carefully lift the crankshaft out of the cylinder block.
2a. Using a little grease, secure the thrust washers to each side of the center main bearing (e7J and K7M engines) or main bearing No.2 (all other engines).
2b. The oil grooves on the thrust washers must face outward towards the crankshaft counterweights (refer to the illustrations).
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3. Generously lubricate each bearing in the cylinder block and lower the crankshaft into place (refer to the accompanying illustration).
4a. Lubricate the liners, then install the bearing caps into place (refer to the illustrations). Please pay attention to the following paragraphs.
- a) On the E7J engine, apply a thin bead of sealant to the outer corners of the #1 main bearing cap.
- b) On the K7M engine, apply a thin layer of sealant to all contact surfaces of the main bearing cap No.1 (refer to the illustrations).
- c) When installing the butyl seal, position them so that the grooves face outward at the bottom by approximately 0.2 mm (towards the crankcase).
4d. Lubricate the seals and apply a small amount of sealant to the corners of the cover base.
4e. When installing the cover, use the bolts as guides, then press the cover firmly (refer to the accompanying illustration).
- 4f. d) If silicone sealant is used when installing the No.1 main bearing cap, do not press it down immediately, but leave it raised so that the first few threads of the main bearing bolts can just be inserted.
4g. Now inject sealant into each of the grooves on the side of the lid until it fits into place below the lid and completely fills the grooves.
5a. Install the main bearing cap bolts and tighten them gradually to the torque specified in the Specifications.
5b. Tighten them to the specified angle on the K7M engine. (refer to the illustrations).
6. Where butyl seals are installed, cut off any protruding ends.
7. Where silicone sealant is used to seal the cover, mix it with the hardener as described in the instructions. Inject the mixture into the grooves of the cover, filling them completely. Wait a few minutes, then cut off excess sealant from the surface of the connector, inside and outside the cylinder block.
8. Check that the crankshaft rotates freely.
9. Check the crankshaft end clearance, refer to Section Removal and installation the oil pan (only for K7M series petrol engines with aluminum sump).
10. Install the new timing belt side crankshaft oil seal into the housing, then install the housing.
11. Install the new crankshaft oil seal on the flywheel/drive plate side.
12. Where applicable, install the lower inner timing belt cover.
13. Finally, install the piston/drive plate assemblies, oil pump and crankshaft timing pulley, and finally install the new timing belt.