Skoda Estelle rebuilt engine's horrible clanking noise

[Aram]

Let me explain what is what I'm trying to do First, I need to overhaul the engine. It was in pitiful conditions and I want to bring it back the better I can due to practically impossible ways to get new parts. I can eventually find a thing or two, now and then, completly new, with payable prices but it would be quite rare. For instance, I got a call from a mechanic friend: new head for $120 GBP. So I need to invent things, as we all do here. 

 

Since we are embargoed by the USA, we can't aquire things online because we have no way to pay, and also because until know I don't know any online shop that would ship here. Yes, I have friends out there that can eventually help me with things, but as they are mainly in USA, they can't send me the stuff easily but using other friends who can come here also eventually. It feels like middleages courier. I trade work by goods I'm a professional graphic designer, and web developer, do outsourcing projects and sometimes get pay with goods...It is interesting, you know. For about 4 years I'd been tutored by a swordsmith in japan, I got into this japanese style swordsmithing and related craftmanship hobby. During those years I received packages as part of my training, from there without any issues in about 5 days. I received from shibuichi (copper/silver alloy) plates to work sword guards (for me to make and then send them back), to grinding stones (manual grinding and polishing), to silk cords and stingray leather for the handles, and also many fitting examples. Courier worked fantastically well. But that's from japan, I can't get nada directly from USA, from which my friends are.

 

In 2005 I made my Master's Degree in Fine Arts and Graphics design in London university. Very cool, made a few friends there...none of them knows a peanut about car mechanics so it is a dead end. Imagine if I somehow pay them and they send me a pair of ear rings, instead of a pair of piston ring sets! heheheh

 

So...I invent.

 

For instance: the engine bearings needs to be from any other engine that can be filed and adapted to it. They mill the crankshaft to the steps as in the manual, and then adapt the bearings to it. Piston rings are made of casted iron sewage pipes (a bit brittle, but lasts about 3 to 4 years on regular use). The cylinder liners are commonly sleeved. Timing chain would be one from a Lada, cut to fit. All the ancilliaries are also adaptations: I have a Lada carb (plug and play) and alternator (minor change in the supporting mount).

 

This engine also needs all the bolts, nuts, washers and studs redone: that's with the lathe guy.

 

And this is because I want to do things right, uh? Because I can also do what I usually see here: wedge the bearings by placing beer cans sheet metal between them and their seats, to raise them! Or put wire in the piston rings grooves to raise the rings. But I want to make it right.

 

Secondly, I need to find a way to make maintnance better. I have two starters, one is working ok, the other somebody put VW beetle coils and it overheats too fast. I can fix that, but the moving parts are the most concerning like the bendix, both feel a bit loose. Carbons are not a problem tho. So what's why I want to see if I can adapt something I can later replace with a new unit without issues. I can find Lada starters for $35 GBP.

 

Same with the clutch: I need to find a way to replace the pressure disk and bearing to something I can later find easily. The friction disk is ok, we can send it to re-do them, like we do with break pads. But the pressure disk I have, the model with three fingers, is almost kaput. I will try to fix it by savaging into the trash pile and it will work, but that's not substainable.

 

To keep it natural and original, I need "outside" help to purchase new parts, which I don't have....so...I invent heheheheh

 

And why Lada? It is the ubiquitous car here: private, government, police, companies...they are everywhere. But mainly the classic ones. So there are all sort of parts, even complete bodywork parts, and with very low prices. Not to mention all workshops, mechanics, etc knows them very well. So why I don't get one? Answer is price: it costs 1.5 to 2 times what a Skoda Estelle costs. Car prices here are nuts, you will laugh to find out a 80's Lada for $12.000 GBP go figure how much an Audi or Mercedes costs! This Skoda I got costed me about 7.500 BGP, it is one of the cheapest cars, but rare to find too. I got told they imported less than 500.

 

What other makes that popular we have? Well, Moskvich but these uses a larger engine. VW Beetle, not too easy to find parts tho. Lots of chinese Geely CK and FK...but all of them would have parts costing x2 a Lada's. And then Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, etc...with "etc" prices too

 

The previous car I had was a Daewoo Nexia, and did fine with the parts because that "outside help" cuban guys in Chile, importing parts here with good prices. But there isn't Estelles in Chile

 

So, again...I will invent hehehe. Just don't panic.

[Aram]

Question, before I try to reinvent the hot water Is there any photo of the mounting in the engine, for the screw-in oil filter? My engine has a the kind that the filtering element goes inside cartridge and then it gets fixed by a large bolt. I want to change that and use the modern screw-in type. I was looking the engine block today but before I adventure to invent something, any pics of the real thing?

 

Edited 29 November, 2016 by Aram

[felicia16v]

Wow that's a lot of work for a starter motor. We have a load of the old 120 flywheels complete with clutch at work but I guess the postage would be horrendously expensive on one. May possibly have a few old starters too. The favorites used the same motor but with a tooth more on the Bendix

[Aram]

Wow that's a lot of work for a starter motor. We have a load of the old 120 flywheels complete with clutch at work but I guess the postage would be horrendously expensive on one. May possibly have a few old starters too. The favorites used the same motor but with a tooth more on the Bendix

 

Yes, these parts are too heavy. I guess I can try things and see if they work. Today I measured the flywheel and clutch disk: flywheel OD is 206mm, clutch disk is 180 mm.

 

Today I massaged a bit the camshaft, curiously one of the parts that are not that terrible bad in this abused little engine.

 

Before and after some massage, with 360 and 600 grits sand paper:

 

 

 

What bugs me is that when I put it in the "new" block, it sinks down there. Now, in the parts catalog, I don't see this needs a washer at any of its extremes. The only different thing here is that this block doesn't have the crankcase vent near the bottom left wall, as the one mounted in car has.

 

 

What, these blocks have different measures?

 

Anyway, question: what if to raise the camshaft to its right place I put a kind of spacer washer at the end of it? I can make a mild steel one and make it fit nicely, even perhaps with a center hole as the camshaft has. Could that be possible?

Edited 30 November, 2016 by Aram

[Aram]

 

I think, instead mild steel, perhaps something more hard could be used like stainless steel.

[KenONeill]

I'd be most surprised to find that the camshaft does not require thrust washers.

 

Also, without checking specifications, I'd expect the camshaft to be case hardened, and I have a nasty feeling that the bits you planished with sand paper may have gone through the case hardening. I've seen a camshaft that wasn't case hardened (not the builder's fault; their supplier supplied the part with no case hardening, and no statement that it wasn't hardened) be put in an engine, and it was like putting it in a lathe; you could see the cam lobes flattening off as the engine ran.

[Aram]

Yes, it is hardened: I did the file test and it didn't get it. Those black marks and spots seemed to be more like stains, but even as such it was very hard to sand them out. By tact, I didn't feel any problems in the surfaces...

[felicia16v]

from memory the camshaft is held in place by the sprocket running against the camshaft holding plate, so maybe just dry build the camshaft up with the plate and sprocket and the oil pump drive gear and then check for any end float.

It's been a while since I last built one up tho.

[KenONeill]

from memory the camshaft is held in place by the sprocket running against the camshaft holding plate, so maybe just dry build the camshaft up with the plate and sprocket and the oil pump drive gear and then check for any end float.

It's been a while since I last built one up tho.

This seems reasonable, and effectively means that the cam drive sprocket acts as the thrust bearing.

[Aram]

Yes, I checked with other block and it does the same, so I guess it is correct to say it is held in place by the sprocket/washer assembly. Today I left the engine at the mill workshop for rectifying the crankshaft, block, liners, adapt new bearings, hone the liners, put new bearings on the connection rods' head, etc. I asked for bearing the camshaft supports. The engine doesn't come with those, but I felt a little play in there. So I got a week to do something else, why waiting for the guys to do the job. I gonna take a look to the clutch/flywheel/cranker.

 

I got a question: I found a flywheel with almost perfect friction track, but the teeth ring is bad, seems like it was deliberately dropped a few times, etc. Is that ring something I can replace? I could use the one that's currently in this engine's flywheel...but how do I extract it? By hammer?

[felicia16v]

Yes it just knocks off with a big hammer and a drift. Then the replacement one needs heating up and it expands to just drop in place if it's hot enough.

[Aram]

Yes it just knocks off with a big hammer and a drift. Then the replacement one needs heating up and it expands to just drop in place if it's hot enough.

 

Would a thick propane torch provide sufficient heat for this?

[felicia16v]

yes you just need to get it quite hot and evenly heated, I usually just sit them in front of our parrafin space heater for 5 minutes then using leather welding gloves just place it on to the flywheel and give it a quick half turn to check its seated level.

[Aram]

Well, since the engine is in the milling workshop for a week or two, I have some spare time to continue massaging stuff in the car. I will pull down the gearbox, it is not bad, but needs maint work.

 

However I'm having some amusing time with a new I idea I got: put disk brakes in the rear. Now, I know the calipers needs to have a mechanic actuator for the parking brake, and I can get those kind of calipers here (used) from other makes, but the problem is price: they are something about $300 GBP the pair. So I got a new calipers that came with this Skoda in the front, they don't have the mechanism for the brake wire, but I think I can modify them as following:

 

Adding a lever between the piston and the pad, making a notch in the piston's head (solid type) to make room for the lever shaft so the piston moves in/out without touching it. When the hydraulic actuator is applied, ie, pedal, the piston moves in/out as expected. When the lever is applied, its lobe will push or release the pad, without moving the piston. I have being studying this, I don't see it hard to make, I can put it in both pistons, or only in one side. The lever will never interfere with the piston, only push the pad by its underneath.

 

Any comments?

 

[felicia16v]

Yes or the other way we used on the rally cars was to weld a tab on the pads and use the cable to pinch them together but we always used hydraulic handbrake the cable was just to keep things legal.

Is yours swing arm or semi trailing suspension?

[felicia16v]

Oh just looked ads in at your idea. No good it will just push the piston back in every time.vw rear calipers are cheap and easy to come by

[Aram]

Oh just looked ads in at your idea. No good it will just push the piston back in every time.vw rear calipers are cheap and easy to come by

 

It shouldn't: the lever should do a free 1/4 turn without touching the piston, towards the pad. The lever should be hold by the caliper, passing it from top to bottom like the eccentric bolt used in the steering for camber . Then the piston gets this groove so it moves in/out freely, the lever turns but both won't interfere each other.

 

Tell me more about the pads modification maybe easier!

 

The car has swinging arms, stiff axles inside half axle housings.

 

Today I took all that out got the rear totally disassembled now, and I see there are a lot of mini jobs to do! Broken coil spring, non of the shock abs are good, all rubbers bushings gone, the gearbox link got "fixed" by wire wraps...and "a lot" of dirt layers. I removed the gear box, got only about 1L of oil perhaps from pharaonic ages :) I see it was leaking everywhere, so the entire gearbox is covered by this dirt/oil gunk. Both swinging arms are clubbed by jacking the car by them...

[felicia16v]

ok how are you planning to cut a slot in the pistons while still allowing them to work as the slot would be in past the seal with new pads fitted.

we used the 4 piston calipers on the rear and welded a small lug in the center between the pin holding mounts so it cleared the caliper enough for a cable to be attached, might draw a pic later if I can find time but pretty simple.

so you are going to cut the drum off the hub then and mount a disk on the rear of it?

[Aram]

ok how are you planning to cut a slot in the pistons while still allowing them to work as the slot would be in past the seal with new pads fitted.

we used the 4 piston calipers on the rear and welded a small lug in the center between the pin holding mounts so it cleared the caliper enough for a cable to be attached, might draw a pic later if I can find time but pretty simple.

so you are going to cut the drum off the hub then and mount a disk on the rear of it?

 

My plan for the rear train is:

1. Get new axles made: the link to the gearbox will be similar to what it has now, those two little blocks held by the pin. But for the hub side, I will ask for the type that comes with multiple splines. That way I can finally get rid of the keys, which are always giving me problems.

    

2. Get new hubs made: I want hubs with splines and separated from the disk. I need to check about the bearing, because it is difficult here to find the kind with double track that this trans uses. I have put Lada's, which are the same dimensions but single track and they get literally shattered off in months.

    

3. Get new disks or work the two spares I have: I would like more to have two new disks from Lada, because I will be changing the wheels bolts space so I can use different rims. I believe Lada is 4 x 100. I can either get new Lada disks, or get the ones I have, rectify them and change the bolts positions. But I see Skoda hooks the disks under the hub, i.e. towards the inside side of the hub. Lada and other makes puts the disk outside, so you can take it out without taking the hub. So the hubs I will get made are different if I decide to use Lada disks.

    

4. Then adapt the brake calipers. As I said in the previous post, the cost for ones with handbrake may be too high. Maybe I can run with luck and find them, but I don't know for sure. In any case, they will be used and may require some massage before using them.

The most concerning thing here that I want to kill once and for all are: the bearings being damaged in no time, and the axle key getting loose no matter how tight I leave the nut. I guess the axles and the hubs lost their correct conic profile.

 

I already separated the drum from the hubs...

 

My calipers are 2 pistons only.

[felicia16v]

Ok well you are not going to be able to cut a deep enough slot in the piston without it going past the seal as the seal is in the caliper body not on the bottom of the piston. As for the axles the usual suspects for wheelbearing failure is wear in the drive blocks as these not only transfer the drive but also support the halfshaft so any play in them will cause a massive side loading on the bearing which is why the skoda ones are dual track and can run misaligned to a degree.putting a single track bearing there will always fail unless you find a way to fit a bearing on the inner end of the axle tube to support it.

Maybe a coating of a bearing fit compound on the taper would solve the problem of it coming loose. Obviously the best way is to fit the semitrailing rear end that was fitted to the 130 and rapid but I guess that is hard to source there.

I don't understand the embargo(too young probably) so it means you cannot import parts from anywhere? Or just have no way to move money out of the country?

[Aram]

putting a single track bearing there will always fail unless you find a way to fit a bearing on the inner end of the axle tube to support it.

 

That's something I was weighting today Since I will try to put new custom axles, maybe I can fit another bearing in the housing side facing the gearbox. I guess not too complex, uh? just a ring seat I can press inside the housing...I need to give it a good thought.

 

Ok well you are not going to be able to cut a deep enough slot in the piston without it going past the seal as the seal is in the caliper body not on the bottom of the piston

 

Yeah, well I will wait to see if you can do me a draw whenever you have time. No rush, I have tons of things to do with this project.

 

I don't understand the embargo(too young probably) so it means you cannot import parts from anywhere? Or just have no way to move money out of the country?

 

Because we are embargoed by the USA since 1959, we are stuck in these years, literally, funny but very real: we can't pay to other countries, and many countries won't ship here because this, and because they don't see Cuba as a market. The country have commercial deals with almost all countries, but that's at country level, at peoples' level I haven't see yet an online store that can ship down here. All the goods we can get, as persons I mean, not as country, are thanks to friends that get paid some other way and then send the goods using ordinary post mail. But post mail from USA is not possible. Both countries signed a treat this year and supposedly we could get mail from there, but it seems to be just words. And I say from USA, because many things are cheaper in amazon, ebay, etc and those are US based sites. All I can do is to find the link, then exchange goods by work, then somehow, via some friend, try to bring it here.

 

I personally, like some people here, can "route" money to friends, via more friends I can for instance make a website, or a logo for a company, or an app, and say the client to deposit the money in my friend's account, then this friend can purchase and mail me things. Feudal post mail at its best but works. Even sometimes this middleman friend benefits by managing the project and collecting x2! Works ok as well.