Modestine

[Scarpia]

JP pistons in Australia make vintage pistons to measure. Given the enthusiastic lambda community down under they may have lancia experience.If you mail the dims they will advise if there is a suitable alternative or quote the new manufacture.I guess the postage is a minor concern compared with the cost of the solution.

[fay66]

Hi Robin,
Have you tried Jim Stokes Workshop near Portsmouth, who looks after many vintage cars including the D50 Replica, and manufactures Alfa 8c engine replicas so the owners who race don't blow up the original.

http://www.racecar.co.uk/jimstokesworkshops/

Brian
8227

[Dilambdaman]

The decision has been taken! The local workshop are going to modify Ford Orion1.6 diesel pistons to replace the two or three we belive are the cause of the problem.

This entails machining 3mm off the top, bushing the gudgeon pin holes to suit the Dilambda pin, reducing the diameter by about 20 thou and removing sufficient metal from the inside to balance with the original. This is the most cost effective repair even taking into consideration the cost of the new piston. Hope it works!

Robin.   

[Dilambdaman]

Well, two months down the line and the pistons are almost ready! The workshop have been ultra busy and I've obviously not shouted loudest!

Aiming to have her up and running by the end of the month and then we shall see if the problem has been sorted.
   
Robin.

[Dilambdaman]

Another month slips by and still no pistons, the guy making them decided to take a holiday! He's back tomorrow and I'm straight round there to give him a very hard time. With me being away in France for most of May its going to be touch and go for the Sliding Pillar Rally as we don't even know if the new pistons are going to solve the problem.

On the plus side I have managed to get a number of minor jobs out of the way. Still need 5 new tyres, ouch! and will probably fit Blockley this time as the Michelin DR are now £229 each and I only managed about 10,000 miles on them. Anyone any experience of the Blockley?

Robin.

[Dilambdaman]

Well, I did put pressure on the guy making the new pistons and Hey Presto! I have them. So, maybe sometime next week she will be up and running again. Can't wait!

Robin.

[fay66]

Good luck, I hope it all goes well and Modestine is once again fit, healthy, and ready to resume her travels to near and far parts in her inimitiable style.

Brian
8227

[Dilambdaman]

THE GOOD NEWS.  Modestine is running once again. Son Jonathan spent the day with me yesterday fitting the new pistons and getting everything back together.

THE BAD NEWS.  No improvement in the engine rattle whatsoever.

So, where to now - I honestly don't know! Maybe overhaul the timing chains and sprockets as they are quite badly worn.

Wish that I lived closer to Morris Pary so that he could listen to it. Anyone with engine experience local to me who wants to come and put in their two pennywoth would be most welcome. Local pub does a mean Roast Beef Yorkie and local Harveys ale!

Robin.

[fay66]

Hi Robin,
Pleased to hear the good news, but saddened by the bad.
How loud is the noise? does it sound like something nasty is going to occur at any minute?
I'm tempted to say leave it until something else develops as it may or may not do, "Fay" has always had a slight rattle/clack which an engine rebuild never solved, nor has it been picked up as a problem by Omicron or anyone else; I know it's there, but Diane as always says, I can hear every tiny noise from a car but can't hear her speaking to me from three feet away ten years on I now ignore it, but if it got worse then I would have to do something about it.

[Dilambdaman]

Brian.

It's a very loud noise bit like running an iron bar along iron fence railings is the best description I can come up with. Advice of my local workshop is to run it around locally and see what if anything develops.

I did take the radiator out and the timing chest cover off this evening and was horrified by the state of the sprockets.See picture. They are very badly worn and have to be replaced which means having new ones made along with new inverted tooth chains. Could be 5 sprockets and two long chains. Ouch!

Also need to remove the sump and check that the con rods are not hitting the bottom of the liners.

Robin.

[fay66]

Hi Robin,

OUCH that looks exceedingly complicated and expensive

I think your garage is right, but I'm amazed if it's making that volume of noise that it isn't readily apparent where it's coming from, and the ear and screwdriver method haven't pinpointed it, although it maybe that it's making too much noise to pinpoint.

Brian
8227

[Dilambdaman]

No progress yet with identifying the engine rattle but having once again recently cleaned out the oil cooling labyrinth on the base of the sump, was mightily impressed with the engineering on the Dilambda. The base plate is secured to the sump with 39 screws!

Robin.

[fay66]

Surprised you didn't find the Minatour in that labyrinth! What a piece of work


Brian
8227

[johnturner]

Robin.  I'm sorry that I don't have any bright ideas about the source of the rattle but doubt that it is the chain. As inverted chains go it doesn't look all that bad to me.  Wear on the side of the sprockets is normal and unless the links or pins in the chain itself are seriously worn I would hesitate before replacing it, and if you do decide to replace it you might want to abandon inverted tooth chain and switch to Renolds which is readily available. As I understand it, Lancia at Alperton would as a matter of course fit Renolds chains and sprockets to Augustas and Aprilias that came in for repair and Alfa and Ferrari seem to have used Renolds from the start.  The Renolds head office is still in Wythenshawe, Manchester (O161 498 4500) and I understand that they are helpful. 

John

[Dilambdaman]

Thanks for that John, it confirms what everyone is saying. Namely, that the timing chains and sprockets won't be the cause of the rattle and if I do decided to repair the damage to them to think about changing over to Reynolds. R. M. Fowler recon around £1500 to replace the two chains and five sprockets with inverted tooth.

Hoping that Jonathan can make it down on Saturday to help check that the rods are not fouling the bottom of the liners. This will pretty well exhaust all the possibilities and the general consensus is that we should run the car locally and see what (if anything) develops. Seems a bit drastic but I can't see any alternative.

Robin.