[Engine] Timing Belt Squealing

[cancunia]

If the compression is good & you're losing oil at 200k KM it's likely to be either wear on the valve stem oil seals ( I assume this motor has valve stem oil seals) or the valve stems / guides.
Sounds like a head off job especially if the valve gear is held in place by the head bolts, the only extra thing you'd need would be a head gasket which would probably best be replaced anyway if you're taking the head bolts out.
Once the head is off you have full access to the valves and you can check the wear on stems & guides in addition to replacing the seals.

[Mudguard]

Thanks for all the input guys.
Car still with mechanic.
Just a wild thought, is it at all possible for the air cleaner to be blocked / or partially, and it to draw more heavily on the breather and suck lots of oil from the rocker cover? Is there a pcv valve in the breather?
Just a thought, I can disconnect the air filter and see quickly if there is lots of oil in there.
Cheers

[Gadgetman]

No, but a strong overpressure could push some oil through the breather tube.

I'd suspect a partially-blocked exhaust and heavy carbon build-ups as the reason for the too-high compression.

[Mudguard]

Hi All,
It has been a little while since I posted regarding the smoke belching Berlingo.
I had taken it to a local mechanic who had some time ago done some diagnostic work on a stuck throttle body, and thought he could help. After two weeks at his shop they advised that it was "buggered". I collected the car and the mechanic said he thought it could only be the rings and I should source a second hand motor - they didn't charge me for this appraisal and advice.

So back to the home workshop.
I dismantled all the parts of the air cleaner, intake manifold, throttle body and associated breathers on the rocker cover and their friends and could see no evidence at all of oil entering via the breather, into the intake.
So confronted with a replacement engine and no clear lead on the problem, my assumption was it could be the valve stem seals or at the worst the rings, and had nothing to lose by investigating further.

If it was possible I would have changed the valve stem seals with the head on (which is possible using either string in the cylinder or compressed air to hold the valve in place). However the Berlingo rocker gear is held in place with the cylinder head bolts.

With the head removed, the head gasket showed no problems as suspected.
There was common to all the inlet passages a oil type stain leading down from the valve stem area on the inlets.(see picture attached)


I took this as an indication of oil being sucked into the cylinders via the stem seals, surmising that they had been damaged by the back pressure from the blocked cat.
I had a conversation with a well regarded Cit mechanic by phone for guidance, he suggested that to definitely eliminate another cause that the pistons should be removed and inspected seeing that the head was off. With the engine still in the car the sump cover was removed, oil pump removed, and pistons pushed up and out.
The rings appeared to be in good condition, none broken etc, and the cylinder bores were not marked, no lip etc. A check of the piston end gap on the compression rings did show them to be worn according to the published numbers.

Bores where then honed lightly with a cross hatch pattern to help bed new rings.
(This took a bit of time, a timber plug was made and placed at the bottom of the cylinder, grease was them smeared around the plug and cylinder wall to prevent any particles falling onto the crank below whilst honing lightly. The cylinders were then each carefully leaned with clean cloths damp with kero and then the plug drawn up and out and more cleaning.)

Carbon cleaned from heads, valves and pistons and ring grooves.
New rings sourced & installed.
Head and block surfaces cleaned and checked for flatness - all good.
Valves were lapped.
New valve stem seals installed.
Cylinder head bolt holes well cleaned.
New head gasket and new head bolts installed.
Rest of parts re assembled.
Fired it up with the exhaust down pipe off (the exhaust pipe is very oily from the previous condition)
Runs great - no smoke at all, ran it till to operating temp and hot water going thru radiator.
Previously the engine was missing terribly and had no power, horrible rough running.
Installed exhaust system, some smoke out exhaust due to residue in pipes.
After a run to town and back (30 kms ish) zero smoke from exhaust, engine running very smoothly no sign of previous missing or rough running, good power has returned.
Will replace the 'run in type' oil in about 500kms.

Thanks for everyones input and interest, hope this is of assistance to someone in the future.

Steve

[geoff]

Well done for a great result and thanks for keeping us all informed !

[Tomcat3]

You must be really pleased with your work and the outcome. That should keep you going for many miles.

[Squad]

I get a squealing noise from my 1.6 16v 02 berlingo but it only does it when I have the steering wheel on full lock left and right and I have been told that it is the timming belt.

[geoff]

I get a squealing noise from my 1.6 16v 02 berlingo but it only does it when I have the steering wheel on full lock left and right and I have been told that it is the timming belt.

 Doubt it, more like power steering belt slipping or oil internally bypassing ( normal ) on full load / lock.


 If you have an issue can I suggest you start a new topic otherwise you won't get any / many replies.