nova 1.2 rebuild *loads of pics*

[bmw156]

Hey people
I picked up a 1.2 engine from Alex (aw06) a few weeks back and have been stripping it and refurbishing it. I have mainly been doing this to learn new things about engines, how to take them apart, how they work etc. and for free I couldn’t resist. It had been sitting in his garden for 6 months so it wasn’t in the best shape as you will see from the pictures. Enjoy the pictures.

Ok so starting from the top, it was missing a rocker cover, which I then bought from adam on here (many thanks) it is going to be polished after xmas.
The cam housing was disassembled cleaned up the cam etc, and then reassembled, no pics as im a plank lol. This is gonna be polished as well to match the rocker cover.
Now the head:
from
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6223/enginerefurb002sp9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
To
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/enginerefurb006.jpg
Then
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/enginerefurb008.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/enginerefurb007.jpg
Then I took apart all of the valves, cleaned them up and the springs etc. replaced those seals on the valves, thanks Alex again for those seals.

[just vaux trev]

neat lil touch

[bmw156]

The main block
After a clean
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine018.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine019.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine020.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine041.jpg

[bmw156]

All the parts stripped of the main block.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine017.jpg

Oil pump after a clean
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine029.jpg
Big ends and small ends after a clean
[IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine039.jpg]
Crankshaft after a clean
[IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine031.jpg]
Water pump after a clean
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine021.jpg

[bmw156]

Pistons removed
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine010.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine011.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine013.jpg
They all looked pretty much like this
And cleaned up
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine032.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine036.jpg

I have also cleaned the sump of its dirty oil and repainted it, just not taken a pic yet lol.

[Benn]

Water pump after a clean? Fitting a new one would be better that cleaning the old one..

[bmw156]

The main block painted up.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine042.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine.jpg
A pic of the piston tunnel (not sure of real name lol)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/my%20nova/engine045.jpg
Looks in good nick
And that’s about where I’m up to atm, I have just ordered a head gasket set so I can put the top half back together when I get some new head bolts (for people who didn’t know, the head bolts stretch and you have to replace them once undone). Also I can get some oil and lubricate the bearings in the big ends and reinsert the pistons and crankshaft, using the piston compression tool.
Will keep this updated with some more pics.
Comments please and any tips are more then welcome.

[bmw156]

Water pump after a clean? Fitting a new one would be better that cleaning the old one..

ok cool will take that into consideration:thumb:

[Stuart]

oh sweet jesus..... get that block honed!!!!! all that rust in there is bad hmm K

new water pumps are dirt cheap. get one and a seal.

[robertdevlin69]

seems a bit pointless of going to all the trouble of stripping down,for you not to change water pump and main shell bearings,good luck

[bmw156]

i am gonna change the water pump now.
and the main shell bearings are they the biggest ones which go in the block to lubricate the crankshaft?

and stu what does honed mean?

[*Dave*]

what you call the piston tunnel lol are called the bores.

getting them honed would clean them up, actually shaves a very slight bit of metal off so they are brand new again.

bes thing to do as you are at this stage would be to replace everything you possibly can with new items such as,water pump, piston rings,big end bearings along with mains, all gaskets and seals,belts re-seat the valvs etc.............

sure alot of people on here including myself would talk you through the bits you are not sure on.

hope this helps.
good effort so far mate!!

[bmw156]

cheers sri dave for the nice info
im not sure how much i want to do to this engine, because i dont think its gonna be used, as they arnt worth a lot of money in any condition lol.

and i just wanted to learn from it and see what i can do with it

if my other 1.2 ever brakes down then i will be able to swap things over confidently

and you say reset valves, how do i do this.

if you have msn you can add me if ya like, be warned tho i ask questions lol

also when putting it back together, i have to use a sealent on the oil pump and another part, can someone recommend a sealent.
images woudl be great :)

and i now know more about honed as i watched a good old you tube video

[*Dave*]

my xe after being honed.

cost me £30
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj183/davenova/block.jpg

[LEWI007]

Nice project youv'e got :thumb:

[bmw156]

that does look sweet sri dave thanks for the pic, i asked a mate at college today and he said he just got some wire wool and very fine and paper?

he said it is working fine now? do you think i shoudl risk it, or get a proper place to do it. and what are these places called lol

engine specilists?

advise me on what toi look for in the good old yellow pages

[jimbob-mcgrew]

yeh like dave said, youll wanna change the water pump and shell bearings, in the haynes manual it describes how to hone the bores, i cant remember but it mentions using a certain grade of sandpaper in a criss-cross pattern possibly, dont take my word for it tho.. find out first.
water pumps fairly cheap. new piston rings will set you back about £60 ish, not sure about the shell bearings. but if moneys an issue, slap it all back together and see if it fires up, like u say the experience of stripping and re-building it is worth it, even if it blows up after youve sorted it lol

[DW-Nova]

Good to see your having a go mate, the best way of learning ! Obviously you should be replacing all the bearings, rings, waterpump and replacing the lifters etc but imo i really wouldnt bother on a little 1.2 8v as it's just a plain waste of money ! just use it as a learning curve as if it blows up it's just alot easier to put another 1.2 in as they are virtually FOC.

[bmw156]

thanks guys for the comments, and yeh i agree that the best way to learn hands on, i have learnt so from you guys and from the engine. i have no reassembled it, i dont ever plan on running the engine as a whole so might use parts if my 1.2 ever breaks. because of this reason i have usd the oldheadlts, because i am gonna have a go at polishing up the cam housing and rocker cover after xmas.

just need to buy a sump gasket set and it will be done.

enough of me, let the pics do the talking:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/engine083.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/engine084.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/enginerefurb001.jpg

i removed this:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/engine048.jpg

from this hole
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/engine051.jpg

and pulled this out:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/engine056.jpg

which left this:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/engine057.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/engine058.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/bmw156/engine060.jpg

[ste193]

Nice project! Can see your putting alot of time and effort in!

[chimp007_uk]

The bit you've reomoved fromt he gearbox is the diff.

Going back to the bores, you can buy a honing tool from machine mart for £20-25. I bought one when in uni when i was rebuilding a cbr400. Easy to use with a drill and loads of coolant. Will bring the bores up mint! and you cna re-use on future rebuilds :)

[bmw156]

yeh i know its the diff :P

and yeh i saw a video on the tube, with someone useing one of those tools. might give it a go later on next year if i wan tto strip it again.

[chimp007_uk]

I've got some pics of me doing it, i'll dig them out

[bmw156]

ok sweet

i would get on and strip the gear box, but i have come unstuck witht eh massive circlip to get the main shaft out. so im waiting for santa to bring me some money, and if he doesnt, i will wait till january and get student loan then buy a decent set of internal and external circlip pliers.