Hi all,  

Im after some help as I’ve obvioulsy messed up big time. 

Just overhauled the top end of my engine on my 2006 Fiesta 1.4 TDCI. 

New head gasket, gaskets, injector seals, head and rocket housings all cleaned. Pistons cleaner up etc etc. 

 

Been putting it all back together over the last couple of days. I’ve just fitted the timing belt ensuring that the locking pins are in place in the crankshaft sprocket, camshaft sprocket, and duke pump. All pins through the correct hole and into the corresponding location in the head, and engine block. 

Set the tensioner and then went to rotate the engine 10 time by hand, via the crank. 

The engine turns no more than half before it all locks up. 

Move removed the belt and re-set trying again 3 times. Still can’t get it right. Obviously the pistons are locking against the valves. I can’t see how this is possible if I’ve locked both cam and crank as described in the manual. 

 

What have i missed? The only think I can think off is somethings fallen down a barrel, although I’m confident this didn’t happen. 

 

What do do you guys think? Any advice?

 

thanks in advance. 

Does anyone know which valves need to be in what position when the pistons are locked in TDC (Crank pulley locked with pin). 

 

This is the only way I can think of to double check. 

a long shot this one. I think on this engine you lock the crankshaft (to undo the pulley bolt) by putting pin into back of flywheel through a hole (at least that is what I found on my old 1.6tdci). did you use a pin there? (I used a large bolt modified to fit). have you left something partially slid in there which is catching on flywheel? not very likely I know.

I can't think of any other helpful comments.

It is hard to go wrong on this engine (unlike the 1.6 petrol where the pulley is not keyed to the shaft)

Hi thanks for the reply. Yes I know what you mean, and I did think this was what i’d Done. However triple checked and it’s been removed. 

 

The pistons simply seem like they are hitting a valve and locking. I can’t see how though as both cam shaft and crank shaft were locked in place. 

Really confusing me. 

Is it definitely hitting a valve? Or could it just be the compression giving you resistance? Diesels have a very high compression ratio so might be virtually impossible to crank it by hand.

Defo hitting a valve, or something solid. I removed the glow plugs and loosened the injectors to reduce the compression. 

 

 

Not that I think I have, but can over tightening the head bolts cause this in anyway. I would have thought the gasket would prevent this????

can't see that overtightening head bolts would cause it. even if there was no head gasket in place I don't think the clearence would be so close that the valves would hit the pistons at the speed of turning by hand. perhaps you should show us close up photos of it timed up with the locking pins in place in case pins in wrong place but unlikely I know. 

Good idea. I will take some photos Sunday and post. 

On 3/28/2019 at 2:50 PM, Hawksey said:

The engine turns no more than half before it all locks up. 

These diesels have different thickness gaskets, selected for the engine. At least that is the case for the 1.8TDCI, and I think some others. The clearance between piston and head is so small that the gasket thickness is used to take out manufacturing tolerances. If your new gasket is too thin for your engine, pistons would hit the head.

Bit of a long shot, but all I can think of.