Rebuild question on Ford 201 cid 3 cyl diesel in a 4500

[Ray T.]

Hi Folks,

I just got my rebuilt 1971 Ford 201 cid 3 cyl diesel engine back from the machine shop. I went to install it and noticed that the rear cover plate between the engine and flywheel is sticking out about a 1/4" from the engine at the bottom and is touching the lower portion of the flywheel.

I tried to look between the gap up towards the crankshaft to see what was preventing the cover from sitting flush on the engine. I think it might be the gasket at the end of the crankshaft between the engine and cover.

If it is a gasket should the gasket be sticking out enough to prevent the cover from sitting flush against the engine?

The top part of the cover seems to be ok, but there are 3 bolts (1 above and 1 on each side of the crankshaft) holding the cover securely in place. There are no other bolts holding the cover on. I assume it might be ok once the engine is bolted to the transmission, but I would hate to have to remove the engine again once it is reinstalled.

Has anyone seen this issue before or have any recommendations? I plan on calling the machine shop to ask them what they think, but I am not sure how much experience they have with this type of engine.

Thanks,
Ray

 

[shaun wallace]

Its just fine. Put flywheel on and bolt engine in. The buckle up bolts will flatten out plate.

 

[RodinNS]

I would be inclined to say it's OK and will flatten out once it's bolted up. The exception to that would be if it's actually pushed out far enough to hit near the center of the flywheel... Then I'd be taking the flywheel off and finding the problem.

Rod

 

[Bern]

The cork gasket WILL prevent the rear plate from sitting flat on the rear of the block, but not 1/4" worth. If it really is 1/4", then you'd better do some investigating. If it's more like half that, then that's perfectly normal. The cork gasket is thick, and will cause the plate to bow by that amount when it's bolted on. You want some compression on that gasket anyways, because it's sole purpose is to catch any leakage past the rear main cap side seals.

 

[Ray T.]

(quoted from post at 02:52:22 12/09/15) The cork gasket WILL prevent the rear plate from sitting flat on the rear of the block, but not 1/4" worth. If it really is 1/4", then you'd better do some investigating. If it's more like half that, then that's perfectly normal. The cork gasket is thick, and will cause the plate to bow by that amount when it's bolted on. You want some compression on that gasket anyways, because it's sole purpose is to catch any leakage past the rear main cap side seals.

Hi Folks,

I want to thank everyone for their answers. I pulled the flywheel and rear plate and it was indeed the cork gasket around the crankshaft. I reassembled and have bolted the engine to the flywheel and the rear plate did flatten out.

I have another question regarding the engine oil weight (I will probably post a new question so others can see.) I had been using 15w-40 Rotella which I thought would be fine for a 40 year old diesel engine. Now that the engine has been completely rebuilt I see that the Ford owners manual recommends SAE 20 for temps between 32 - 90 degrees. Does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts on using a 20 weight oil?

Thanks,
Ray