Super A cylinder sleeve protrusion

scott1953

Member
Hi Guys,

I've read on this forum that the cylinder sleeve protrusion above the deck of the block on a 53 Super A should be between .003 and .005. I can't find any such reference in the manual that I have. Lots of other specs, but I just can't seem to find this one.

My question is how critical is this and is .003 - .005 correct?

When I took this apart, due to milky colored, water contaminated oil..so must be leaking antifreeze. I think I had more like .20 on one sleeve. Others were lower, maybe .003 or so. Could that have caused the leak?

Head is good, had it checked. The old o-ring seals looked ok, I think...a little flattened, hard, but intact. Although I don't know what bad would look like.

The oil gets contaminated pretty quick...as in and hour of running time and sitting for a few days. Head gasket changed 2 x's, didn't stop the leak.

This is my first doing this sort of work.

So is .003 - .005 the correct sleeve protrusion?

Any other thoughts?

Thanks guys..this forum has been a great resource for me.
 
did you pull the pan and check for leaks around sleeves from bottom? even stick a cardboard on floor and leave over night and check later. that spec. sounds good. but .020 is totally no good. also a head retorque after warm up should be done. and if you had the head cheaked then it must have been checked for warpage also. check the block also.
and as far as the sleeve o rings, if they are hard and flat that is a good indication they could be at fault. make sure your block and head surfaces are totally clean and use brake clean before installing the gasket. i spray my gaskets with permatex high tack sealer, but many use copper coat.
 
Thanks for your reply,

Yes, pulled the pan, looked for leaks, ..although there was a good bit of dripping...didn't really know if it was oil or water...oil I think.

I did or will do the other items you suggest.

How do I actually check the block. I look in there (pistons and sleeves are out) and see muck that I vacuumed out, but other than using a true bar on the deck, how to I check the block for cracks...just look close?

From what your saying, I'm thinking that the cause of the leak was that one sleeve that was sticking up .020.

And one more question, I've got vertical scratches in the sleeve walls. I can feel some of them with my fingernail..so, I gotta fix. Do I just keep honing away till they are gone?

Boy, I wish I knew more about this stuff, but with this site and the Internet in general...I'm learning.
Thanks again

Scott
 
I believe head torque has gone up to 80-85 ft lbs. Your book may say 60-65 ft lbs. Check the high sleeve and block bore for something under it. Also try your sleeves in the block without the o rings to check them out then, if ok install the o rings lub with dish soap and push the sleeves in. Should go in with a two hand push.
O rings are a likely place for water in the oil but not the only place. Good luck
Dennis
 
Why is one sticking up that high. Head gasket will hav a hard time stopping a leak it that sleeve i so high must be a bad seal at the bottom something is stopping that sleeve
 
Put the cardboard down and let it sit for a couple of days... Then you can tell if it's oil or water dripping, because all the oil that is going to drip off will have dripped off. You can't tell immediately after pulling the pan because the residual oil will be dripping for quite a while.

But it sounds like you've already pulled the sleeves. Aren't you going to replace them?
 

Thanks again for all the replies and advice. Big help. I'm still a little unsure of what do do about those scratches in the walls of the sleeve. I can feel them with my fingernail. Some cylinders have 5 or 6 of these scratches, some 2 or 3 most don't go all the way from top to bottom

Since I only use this tractor around 20 hours a year mowing and plowing snow. I'm thinking of honing as best I can and just running it scratches and all and see what happens.

Think it will burn oil and smoke badly...at all?

Or should I not be so cheap and buy new sleeves and pistons. Its about $275?

Your thoughts?
 
Have a good hard look at the hole in the block and the bottom lip of the sleeve and find whatever is keeping it from dropping into place.

You said that you didn't know a lot about engines so let me ask if you kept the sleeves in order and oriented the same way when you took it apart. If not, that might be part of the problem. I'm sure if you keep at it you will figure out what is wrong. Try fitting the troublesome sleeve without the o-ring. BTW, you will need new o-rings.

As far as the sleeves and pistons go, I would not get too excited about small scratches in the sleeve if you only use the tractor 20 hours per year. Keep an eye on the oil level and the engine will be fine. I would not put a $300 set of pistons and sleeves in anything that I wanted to use. Light weight pistons are all well and good until you get to flimsy. A high quality piston for a Chevy V8 (i.e. they make lots of them...) cost about $100 a piece.

Get the sleeves to fit right, put in new o-rings, and run it.

Greg
 
Hi again guys.

I'm back to working on my super a again. Again, this is my first time rebuilding any engine. I've got the cylinder sleeves back in with new o-rings. But they all protrude above the deck of the block by .007- .0075, if I have it right, the specs are .003 -.005.

Is .007 close enough to not leak?

Again, thank you I wouldn't have attempted this with out you guys on this forum.



Scott
 
Scott, You should hold the sleeves down tight with bolts and washers to measure the protrusion, if you are not that could be the difference. Not much you can do about it if not right except machining.
If it were mine, and it is not, I would copper coat the gasket and bolt the head on, torque to 80 ft lbs, get it good and warm and re torque and re adjust valves.
Others may have different advise.
good luck
Dennis
 
I've got them held down tight with bolts and washers, .007 is the best I can do, at least they are all the same. so I'm going with your suggestion, copper coat....80 ft lbs, warm and re-torque... valve adjust. Thanks Dennis.......http://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/uptest/a152087_sml.jpg
a152087.jpg
 

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