The Macbox 1995 SC2 “Betty” Rebuild Thread

[macbox]

I started this project in June of 2014, didn’t think it would take this long, but now I understand how it happens that middle-aged men have cars apart in the garage for a very long time, because I’m one of them.

The car is a 1995 SC2 with manual transmission also known as Betty. It currently has 163K miles, prior to the rebuild it was a 400 miles/quart engine. In this thread I’ll be logging my progress and any questions that arise along with any advice or questions you may have.

This is my second rebuild, my first rebuild was in 2011 for the SW2, here’s the thread for that build. http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=169002 That SW2 was totaled by an inattentive driver in November 2017 after this project was well under way, and that engine is sitting in the garage on a tire.

I've been collecting parts for years. During this time the scope of the project has changed slightly, from being more modded to less modded, because I got older and now I want reliability instead of power.

Current status:
Block has been bored .5mm over.
Head has been shaved .02, flat face vaIves installed, and I have an extra intake cam in case I want to do the dual intake cam mod.

Pistons, rings, and bearings are:
• Pistons are KB Silv-O-Lite .5mm over, 1902HC +0.5mm
• Piston rings. Mahle 41866CP.020, Gapped to. 022
• Main Bearings, Mahle/Clevite MS-2009P
• Rod Bearings, Mahle/Clevite CB-1623P

Other parts I have on hand:
• 92 header and downpipe.
• Geo Storm GSI Throttle Body - If I use this I’ll probably need to get a WB O2 sensor also, and this may also push me into needing to use premium gas to avoid knock.
• New clutch.
• New flywheel.
• New FPR.
• New EGR.
• Engine cradle from Georgia that has been painted with POR-15.
• Fel-Pro ES72903 Head Bolts
• AMR aluminum radiator.

I’m installing the crankshaft this week, the speed of progress depends on how much time I have.

[Waiex191]

Very cool, they sure run sweet after a proper rebuild.

[macbox]

Measured the main bearing clearance this morning. I have a questions about the condition of some of the lower bearings and if that will make a difference, there are some slight scratches but I can't feel anything when I run a fingernail across them.

I plastiguaged to get these measurements, I didn’t crank the mains bolts down to the spec’d 37 ft Lbs, I cranked them to 35 so I could measure.
#1 .036 mm
#2 .036 mm
#3 .035 mm
#4 .037 mm
#5 .048 mm

All are within spec, a little on the wide side, but within spec. I almost want to re-measure #5 to see what is going on with it.

Bearings on the bench.


Upper bearings.


Lower bearings.


Main bearing clearance.

Journal 1


Journal 2


Journal 3


Journal 4


Journal 5

[OldNuc]

I can show you a very large number of plastigauge measurements vs. actual mechanical measurements and the final result is it is only an indication of adequate clearance, absolute accuracy is totally random and lacking.

Buy a complete set of new bearings. The silicon-aluminum are quite god if you can kep the oil clean and have the block and head properly boiled out. If not then use a high end tri-metal bearing set. Have the crank measured for out of round and taper, if in specs polish it and if not grind to the max diameter end of the first undersize. The final result is you want to go back together with the minimum clearance in those bearings. Recycling used bearings is really not recommended.

[macbox]

OldNuc, these are the new bearings, and the block has been boiled out and the head is clean and both are ready for assembly which is the current step. The bearings are Clevite MS-2009P but have been sitting around for a while and are no longer in pristine condition, which is why I asked about if the slight scratches would make a difference.

I'm sure I could go back to the machine shop and have the crank mic'd, I'm pretty sure they ordered the bearings but I don't recall.

[OldNuc]

Slight scratches are usually not an issue. Inspection ant oblique angles under a bright light will usually identify any problems requiring correction. Contrary to the old conventional wisdom you do not want to use some kind of break in oil in these engines either. Start off with the highest quality 100% PAO oil you can find and keep using it. My comment was based on the pictures. Surgical cleanliness is required and when assembling all of this do not get any oil on the back side of those bearings but do use something such as Permatex ultra slick on all of the running and sliding surfaces.

[macbox]

Thanks, I could not catch a fingernail on them and they still seem smooth to the touch. I'm looking forward to making progress on this and getting all the boxes of parts back in one piece and running. The engine has been apart for 5 years.

[OldNuc]

What you are concerned with in regards to a scratch is the raised edges turned up by the metal displacement, not the depth of the scratch. You can see these edges under bright light at an oblique angle and they are removed with a tool that look suspiciously like a small sugar spoon by lightly pressing down on them with the rounded back. The reason for concern is these ridges cause a disruption in the oil film. Most are of no concern at all though.

[macbox]

I'll double check the bearings and take care of any high spots if there are any, I don't think it will be an issue.

I called the shop today to get clarification on the clearances. The mains clearance is .0018 in., and the rod bearing clearance is .0017-.0023 in. While a little on the high side, he said this will be fine as long as they have good oil.

Installing pistons is the next step after the crank. The machine shop has suggested putting a couple drops of light machine oil on the rings instead of regular engine oil. I think he mentioned seafoam, but Marvel would work, and when I said I have some sewing machine oil, he said that would work ask well.

For the piston skirts, they are getting a light coat of straight 30W engine oil.

When I asked him what to put on the cylinder walls, he said "nothing." I was a little taken aback by this and then he also suggested Marvel Mystery oil as a light machine oil, and even with that, it just takes a few drops on the end of the finger spread around on the cylinder walls. On the engine for the "98 SW2, I used a light coat of 30W on the cylinder walls, and that engine did fine.

Cylinder walls are a 320 grit plateau finish that is stone honed.

This is the box for the piston rings.

[OldNuc]

I coat the cylinders with Permatex Ultra Slick and the engine in the car is over 90,000 miles and burns no oil. You do not need any low film strength break-in oil with a properly honed engine.

This works.
To prime the oil system on a Saturn engine after a complete overhaul, head replacement, timing chain replacement, re-ring, or long term storage perform the following steps.
-Fill crankcase with 4 1/2 quarts of fresh new 5w-30 oil if this is the initial fill following a rebuild otherwise use 4 quarts of oil. Use a decent quality name brand oil.
-Fill a squirt pistol type oiler with the same oil.
-Squirt oil into the square port on the right side of the filter base do this several times until you can not get more oil to stay in it. This will take 4 to 6 ounces of oil.
-Fill the new oil filter a bit more than 1/2 full and screw it in place.
-Remove the PCM B fuse from the UHJB (under hood fuse box). This will prevent the fuel pump and injectors from operating while priming.
-Remove spark plugs.
-Place 1 squirt of 5w-30 oil in each cylinder.
-Turn key to crank and crank engine with the starter until the oil pressure light goes out. This may take several 20-30 second runs of the starter.
-Release key when the oil pressure light goes off.
-Turn key to crank and crank engine again until oil pressure light goes out. Repeat 2 times.
-Replace spark plugs.
-Replace PCM B fuse.
-Prime fuel system by turning key to on but not crank and wait until pump stops, turn key to off, wait 30 seconds. Repeat 2 times.
-Start engine.
*********************************
After start.
-If engine running as expected continue to let it sit and idle while you inspect for leaks and other off normal behavior.
-Do not touch the gas!
-Allow to sit and idle until the fan cycles on and off twice.
-Shutdown engine and allow a 30 minute oil drain down time
-Replace the oil and oil filter with a WIX 51516XP or Mobil-1 M1-209 (do not substitute) filter and a name brand high quality synthetic oil, or high quality name brand synthetic blend oil.
-Drive car conservatively, no steady RPM operation and hold max top gear RPM to < ~3000 RPM
-Closely monitor oil level by parking in the exact same spot and checking level after a 6 hour minimum drain down time. Maintain oil level at the Full mark or up to the lower edge of the "U" in full.
-Once it has been established that oil consumption is zero change oil and filter.
-At this point using a high end 100% PAO synthetic oil is the best option. Amsoil 5w-30 Signature Series or Amsoil
Series 3000 SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Heavy Duty Diesel Oil is recommended along with the WIX 51516XP filter. Do not run these filters more than 7500 miles but oil change can be done by oil sample results and no more than 700 operating hours. Buy an hour meter and hook it up.

Do not pack the oil pump with grease either, use Permatex Ultra Slick right before assembly. Initial fill of Amsoil 5w-30 Signature Series. For first start use whatever 5w-30 you want as this is to flush out all the assembly lube. Your rings will seat by the time the fan has come on twice. On the odd chance they do not it will take about 5000 miles. This is why all of this bore and hone has to be done correctly.

[macbox]

Crank is installed, will be installing the pistons in the next few days and see how much progress I can make. I had already scrubbed the cylinders down with dawn dish detergent and water, when I read that toilet paper and transmission fluid can be used to get the gunk off the cylinder walls. I tried it out and was surprised how much more came out of the cylinders.

[macbox]

Pictures of cylinder walls.

Cylinder 1


Cylinder 2


Cylinder 3


Cylinder 4

[alordofchaos]

cool, the TP and ATF is a new one on me. thanks!

now I understand how it happens that middle-aged men have cars apart in the garage for a very long time, because I’m one of them.

I've managed to avoid this so far by putting off starting on projects

[macbox]

Got around to installing pistons yesterday. The shop I used for the block said to coat the cylinders with a Marvel Mystery oil. For the rings, they said it only takes a drop or so of oil on the rings, I think for the first rebuild I only wiped them down so that they were coated.

Bearings get a thin coat of assembly lube just prior to assembly.
Piston bearing nuts are torqued to 31 ft. lbs.

[macbox]

Installed the rear main seal into the carrier. Member Waiex191 had a good idea on his thread for pressing the seal into the carrier by using a 2”-3” PVC bushing.
http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/sho...&h#post2247810

It’s the perfect size for pressing the seal. Nibco # U4301-2-F, or if you have a Menards nearby, 689-2115.





This pic is the oil galley plugs and the threaded mount for the oil filter. The metal washers were a little rough from use so I sanded them flat on each side and use a very thin smear of copper RTV. The galley plugs go in with an 8mm hex, a 5/16” hex also works.

[macbox]

Originally Posted by alordofchaos

cool, the TP and ATF is a new one on me. thanks!

I've managed to avoid this so far by putting off starting on projects

That is the deal, if you start a project, you either have to finish it, or it sits there incomplete. I'm really happy with the TP and ATF for cleaning the cylinders, I think it's much better than scrubbing with tide or dawn detergent.

[macbox]

Take a look and double-check my work. I'm pretty sure I have the dual intake cam mod set up correctly here.


Head is on, for the head bolt torque process, I made a template for the last 90˚ torque.



Head and block just prior to install.

[macbox]

I made a rookie mistake and didn’t realize the head had already been shaved when I had the shop shave the head .02, I should have had it measured or looked closer. I don’t want to deal with the situation that a head that is shaved .04-.05 will create, so to get back to my original plan of .02, I got a .02” shim from Rock Auto that is made by Enginetech. The process for this will be to use Permatex 80697 on the shim, allow the solvent to flash off, then the shim goes on the head with the adhesive side down, then the gasket, and then the head.
This is the shim in Rock Auto: https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...acer+shim,5420

I picked up a new head gasket, and I discovered a flaw in the gasket, there is a small bump in the line of sealer next to the water jacket for the #4 cylinder. What do you guys think, is this gasket going to be OK or is it going to cause a leak and I should exchange it?

Flaw in head gasket.


Head shim.