Good friend Dave Harvey was down for a few days this particular week so while the weather was fairly mild we ventured out into the garage to have a potter.
The Mk2 Pi engine that I had recently taken out of the Mk1 Pi had been a little bit smoky, so we removed the pistons and found that the oil control rings had failed thus letting oil past and creating the smokiness. After giving the cylinders a hone new piston rings were fitted and the pistons were then re-inserted into the cylinders using a piston ring compressor and my usual mode of assistance, a tin of baked beans. Tesco baked beans are very similar in diameter to Triumph pistons and therefore give a very even pressure when you push down. Perfect for the job.
With the pistons re-housed we then fitted a new set of big end bearings and checked the engine rotation to make sure all was well. We also checked the main bearings but these were found to be fine and didn't need replacing. With the bottom end all back together (including a new sump gasket) we then fitted a new set of cam followers and called it a day. If this had been an engine I was going to use in a car, I would have probably fitted a new camshaft, but at present it's just going to be a spare that will be sitting in the shed in case it needed so I couldn't see the sense of buying a new camshaft for an engine that's just going to be sitting idle. A very productive day thanks to the help and experience of Dave Harvey.
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