1973 OPEL 1900 ground clearance

6A- 161973 OPEL SERVICE MANUALInspection of Connecting Rod Bearings and
Crankshaft JournalsRemove oil pan.
After removal of oil pan, disconnect two connecting
rods at a time from crankshaft and inspect the bear-
ings and crankpin journals. While,tuming crankshaft
it is necessary to
t&porarily reconnect the rods to
crankshaft to avoid possibility of damaging the jour-
nals through contact with loose rods.
If connecting rod bearings are chipped or scored they
should be replaced. If bearings
are in good physical
condition check for proper clearance on crankpins as
described under, checking clear$nce and selecting
replacement connecting rod beartngs.
If crankpin journals are scored or ridged, the crank-
shaft must be replaced, or reground for undersize
bearings, to insure satisfactory life of connecting rod
bearings. Slight roughness may be polished out withfine grit polishing cloth thoroughly wetted with en-
gine oil. Burrs may be honed off with a fine oil stone.
Use an outside micrometer to check crankpins for
out- of-round. If crankpins are mpre than
,002” out-
of- round, satisfactory life of new ,bearings cannot be
expected.
Checking Clearance and Selecting Replacement
Connecting Rod BearingsService bearings are furnished in standard size and
several undersizes. The clearance of connecting rod
(and crankshaft) bearings may be checked by use of
Plastigage, Type PG-1 (green), or equivalent, which
is soluble in oil.
1. Remove connecting rod cap with bearing shell.
Wipe off oil from bearing and crankpin journal, also
blow oil out of hole in crankshaft.
2. Place a piece of the plastic-type gauge material
Figure 6A-25 Checking Bearing
Cleatance WithPlastic-Type Gaugelengthwise along the bottom center of the lower bear-
ing shell (Figure 6A-25, view A), then install cap
with shell and tighten nuts to 36 lb. ft. Do not turn
crankshaft with gauge type material in bearing.
3. Remove bearing cap with bearing shell, the flat-
tened piece of gauge will be found adhering to either
the bearing shell or the crankpin. Do not remove it.
4. Using the scale printed on the envelope, measure
the flattened piece of gauge at its widest point. The
number within the graduation which closely corre-
sponds to the width of the gauge, indicates the bear-
ing clearance in thousandths of an inch. See Figure6A-25, View B.
5. The desired clearance with a new bearing is.0006”- .0025”. If bearing has been in service it is
advisable to install a new bearing if the clearance
exceeds .003”, however if bearing is in good condi-
tion and is not being checked because of bearing
noise, it is not necessary to replace the bearing.
6. After the proper size bearing has been selected,
clean off the gauge, oil thoroughly, reinstall cap with
bearing shell and tighten nuts to 36 lb. ft.
CRANKSHAFT BEARINGS AND SEALS
Replacement of Crankshaft BearingsA crankshaft bearing consists of two halves or shells
which are identical and are interchangeable in cap
and crankcase. All crankshaft bearings except the
rear main bearing are identical. The crankshaft end
thrust is taken up the rear (No. 5) main bearing.
Figure 6A-26 Engine Crankshaft Bearings
When the shells are placed in crankcase and bearing
cap, the ends extend slightly beyond the parting
sur-faces so that when cap bolts are tightened the shells
will be clamped tightly in place to insure positive

ENGINE MECHANICAL AND MOUNTS6A- 17
seating and to prevent turning.The ends of she//s
must never be tiled flush with parting surface of
crankcase or bearing cap.Crankshaft bearings are the precision type which do
not require reaming to size. Shims are not provided
for adjustment since worn bearings are readily re-
placed with new bearings of proper size. Bearings for
service replacement are furnished in standard size
and undersizes. Under no circumstances should
crankshaft bearing caps be tiIed to adjust for wear in
old bearing.After removal of oil pan, pipe and screen assembly,
perform the following removal, inspection and in-
stallation operations on each crankshaft bearing in
turn so that the crankshaft will be well supported by
the other bearings.
If crankshaft has been removed to check straightness
the following procedure is suggested. Rest crank-
shaft on “V-blocks” at number one and number live
main bearing journals. Check indicator runout at
No. 3 main bearing journal. Total indicator reading
should not exceed
.C012”.1. Since any service condition which affects the
crankshaft bearings may also affect the connecting
rod bearings, it is advisable to inspect connecting rod
bearings
first. If crankpins are worn to the extent
that crankshaft should be replaced or reground, re-
placement of crankshaft bearings only will not be
satisfactory.
If replacement of cylinder block or crankshaft is re-
quired, always check main bearing clearance with
plastic-type gauge to obtain specified limits.
2. Remove one bearing cap, then clean and inspect
lower bearing shell and the crankshaft journal. If
journal surface is scored or ridged, the crankshaft
must be replaced or reground to insure satisfactory
operation with new bearings. Slight roughness may
be polished out with tine grit polishing cloth
thoroughly wetted with engine oil, and burrs may be
honed off with a tine stone.
3. If condition of lower bearing shell and crankshaft
journal is satisfactory, check the bearing clearance
with a plastic-type gauge.
4. When checking a crankshaft bearing with plastic-
type gauging material, turn crankshaft so that oil
hole is up to avoid dripping of oil on the gauge
material. Place paper shims in lower halves of adja-
cent bearings and tighten cap bolts to take the weight
of crankshaft
off the lower shell of beating being
checked.5. If bearing clearance exceeds
.C03”, it is advisable
to install a new bearing; however, if bearing is in
good condition and is not being checked because ofbearing noise, it is not necessary to replace the bear-
ing.6. Loosen all crankshaft bearing cap bolts
l/2 turn,
and remove cap of bearing to be replaced.
7. Remove upper bearing shell by inserting Bearing
Shell Remover and Installer J-8080 in oil hole in
crankshaft, then slowly turning crankshaft so that
the tool rotates the shell out of place by pushing
against the end without the tang. See Figure
6A-27.When turning crankshaft with rear bearing cap
removed hold oil seal to prevent it from rotating out
of position in crankcase.
8. The crankshaft journal cannot be measured with
an outside micrometer when shaft is in place; how-
ever, when upper bearing shell is removed the jour-
nal may be checked for out-of-round by using a
special crankshaft caliper and inside micrometer.
Figure 6A-27 Removing and Installing Crankshaft
Bearing Upper Shell
The caliper should not be applied to journal in line
with oil hole.
If crankshaft journal is more than
.M)12” out-of-
round, the crankshaft should be replaced since the
full mileage cannot be expected from bearings used
with an excessively out-of-round crankshaft.
9. Before installation of bearing shells make sure that
crankshaft journal and the bearing seats in crankcase
and cap are thoroughly cleaned.
10. Coat inside surface of upper bearing shell with
engine oil and place shell against crankshaft journal
so that tang on shell will engage notch in crankcase
when shell is rotated into place.
11. Rotate bearing shell into place as far as possible
by hand, then insert Installer J-8080 in crankshaft oil
hole and rotate crankshaft to push shell into place.
Bearing shell should move into place with very little

ENGINE MECHANICAL AND MOUNTS6A- 19
sion. When replacing flywheel use new bolts and
torque to 43 lb.ft.
PISTON, RINGS AND CONNECTING RODS
Removal and Disassembly of Piston
and Rod Assemblies
1. Drain oil.
2. Remove oil pan. 3. Remove cylinder head.
4. Examine the cylinder bores above the ring travel.
If bores are worn so a ridge exists, remove the ridges
with a ridge reamer to avoid damaging rings or
cracking ring lands in pistons during removal.
5. Mark the cylinder number on all pistons, connect-
ing rods and caps. Starting at the front end of the
crankcase, the cylinders are numbered l-2-3-4,
6. Remove cap and bearing shell from number 1
connecting rod.
7. Push the piston and
rod assembly up and out of
top cylinder. Then reinstall cap and bearing shell on
rod.
0
-J-23436-4
J-23436-2+
J-6047
Figure
6A-3 1 Piston Pin Removal Tool Layout - 1 .S
Engine
8. Remove other rod and piston assemblies in the
same manner.
9. Remove compression rings and oil rings.
10. Remove piston pin in following manner:
a. Position base support J-6047 on hydraulic press.
b. Place tool J-23436-2 in base support with large
diameter bore facing upward. See Figure
6A-31.
c. Position piston and rod assembly on tool
J-
23436-2 making certain the pin is aligned on tool.
d. Position tool J-23436-4 in opposite end of piston
pin and press pin out.
Inspection of Cylinder Bores
Inspect cylinder walls for scoring, roughness, or
ridges which indicate excessive wear. Check cylinder
bores for taper and out-of-round with an accurate
cylinder gage at top, middle and bottom
ofbore, both
parallel and at right angles to the centerline of the
engine. The diameter of the cylinder bores at any
point may be measured with an inside micrometer or
by setting the cylinder gauge dial at “0” and measur-
ing across the gauge contact points with outside mi-
crometer while the gauge is at the same “0” setting.
If a cylinder bore is moderately rough or slightly
scored but is not out-of-round or tapered, it is possi-
ble to repair the bore by honing to accept a standard
service piston. If cylinder bore is very rough or deeply scored, it may be necessary to rebore the cyl-
inder to fit an oversize piston in order to insure satis-
factory results.
If a cylinder bore is tapered
.ooO5” or more, or is
out-of-round
.0005” or more, it is advisable to hone
or rebore for the smallest possible oversize piston and
rings.
Visual Inspection of Pistons, Rings, and Pins
Clean carbon from piston surfaces and under side of
piston heads. Clean carbon from ring grooves with a
suitable tool and remove any gum or varnish from
piston skirts with suitable solvent.
Carefully examine pistons for rough or scored bear-
ing surfaces, cracks in skirt, head cracked or broken
ring lands, and chipping or uneven wear which
would cause rings to seat improperly or have exces-
sive clearance in ring grooves. Damaged or faulty
pistons should be replaced.
Fitting Pistons to Cylinders
The pistons are cam ground, which means that the