1987 NISSAN PULSAR check oil

40 Engine


Check the engine oil for level and dilution on the dipstick.
dosed. Before dismantling the engine to
inspect the big ends check the engine oil for
correct level and dilution on the dipstick.
Also, remove the oil pressure sender unit
and connect an oil pressure gauge into the
oil gallery to check the oil pressure readings.

MAIN BEARING NOISE (APPARENT)
(1) Loose flywheel: Tighten the flywheel securing
bolls to the specified torque. (2) Low oil pressure: Check the bearing to
journal clearance. Check the condition of the oil
pump and pressure relief valve. Recondition the oil
pump as necessary. (3) Excessive crankshaft end float: Renew the
main bearings. (4) Crankshaft journals out of round and exces-
sive bearing to journal clear ance: Regrind the journals
and renew the bearings (undersize).
(5) Insufficient oil supply: Replenish the oil in
the sump to the correct level.
NOTE: Main bearing noise is indicated by a
heavy but dull knock when the engine is
under load. A loose flywheel is indicated by
a thud or dull click when the ignition is
turned off. It is us ually accompanied by
vibration.

Crankshaft end float noise is indicated by
a sharp rap at idle speed. The crankshaft
can be readily checked for excessive end
float by levering the crankshaft backwards
and forwards.

If the oil pressure is not satisfactory,
remove the main bearing caps and assess
the bearing clearance using the Plastigage
method as described in this section. Ovality
and wear on the main bearing journals can
only be checked with a micrometer after the
crankshaft has been removed.

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION
(1) Oil leaks: Check and renew the engine gas-
kets or seals as necessary.
(2) Damaged or worn valve stem oil seals:
Dismantle the cylinder head and renew the damaged
or worn oil seals. (3) Excessive valve stem to valve guide clear-
ance: Ream the valve guides and renew the valves as
necessary. (4) Worn or broken piston rings: Renew the
piston rings on all pistons. (5) Rings too tight or stuck in the grooves:
Renew the rings and clean the ring grooves.
(6) Excessive wear in the cylinders, pistons and
rings: Recondition the cylinders and renew the pistons
and rings. (7) Compression rings incorrectly installed. Oil
rings clogged or broken: Renew the piston rings.
NOTE: Before checking the engine for oil
leaks the engine should be completely de-
greased and cleaned. Run the engine at
operating temperature for a period and
visually check for oil leakage. By placing
white paper on the floor directly beneath the
engine any excessive leak can be readily
pinpointed.

Damaged or worn valve stem oil seals
which allow oil to be drawn down past the
valve stems into the combustion chambers
can be diagnosed by allowing the engine to
idle for a few minutes and then opening the
throttle. If oil is being drawn past the valve
stems a heavy discharge of blue smoke will
be seen at the tailpipe.

Piston, ring and cylinder bore troubles are
normally accompanied by a loss of compres-
sion. Cylinder compression can only be
accurately assessed by using a compression
gauge.

Run the engine over white paper to check for oil leaks.

Engine 41

DROP IN OIL PRESSURE
(1) Oil level low in the sump: Check and replen-
ish the oil to the full mark on the dipstick.
(2) Thin or diluted oil: Change to the correct oil
grade and rectify the source of dilution. (3) Oil pump relief valve stuck or spring broken;
Free up the relief valve or renew the broken relief
valve spring. (4) Excessive bearing clearance: Renew the bear-
ing shells or recondition the crankshaft journals as
necessary.
(5) Excessive wear of the oil pump components:
Renew or recondition the oil pump.
NOTE: If the vehicle is not equipped with an
oil pressure gauge re move the oil sender unit
and connect a pressure gauge into the oil
gallery. Check the oil pressure with the
engine cold and hot. If the oil pump or relief
valve are faulty. low pressure will be indi-
cated with the engine both hot and cold.
However, if the bearings are at fault a fairly
high oil pressure will be indicated when the
engine is cold, but a marked drop in pressure
will occur when the engine is hot.

ENGINE WILL NOT ROTATE
(1) Starter motor drive jammed: Remove the
starter motor. Check and renew the damaged drive
and/or flywheel ring gear.
(2) Engine overheated an d seized: Remove and
dismantle the engine. Check and renew any damaged
components. See the following note.
(3) Water in the cylinder due to a blown head
gasket or cracked cylinder block or head: Remove the
cylinder head. If the gasket is blown, check for
cylinder block and head distortion and reface if
necessary. Renew the cylinder head and/or cylinder
block if cracked.
(4) Broken crankshaft, connecting rod. piston
etc. due to overheating, fatigue etc: Remove and
dismantle the engine. Examine and renew any com-
ponents as necessary. (5) Valve head broken off due to overheating,
fatigue etc: Remove the cylinder head and check the
head, piston and cylinder bore for damage. Repair or
renew as necessary.
NOTE: Invariably when an engine seizes
because of overheating due to lack of oil
and/or water, damage is done to the bear-
ings, pistons etc. Although there may be
instances where an engine will start and run
after it has cooled down and the oil and
water have been replenished, it will usually
be found that oil consumption increases, oil
pressure decreases and the engine will be
noisier, depending on the degree of damage.

When a cylinder head gasket blows allow-
ing water into the cylinders, or compression
loss between the cylinders, it is essential to
check the gasket faces on the cylinder block
and head for distortion. Sufficient water can
enter a cylinder because of a blown head
gasket, cracked cylinder or head to prevent
an engine from rotating.

This is normally preceded by difficult
starting, misfiring, excessive steam from the
exhaust and loss of water from the radiator.

Frequent jamming of the starter motor
drive with the flywheel ring gear can be due
to a bent starter armature shaft or damaged
teeth on the drive and/or ring gear. With the
starter motor removed, the flywheel ring
gear teeth can be examined through the
starter motor mounting aperture. Renewal
of the ring gear requires removal of the
transaxle, clutch and flywheel on manual
transaxle models and the removal of the
transaxle and drive plate on automatic
transaxle models. To check for a bent arma-
ture shaft, rotate the shaft by hand while
holding the end in close proximity to a fixed
object.

2. DESCRIPTION
The 1.6 and 1.8 liter engines are basically identi-
cal in design.

Both engines share the same stroke. The 1.8 liter
engine has a larger bore thus giving it increased
capacity.

The engine is a four cylinder, inline, overhead
camshaft design transversely mounted in the front of
the vehicle.

The camshaft runs in five integral support bear-
ings in the camshaft housing which in turn is mounted
directly on to the cylinder head and retained by the
cylinder head bolts.

Camshaft end float is controlled by a retaining
plate engaged in a groove machined in the rear
camshaft journal. The camshaft is driven by the
crankshaft timing gear vi a a reinforced rubber belt.

The aluminum cross flow cylinder head houses
the tappets, rocker arms a nd valve assemblies. An oil
pressure relief valve is installed to the cylinder head to
maintain oil pressure to the hydraulic tappets at a
predetermined setting.

The exhaust valve springs are equipped with
rotators mounted below the valve springs which rotate
the exhaust valve assemblies. The rocker arms pivot
on hydraulic tappet assemblies and locate in notched
lash pads mounted on the valve stems. The camshaft
lobes bear directly onto the rocker arms and due to
the characteristics of the hydraulic tappet assemblies,
no provision is made for tappet clearance adjustment.

44 Engine

Rear three quarter view of the 1.8 liter engine and automatic transaxle assembly.
mountings. Lower the assembly onto the mountings
and tighten the mounting nuts and bolts.

(4) Install a new exhaust flange gasket.
(5) Fill the engine and transaxle with the correct
quantity and grade of lubricant. (6) Fill the cooling system as described in the
Cooling and Heating Systems section. (7) On models with power steering, fill the power
steering reservoir with the recommended fluid.
(8) Start and run the engine until it reaches the
normal operating temperatur e and check for fuel, oil
and coolant leaks.
4. MANIFOLDS
INLET MANIFOLD - 1.6 Liter Models

To Remove and Install
NOTE: Due to the high residual pressure
within the fuel system, it will be necessary to

depressurise the system before removing the
fuel supply components. Refer to the Fuel
and Engine Management section for the
correct procedure.

(1) Disconnect the negative battery terminal.
(2) Remove the wingnuts retaining the air
cleaner to the throttle body, lift the air cleaner
upwards slightly and disconnect the vacuum hoses. (3) Drain the cooling system as described in the
Cooling and Heating Systems section. (4) Loosen the hose clamps and disconnect the
engine coolant hoses from the rear of the manifold.
(5) Disconnect the small branch of the engine
ventilation hose from the rear of the inlet manifold. (6) On automatic transaxle models, disconnect
the kickdown cable from the throttle lever by releasing
the wire spring clip and re moving the cable end socket
from the ball.
(7) Turn the throttle lever to the full throttle
position. Using the slack in the throttle cable, release
the throttle cable end thr ough the slot provided.

Engine 47


Line drawing showing the dimensions for the fabrication of a camshaft drive belt adjusting tool.
(5) Release the clips securing the camshaft drive
belt outer cover to the inner cover and remove the
outer cover.
(6) Turn the engine in the direction of rotation
until the timing marks on the camshaft gear and the
inner cover are aligned and the timing marks on the
crankshaft pulley and the pointer on the inner timing
cover are also aligned.
(7) If the drive belt is to be reused, mark the
drive belt with an arrow to ensure that it is installed
in the original direction of rotation. (8) Remove the Allen head bolts securing the
crankshaft pulley to the crankshaft gear and remove
the pulley. (9) Loosen the water pump retaining bolts and
using the adjusting tool, rotate the water pump
housing to release the camsh aft drive belt tension.
NOTE: A drive belt tension adjusting tool
can be manufactured from a piece of 10 mm
thick steel to the dimensions given in the
illustration.

(10) Remove the inner cover lower retaining bolts
and maneuver the camshaft drive belt from the
camshaft and crankshaft gears. Do not rotate the
crankshaft or camshaft.

TO CHECK AND INSPECT
(1) Inspect the drive belt for any signs of wear,
damaged teeth or torn backing. Renew the belt if it is
contaminated by oil. Do not wash or clean a drive belt
in solvents. Any slight contamination may be wiped
off using a dry cloth.

NOTE: If the drive belt is contaminated
with oil, the crankshaft and camshaft oil


Dismantled view of the camshaft drive belt
components.
seals must be checked and any oil leak
rectified prior to installing a new drive belt.

(2) Check the water pump for rough or exces-
sively noisy operation. Ensure that the assembly slides
smoothly in the cylinder bloc k and that the seal is not
leaking. Refer to the Cooling and Heating Systems
section if it is necessary to renew the water pump
assembly. (3) Check the water pump, camshaft and crank-
shaft timing gears for any wear or damage.
Check the drive belt for the illustrated faults.

Engine 49


Dismantled view of the camshaft housing and components.
(10) If the measurement is not within Specifica-
tions, check the retaining plate and the retaining plate
groove in the camshaft for wear or scoring after
dismantling. Renew the defective parts as necessary
on assembly. (11) Disconnect the lower radiator hose and drain
the cooling system.
NOTE: If the coolant is to be reused, drain
the coolant into a clean container.

(12) Remove the bolts securing the camshaft
drive belt inner cover to the camshaft housing. (13) Remove the cylinder head bolts in the re-
verse order of the tighten ing sequence, backing off
each bolt a quarter of a turn then half a turn at a time
until the bolts are loose.
NOTE: Do not loosen the cylinder head
bolts while the engine is warm as distortion
of the cylinder head could result.

(14) Remove the cylinder head bolts and lift the
camshaft housing from the cylinder head. (15) The rocker arms, thrust pads and tappet
assemblies can now be removed from the cylinder
head. Number a rack from 1 to 8 and keep each
assembly in order so that they can be returned to their
original positions.
(16) From the distributor drive end of the cam-
shaft housing, remove the bolts securing the camshaft
retaining plate to the camshaft housing and remove
the retaining plate. (17) Withdraw the camshaft from the camshaft
housing taking care to supp ort the camshaft to avoid
scoring the inner surfaces of the camshaft bearings.
(18) With a pointed drift, tap a small hole in the
front face of the oil seal. Insert a self tapping screw in
the hole and using a pair of pliers, pull on the screw
to remove the oil seal from the housing. Discard the
oil seal.
TO CLEAN AND INSPECT

(1) Wash all parts in cleaning solvent and dry
with compressed air. Ensure that all oil ways in the
camshaft and rocker arms are free from obstruction.
(2) Check the camshaft lobes, the rocker arms. the thrust pads and the ta
ppet assemblies for pitting
and wear. The tappet assemblies are non-serviceable
and should be renewed as an assembly if wear is
apparent or internal damage is suspected.

(3) Support the camshaft at each end on Vee
blocks and using a dial gauge with its plunger bearing
on the centre journal, rotate the camshaft and check
for bend. (4) Using micrometers, measure the outside of
each camshaft journal and the inside of each camshaft
tunnel in the camshaft housing. Compare these mea-
surements to Specifications and renew defective parts
as necessary. (5) Check the retaining plate and the retaining
plate groove in the camshaft for wear and scoring.
Renew defective parts as necessary.

Dismantled view of the valve operating components.
TO INSTAL
Installation is a reversal of the removal procedure
with attention to the following points:

(1) Lubricate the lip of a new oil seal with engine
oil and position the seal squarely in the camshaft
housing. Ensure that the li p of the seal faces towards
the inside of the camshaft housing. Tap around the
edge of the seal with a soft faced hammer until the seal
is fully seated in the recess in the camshaft housing. (2) Apply clean engine oil to the camshaft bear-
ings and camshaft journals. Insert the camshaft into
position taking care not to damage the bearings with
the edges of the cam lobes or journals. (3) Apply engine oil to the camshaft retaining
plate and position it in the groove in the camshaft.
Install the retaining bolts and tension the bolts to the
specified torque.

Engine 51

coolant temperature sensor and temperature sender
switch located in the thermostat housing.

(8) Remove the bolt securing the wiring clamp
to the rear of the manifold and maneuver the wiring
away from the cylinder head and the inlet manifold.
(9) Disconnect the throttle cable and on auto-
matic transaxle models, the kickdown cable from the
throttle body linkage. (10) Remove the bolls securing the throttle cable
bracket to the inlet manifold and place the bracket
and cable(s) to one side.
(11) Mark the fuel supply and return hoses to
ensure correct installation and disconnect the hoses
from the fuel rail or throttle body. Plug the hoses to
prevent the loss of fuel or the entry of dirt. (12) Mark the vacuum hoses connected to the
inlet manifold and throttle body to ensure correct
installation and disconnect the hoses. (13) Remove the nuts securing the engine pipe to
the exhaust manifold and separate the pipe from the
manifold. (14) Remove the oxygen sensor from the exhaust
manifold. Refer to the Fuel and Engine Management
section if necessary. (15) Remove the distributor and coil as described
in the Fuel and Engine Management section. (16) Disconnect the engine breather hoses from
the camshaft housing and cams haft housing top cover.
(17) Remove the bolts retaining the top cover to
the camshaft housing and remove the top cover. (18) Using an open end spanner, hold the cam-
shaft between the inlet and exhaust lobes of number
four cylinder and remove the camshaft timing gear
retaining bolt and the camshaft timing gear.
(19) Remove the bolts securing the camshaft
drive belt inner cover to the camshaft housing. (20) Loosen the cylinder head bolts in the reverse
order of the tightening sequence, backing off each bolt
a quarter turn then half a turn at a time until the bolts
are loose.
NOTE: Do not loosen the head bolts while
the engine is warm as distortion of the
cylinder head could result.

(21) Remove the cylinder head bolts and lift the
camshaft housing from the cylinder head. (22) Remove the cylinder head and gasket from
the cylinder block. Installation is a reversal of the removal procedure
with attention to the following points:

(1) Thoroughly clean the gasket surfaces of the
cylinder head, cylinder block and camshaft housing
and check all mating surfaces with a straight edge.
Ensure that all the oilways are clean and free of any
foreign material and lightly oil all operating parts with
engine oil.
(2) Install new gaskets throughout during
assem-
bly.

View of the cylinder head showing the bolt tightening
sequence.
(3) Ensure that the cylinde r head and gasket are
located correctly on the dowels on the cylinder block
face. The head gasket is marked TOP to aid in correct
installation. (4) With the cylinder head and gasket in posi-
tion on the cylinder block, apply an even smear of
Loctite 515 to the cylinder head and camshaft housing
mating surfaces. Take care that no sealant is forced
into the oil passages. (5) Install new cylinder head bolts and lubricate
the bolts and washers with engine oil,
(6) Apply an initial torque to the cylinder head
bolts of 25 Nm in the sequence shown in the
illustration. Further tighten the head bolts in the same
sequence in three separate 60 degree stages. Refer to
Specifications. (7) Install the bolts secur ing the camshaft drive
belt inner cover to the camshaft housing. Install the
camshaft timing gear and tighten the retaining bolt to
the specified torque. (8) Install and adjust the camshaft drive belt as
previously described. (9) Install the distributor, coil and oxygen sensor
as described in the Fuel and Engine Management
section.
(10) Using a new gasket, connect the engine pipe
to the exhaust manifold flange, coat the nuts with an
anti-seize compound and install and tighten the nuts
to
the specified torque. (11) Connect all hoses and electrical wiring dis-
connected during the removal of the cylinder head.
Ensure that all the hoses are returned to their original
locations. (12) Connect the throttle cable and where appli-
cable, the kickdown cable. Adjust the cables as
described in the Fuel and Engine Management section
and the Automatic Transaxle section. (13) Check the engine oil fo r correct level on the
dipstick and for dilution. Change the engine oil and
filter if necessary. (14) Fill the cooling system as described in the
Cooling and Heating Systems section. (15) Start the engine and check for oil or water

52 Engine
leaks and rectify as necessary. Check and if necessary
adjust the ignition timing as described in the Engine
Tune-up section.

(16) When the engine has reached normal oper-
ating temperature, tighten the cylinder head bolts
another 40-50 degrees in the correct sequence shown
in the illustration, ensuring that the tension does not
exceed 135 Nm.

TO DISMANTLE
(1) Remove the cylinder head as previously
described.
(2) Remove the thermostat housing and sealing
ring from the cylinder head.
(3) Remove the nuts securing the inlet and
exhaust manifolds to the cylinder head and remove
the manifolds. Discard the gaskets. (4) Lift the rocker arm and thrust pad from the
top of each valve assembly, keeping them in order for
assembly to their or iginal locations.
(5) Slide each hydraulic tappet from its bore in
the cylinder head, also keeping them in order for
assembly to their or iginal locations.
(6) Before removing the valves the deposits in

Installed view of the cylinder head oil pressure relief
valve.
the combustion chambers s hould be removed. Care
should be taken not to damage the cylinder head
gasket face.

(7) Using a valve spring compressor, compress
each spring in turn. Remove the split retaining collets
and slowly release the compressor.
(8) Remove the valve spring retainers and valve
springs. (9) Remove the valve stem seals from the top of
the valve guides and detach the exhaust valve rotators
and the inlet valve spring seats, from the cylinder
head. (10) Remove any burrs from the valve stem
grooves to prevent damage to the valve guides when
the valves are removed from the cylinder head. (11) Remove the valves, keeping them in order
for assembly to their original locations.
NOTE: To keep the valve assemblies in
order have a rack numbered from 1 to 8 and
instill the components in this rack, starting
from the front of the cylinder head.

(12) If the oil pressure relief valve in the cylinder
head is to be renewed, proceed as follows:

(a) Using a drift, remove the welch plug from
the distributor end of the cylinder head. (b) Remove the recessed screw from the thermo-
stat housing end of the cylinder head. (c) Using a long brass drift inserted in the oilway
through the tappet bores from the thermostat housing
end. remove the oil pressure relief valve from the
cylinder head. Discard the relief valve.
TO CLEAN AND INSPECT

(1) Clean the valves thoroughly and discard any
burnt, warped or cracked valves. (2) Have the valves refaced to the recommended
angle on a valve refacing machine. The valve stem tips
are specially hardened and should not be refaced.
Dismantled view of the valve and spring components.

Engine 53


Method of checking cylinder head for distortion.
(3) Carefully clean the deposits from the inlet
and exhaust ports, the auxiliary passages, the valve
guides and the manifolds, taking care not to damage
any mating surfaces. (4) Clean the cylinder head mounting faces,
wash the cylinder head in solvent and dry with
compressed air. Blow through all the oil holes with
compressed air to ensure that they are not blocked. (5) Check the cylinder head for distortion diag-
onally and lengthwise using a straight edge and feeler
gauges. Refer to Specifications for the distortion and
machining limits. (6) Check the cylinder head face and combus-
tion chambers for cracks, burn marks and corrosion. (7) Check the valve stem to guide clearance. If
the clearance is in excess of the Specifications, the
valve guide must be reamed and the appropriate
oversize valve installed. (8) Inspect the valve seats for pitting or burning
and if necessary, recut the seats with a valve seat
cutter to the recommended angle. When the seats are
correctly finished, the seat widths should conform to
the Specifications. (9) Lap the valves to the valve seats with a fine
lapping compound. Apply a smear of Prussian blue to
the valves or their respective seats to ensure that true
and concentric seating has been gained.

(10) Install each valve in its respective port
and
check the valve stem height above the cylinder head.
Refer to the illustration. The extended height must
not exceed 18.4 mm. If the height exceeds the
Specifications, the valve or the cylinder head must be
renewed. Do not remove any material from the valve
stem tip.
(11) Check the valve spring tensions and compare
with the Specifications.
Check that the springs are not bent or distorted.

If a spring tester is not available, check the springs
by comparison with new springs. This can be done
using a surface plate and stra ight edge for checking the
free length and using a new spring and a used spring
loaded in a vice end on end, with a plate in between.
Measure from the plate to the vice jaw adjacent to
both the new and used springs. A used spring is
serviceable if it does not show collapse in excess of
five percent when subjected to this comparison test.

(12) Check the exhaust valve rotators for wear
and ensure that the rotators turn freely. (13) Clean the cylinder block face of all carbon
and rust deposits and ensure that all old gaskets are
removed. Do not allow the waste deposits to enter the
oil or water galleries. Clean all waste materials from the cylinder bores.

TO ASSEMBLE
Assembly is a reversal of the dismantling proce-
dure with attention to the following points:

(1) Lubricate all component wear surfaces with
engine oil before assembly to ensure adequate lubri-
cation when starting. (2) If the oil pressure relief valve was removed
from the cylinder head, proceed as follows:
(a) Using a brass tube inserted in the welch plug
hole at the distributor end of the cylinder head, tap
the relief valve into position. (b) Install the welch plug and the recessed screw
in their respective positions, after coating the plug and
the screw with Loctite 242 or equivalent.
(3) Install the inlet valve spring seats and
the
exhaust valve rotators over the valve guides before
installing the valve stem seals onto the valve guides.
(4) Install the valve stem seals, ensuring that
the
rib of the moulding on the inside of the seal is
correctly positioned in the groove of the valve guide
and that the spring clip retainer is correctly posi-
tioned.
NOTE: The valve stem seals can be posi-
tioned correctly and without damage using
an upturned valve spring retainer.

(5) Install the valves to their original location in
the cylinder head. Use care when installing the valves
to prevent damage to the seals.
(6) Install the valve springs, retainers and
collets.
Ensure that the valve retain ing collets are fully seated
Dimension A is the correct position to measure the
valve stem installed height. Dimension A = 18.4 mm.