Before disassembling the blocks of the piston and connecting rod assemblies, cylinder head, oil pan, upper aluminum oil pan, and four-cylinder engines' balance shafts have to be dismantled. First, look for any ridge formation on the upper limit of the ring travel in every cylinder, and if there is, further ream it out using a ridge reamer till no trace is visible to avoid the breaking of the piston. After deburring the ridges, rotate the engine so that the
Crankshaft is vertical and when doing this ensure that the connecting rod end float is checked with feeler gauges and this must not exceed the service limit; if it exceeds the limit, then the connecting rods will have to be replaced. It is wise to identify the connecting rods and caps; then, remove the connecting rod cap bolts, together with the cap and the bearing insert. Withdraw the connecting rod/piston assembly through the top of the engine by gently pounding on the hammer end while using rubber hose on the rod bolts to protect the crankshaft. Do the same for the other cylinders and then tight the caps and inserts back to avoid damaging them. Piston ring installation should help check the ring end gaps, and assists in guaranteeing piston ring side clearance. Screw in the top ring to the first cylinder, check the end gap with feeler gauges and modify it if required. Oil control ring to be fitted first starting from the right side, secondly the middle one and then the top one in its correct position. Cylinder bores, tops of connecting rod bore complementary surfaces, and crankshaft(s) should be fitted before the piston/connecting rod assemblies are installed, and the cylinder walls need to be cleaned beforehand as well as chamfering the top edge of each cylinder bore. Omission of lubrication to the new bearing inserts, proper orientation of the piston ring gap, use of lubrication on the piston and rings before the piston ring compressor is used for the installation. Verify the connecting rod bearing oil clearance and align the Plastigage on the rod and block surfaces properly as well as making sure they are clean. If the clearance is not as specified, then check the bearing sizes and the diameter of the journal. Subsequent to that, remove all of the Plastigage material, spread a layer of grease or assembly lube onto the bearing surfaces of the connecting rod, then proceed to torque the rod capscrews to the final specified value. Follow the same process for all the remaining assemblies making sure that all the assemblies are cleaned and properly oriented in the correct direction. Last but not the least turn the crankshaft to observe whether it binds and again take a look at the connecting rod end play and adjust if there's a need to.