Rebuild Your Engine
Page 3

Pull the sleeve out. You can safely toss it in the garbage.

Move the flywheel back and forth until the cam is at the bottom of the engine case, as shown.

Use a pair of needlenose pliers to pull the bottom of the connecting rod off the cam. If you are planning to replace the connecting rod (which you may want to do every 3rd time you rebuild the engine, or if it is discolored or damaged), don't worry about scratching the connecting rod. However, wrap the pliers in a rag if you will not be replacing the connecting rod.

Pull the piston and connecting rod out from the top of the engine case.

This is a good time to look at the piston and diagnose your engine, especially if you think the engine should have lasted longer.

If it has scratches on the side, dirt or other foreign debris got inside the engine and ruined it. Solution: Never run the engine without an air filter; use a better air filter that is made for the carburetor you have installed; use a nylon tie wrap to hold on the air filter. You should take off the crankshaft and inspect it for scratches also, it may need to be replaced.

If the sides of the piston are black, the engine was run too lean and overheated, destroying the piston and sleeve. Make sure you break in the new piston and sleeve at a rich setting (see the instructions for your engine) and always run the engine so that a plume of blue smoke is always present when it's in the car.

With the 15FE piston, you can shake out the wrist pin that holds the connecting rod to the piston. Some engines use a wrist pin clip that keeps the wrist pin in place. Use needlenose pliers to remove the clip. Be careful not to bend the clip too much.

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