xu10 tdc

pikey · Post by **pikey** » 16 Jun 2004, 02:58

hi,
having just removed my cylinder head from my 94 2.0 8v petrol xantia to replace the gasket, I notice 2 things,
1, I had not locked the camshaft in the locating hole (doooooooh)
2, crankshaft pulley was locked into position correctly, but I noticed that number 1 piston is not at tdc as I expected. two pistons half way down and the other 2 about 30mm short of top position.
Now am I correct in believing that the locking pins on the crankshaft and camshaft have nothing to do with tdc, but are just refence points????
Now I am in this mess (paranoid of piston and valve collision, are these interference engines?) when i come to re-assemble do I just pop in the locking pins add belt, tension and hey presto !!!! Or have I dug myself into a hole!!!!![?]
any advice would be much appreciated.

Dave Burns · Post by **Dave Burns** » 17 Jun 2004, 03:00

Thats right, this engine isn't timed at top dead centre, the pistons are near the mid point.
As long as you have the pegs in when it goes back together you'll be ok, turn it over by hand to make sure there is no contact before turning it over on the bobbin.
Dave

pikey · Post by **pikey** » 17 Jun 2004, 14:58

Thanks Dave,
that reassures me.
I placed the head back on last night (did not bolt up), found that the valves do hit the pistons if belt snaps. A warning for me in the future.( a topic on the peugeot site said that the xu10j2 was not an interference engine)
Locked pins in place, temporarily added old belt, removed pins. rotated the engine by jacking front up, selecting 4th gear and rotating wheel. No valve/piston collision. Removed old belt.
I am now confident to nail the head down an refit all the ancillaries.
Once again thaks for your reply, this site is a real confidence booster for me as a diy mechanic.