Centinel System – Repair Manual – 001-054   Piston and Connecting Rod Assembly

Immerse the piston in a container of clean 15W-40 oil.

Remove the piston from the container. Let the excess oil drain from the piston.

Use piston ring compressor, Part Number 3164846, to compress the rings.

The cylinder block and all parts must be clean before assembly.

Inspect the cylinder liners for reuse. Refer to Procedure 001-028.

Use a clean, lint-free cloth to clean the connecting rods and bearing shells.

Do not lubricate the backside of the bearing shells. The operating clearance of the bearing will be reduced and the bearing can be damaged during engine operation.

If new bearings are not used, the used bearings must be installed on the same connecting rod from which they were removed.

Install the upper bearing shell into the connecting rod.

The tang of the bearing shell (2) must be in the slot of the cap (1). The end of the bearing shell must be even with the cap mounting surface.

Use Lubriplate™ 105, Part Number 3163086, or equivalent, to coat the entire inside circumference of the bearing shell.

Apply a film of clean 15W-40 oil to the cylinder liner.

Install connecting rod guide pins, Part Number 3163097.

Use the compressor drive or barring device to rotate the crankshaft so the connecting rod journal of the connecting rod being installed is at bottom dead center.

CAUTION  Failure to align the deep valve pocket and the piston skirt cooling nozzle notch correctly will result in extensive engine damage.

Align the piston crown deep valve pocket on the exhaust side of the engine, and the piston skirt cooling nozzle notch to the intake side of the engine.

If the deep valve pocket and the piston skirt cooling nozzle notch are not on opposite sides, the piston and connecting rod assembly are not assembled correctly. Disassemble the piston and connecting rod and assemble correctly.

Insert the connecting rod through the cylinder liner until the ring compressor contacts the top of the liner.

Both articulated pistons and single-piece pistons have an arrow on the top of the piston crown, which will point to the front of the engine, when the piston is installed properly.

CAUTION  Do not use a metal drift to push the piston into the cylinder liner. The piston rings or cylinder liner can be damaged.

Hold the ring compressor against the cylinder liner. Push the piston through the ring compressor and into the cylinder liner. Push the piston until the top ring is completely in the cylinder liner.

If the piston does not move freely, remove the piston and inspect for broken or damaged rings.

Use the nylon guide pins to align the connecting rod with the crankshaft while pushing the piston and connecting rod assembly into place.

Remove the nylon guide pins.