Stripping Down BMC 1500 Diesel Engine

[Miles]

In this post, we take a look inside the legendary BMC 1.5 diesel engine.
These engines have been around for decades.
It is when you dismantle one of these engines that you can truly appreciate why they have stood the test of time.
Not only were they well built but they are so simple and simple works.
Environmentally they are most likely a total flunk, however, I suspect this is something which could be handled very successfully with some modern additions.

[Miles]

First thing to do is to drain all engine oil and remove the sump.

[Miles]

This now gives you full visual access to the heart of the engine block.

[Miles]

Next stage is to remove the sump oil filter and then the oil pump can be removed.

[Miles]

The flywheel is to come off next along with the damper plate. This adds quite a bit of weight to the engine and is normally hidden our of sight in the bell housing.

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Once the flywheel is removed you will have access to the gearbox side of the crankshaft.

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Now it's time to remove the pistons.
These four pistons are held on to the crankshaft simply by two bolts.
Once these are removed you gain access to the shells and thrust bearings.
These are surprisingly cheap to replace and the same applies to the camshaft bearings.
It's important to record which piston came from where and also the position of each piston as they will it go back in facing the right way.

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These are dirty pistons and this engine suffered with low compression.

[Miles]

Ideally you want to record the position of these cogs before removing the timing chain.

[Miles]

Best we remove the bearings that hold the crankshaft.