Andy Stewart1

I’ve taken the sleeve and piston out of the cleaning fluid. I tried to insert the piston in the sleeve and it wouldn’t fit. I got a bit of oil and eventually I have got it in and moving freely. But only to the point where the piston is fully into the sleeve, the port almost fully closed just a small gap showing. Is there a maximum point where it will not and should not go past?

The original car came with a glowplug starter that carried 4 x D cells... Are these ebay 1.2v starters going to work? e.g. - https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F324032436871

Ah thank you. That was a question for later - can I use gasket sealant in places where the gaskets were previously. Would this be an ok type of glow plug to buy? https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F232489440320

Good advice thanks. I did notice the scoring on the piston, this isn’t a reflection. Should I take the sleeve/piston out of the de-gunking bath then? It’s just that the conrod was very stiff and presumed this would need a degunk. If this doesn’t run it’s not the end of the world, I’ve learnt how to rebuild a 1/10 IC engine, and I’ll look for another suitable one, but I would be so happy if it did. This weekend will check the glow plug battery pack holder and see if the glow plug still functions.

Close! It is Japanese. Toyota corolla ae86 I’ll have to take the front drive shafts out to authenticate the rear wheel drive action! Just don’t want to have to cut out a ‘sunroof’ lol

Yay, I’ve got the carb off in one piece. It’s all soaking in a petrol and TFR cocktail. Ive moved onto the radio gear and the silver contacts in the battery compartment of the handset covered in green oxidisation. Any tips for getting rid of this!? LoL I might just buy a new set but if I don’t have to I won’t. Hopefully I can start building it back up soon and I’ll just post a picture of the finished article and stop bothering you kind people. Thanks again for the support so far. Might stick this bodyshell on it. Can anyone guess what it is?

Er.. non-existent. Why, do you think this one has bitten the dust?

Thank you your advice is very much appreciated.

I just thought it would help loosen the gunk some more. So would you soak the block and the piston in some motor oil for a bit to get them loosened up?

Some more

More photos 1 How’s that on the gunk-ometer?

Progress...the cotton rag trick worked (thanks for that, I would not have figured that out on my own no way) so now I have a bare crank case... except , that carb screw will not budge. Am I alright to drill it out? The plastic lever on the carb.. is it supposed to move the air hole? If I can’t get this freed up are these carbs common across any other engines if I buy a new one? Because it is stuck solid. Next im going stick it in the oven as advised and just leave it soaking in oil while I work on the rest of the car. piston con rod also pretty well jammed

No they are a flat dish. I know the GTi type they look hot. I have those on my optima

Great post thank you! All true thats a good little idea , cordless drill with a special UJ shaft to bend it 90 degrees hey presto. I’ll give it some thought.

There is a good you tube video of a guy restoring an RS200. Looked great in the end and I learnt quite a bit about the advanced drive train and braking system. But one thing annoyed me, after all the hard work cleaning, although he had cleaned up the wheels the best he could they still looked faded and let it down a bit. I just thought , do you think just a quick coat of primer and a rattle can Matt finish such as you find at Halfords would bring these up and provide a lasting finish?

Oh boy I wish I could see that video. Definitely had fun trying to get it back together. Surely this can’t be the only pull start that will fit this engine, isn’t there another type with the same diameter shaft that could be made to fit somehow. Answers on a postcard! I have found the local model shops to be particularly unhelpful. The industry seems to be a shadow of its former self which is a crying shame. This is a great hobby for a kid growing up rather than stuck inside playing play station all day.

You’re right , and I will get that extra wind but I had destroyed the c clip taking it apart and I don’t have it with me so I was being a bit cautious until I get home and fit a new one. For sure I remember how weak the pull start seemed and as I wrote earlier this is why it got shelved all those years ago. What had happened is the coil had snapped where it attaches to the dolly. I also remember this engine seemed to need to be started every 5 minutes for various reasons so im going to be extra careful when putting back together

Thanks for the advices, I’ll try and get that out tonight. Look what I did! It was a two-man operation , I got a work friend to help! First attempt!! :-) woo hoo!

Many thanks I’ll give this a go tomorrow. The pull start is still alluding me. I wonder if a generic one could be bodged to fit.

I cannot get the conrod off the crank is there a particular way to do it?. I just tried to literally pull it off, wouldn’t budge.

Great suggestion thanks! we will have some of that at home so definitely worth a shot!

May I just say thank you so much for the help and advice, there is no way I would attempt this without your helpful pointers so far. I’m going to drop it all in a bucket of TFR which I found to be pretty aggressive at removing the dirt on normal car parts. more updates will follow

More photos

I tried to assemble the pull start again, is it best to put the coil in the plastic housing first, then fit the wheel, or wrap it round the wheel. Either way it’s virtually impossible! :-)

Update. took the one way bearing out. Gasket is disintegrated. It just fell out but the starter pin is just smooth. It just spins inside the bearing? How can I tell if it’s not working correctly? I’ve seen these are cheaply available so I shall buy a new one anyway. The engine does turn, when I gripped the flywheel with a strong pair of pliers and turned it very hard. So just need degunking. Removed exhaust manifold, taken one carb screw out but the other was very very tight and I’ve turned the screw head. I may have to drill it out to get the carb off? Easy to find a replacement screw? Is it a good idea to take the cylinder head off , I see 4 Allen bolts at the top? When you say to use penetrating oil do you mean such as WD40 or some 3 in 1 type of oil? Whats the best way to get the whole thing cleaned up I take it dropping it in the parts washer is not ok? (Or ok If I put it in the oven afterwards?)