Assembly of pistons and connecting rods

To properly assemble the connecting rod with the piston and install it in the engine in the proper position, use the previously applied markings. If pistons have been replaced, check that all pistons are of the same type.

When assembling the piston and connecting rod, observe the following recommendations:

• arrow on the bottom of the piston (either drawn or knocked out if the piston is new) must point towards the front of the engine (pic. 54);

• cast lugs on the connecting rod and connecting rod cap (pic. 56) must point in the direction of the engine crankshaft sprocket;

• cylinder number marking (pic. 55) must be the same for the connecting rod and connecting rod cap.

Assemble the pistons and connecting rods in the following order:

• heat the piston to 60°C (to do this, put them in hot water) and pick up the mandrel that goes inside the piston pin;
• heat the connecting rod;
• by hand, using a mandrel, insert the piston pin into the heated piston and connecting rod;

• check that the connecting rod moves freely back and forth after assembly (pic. 65);
• lubricate the grooves on the piston and piston rings with engine oil and use a puller to (pic. 65) install the piston rings in the grooves. If the ring is marked «Oben» or «Thor», then install the ring with the mark up (to the bottom of the piston).