TD5 Defender Engine Cylinder Block - Page 169
12
ENGINE
14
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
Connecting rods
1. Small-end oil holes
2. Small-end bushing
3. Connecting rod
4. Serrated fracture
The connecting rods are machined, H-section steel forgings which feature a fracture-split at the big-end between
the connecting rod and the bearing cap. The connecting rod features a serrated fracture across the big-end at
right angles to the length of the connecting rod, this forms a unique mating surface between the connecting rod
and the fractured end which is used as the big-end cap. The use of a fracture split in the big-end of the connecting
rod ensures a perfect match for assembly on the crankshaft bearing journals and provides the connecting rod with
strong resistance to lateral movement.
The end-cap fixing bolts are offset to ensure that the cap is fitted to the connecting rod in the correct orientation. If
the end-cap is fitted incorrectly and the end-cap bolts tightened, the connecting rod must be replaced, since the
matching serrations will have been damaged.
The big-end bearing shells are plain split halves without location tags. On EU2 vehicles the two halves of the
bearing shells are of different construction. The upper half bearing shell fitted to the connecting rod is treated
using the sputtering process to improve its resistance to wear. The connecting rod bearing shell can be identified
by having a slighter darker colouration than the big-end bearing cap shell, and the back face of the connecting rod
bearing shell has a shinier finish than the front face.
On EU3 vehicles both bearing shells are of the same construction as the connecting rod bearing shell.
The small-end of the connecting rod has a bushed solid eye which is free to move on the gudgeon pin, the
bushing is a hand push, interference fit. The steel bushing has two slots machined in its upper surface for
providing oil lubrication to the moving surface of the gudgeon pin. The oil slots must be correctly aligned to the oil
slots provided in the small end of the connecting rod. The small-end lubrication is supplied by squirt feed from the
piston lubrication jets.