It all becomes clear

So, valve clearances....this is the process:

1. Engine at TDC, remove rocker cover.

2. Remove fan belt.

3. Remove crankshaft pulley.

4. Remove 3 timing belt covers.

5. Loosen tensioner and remove timing  belt.

6. Loosen camshaft sprockets.

7. Remove camshaft caps and camshafts.

8. Replace required shims.

9. Rebuild in reverse, using special timing tool to get camshafts in right place.

This is a summary of what the Haynes manual says. What the effing manual DOESN'T say is that for items 3 and 6 you really need an air compressor and gun because the bolts are done up flipping tight. What it also neglects to mention is that Ford only do shims in set thicknesses and did they have the one I needed? Go on, guess the answer....

The problem is made worse by the fact that you don't know what shim size you need until you have taken everything off to get to the existing shims!

So i decided to cheat (you can see where this is going) and I didn't take the crankshaft pulley off, or the camshaft sprockets, relying on the timing tool to work. Needless to say, it didn't and now my timing  is slightly out and Zedster doesn't idle or run smoothly. While the camshafts were out, i didn't see any obvious cause of my rattle.

                                     

 

Bugger.

I decided to leave the timing to another day and concentrated on the bottom end. Amazingly, it took just 2 hours to get the sump off and the first big end bearing removed.

And EUREKA!

That's one of my bearings on the right, the one on the left is a new one and what it should look like. That is one knackered big end bearing. Worse, it has scratched the crankshaft:

Next step is to see whether that is something i can just clean up myself or if it needs removing and taking  to an expert. I know what my money is on...

With hindsight,  i wish i had taken the big end caps off when i first took the sump off but i was just too scared. ..the joys of experience.