Club Car DS, FE290, Turns over hard

[brinkkl2000]

This is a fresh rebuild, new piston and rings with a cylinder bore. Everything else has been left the same. When I torque down the sump cover the crankshaft binds up and is ridiculously difficult to spin by hand, almost impossible. I can take out the shim on the crankshaft end and everything will spin fine, but then I get way too much end play in the crank. I have checked cam alignment with the end of the crank and it is spot on with the shim in place. If I don't have the shim on, the cam is sticking out too far. I have checked and the bearing is seated fully and wasn't removed in the first place.

The only thing I haven't done yet is make sure the piston is in correct. It is according to the manual I have, but I think it is wrong. According to the manual the arrow on the piston points away from "made in japan," and the assembly goes in with the words toward the flywheel. If I do this the rod bolts are facing down and hit the camshaft, so I have the words facing the clutch so it will clear. The arrow on the piston is now facing the flywheel. If everything was oriented the way the manual states the arrow would be facing the clutch. Could there be an offset in the rod/ piston connection that is throwing me off just a few thousandths? Hope that makes sense.

[buggyAl]

Double check that the cam did not come out of the oil pump. If the small tongue on the flywheel side of the cam isn't in the pump this could place a bind on the case cover.