Assessing an unknown engine

[RobFrost]

No progress yesterday due to accompanying my 14 year old daughter to see the latest pop sensation live at XOYO in Birmingham. I'm still equally cool as I was when young.

This dude looked like a lady, which was a song from my youth this band did not play.



And junior Gandalf was on guitar.


The greatest cheer of the night went up when they announced their solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, a fact which could have been predicted by the number of audience members having green hair.

Meanwhile MY highlight of the evening was two fried chicken and a large chips from Big John's at 11:08pm, a culinary masterpiece worthy of any number of Michelin stars, although they were not advertising any such accolade.

This could only have been bettered, were the legendary Mr. Egg still in existence, where us elite Birmingham socialites would congregate at the 2ams of yore. Sadly, it was closed down following a murder by shooting one night.

I had tried my best prior to this social highlight, to familiarise myself with the repertoires of the acts through the medium of YouTube. Not being impressed, I was somewhat apprehensive about the evening dragging on but to give them their dues, all three acts were very entertaining and it was a real treat to hear Lois declare she was very happy and had had a wonderful evening.

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[RobFrost]

I did however find a couple of hours this evening to progress the engine.

Off with the IMS cover.



And I was beginning to suspect a different story for this engine. I had noticed previous that the cam covers had sealant around them. I began to notice fragments of this sealant which have squeezed out, become detached, and entered the case, like these ones.





Maybe some oil channel has become blocked and starved some parts of the engine of oil. This hypothesis would fit with the apparently new chain ramps - the engine could have recently been refreshed when it seized.



I have failed to make a note of where the two different types of ramps came from. Do they do different jobs? Maybe some are replacements and some original?



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[RobFrost]

These through bolt nuts were surprisingly loose. But all consistently torqued so I assume that's the right setting. As with the case nuts, I broke them free with the socket or spanner then spun them off with the baby impact driver.



Then upon turning the engine over, another clue dropped out and tinkled on the floor. It's very light, magnesium fur sure.



It's either melted or more likely mangled. It wasn't rattling around in there before and the engine has been turned many times so it must have been trapped and come loose.

Remember there's a broken off case stud, so maybe a piece of magnesium broke off internally and circulated the engine.

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[RobFrost]

I followed those with the 23 case nuts and as per Dempsey's advice I left a few on loose to prevent the case half, crankshaft and pistons falling on my gouty toe. I turned the engine loose side down and I set about the perimeter with the plastic hammer.

Soon one end was separating.



The other end was more reluctant and even after 20 minutes of beat down there was not so much as a crack, and I was reluctant to smash it too hard for fear of breaking the case. If only junior Gandalf was on hand as one tap of his staff was sure to instantly succeed.

That was wishful thinking in my part, but eventually I had the brainwave that I could safely serve more substantial punishment direct to the crank itself by placing a block of wood on the snapped crank stud, and sure enough, they began to slowly part like the gates of Mordor with a Hobbit sneaking through.



Sadly at this point, like the demonic monster Balrog in the mines of Moria, my wonderful other half appeared in the garage door. "Thou shalt not pass" I declared as i brought the mallet crashing down upon the engine. To which she said she was trying to sleep and the banging was not relaxing for her. And with that crack of her fiery whip my hopes of entry into the dark magnesium lord's lair were postponed to another book, and I tumbled into the shadowy depths of despair.



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[911hillclimber]

Another fan of the Rings!
Remember the Good Guys win in the end.
Dempsey of course locates the ramp/colour for you on rebuild.

There is a good chance the broken mounting stud has been screwed in too far and pushed the back of the blind hole into the engine, you will soon find out!

Exoecting to see a bare crank tonight and the answer to the lock in the engine.

[neilbardsley]

I with the LGBTQ+ community too but not if the music is crap

I'm glad you both enjoyed the evening

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[RobFrost]

I with the LGBTQ+ community too but not if the music is crap

I'm glad you both enjoyed the evening

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I'm with them too. Whenever society's perceived according to group membership, those groups inevitably have conflicting interests from time to time - be those subdivisions religious, sex, gender, wealth, intellect or nationality. We have to navigate those conflicts as best we can in the interests of all concerned.

Make up your own mind re the music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79YFVp2sogA

[RobFrost]

Tantalising...

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[RobFrost]

Next little obstacle - I can see a piece of metal jammed alongside this piston. It's dropped into there while the engine the other way up.

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[RobFrost]

Ok what should have been obvious before has now dawned on me. The case can't be separated with the pistons on the crank because the pistons will not pass through the webs of the case. So these wrist pins will have to come out by hook or by crook.

One option I have is to remove the circlip from the IMS and see what that frees up, if anything, which may allow the crank to turn.

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[RobFrost]

Oil pickup contains metal flakes - feels like magnesium.

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[RobFrost]

I have no clue where this is going because 3 and 6 are irremovable but it feels like a step forward in some sense.





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[Gary71]

If you can get a set of three pistons off and then release half of the crankcase you can maybe get to whatever is jamming it, or to the other rod bolts and then it should come apart.

Just put the engine stand connection on the side with the stuck pistons pointing towards the floor and leave the crank in that side.

Keep going, you’ll find it

[RobFrost]

Being entirely satisfied that it is the seized oil pump that's preventing the crank from turning, I formed a plan to break away these circlips and see if I can slide the centre of the oil pump driveshaft off its splines in one direction, allowing the crank to turn.



I was successful in removing the circlips but alas the shaft would not move far enough to slide off. My options as I see them are...

Cut the centre of the oil pump driveshaft.



Irrigate and agitate the oil pump in the hope I can get it moving.

Investigate whether there's any other way to disengage the oil pump from the crank.

One to think on overnight.

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[RobFrost]

If you can get a set of three pistons off and then release half of the crankcase you can maybe get to whatever is jamming it, or to the other rod bolts and then it should come apart.

Just put the engine stand connection on the side with the stuck pistons pointing towards the floor and leave the crank in that side.

Keep going, you’ll find it

Pistons 3 and 6 are hard against the webs with no turning of the crank possible at all.

It does not seem possible to separate the crank from the IMS drive gear without separating the case.

I doubt the oil pump can be loosened from where I'm at.

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