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Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3)

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Post by nutgone Tue Sep 04 2012, 11:50

Well, it turned up, the engine I bought accidentally, just trying my luck on eBay & ended up winning it! Here's where I pick up the story....

So it was mine for £62!

I've managed to scrape the money up from somewhere (best not to ask) & managed to get my brother to take me out there in his car, as a favour, to pick it up. Here's the original eBay listing....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150882548059?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

here's one of the original listing pics....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) $(KGrHqR,!hQF!bF7I4VTBQMSVp11hg~~60_12

So it's mine, all mine! I must say, I quite like it, although it seems to be missing a lot of nuts & bolts. The guy gave me a bag of spares, including a damaged timing case, a spare governor gear & cam shaft, in this bag was supposedly most, if not all, of the nuts & bolts to put it back together.

Well I can't seem to make any of them fit anything, & there is some damage to the engine which was mentioned in the listing but not pictured. Also, it was supposedly run a couple of years ago, but I'm not so sure. I'm pretty sure the magneto coil has had it, so sure in fact that I have started to unwind the coil, all to no avail.

Within an hour of getting it home I had eaten my dinner (roast pork) & made my new acquisition look like this....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01675

Alarm bells started to ring when the guy showed me how it came apart, just look at the head joint....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01676

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01677

It's smothered in red hermatite! Some of you may know, this is one of my pet hates! NOTHING should be put on a head joint except the gasket, & I mean NOTHING!!!! It really annoys me when people do stuff like this, it just shows them to know very little about engines, & this stuff had been put on with a trowel! There was loads of it, it had even run down the barrel. Fortunately it looked like it had never been run like this, I managed to get the piston out & the rings were fine, but this stuff is all over the engine. I mean, there is much better stuff than red hermatite about for God's sake! & no instant gasket compounds I know of are up to the job of sealing a head joint anyway, just don't do it! (rant over, for now).

But I think the rest of this little engine is salvageable. There's wear here & there, but it's minimal. Most of the bearings are plain bronze, but for some reason the inner end of the cam shaft is on a ball journal, which seems to be knackered, but it'll run on it, until I can replace it.

I managed to remove the piston rings, one was slightly stuck but soon freed off with some 2 stroke (that's my only available easing solution ATM & it works really well)....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01679

Shown above is the rings, with the 3 strips of metal used to remove them (I never understand how people manage to break them getting them off, unless they are badly stuck).

After a lot of cleaning, look what I found in between the head & barrel....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01678

It's a solid copper ring! So what was all the hermatite about???!!!!

Anyway, long story short, this engine is slowly coming apart, I would like to split the crank cases, just to make sure there's no red hermatite down there, ready to block an oil-way somewhere.

But the main thing I need is a new coil for the magneto. It's a military, screened WICO A-type mag, so any WICO A-type coil will do, but I've got very little to spend, so I'm putting a wanted ad out there soon, there should be loads of them knocking about, I just need one that works, although I've got ideas about sticking some other coil in there, if I can make it work. I need to ask some technical questions about that, but all in good time.

Pic album is located here....

[URL="http://photobucket.com/nutgonesjapmodel3"]http://photobucket.com/nutgonesjapmodel3[/URL]

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Post by nutgone Tue Sep 04 2012, 11:53

OK, so last night I carried on with the little JAP. I decided I had to split the crank cases, I wasn't going to bother but after finding all the red hermatite & dipping my finger in the sump I could feel a lot of sludge.

I know these JAP engines usually rely on a "dip & splash" form of lubrication, where a small trough is positioned in the centre of the sump which the big end dipper dips into, this trough is usually fed with oil by a small "metered" hole to avoid over-lubricating (or something like that). Well this small metered hole could easily become blocked with sludge on an engine like this, so I thought I would make a big effort to get in there & have a look.

I managed to remove the timing gear from the end of the crank shaft, but there are 6 studs holding the cases together, 4 of which are only accessible from behind the flywheel! So off it had to come.

I managed to jam the crank with a big screwdriver in order to get the nut to turn, but which way would it turn??? It was bloody tight either way, I gave it a few shoves in the normal direction & it began to move, I gave it a few more & decided it felt too much like a left-hand thread (I could've just come inside & looked on here (my computer) to consult the manual, but that would be too easy). After a few shoves in the opposite direction I discovered it was indeed a left-hand thread, & off came the big nut.

The flywheel was another matter. This one already has a few missing fins, now it has one more! :embarrassed:
The trouble is it's cast iron, so is extremely brittle. I tried using a harmonic puller on the 3 studs sticking out, but I couldn't find nuts to fit them, so I put the biggest 3 legged puller we have on it, it managed to get a hold without stressing any more of the fins, & I tightened it up as much as I could (as much as I dare, I didn't want to break the whole flywheel into 2 or 3 pieces!).
I gave this a few heavy taps with a mallet, on the end of the puller, but still it wouldn't budge, so I played a little heat round it with a blow torch & off it popped!
It was textbook stuff, & it never normally happens like that for me, the flywheel was only warm, still easily handled, it was just enough heat to get it off the tapered shaft....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01686

So next came splitting the crank cases. They weren't very forthcoming, but eventually they came apart....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01687

& out came the crank shaft....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01688

I spent the next hour cleaning all the gunk & muck out of the 2 sump halves, also scraping off some of the old hermatite, although there was none between the case halves, just everywhere else....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01689

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01690

So that's as far as I got. Next job is to knock out that cam shaft bearing & see what I can do about it.

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Post by nutgone Tue Sep 04 2012, 23:36

I got a bit more done this evening, although I can't show it all as I seem to be having trouble with my Photobucket account at the moment.

Basically I got the cam shaft bearing out this morning (I'm not allowed to hammer things at night, for obvious reasons, living in a fairly built-up area). So out that came, along with a sleeve which was in there with it....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01703

Then the rest of the day was spent helping my dad set up the sidecar on his new Moto Guzzi outfit (well, not "new", he's had the bike a while, & the sidecar, we've only just got round to putting the two together).
This evening however, I decided to start cleaning up & reassembling some of the bigger component parts of this machine, so I cleaned up the head, with the Dremmel-type machine, cleaned up the valve seats, reground the valves, cleaned up the springs & reassembled all that....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01695

I cleaned up the barrel, got rid of the last of the dreaded red hermatite & cleaned up the copper head gasket....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01696

Then I thought I'd take a look at the rocker assembly, well that was a mistake! The rockers are on tiny needle rollers, 48 of them to be exact! But I took it all apart, cleaned it all up & reassembled it....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01693

I also cleaned up the crank assembly, making sure the oil-way in the centre of the shaft (on the timing side, I will explain what it does later, it's quite clever) was clear & clean, & I gave the flywheel a quick wash & brush-up....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01699

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01700

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01701

There are some marks on the inside of the barrel, I tried my best to take a picture....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01697

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01698

They look worse than they are, if you run your fingers in there you can't feel anything at all. Maybe the barrel was chromed??? I dunno, but I'm not concerned, like I say, you can't even feel anything, it just feels smooth in there.

I wanted to test the valves for leakage using the usual method of leaving them with petrol in the ports over night, looking in the morning to see if any of it has leaked past, but when I did it it just poured past the worn guides, which I'm also not too bothered about, they're not excessively worn, I'll just have to wait & see what the compression is like I guess.

Next job is to look for a cam shaft bearing & just carry on cleaning.

Don't suppose anyone out there's got a WICO A-Type mag with a working coil going spare??? I can lay my hands on a known working one, tested, but they aint exactly pennies, although they are quite reasonable. I just get the feeling that's what will end up holding me up in the end.

Anyhoo, more tomorrow, I hope.

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Post by Biggsy Wed Sep 05 2012, 07:39

nice info feed, as a novice to stationary engines i enjoy following these feeds, thanks and keep up the good work cyclops
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Post by Guest Wed Sep 05 2012, 11:09

A good job being done there Nuts, it's sounds as if the last owner was a bit of a know-it-all "I'm going to strip my engine" took the head of scratched his ass put red hermitite on the head gasket and stuck it back on. It's a shame a lot of engines end up stripped never to be rebuilt by people like that.
On the point about cleaning I know you work with limited engine funds but I find aerosol brake cleaner very good at cleaning the bottom end, using the plastic straw you can squirt up into all the oil ways and get all the gunk out, it's easier then trying to find thin bits of wire to poke in them.
There's normally plenty of old mags for sale cheap on ebay but the postage is the killer maybe look out for one local?

Keep up the good work,

Stu.

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Post by nutgone Wed Sep 05 2012, 13:07

stationary stu wrote: I find aerosol brake cleaner very good at cleaning the bottom end,

Stu.

Funnily enough that's what I'm using, only it's not in an aerosol, my dad & me went halves on a 5 litre metal can of Brake & Clutch Cleaner (I think it's Wynns, but not sure, it is a brand though). We got it for £12 from a tool stall at a rally, I use it through a spray bottle.
I like the aerosol stuff, but I find it comes out too fast & before you know it you've used another can! It's pretty much the same as electrical contact cleaner & carb cleaner, so I use it for allsorts.

My usual method is to brush clean first (either small brass wire, small steel wire or small nylon brush) with some 2 stroke mix or something like that (diesel or paraffin is as good as anything, I like 2 stroke as I find the petrol is good at penetrating) then use the brake & clutch cleaner as a final rinse & to squirt down any holes & oil-ways etc.

I've also found brushing down with white spirit is pretty good. I had all my spare 2 stroke mix used up the other day, I was soaking some parts in jam jars, so I used white spirit to do the crank cases (pictured above) with the brushes & finished off with the brake & clutch cleaner. Worked really well.

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Post by nutgone Wed Sep 05 2012, 23:31

I got a little bit more done today, mainly cleaning, but I also decided to start reassembling & even got the paint brushes out!

I have taken pics for the lubrication system, but it's too late to go into that right now.

So, I decided to get the crank shaft back in & get those cases back together. I used a very small amount of Blue Hylomar, as I didn't fancy cutting a new gasket for that lot, it's a bit complicated & my gasket cutting skills, although coming along nicely, are only up to "keen beginner" stage.

A bit later on I decided to put the rings back on the piston & re-attach that to the con-rod.
I also decided to try & de'grease the barrel as best I could, as I can't afford to send it off to be blasted, but it seems it's not willing to happen quickly, so that's now soaking, along with the head (newly ground-in valves now removed!) & the cast iron cowling.

I got bored & wondered what was next? I couldn't fill the timing case up with cogs as I want to get a new cam shaft bearing, so what was left???

I know! I'll get the primer out! I've got a tin of special metals primer, which is good for most metals (I wouldn't buy it again as it's water based, so everything has to be super clean in order for it to stick), so I spent the evening cleaning & priming various bits & pieces....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01721

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01719

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01726

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01727

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01722

Next job is to carry on cleaning & priming, & hopefully get the head & barrel clean enough to take a coat of high-temp matt black.

Oh yes, & order that cam shaft bearing!

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Post by Guest Thu Sep 06 2012, 10:59

Good idea buying the 5 litre tin of brake cleaner think I'll go that way next as you say or is it just me I do get carried away abit using the aerosol cans. A little tip for doing your gaskets which I learned many years ago for doing things complicated like crankcase joints etc, get some engineers blue, small cans are not that expensive, put a thin coat on the face you need the gasket for then carefully place the gasket paper on top and press down, you should get a perfect outline of the gasket then just cut it out.
Have you somewhere to get the camshaft bearing or have you a bearing stockest local to you?

Keep up the good work should be nearly ready to run before long.

Stu.

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Post by nutgone Thu Sep 06 2012, 11:14

My dad knows a bloke, I think he's called "Vintage Bearings" or something like that, I don't think he has a website, it's all done the old fashioned way, over the phone. Anyway, he makes up old obsolete bearings by sleeving more easily available modern bearings to fit, he also has a large stock of "new old stock" obsolete bearings & his prices are very reasonable as well. My dad needed a wheel bearing for his sidecar, only to find it was now obsolete, this guy had one, & it was very reasonably priced.

Of course this could all change when I ring him up for this bearing, I'll give him a call today, or tomorrow, & see what he says, then I'll post up his number, in case anyone wants it.

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Post by nutgone Thu Sep 06 2012, 23:24

Right, so I've carried on cleaning most of this afternoon, & priming. I managed to get the head, barrel & cast iron cowling clean after leaving them soaking in de-greaser over night (that stuff isn't what it used to be either, might as well use washing-up liquid, it'd probably work better, I had to use it to get the stuff off anyway! Rolling Eyes ).

I prefer to use my time to degrease heads & barrels on air cooled machines as I haven't got a blaster & I'm not willing to pay out for them to be blasted (I would rather not send any of my stuff out for something I can achieve myself with a lot of time & elbow grease, I just can't afford it, & besides I like to do these things). The trouble is they need to be pretty clean to accept a good coat of high temperature paint, so it does take time.
Last time I used some industrial kitchen degreaser, which is supposed to only be used diluted, but I found it better neat, not nice stuff though, especially breathing in the mist from it. Sadly I've run out of that, so I'm using proper engine degreaser, what a let-down! I need to find someone with a cash & carry card & get some more of the kitchen stuff!

But I got it all clean in the end. I even managed to get the head & barrel dried off, gave it a quick once-over with brake & clutch cleaner, just to remove the final traces of oil & grease (& sawdust, there was a lot of saw dust on this engine, but not in it thankfully!) I masked off the important bits & gave it 3 good coats of Plasticote High Temperature Engine Paint. I really rate this stuff for it's temperature handling capabilities, but would rather buy a pot of it next time, if available, all I've got is an aerosol.

I then re-ground the valves (I wasn't happy with the first attempt anyway, the seats weren't good, & the exhaust valve was quite badly pitted) & decided to start piecing it together, just to see what it looks like.....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01732

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01731

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01730

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01729

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, I also cleaned up the carb. The only big(ish) bit to clean up now is the magneto....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01737

I also ordered that bearing, I phoned a company called "Vintage Bearings" they have a website, but it's best to call. The guy is really good, really knows his stuff, all you need to do is note down all the markings on the bearing, tell him over the phone & he will be able to describe it to you, most of them I think he knows from memory. If anyone wants the number just let me know, he's sending mine (well, he's actually sent it already) & it only cost £8.something including UK postage, which I thought was very reasonable. My dad's used him before for some obsolete bearings, they machine sleeves & suchlike for modern bearings so they will fit where an obsolete bearing once was, they can even make special bearings & recondition very special ones if they are completely unobtainable by any other means.

Now, I'm a bit concerned by the governor on this engine, it seems to be touching the barrel....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01734

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01735

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01736

Does anyone have any experience of these who can tell me where I'm going wrong??? I mean it's only pieced together (remember, half the nuts for this engine are still missing although I've used what I have very well), maybe when it's all together & running things will be slightly different, who knows.

Tomorrow I suppose I should clean up the magneto, I can't run the engine until I get a new coil for it, so there's no hurry really, bit of a shame though, as I don't think I'm far off now. Perhaps I should go in search of the missing nuts for this engine, I know of a fastenings company not too far away who carry a few old bits & bobs, they look like BSF to me, far too fine for Whitworth.

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Post by Guest Fri Sep 07 2012, 11:08

nutgone wrote:My dad knows a bloke, I think he's called "Vintage Bearings" or something like that, I don't think he has a website, it's all done the old fashioned way, over the phone. Anyway, he makes up old obsolete bearings by sleeving more easily available modern bearings to fit, he also has a large stock of "new old stock" obsolete bearings & his prices are very reasonable as well. My dad needed a wheel bearing for his sidecar, only to find it was now obsolete, this guy had one, & it was very reasonably priced.

Of course this could all change when I ring him up for this bearing, I'll give him a call today, or tomorrow, & see what he says, then I'll post up his number, in case anyone wants it.

I'm not a great lover of phone numbers being put onto forums etc so if you do a thread with the info and for them to contact you for the phone number might be a better idea unless you speak to the guy and he hasn't any problems with his number being put on a site for all the world to see and you must explain that to him so he agrees to it.

Stu.

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Post by Guest Fri Sep 07 2012, 11:20

You've made good progress with the engine, shame your going to be stuck for a while until you get the mag sorted out. There is a few sellers on ebay that have both whitworth and bsf nuts and bolts in stock so that could be another route if you can't get them local. I think it might be worth getting it all rebuilt and all the nuts and bolts tight before you worry about the governer rod.

Sorry about the above message I posted it before reading your second thread, so maybe you could find the link and post that on the forum under suppliers.

Stu.

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Post by nutgone Fri Sep 07 2012, 11:48

I'm happy for people to contact me via PM if they want the guys phone number, I didn't like the idea of posting it either, especially as it's a mobile number. Their website address is www.vintagebearings.co.uk but they don't have an online catalogue or anything.

The bloke's number (the one I used, his mobile) is published in "Old Bike Mart" newspaper, so I doubt he would mind it being put on the internet, but all the same, I would rather not be the one who does it, so anyone who wants to ring him for a bearing (I would highly recommend them) can either look for the number or drop me a PM. I notice the number on their website is a landline number, maybe he has a special mobile number for Old Bikers!

BTW, that bearing; I looked on my phone's call register, I made that call yesterday at 16:51 He said if he was quick he could get it in the post, as he was off to Beaulieu tomorrow (today/Friday) & wouldn't be back until Tuesday. So what do I see on the door mat this morning? A Jiffy bag with my new cam-shaft bearing in it!

Now that's what I call service! Very Happy

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Post by Guest Fri Sep 07 2012, 11:53

Thanks for being so understanding about posting up the guys phone number, like you say it is published in other places but if anything does go wrong the finger of blame can't be pointed in your direction.
I'm still trying to find out if the News of the World hacked my phone trying to get valuble engine information. Twisted Evil lol! lol! lol!

Sounds like it's a good service with next day delivery one number to hang on to.

Stu.

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Post by nutgone Sat Sep 08 2012, 21:06

Having a little trouble with this one now, I've found a small crack in the head, I don't think it's going to affect compression, it's more to do with the tightening down of the head, let's see if I can explain.

The head is secured down by only 2 studs, these go through the rocker assembly as well. There are 2 recesses around the stud holes on the head, where you are supposed to put fibre washers, otherwise when you put the rocker assembly on top there would be a gap around where each stud comes through, they warn about not tightening down without these washers, as you can actually split the head in two!

Anyway, I think someone in the past may have used metal washers, as it looks like too much force has been used at some point. I tried tightening it all down without any washers in there & the crack fails to open up, but if I do this, or if I use thinner fibre washers, I can't get any clearance at all on the exhaust valve, in fact the exhaust valve is opened slightly, but there is still clearance (& plenty of it) on the inlet valve, which has left me scratching my head. I can only assume it needs the fatter fibre washers or the rocker assembly isn't going down straight, either that or someone's bent it in the past (it wouldn't surprise me, this engine has been badly treated, from what I can tell).

I've had a go at repairing this crack with some quick steel putty, I used the Dremmel-type machine first with a small diamond engraving tool (not a tool for engraving diamonds, but an engraving tool with a diamond tip) to make a slot on top of the crack to give the metal putty somewhere to go, sadly I had to sand off most of the excess putty, as it was all in places which need to be just right.

Anyway, this is getting really hard to explain & I bet I'm not making any sense whatsoever, so here's a pic of a bit I have repaired where the crack has re-opened....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01739

That is a very close up pic, you really need a magnifying glass to see it, so I will probably just leave it & hope for the best. I don't think a welder could get in there, it's the kind of thing which needs to break first before it can be repaired.

If anyone has any other ideas I'd be glad to hear them, I will try to take some better pics of what's going on, to give a better idea, maybe a good pic of an exploded diagram from the manual would be better.

But, despite all this, I still did some more cleaning & reassembling yesterday (I was actually in the workshop until way after midnight, messing about with this stuff). I cleaned up the magneto & put it back together (minus the coil & an oil seal which has split in two).....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01740

I also cleaned up the oil breather pipe (which helps to lubricate the valve gear) & replaced it. Funnily enough the pipe is brass, I was expecting it to be copper....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01741

Right, I'm off for another play about with the head.

Oh yes, if anyone has a suitable replacement for that horrible oil filler cap I would be very grateful!

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Post by nutgone Sat Sep 08 2012, 21:10

I've taken some more pics, let's see if I can explain what's happened here a little better, there's also more damage found, but a few more answers......

On closer inspection the valve rocker assembly is both bowed & twisted, so just as I suspected it has been well abused in the past, here's some piccies....

Here it is all assembled....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01742

Here's the rocker assembly, on it's own....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01746

As you can see, the underside of it is supposed to be flat....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01747

But, on closer inspection is actually bowed.....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01748

& if you look down it's length you can see it is twisted (although you probably can't see this from this pic, but take my word for it, it is twisted)....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01749

To show you what has happened, here is the head with the rocker removed....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01743

Notice the 2 recesses where the studs come through, this is where fibre washers are supposed to sit....

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01744

Nutgone's little JAP (JAP Model 3) DSC01745

So, in the past sometime, someone has obviously over tightened it down with no washers in there, thus bending & twisting the rocker assembly.

All I can think of to remedy this is to omit the fibre washers & cut the pushrods a tiny bit shorter. I would also like to have the rocker assembly skimmed on it's underside, but I doubt I can afford that. I may be able to do something with some thin shims or something, we'll see.

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Post by Ianhw77k Sat Sep 08 2012, 22:48

I'd be tempted to fit some thick fibre washers in there and tighten it carefully. Probably loctite the nuts as well.
Got to be worth trying before you start removing metal.

The only other thing I can think to help would be to also look at TIG fusion, if it is possible with cast iron.
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Post by nutgone Sat Sep 08 2012, 23:06

I want to try & keep the stress off that area where the washer recess is, if possible, & get it back under the rocker assembly, as whenever I put washers in there & tighten back down the crack opens back up again.

I've put the 3 thin bits of stainless steel I used to get the piston rings off under there for now, as shims, replaced the fibre washers & tightened it all back down. So far the crack hasn't opened back up & it seems to be holding compression when I put the plug in & turn it over.

It's all testing really at this point, the whole thing will need to come apart again anyway as I haven't annealed the head gasket yet, there are a few other jobs to do before it all goes back together properly as well, like I need to try & make up some oil seals for the push-rod tube. It used to have rubber washers top & bottom, held down by the securing plates, but they've long since perished, only part of one remained for me to see.

Cork would be a good material to replace them with but it's practically impossible to cut that thin, so I'm on the look out for something else, maybe if I measure the circumference a rubber grommet could be stretched round, or possibly innertube, but that would need 2 or more layers. I dunno, but that's the least of my worries with this engine right now.

I've also been piecing the mag back together, I've decided to replace the condenser, but these WICO A-Type ones are a bit strange, they are encased in Bakelite & also house the screw holder for the points & the felt oil pad for the cam, so I've pulled the guts out of it & ordered a capacitor to solder inside, I just hope I got the right rating of capacitor, I did a little research before ordering it, but have since checked some known good condensers & they are different, so I've asked Paul (pauldg), hopefully he'll know, I did take some pics, will post them up tomorrow.

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Post by matt86 Sat Sep 08 2012, 23:29

looks like you been a busy lad mate ... do you ever stop Laughing

How many engines you got tucked away after this one ?

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Post by Guest Sun Sep 09 2012, 11:03

The damage you've found is a real bugger, it looks as the ends of the rocker pedistal is raised so it must have been refitted without washer and it's fouled on the recess on the head, think I'd be trying washer etc before removing and metal from the push rods as once it's gone there fecked and difficult to rebuild the metal back up again. I'm sure if you sit and scratch your head long enough you'll come up with a solution to solve the problem.

Stu.

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Post by nutgone Sun Sep 09 2012, 19:22

matt86 wrote:looks like you been a busy lad mate ... do you ever stop Laughing

How many engines you got tucked away after this one ?

matt

Funnily enough I went out & bought this one. The other day I went & grabbed the 2nd-to-last engine from the pile, it's a little German WW2 generator engine, it served an identical purpose to this one funnily enough, a small battery charging set, only the German one is much better designed & built, but it's in a far worse state, & it's a 2 stroke, I'm getting a bit fed up with 2 strokes!

Anyhow, I think I may have overcome this head crack problem, as it's not in a compression/combustion chamber area I've managed to put some thin shims under the rocker. I've managed to still put fibre washers in where the studs pass through, have got plenty of valve clearance & managed to get it tightened down nicely without the crack opening up. It's not a one-off either, I've taken it all apart & put it all back again & it's much the same. Hopefully I will get away with it.

The crack was very small, & wasn't yet all the way through, but I'm being very careful & am pleased I found it, although I'm not pleased it's there! Mad I feel a bit ripped off with this engine, the seller reckons he had it running a couple of years ago, yeah right! My hairy ar5e he did! That mag coil was shot for a start & I've still got to go out & buy a load of nuts & bolts for the damn thing!

Still, it's all good fun I suppose, it's a pretty looking little thing, & should run nice, when it eventually runs. (I've watched a couple of YouTube videos, they do look like a nice little runner, & can be slowed right down to a nice low tickover).

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Post by nutgone Sun Sep 09 2012, 19:29

nutgone wrote:
matt86 wrote:looks like you been a busy lad mate ... do you ever stop Laughing

How many engines you got tucked away after this one ?

matt

The other day I went & grabbed the 2nd-to-last engine from the pile, it's a little German WW2 generator engine,

Oh yes, the last engine on the pile is the Douglas flat twin WW2 generator, our biggest unit. That's going to be a winter project, hopefully I'm bringing the engine back home with me, Ian will take the metal frame & the generators back to his for restoration.
My dad's workshop is getting a bit tight for space though. I think he might just lose his rag if I bring any more stationary engines into it without first removing something. So I will go for the Douglas once the Homelite is up & running, that just needs petrol tank sealing now, more expense I'm saving my pennies for Rolling Eyes

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Post by Guest Mon Sep 10 2012, 11:35

Sounds like your getting there and overcome the problem with the rocker shaft. Looking forward now to seeing it up and running and hopefully not to long to wait. Very Happy
I can understand the problem your having with space in your shed it must be very difficult having to share it with your dad and his projects, I have my own issues with space and there's only me and end up doing a lot of my work outside, strip it down then overhaul parts in the shed as I need to I also rig up a tarp to keep the wind and rain off me and away I go but I have plans to move everything about so hopefully that should provide me with more room.

Stu.

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Post by nutgone Mon Sep 10 2012, 11:54

If I won the lottery I think I would buy a nice big old farm house somewhere, with plenty of good sized out buildings.

Live in one of the outbuildings & fill the house up with engines, bikes & cars! lol! lol! lol!

(I would need to start buying lottery tickets first though Very Happy )

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Post by Guest Mon Sep 10 2012, 12:06

You have the same dream as myself although I'd live in the farm house. I am one step closer then you I buy tickets Laughing Laughing Laughing

Stu.

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