...................PROJECT RECAP EDITION....................
"You have to remember, that it all started with a mouse....."
No, not that mouse, but this kind of mouse:
Cute little bugger, right?
One of those built a "Mouse Condo" nest on top of my cylinder heads by sneaking into the fan shroud through the fan opening. I've now placed a metal screen over that opening. The only easy direction from there is onto the driver's side cylinders (3-4) and that's where the nest was.
That morphed into pulling the fan out of the shroud (I couldn't see anything from there because of the shroud design), then pulling the engine to get the shroud off which then showed that I had a significant oil leak between the case and the deep sump and probably another one from the pushrod tubes on one side.
Getting the engine onto my engine stand meant that I had to remove the clutch and THAT showed that I had a defective clutch. 🤬 But it worked OK for the past 20+ years so who am I to gripe? Onward to a new clutch kit.
So, while waiting a couple of weeks for parts to show up, I decided that, after 22 years, my el cheapo but highly effective heat shield gaskets could really stand to be replaced.
And if I'm doing that, then I could sand the shields down and repaint them. Besides, I can't do much else until new parts arrive, like sump gaskets and clutch and stuff, right? I've gotten pretty good at painting things at 50F-ish without clogging up the rattle-can.
Well, finally, some parts are trickling in and the first thing I found is that I ordered the wrong sump gaskets and got sets that are too big. 🤬 BTW: I used mushy silicone sump gaskets about 12 years ago and they sealed well for a while, but then the oil attacked them and they became distorted and leaked - I'm re-evaluating the nuts I used to secure the sump to the case, too and hope to use something better. Live and learn - So I dug around in my part stash and came up with three sets of paper gaskets that fit, and those will be applied with some black, max-oil-resistant Permatex RTV (the silicone gaskets didn't need RTV, but they didn't last, either).
While cleaning the bottom of the case I decided that I just HAD to really fix the leaking pushrod tubes. I have everything to do that, just have to take the time. Mine are the 2-part, threaded versions. They're OK, no more, no less, but they lasted ten years and I have all new o-rings, so......
So starting this journey, I thought this would be an easy, pull-the-shroud, vacuum-the-stuff-out, get on the road again, but that was only the beginning of this prolonged journey that has been ten or twelve years in the coming. My entire workbench is covered with things that want to go back together but the pushrod tubes are first on the hit parade, then the sump (now drying after degreasing), then putting the shroud and fan put back, then refurbished engine tins (there are a LOT of little tin pieces involved, here) and on and on. I hope I can remember where everything goes and how. Last, when the engine is off the stand and onto my motorcycle jack to re-install it, I'll install the new Sachs clutch and bearing.
I can't install the intake manifolds until after the engine is back in (it's a CMC with limited frame clearance to the carbs) and then will install the linkage and start buttoning things back up and then I'll probably find that the clutch adjustment is all wrong for the new clutch and have to re-do that, too.
I'm beginning to feel like @majorkahuna out at Lake Tahoe: I might get back on the road in June, at this rate..... Just about the time the snow will melt off of his lawn.
Unless I find something else to fix along the way. That's become a daily occurrence!
