No Super Sucker needed

Feeling guilty after all those years of running 2 strokes Pete ?   

Gary S wrote: Feeling guilty after all those years of running 2 strokes Pete ?

Gary,
What 2 strokes? The little 18 on the Alumacraft I grew up in?

Keegan,
Well you got me thinking so I went and bought a parts washer! Bid on/won a 20 gal. with stand, drying tray and pump off ebay for $75 and only $8 for shipping. My shop is really set up for woodworking but I figured why struggle with a oil drain pan, solvent and a brush cleaning parts so I'm expanding into equipment more for engine rebuilding. This is the 4th engine (all flat heads) I've done but the previous 3 were done when I did have the luxury of having a parts washer at work. Now it's onto what will go into it.

At work we do use a citrus based cleaner in a production belt type aqueous washer that removes a grease based buffing compound. I'm going to have to sample a gal. of it and see how it works after playing with the water mix ratio. I'm on city sewer here so disposal won't be a issue. When the parts washer is moved up north then it will be a problem because I'm on a septic system. I'll need to look at spirits then.

Gary S wrote: Naw Pete I was thinking more of your Lawn Boy mower,your Johnson Skee-Horse and your Evinrude Aquanaut

Wow, that's going back a couple! I always wanted to try the Aquanaut but up north the lakes are pretty dark due to the orange tannins so no one had one.

You forgot a OMC product on your list. The Playmate. That's the small gull wing they used their outboard 90HP 2 stroke power head in hooked up to their out drive.

I remember the aquanaut, though they were neat at the time!

How did they keep the exhaust from getting sent to the diver?

Gary S wrote: 8122pbrainard wrote: Gary, It takes 7/8" threaded spark plugs. I understand that lots of old tractors used them. Our cubs use the same plugs Pete. We used to get them at Farm & Fleet,but not sure now,there is very little of "farm or fleet" left there. We use Champion D16's for normal use,D21's are used by some but it is a hotter plug. Napa will be your best bet,as you know.

Gary,
I just came from Napa after getting plugs. First, I was surprised they had them and then I thought the D-16's (old Champ # 8 COM) looked small and they are! Thank's for trying but it turns out your tractors use the next generation plug which is a 18mm plug and not the 7/8-18 thread Champion "W" series (old Champ 0,1,2 and 3 COM). I'll take the plugs back, guess at the heat range and get them to order some. So, the tap you have is probably the 18mm.

My stop at Napa yesterday was primarily to get piston rings on order. I was pretty disappointed with my beloved Napa store. I'm getting the impression that it won't be too long before the sign out front is changed to read "Autozone"!!!

I went in with all the Hastings rings part numbers. This was after I called and spoke with Hastings tech service. I called because I couldn't find rings wide enough on their site to replace the original 3/16" wide rings. They make a oil control ring 3/16" but not a compression ring. I discussed with them the possibility of using ring spacers but the tech person felt it better to use two 3/32" ring per piston land. Purchases can't be made directly from Hasting without setting up a wholesale account so they told me any Napa would be a great choice.

Well, none of the Hastings numbers would cross over to the Napa numbers in their system. None of the numbers would even cross over in Napa's master distributor system as well! No good old books anymore so if it's not on the computer these days you're screwed!! Seems no one can get on the phone anymore and make a purchase without having the damn numbers in the computer!

The master distributor started from scratch and went back to bore size and ring width pulling up his own numbers. Surprisingly I do have rings coming in early next week but I'm going back in there with my dial calipers in hand! I also have no idea of the quantity I'll see. They were totally confused as to the "set" quantity being for 1 piston or a four cylinder engine and then thowing in the need for twice the amount of compression rings needed made it even worse. Considering the cost per set was $23, I think it's for 1 piston. I ordered two sets and will see when they come in. I may end up having to buy 6 more sets!

And people wonder why it costs so much to rebuild a engine. Of course it's obvious not many do anymore unless that engine is old and rare. My Napa closed down their machine shop in 2002. No business!

Before paying, I made sure that I could return the "special order" so it was noted I could on both the computer and the paper work.

fingernails and old ground piston rings work well, but those tools do help Pete, and i do own them too

I forgot to mention one problem (of many minor ones) that I did run into today. The RWP's used back before the rubber impeller are brass gear pumps. I opened up the RWP only to find one of the gears is pinned to the brass drive shaft in a blind hole drilled through one side of the gear, through the shaft and then only part way into the other side of the gear. Makes pulling the gear a real PITA!! I'll need to set it up in the mill and machine the pin out!

I noticed the thread the other day about the Joe Gibbs products. I went on line and ordered a jar of Gibbs's assembly grease. I'm getting this 4 to 1 compression 15 HP engine race ready!!!

brazing is the best way to go Pete, years ago i would cut those drums in half, re-machine the shaft holes, braze back up and re-machine

8122pbrainard wrote: Disaster this morning! I came in with the crank shaft and planetary gear/clutch assembly this morning to use the press to remove the sun gear off the end of the crank shaft. I broke the hub end out of the cast iron planetary housing

Now I can get back to actually rebuilding the engine and not fixing my screw - ups!!
I was able to get 4 cap screws and 2 dowel pins from the housing into the hub plus epoxy on the break. It went together very cleanly. There's a 2" center bushing that shares both sides of the break so it acted as a pilot.


Here's the back side. The center hub with the added cap screw holes showing is what broke off!


I'm very confident with the repair. No torque is transmitted through the hub. The brass bushing between the planetary hub/housing and the center sun gear shaft is there for when the trans is reversed and the planetary rotates opposite the engine rotation.    

Eric,
Yes the 4 planets are bushed. They are in great shape. The only bushing thats needs to be replaced in the one in the center of the sun gear. That's the one that the splined (for the clutch plates) output shaft pilot runs in. The pilot was warn so I reground it. Now that it's a odd undersize, I'm making a custom bushing.

Very cool! Great pictures and details.

After more than two weeks, my 20 gal. parts washer I got off ebay hasn't shown up. I emailed the seller and didn't get a responce so I've filed a dispute with Paypal. Maybe that $75 new with a $8 shipping charge was too good to be true! It also seems the seller has removed other idems off ebay! I think I've been scammed???

heat pete. i will cut the valves on my lathe very slow, 300 rpm, 45 degrees, does quite well without grinding, but grinding is the way to go, I lap em with a drill and compound, attach the drill and let her rip....i use brown rubbing compound, im cheap lol, but it works quite well also