IAC in MN Day 2: Amskeptic visits the miz
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 12:25 pm
I had my long awaited appointment with Colin yesterday and wanted to make a post about it before I get too busy or forgetful!
Unfortunately, we were so busy, that I did not stop to take many pictures...all I have a re bookends from the day. Also...for the most part, we were working by ourselves...with no photographers to document...Colin may have a photo or two to add...we'll see!
So, it was a lovely sunny, cool and slightly breezy MN morning as Naranja pulled into my driveway:
We quickly moved inside to discuss the day's hit-list over coffee...I now have some fun new sketches to add to the Amskeptic file I keep slammed in my Bentley...come to think of it...that might be a good place to store the Vana related hand-drawn Father's Day card from my eldest son too (what do you think, Colin?)
It was time to get down to brass-tacks...we need to get Vana running well, so that she can "give back" a little and provide some heartache-free camping fun this summer...we've got a trip planned in the near future!
The items du jour were:
-Colin needs to give this engine the once over...and give it his blessing
-we need to eradicate 1-2 side oil leaks dripping onto exhaust headers that cause oil smoke to blow through the air vents in the cab
-the alternator issue...what's the deal?
-brakes...we need to adjust the brakes properly after last year's visit
-fuel pump safety switch...I need one of these...let's come up with ideas.
To the garage...where we would begin with valve adjustment. Although I have adjusted valves many times...I was skeptical about my abilities, since it was a valve adjustment that seemed to precipitate 6+ months of engine woes...so I wanted Colin there to check my work.
I got started on 3 and 4 while Colin pulled the regulator from my alternator to see if that might be the culprit...the regulator checked out OK.
When we moved to the 1-2 side of the engine, Colin wanted to adjust one of the valves just to confirm some of the forensics that I had come up with thus far. We decided we could make some forensic inferences...as we knew that Adrian adjusts valves 1 turn past 0 lash. While underneath Colin noted that it was not just the valve cover on 1-2 that was leaking oil, but the push rod tubes as well...these would need to be dealt with.
Also, it turns out that I had been missing a pretty important step in my valve cover gasket installs: grease. My typical protocol was to install the new gasket in the cover with Indian Head Shellac...allow to dry and install...with bare cork on the head...it worked pretty well in the past...I found out that "dry" gaskets are likely to leak...and that this can be solved with a healthy coating of grease...who knew??? ...not me...
It was about at this point in the day when a random(?) spectator pulled up on his motor cycle to see what we were doing. Almost no one randomly ends up in my driveway...it is at the very end of a dead-end cul de sac...more than 1/4 mi off the main road...typically people notice they're not going to get anywhere on my street earlier and turn around. Oh well...this gent may just have been enjoying a mid morning cruise on his motorcycle and we piqued his curiosity...? Turns out he was not so random...he was looking for Colin...he had some technical questions to ask on behalf of his son, the owner of a barn-find '81 Westy, he might have been angling for Colin to add an appointment to the itinierary on his way to Iowa too. Later, Colin and I would discuss this "random encounter"...how did he know Colin would be there???...how did he know where to find us??? ...weird...maybe, actually, a bit disturbing...
...all the while, I had been disassembling the #1 rocker arms and pulling the push rods from the tubes...Colin set in for tube removal and was shocked at the cheesiness of the new tubes on my engine....they have the structural integrity of an empty beer can. Fret not, I told Colin, I saved my old push rod tubes...we'll use them as replacements. Once the old tubes were out...Colin was again shocked at the sheer quantity of silver silicone sealant that had been slopped all over the push rod tube bores. We installed the new/old push rod tubes, got the rocker arms reinstalled and the valves adjusted. In the meanwhile our visitor left...so now it was time to fire up the engine...try some fine tuning and then head off for a test ride to see if our oil leak fixes had worked.
With the engine running Colin quickly tinkered with my carb and quickly improved cold starting (not enough choke) as well as cold and warm idle...then we were off..with Colin behind the wheel.
Yeesh, Colin exclaimed, these brakes are horrible! I let you drive to Colorado on brakes like these?
Yeah, I said, in your defense, we couldn't test our work last year, as there was no engine in the vehicle at the time...you thought they'd self adjust...I guess they didn't.
We agreed this was a priority and we'd start on it as soon as we returned form the test drive. The test drive was uneventful, I think we were both pretty happy with the way the engine was now running and how Vana was performing...yeah...there could be some further tinkering done with the carb...but maybe in the off season.
We returned from the test drive to find dry valve covers and just the slightest drips on the #1 push rod tubes. While I was removing the left rear wheel, Colin re seated the push rod tubes, certain that this would now eliminate the leak, lack of serpentine springs notwithstanding.
We moved onto brakes, removing the right drum to find the cheesy, bent self adjusting lever trying to actuate the manual adjustment wheel and not the self adjustment wheel...(insert rant about poor quality of currently available replacement parts here: ). After about an hour of tinkering and cold setting we were satisfied with the action of the self adjusters, reassembled the drum...allowed the shoes to adjust themselves and then gave a light bleed, just for fun, before moving onto the right side. The right side had clearly done no braking whatsoever in the past 2k mi., and the self adjustment lever, although in good condition, was not contacting anything that would have allowed it to work. The left side involved considerably less tinkering and in no time we're allowing the shoes to self adjust and giving a light bleed.
In the meanwhile, BellePlaine stopped in to say hi on the way to the Phish show in St. Paul...and to check on our progress.
So ...it was time to put the wheels back on and head out for another test drive:
Eureka! Brakes! ...even the parking brake was working again! We drove around for a bit, both still generally pleased at the current situation before heading back to the garage...where we discovered no push rod tube oil leaks!
Success...this called for a bit of a celebration:
...sure, there's still work to be done...like replacing the alternator and getting that fuel pump safety switch hooked up and monitoring to see if there is an oil leak on the main seal...but we had done enough for one day...and it seems that what we had done should get us by, in fine style, for at least another year.
Thanks Colin!
miz
Unfortunately, we were so busy, that I did not stop to take many pictures...all I have a re bookends from the day. Also...for the most part, we were working by ourselves...with no photographers to document...Colin may have a photo or two to add...we'll see!
So, it was a lovely sunny, cool and slightly breezy MN morning as Naranja pulled into my driveway:
We quickly moved inside to discuss the day's hit-list over coffee...I now have some fun new sketches to add to the Amskeptic file I keep slammed in my Bentley...come to think of it...that might be a good place to store the Vana related hand-drawn Father's Day card from my eldest son too (what do you think, Colin?)
It was time to get down to brass-tacks...we need to get Vana running well, so that she can "give back" a little and provide some heartache-free camping fun this summer...we've got a trip planned in the near future!
The items du jour were:
-Colin needs to give this engine the once over...and give it his blessing
-we need to eradicate 1-2 side oil leaks dripping onto exhaust headers that cause oil smoke to blow through the air vents in the cab
-the alternator issue...what's the deal?
-brakes...we need to adjust the brakes properly after last year's visit
-fuel pump safety switch...I need one of these...let's come up with ideas.
To the garage...where we would begin with valve adjustment. Although I have adjusted valves many times...I was skeptical about my abilities, since it was a valve adjustment that seemed to precipitate 6+ months of engine woes...so I wanted Colin there to check my work.
I got started on 3 and 4 while Colin pulled the regulator from my alternator to see if that might be the culprit...the regulator checked out OK.
When we moved to the 1-2 side of the engine, Colin wanted to adjust one of the valves just to confirm some of the forensics that I had come up with thus far. We decided we could make some forensic inferences...as we knew that Adrian adjusts valves 1 turn past 0 lash. While underneath Colin noted that it was not just the valve cover on 1-2 that was leaking oil, but the push rod tubes as well...these would need to be dealt with.
Also, it turns out that I had been missing a pretty important step in my valve cover gasket installs: grease. My typical protocol was to install the new gasket in the cover with Indian Head Shellac...allow to dry and install...with bare cork on the head...it worked pretty well in the past...I found out that "dry" gaskets are likely to leak...and that this can be solved with a healthy coating of grease...who knew??? ...not me...
It was about at this point in the day when a random(?) spectator pulled up on his motor cycle to see what we were doing. Almost no one randomly ends up in my driveway...it is at the very end of a dead-end cul de sac...more than 1/4 mi off the main road...typically people notice they're not going to get anywhere on my street earlier and turn around. Oh well...this gent may just have been enjoying a mid morning cruise on his motorcycle and we piqued his curiosity...? Turns out he was not so random...he was looking for Colin...he had some technical questions to ask on behalf of his son, the owner of a barn-find '81 Westy, he might have been angling for Colin to add an appointment to the itinierary on his way to Iowa too. Later, Colin and I would discuss this "random encounter"...how did he know Colin would be there???...how did he know where to find us??? ...weird...maybe, actually, a bit disturbing...
...all the while, I had been disassembling the #1 rocker arms and pulling the push rods from the tubes...Colin set in for tube removal and was shocked at the cheesiness of the new tubes on my engine....they have the structural integrity of an empty beer can. Fret not, I told Colin, I saved my old push rod tubes...we'll use them as replacements. Once the old tubes were out...Colin was again shocked at the sheer quantity of silver silicone sealant that had been slopped all over the push rod tube bores. We installed the new/old push rod tubes, got the rocker arms reinstalled and the valves adjusted. In the meanwhile our visitor left...so now it was time to fire up the engine...try some fine tuning and then head off for a test ride to see if our oil leak fixes had worked.
With the engine running Colin quickly tinkered with my carb and quickly improved cold starting (not enough choke) as well as cold and warm idle...then we were off..with Colin behind the wheel.
Yeesh, Colin exclaimed, these brakes are horrible! I let you drive to Colorado on brakes like these?
Yeah, I said, in your defense, we couldn't test our work last year, as there was no engine in the vehicle at the time...you thought they'd self adjust...I guess they didn't.
We agreed this was a priority and we'd start on it as soon as we returned form the test drive. The test drive was uneventful, I think we were both pretty happy with the way the engine was now running and how Vana was performing...yeah...there could be some further tinkering done with the carb...but maybe in the off season.
We returned from the test drive to find dry valve covers and just the slightest drips on the #1 push rod tubes. While I was removing the left rear wheel, Colin re seated the push rod tubes, certain that this would now eliminate the leak, lack of serpentine springs notwithstanding.
We moved onto brakes, removing the right drum to find the cheesy, bent self adjusting lever trying to actuate the manual adjustment wheel and not the self adjustment wheel...(insert rant about poor quality of currently available replacement parts here: ). After about an hour of tinkering and cold setting we were satisfied with the action of the self adjusters, reassembled the drum...allowed the shoes to adjust themselves and then gave a light bleed, just for fun, before moving onto the right side. The right side had clearly done no braking whatsoever in the past 2k mi., and the self adjustment lever, although in good condition, was not contacting anything that would have allowed it to work. The left side involved considerably less tinkering and in no time we're allowing the shoes to self adjust and giving a light bleed.
In the meanwhile, BellePlaine stopped in to say hi on the way to the Phish show in St. Paul...and to check on our progress.
So ...it was time to put the wheels back on and head out for another test drive:
Eureka! Brakes! ...even the parking brake was working again! We drove around for a bit, both still generally pleased at the current situation before heading back to the garage...where we discovered no push rod tube oil leaks!
Success...this called for a bit of a celebration:
...sure, there's still work to be done...like replacing the alternator and getting that fuel pump safety switch hooked up and monitoring to see if there is an oil leak on the main seal...but we had done enough for one day...and it seems that what we had done should get us by, in fine style, for at least another year.
Thanks Colin!
miz