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Old mechanical thoughts

Discussion in 'Technical Discussion' started by Capt Ralph, Nov 12, 2016.

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  1. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I thought I'd open up a soap box for old fart tech's and mechanics.
    Silly old things, events or practices that were not (should not) be in any book or manual.
  2. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    When I used to build Chevy gas blocks, I had a old distributor that I gutted and removed the cam gear from, now a oil pump priming tool.
    When the long block was assembled on the stand, Id pour some oil in the engine and spin on a cheap oil filter.
    Place the pump primer in place, mount on a 1/2 inch drill motor and spin it up.
    Yep, in no time oil was coming out the pressure port, plug that and run that drill motor for a hour or so.
    I would also grab a wrench and rotate the crank every once in a while, amazing how much easier the crank would turn.

    I was cleaning and ensuring fresh clean oil in the galleys and on the bearings.
    It also impressed the customer if they were around.

    Funny thing, one day I did split one of those oil filters. Lots of lint, some hair, some fine dust and some lil globs of my Molly Lube.
    After that, I just hand turned the oil primer and did not let it run on any more.
    Never had an issue but I felt the Molly Grease was more important on the cam lifters and lobes than oil for the first few minutes of running.

    That was near 30 years (2 wives) ago.
  3. Bahma

    Bahma Member

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    Brilliant idea, I'm very impressed. I'm rebuilding a 1947 MG TC engine at the moment , but don't have a distributor to sacrifice, otherwise I would borrow your idea.
  4. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    I am not sure how you managed to pump oil with a distributor - guts in or out.
  5. justold

    justold Member

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    Why? I ground the teeth off of the gear took everything off the top hook a drill to it and spin until your happy on ford I use a 1/4" drive socket and along extention and mopar again grind the teeth off of the gear 1/4"drive with a flat blade adaptor .
  6. CatTech

    CatTech New Member

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    on the bottom of the distributor shaft was a flat drive tang that drives the oil pump shaft. a long large flat screwdriver can be sacrificed to do the same instead of an expensive distributor assembly
  7. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    That makes more sense now
  8. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    They sell the shaft to hook to a drill for most all gas motors to prelube them with a drill. You can get them from any automotive online store just about. Not sure if it's necessary if you have enough lube on everything when you assemble it, if it's started soon after. If the motor sits for months before being started then it's a good idea.
  9. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Any other shade tree ideas out there?
  10. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    From the old school, I was taught as a kid, never try to start a strange or unknown Detroit with out a working shutdown flapper or a way to block the air way AND a large pair of Vice grips on the governor shut down lever.
    Several months ago, it happened. A 3 year dock queen 8v92. On start up , it started to run away.
    Flapper down, floor mat over the Walker (less the air filter) and leaning on the Vice grips finally killed it. Two stuck injectors.

    I have added to my procedures to remove the valve covers and check the control tube and every injector from now on.
    Vice grips will always be in place.
  11. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    We were taught the same with DD's . I have since found that a CO2 fire extinguisher will stop an engine that's going for it when applied to the air inlet.
  12. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Yep
    Sadly, it's a rare to find a CO2 bottle on small boats or in shops any more.
  13. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Any other shade tree stories out there?
  14. Lepke

    Lepke Member

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    In the 70s, I had a commercial salmon and tuna boat. A long way from anywhere, I had a shaft coupling fail and had no shaft movement. The coupling attaching the shaft to the trans had rolled the key breaking the edges of the keyways and also breaking a bolt thru the coupler and shaft that at one time had been a taper pin. The key was now too small for the damaged keyways and the taper pin hole was rounded from the bolt breaking. I had no other keys in spare parts or any proper metal to make one. But I found 2 large taper pins in spares and I had a tapered reamer in my tools. I resized the thru hole to fit and drive in one pin. But that alone wouldn't hold. So pushing the shaft back to the rudder, made room to get the tapered reamer into the existing keyway. I reamed it to fit the other pin, drove it home are rebolted the coupling. I got back to port. Everything was still tight, salmon were running and I decided to wait until winter. I never did pull the shaft and redo the keyways. About 5 years ago I ran into my old boat and current owner. After a long bs session, I told him the story. We went into the hold, pulled up a floor panel and there was my pin/key still doing the job for about 40 years. I think the taper pin made a tighter fit key than a normal key.
  15. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    still doing the job for about 40 years.

    Good show.
  16. Charleston

    Charleston New Member

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    I was doing a few last-minute checks at 5AM before taking a single-diesel 34ft trawler from Ft. L. to Cat Cay. Big Jim showed up at 6, so we got underway. Big took the first trick at the helm, and I snoozed in the salon. About 20 miles into the Stream, Big suddenly hollered that "We ain't getting anywhere". I looked over the side; he was right - the engine tempo never changed but we were not moving. Thank you Governor!. A hydraulic hose on the transmission had blown out. What a mess! I checked and yes, we had more hydraulic oil, but what to do about that hose?
    Ya know those mooring line chafe guards, the long, white tubular ones that are split longitudinally? I had a box of various hose clamps, so we rigged up a cover for the blown hose. You shoulda seen that sucker pooch out when the pressure built up! But it held, and we made it back to Liquordale. Somewhere I have a pic of that sorry-looking splint.
    But it worked.
  17. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    A few years ago I was about to head back home from a weekend on the hook and couldn't get the port 8V71N to fire up. I had no priming pump and although it was just a 10nm run I didn't feel like having to come in on one engine. I rigged a fuel line from the generator electric lift pump outlet to the Inlet of the Detroit mechanical fuel pump. Turned the key on the genset to run the pump and the old DD fired right up and got us home.

    Low tech works !
  18. bobhorn

    bobhorn Member

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    Heading south in the Exumas on our sail boat into a south wind we were motoring along when the raw water pump started to spray water all over the engine compartment. Bearings totally shot after a rebuild not that long before. Drop the hook, had Happy Hour. Started engine and ran till temp went up, drop the hook and had Happy Hour. Repeated several times till we got to the next anchorage. Wanted/needed to get top George Town to order new pump. Rigged a hose from the A/C pump to the raw water intake on the engine, rewired the A/C pump to run off the inverter and continued on our way.
  19. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Guys. That is great stuff.
    It further proves that we can Adapt & Overcome.
  20. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    A friend of mine who happens to be a Yamaha mechanic had a pair of ox 250HP Yamaha's on his 27' Ocean Runner center console that he put a lot of hours on and the mid section got clogged and the motor wouldn't get enough water. He ran the boat for years with the raw water washdown pump attached to the freshwater flush fitting on the motor and pump on so the motor didn't overheat!!!!!!!!