engine advice/help requested

....slow down.. Firstly. Did you adjust the valves before you took the compression test? How bad is the galling? Will it clean up with a thread chase qand hold a plug or does it seem to require a heli coil? swapping the Puma engine would be easy enough...but if the bus seemed to drive ok with the engine in it...as it must of if you were adding new poarts it might still be fine. Where does the oil seem to be leaking from?? How is the end play on the engine??? Oh...and what side of winston salem are you on? I'm in Cedar Grove NC..Got any pics of the Puma??? *perk*...

...Gareth

1) i checked valve clearances on #1 as part of my "dummy check" to make sure i was at tdc for the distributor replacement. not that it's a requirement, just something that made me feel better. anyway, clearance was fine for both intake and exhaust. 2) i have about 3 turns worth of metal imbedded in the #3 plug threads. to me that seems to require a heli coil, as metal is now missing from the head. 3) the bus drove, sure - it even got me up to grandfather mountain for hcbf. but it's way underpowered which is the reason for the addition of new parts - basically band-aids while i try to figure out how to afford a stronger type4 engine. 4) i'm not sure where the oil is coming from, as i didn't realize it was leaking so badly until this last trip. and now /everything/ is covered in oil so the source isn't obvious. 5) not sure about the end-play; would have to look that procedure up in the idiot or bentley books.

i called an aircooled-friendly "mobile mechanic" today and he suggested the heli-coil, saying that the problem could be fixed without so much as removing the engine.

but then i talked to none other than jake raby who mentioned that what happened to me is frequently a symptom of a cracked head. not mine, the engine. :P

in either case, i don't yet feel qualified to perform that kind of work and would have to pay someone to do it for me (the /right/ way, instead of the /learning/ way in which i screw it up thrice before finally ending up with something somewhat usable).

6) south ... i live in welcome.

7)

thanks for your input!

...hmmm...you seem about 2 hours from me. I wouldn't mind coming and giving you a hand, but I have to finish building the engine for my car and throw it in this weekend...and am working next weekend. If the Puma engine has a universal case it sounds like the best bet foir you. If you have a floor jack and basic tools we can easilly talk you through the engine swapp if you don't mind getting dirty. As far as pulling down your current engine and dignosing and repairing it that will require a few more specialized tools but not many. Good luck, and if you do not make your deadline camping trip and need a hand let me know.

..Gareth

i probably have everything i need to do the swap - except nerve. i'm sure it's just like everything else - it's a huge deal until you've done it, after which it's no big deal at all.

a 'mobile mechanic' is due to arrive in about an hour or so to take an /experienced/ look at my situation. depending on what he finds, i may ask him to go ahead and do the engine swap.

regardless i'll keep posting here, as ramva has by far been the best support i've found for my hobby. i just hope i find enough experience along the way to actually contribute here at some point ...

thanks again

well, we yanked the remaining plugs and rechecked compression all the way around. #1 was still low, though we got it up to 99 this time - turning the engine over for longer, and using a different threaded adapter for the plug hole. not bad, but nowhere near the 120-135 we got on the rest. nevertheless, usable so we're not going to worry with that now.

the inner threads were stripped out on #3, and it turns out that the outer threads were stripped on #2. so we're going to try to tap/heli-coil those two and see what we end up with.

we went ahead and yanked the engine to get a better look. the oil leak appears to be coming from the cooler, so we'll reseal with new grommets or whatever they're called.

the clutch had been slipping when starting from a complete stop; the pressure plate was a bit oily and i'm not sure of the source. we're going to replace the clutch just in case, and ditto for the rear main seal.

there's somewhat of a gap between the forward edge of the fan and the shroud, so we're going to grab a used dual-port fan to see if perhaps i've got a single-port fan instead. this is all new to me, like most of the rest of it.

the flaps, thermostat and other related items are missing. we'll be replacing all that.

we found the exhaust leak; it was in a place that had already been repaired via weld but had broken free. i knew about the leak due to backfiring while coasting downhill - just couldn't see the leak before pulling the engine. i'm going to replace that too, possibly with merged headers and a quiet pack or something similar. maybe stock muffler, i'm not sure yet.

all in all there was a fairly long list of replacement parts needed; i was relieved to hear that aside from the exhaust system the total parts bill would be less than $100; most of the cost will be labor, which i'm happy to pay because this is a hands-on lesson for me using mostly my own equipment. i've offered a few mechanics $$ to allow me to watch/help/learn but have always been turned down for one reason or another. now i'm finally getting a little bit of training. and the other bonus of course is that i'll probably be able to make the next camping trip - buses on the river (erwin, tn).

but one question ... without removing the heads, after doing the tap/heli-coil trick how can i be sure to get all the junk out of the cylinders before firing? make a skinny little attachment for my shopvac and suck it out through the plug hole?

you can';t....pull the heads...replace the pushrod tubes well you are at it. For the minimu amount of time it will take there is no reason not to...you will also find the source of the low compression and be able to decide whether you want to fix it. If you insist on not taking the few extra minutes to pull the heads use bearing grease on the tap to catch most of the filings...and accept the fact that you may chew some metal up with the cylinder (never a good thing) There are many ways to fix things...most of them are not the best methods.

...good luck.

..Gareth

....also if the clutch has been slipping carfeully check teh flywheel for blueing, or heat cracks...mak sure the surface is true and unwarped. ditto for the pressure plate if ou are not replacing it. Another thing....while the engine is out is a great time to check teh tranny mounts and the input seal on the tranny....no better time to replace if necessary.

...gareth