five minutes a day fixing my lotus

[tom kilner]

Is that s in the diagram?

[EXCEL V8]

Yep - part 5.  To withdraw the shaft from the housing you have to remove the woodruff key (not part 7 - that is at the pump end) - this can raise burrs on the shaft.  Use an ultra-fine file to remove any burrs  (I use a fine diamond hone).

Pete

[tom kilner]

Thanks for the tip pete.

Now I've been wondering whether the oil pickup pan head was contacting the base of the Sump for the final millimetre of assembly... the old pickup pan was squashed flat too! 🤔

I couldn't imagine how this would be possible (everything looks good) so chose to press on with the sump fitting anyway - but now I've mulled it over, I think I need to remove the sump (and clean up the mating surfaces again🙄), measure accurately,  and if necessary, remove the pickup pipe assembly (i have a spare o-ring) and modify the tab that fastens it onto the mbp so that the pickup gauze pan assembly has wafer of clearance from the Sump. I can't imagine that being under stress for 100,000 cycles won't cause the pipe to break or something else with catastrophic oily consequences🤯

...or is the oil pickup meant to press against the Sump???

[EXCEL V8]

No - it's not supposed to touch the sump.  If you buy some laying out fluid (I use Dykem) and put some on the sump the strainer will leave witness marks if it is touching when you lower the sump into place.

Pete

[drdoom]

Regarding patching of the fuel tank I had one done by an old time pro welder quite some years ago and well remember what he instructed before getting to it. It was my first lesson in the peril of igniting fuel residue traces, easily comprehended once reflecting on the air-fuel mixture outcome within a heated old tank. So I dutifully rinsed the tank several times with a strong household cleaner and hot water, rinsed out thoroughly with hot water alone then finished with methyl hydrate to dry and clear any remaining traces within the seams. I later watched as the old boy ever so carefully warmed the tank with a torch, timidly waving the flame past the filler neck from time to time before having at it. The patch was silver soldered or brazed rather than welded, and held up beyond the duration of my ownership.

Cheers

[tom kilner]

Lotusbits have offered to replace my tank - (which i bought "untested" for £40, it had just come in to them with a pile of stuff) with a good one for a further £60 - so it doesn't seem worth getting the torch out on that one.  There's 3 patches necessary,  probably get through £30 of gas and brass and 3 hours work prep and braze.  If someone asked me to patch the 3 holes I'd probably ask £90 - £110 if it was through work so vat...

I had the Grinder out, tank cleaned inside, long Henry hoover pipe from the (running obvs) car exhaust into one filler neck, and i thought - I'll just call lb see what they say.

 

Course I've done an hour of prep already, but if you throw in the opportunity to not breathe poisonous gases, set yourself on fire or blow yourself up that probably balances that out🤣

[tom kilner]

Oil pickup remodeling:

I flattened the tab but then it turned out the bend (where the pickup pipe exits the button of the mbp) was tight on the mbp, so I had to increase the bend in order to create some clearance.

Now I've got 115mm clear in the Sump,  and 114mm oil pan projecting  and the pipe is unstressed. So that's fitted.

I next need to refit the Sump, and just wondering whether i should replace the olive again(#37 above)

Doesn't look quite right🤔

[tom kilner]

Sump is on.

Head is on.

That really was a five minute job. Lucky I could borrow an angle/ Torque wrench from my neighbour.

I noticed that lb had replaced the cylinder head studs for me when they fitted new cylinder liners.

The originals are reckoned not to be up to the loading requirements - especially a 2.2??

[tom kilner]

Need a new one of these things

First I'llhave to find out what it's called🤔   Crankshaft sprocket??

 

 

[Clive59]

8 minutes ago, tom kilner said:

Need a new one of these things

one of these?

this is a useful site:   http://www.rdent.com/manuals/elite_and_eclat/engine/ek912.htm

[EXCEL V8]

I'll have a look what sort of condition the one off my old engine is in - if it's any good I'll let you know.  I do remember that it had no threaded holes to help pull it off the crank which made things interesting!

Pete

[tom kilner]

So...

the Crankshaft (square) toothed pulley is cracked

And the Pulley flange is cracked.

Clearly a PO has bolted the pulley onto the crank with the flange (the big washer also pictured) misaligned,  chewing one up and cracking the other.

🙄

[EXCEL V8]

I found my old pulley today.  It's quite worn - I wouldn't use it myself.

Pete

[JerryS]

There's one on fleabay at the moment. You may prefer to fit a new one though.

[tom kilner]

Thanks guys

I really need the washer too, LB has both for less than the Fleabay, although lb postage is a stinger, they need to earn their keep and pay taxes and I know that's not cheap.

[tom kilner]

Going retro-mod here with blue hylomar and paper gasket, but stainless allen bolts🥳

[EXCEL V8]

Did you centre it on the pulley before you tightened it up?

Pete

[drdoom]

Seems to me these things are inherently self-centering, are they not? I mean the seal bears against the crank register surface with mild but meaningful force and nothing other than the fixing bolts would impart displacement. So let it make itself happy on the crank then simply ease the housing home and carefully cinch up the fasteners while holding the housing against block with a free hand.

Reluctant to piss on anyone's parade but aren't we advised that SS and AL are not galvanically compatible, so mating them yields undue corrosion? Asking for a friend . . . 

Love the Allen head types though.

Cheers 

[tom kilner]

I slid the oil seal gently over the crank, wiggled it gently and then did the bolts finger tight at the point it seemed happy, then torqued up in steps starting at 1nm

Hope that's ok🤞

Of course the seal can be replaced engine in car,  so a leaky seal isn't like the chassis failure i started off with...

1 minute ago, drdoom said:

Reluctant to piss on anyone's parade but aren't we advised that SS and AL are not galvanically compatible, so mating them yields undue corrosion? Asking for a friend . . .

What you say is true,  but I think if you soak everything in old engine oil (although not from a leaky front crank oil seal obvs) i reckon it would outlast me,  or at least last beyond the introduction of a total ban on petrol ICEs😉

[EXCEL V8]

My bad 🙄 - forgot that the oil seal sits on the crank, not the pulley!  Brain fade!

Pete

[tom kilner]

Next...

[JerryS]

Watch out for the spring popping out.

[tom kilner]

2 springs in mine.

A bit cleaner now, some fresh grease in the roller.

[jonwat]

2 hours ago, tom kilner said:

some fresh grease in the roller

I'd fit a new tensioner bearing myself, if it fails your engine is toast.

[tom kilner]

I was prepared to change it,  but It was lovely inside, except that the old grease had thickened up. There's no pay and it feels like new now.

Of course what you say is completely right,  but if I replace all working 45 year old components,  I would spend £50k+, which I am trying to avoid. I've already spent twice a much a the car cost me😁

It's always a Juggling act - I'll probably use a new cam belt, because although my old one barely did 100 miles,  it'll be 5 years of sitting in a box before I can refit it.

I've got new rings  but on the old pistons for example.

Well,  3 of them anyway🤔