[Lear35A]

In this picture you can see the balance shaft housing with the exhaust pipes and engine bay not blocking things. In the center of the picture you can see a C-shape cavity with two bolt holes on either side where the motor mount attaches. It's directly in the way. This cover is held on by 16 fairly long fasteners, both 6 and 8 mm. They have to come straight out. There is a bunch of stuff in the way and work space when the engine is in the car is TIGHT. I see three choices: 1) let 'er leak, 2) pull the engine out and do it properly or 3) hire a pro who can prove to you he's successfully done this before.



Also the casting on the far right with 2 studs sticking out of it is the support for the power steering pump. The longer stud is for a roller for the cam or balance shaft belts. Two fasteners go through this from the front into the balance shaft housing. So you must take off all the belts and the rear black plastic belt cover to access thes fasterers. (Sorry, but I'm just the messenger. You'll have to blame a retired German engineer for this situation <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> )



As an aside to those interested in the other mentioned leak source, you can see on the upper right side of the picture the oil/water heat exchanger/oil filter housing. It's held in by only (4) 8mm bolts, but again it is very crowded in this area and will be tough to remove without taking a lot of other things off first.

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[bombfactory]

Thanks - this photo really gives a nice clear picture of an area on the motor you can't really see at all with it in the car.

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[Tomikaze]

Yes. Lear35A - you seem to really know this engine. I might be asking you some questions.

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[Lear35A]

I ought to; I've had the dang thing apart so often <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> . I'm glad to help anytime I can.

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[Cloud9...68]

Yes, I have a bunch of questions too (starting with, "How the heck did you get your block so clean?). But I'll actually start with:



1. What do the numbers "281" and "283" on the sides of cylinders 2 and 3 in post 17 of this thread signify?



2. What's that yellowish stuff on top of the block in the same picture?



3. Do you have any trips to Austin planned in the next few months? I have an engine that's going to need re-assembly soon

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[Lear35A]

Hah

1. The numbers are something the shop that put in the cylinder liners (first rebuild) wrote. I guess it's some dimension.

2. I think the yellow is just a reflection. It's really a silver mirror. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

3. My company is trying to sell some equipment to the Otis Spunkmeyer plant in Austin, so I just might be there. I like Austin.



BTW, I used Jet A to clean the block.

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[Cloud9...68]

"My company is trying to sell some equipment to the Otis Spunkmeyer plant in Austin, so I just might be there. I like Austin."





Be still, my beating heart! Seriously? What timeframe? I really need to get after those shops that have my crank and head, plus I need to order a bunch of stuff (bearings, for which I need the machine shop to tell me if I need standard or over-sized, seals, etc.), so I'm not going to be ready for the reassembly for awhile.



To be honest and realistic, procuring help from an experienced hand like yourself would be a pretty tall order, because re-assembling this engine takes many hours, and I'm sure you wouldn't just have that kind of time to spare. But if you do happen to make it to Austin (hope you like the heat!), and can spare a little time, it would be great if you could drop by for a few minutes. Let me know...

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[Lear35A]

Hard to know the time frame. My son, who works for me, was there a couple of weeks ago. Not sure when we'll have to be there again. However I'd be happy to come by when I do. PM me an email address. There's a couple of files I can send you that might be helpful when figuring what parts to order.

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[Cloud9...68]

"BTW, I used Jet A to clean the block."





What exactly is Jet A? I did a search and not much came up. Is it a cleaner used in the aircraft industry, by chance?

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[tamathumper]

Jet A is aviation fuel. Look on Wikipedia under "Jet Fuel".

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[Cloud9...68]

Ah, coming from Lear35A, I figured it had something to do with aviation. Wonder how someone outside the world of aviation can get hold of some...

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[Lear35A]

Every jet airplane you've ever been on has been burning JetA.

If you're anywhere near a smaller airport just get a 5 gallon jerry can and drive over. Go into the FBO (fixed base operator) and tell him you want it filled withe JetA. Shouldn't be a problem. BTW it also works great in space heaters and is cheaper than kerosene (although JetA is basically kerosene).

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[Cloud9...68]

Do you find that JetA works better as a cleaner/degreaser than commercially available carb cleaner or brake cleaner?

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[Lear35A]

No, it's just cheaper for bulk cleaning. I use brake cleaner in the little spray cans for the final touchup work.

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[mustanghusker]

Actually have my car in the shop right now for an oil leak. Started as a trip to check on the engine running a little hot, with a casual comment of "Oh, and it seems to be leaking a little something extra." It has had a small power steering fluid leak for a while and evidently that is still pretty minor, so right now I am having a new oil pan gasket and a crankshaft seal. The parts are just shy of $200, but with the labor the bill ends up about 10x that. Tons of fun. On the flip side, to fix the power steering leak I need a new power steering unit, which is crazy expensive and thus put on hold. Good news is the labor for that is very simple evidently.



Given me lack of mechanical skills though I decided to just let the shop handle it. Should have the car back in a few days, good as almost new hopefully!



Good luck with your leak. From a cost standpoint I figure dropping a few grand into the car every year is still way cheaper than buying a new car. I am at the 20 year/ 100,000 mile replacement cycle where it seems like once a year I need something big done. Hopefully it is all over in a few more years and I have another 15 years of trouble free driving ahead.

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