As you know I have been very slack with keeping this blog up to date, so I have found problems and fixed them probably 3 months earlier. Well this is one. New engine in, final few bits before Coventry Motofest....and this happens:
I can confirm that is 100% oil as I have gone all of nowhere and the dipstick that once read 'max' now reads 'min'. Coolant is still brimmed to the top in the radiator so nothing going there.
Well damn. The curse of Project V6 strikes again! I was planning a rebuild at some point but really was not planning one right now! Looks like I'm putting the other engine back in again then! At least that was most likely just a firing order problem.
Still, I was desperate to go to Motofest. It is even more on my doorstep than Stoneleigh was, however if my garage was looking like this, I definitely would get a telling off from the Motofest officials!
So here we go again, a view coming all too common. I had given Steve (from RHOCAR) a call as he had offered to help out if I needed it. I still should not be doing any heavy lifting so it's always good to have some muscle on hand! Engine out, again.
Being a typical British May, rain began to delay play. Seemed like a perfect opportunity to stop for dinner. What better way to keep your help happy than buying them dinner?
Unfortunately the rain persisted and after an unintentionally long break for dinner, we had another stab in the rain. As the curse continued, the engine was proving difficult to get back in with the gearbox in situ (removing the gearbox as well meant either throwing oil everywhere or disconnecting the prop from the diff - which meant seat out and side panel off - just effort isn't it?). In the end....at about midnight, we threw the towel in. Shoved the car into the garage and called it a night. I would have a look in the morning to see whats going on and maybe do all that effort and get the gearbox out after all.
As it happened, my parents were coming to visit and come to Motofest too. Stories of previous years and an ever growing event tempted them to come along. Luckily they arrived at a time I was trying to understand what was happening with the engine/gearbox and suddenly I had an extra pair of hands again! Behold, the rare picture of my Dad getting stuck in and getting his hands dirty! I did have to dig out my most stretchy joggers and tshirt as not to ruin his clothes...
I'll make an enthusiast out of him yet!
Anyway, once in roughly the right place I went to check that it was all lined up and that it would work....and I found this:
I apologise if the video is a bit rubbish, not a lot of space and not an ideal view. If you can't see, the flywheel is not spinning straight. It has a lovely wobble on it as if it is not sat flat. Time to get the engine back out...again!
This time the whole unit came out. I'm not going to faff around again. Already I can see an issue....my flat adapter is now a banana!
The next issue is all the crap on the flywheel mounting face! The adapter was properly wedged in too! Then I noticed this....Having designed this myself, I knew that edge should be straight! It would appear to have been crushed when putting the flywheel on. Rookie mistake and soft aluminium.
Thankfully during the week of figuring out and deciding what to do, I contacted Rich (RHOCAR Chairman and Red Seven Engineering) who made the original and asked if he could do me a new spacer but this time, out of steel.
This is where the club came into its our, 24 hours later, I collected this magnificent item.
Having identified the root cause, I ensured it would not happen again. Deeper step!
- I had designed the original spacer to the lightweight flywheel I had. Due to issues with the threads for the clutch plate, I'd swapped back to the original flywheel. This had a deeper crank mounting face which was subsequently filled when putting the flywheel on by crushing the spacer. Simple really.
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