MEP-003a Engine Swap

[coyotegray]

I'm going to swap the engine in my 003 with one that was rebuilt.

Any words of wisdom from those that have done this..? Anything to look out for.?


Thanks,
Andy..

 

[Speddmon]

Make yourself some 1/4" alignment studs out of some 1/4" bolts for when you go to put the head back on the bellhousing. The TM recommends this, and trust me...you'll need em!

Also, it's best if you can remove the entire control box, and associated framework. You can do it with that stuff intact, but it's a PITA!!!

 

[storeman]

A lot of patience required.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Make sure you have plenty of room to work in, two good friends that are good "wrenches", at least a 30 pack of beer, and lots of patience.

 

[Speddmon]

Make sure you have plenty of room to work in, two good friends that are good "wrenches", at least a 30 pack of beer, and lots of patience.

A lot of cold weather doesn't hurt anything either, because you'll be working too hard to want to do it when it's hot outside!

 

[hedgehog69]

Make yourself some 1/4" alignment studs out of some 1/4" bolts for when you go to put the head back on the bellhousing. The TM recommends this, and trust me...you'll need em!

Also, it's best if you can remove the entire control box, and associated framework. You can do it with that stuff intact, but it's a PITA!!!

YES!!!!!!!!!!! It is a real pain lining up these bolt holes. I also took a sharpie marker and marked hole locations on flywheel and 'flexplate'. Also...have a magnet on a handle available for fishing a dropped bolt out of the bottom of the gen head!! I had one bolt drop and bounce back into gen head...couldn't fish it out...had to break unit apart to retrieve it. No doubt bolting these together is the worst part f the job! Limited finger room...I now use needle nose vise grips to get those bolts in. This is a 2 hour job...on a great day...but patience is a must. Certainly discourage alcohol consumption as suggested by others

 

[Harleyd315]

I lost an engine on my 003 during Sandy, it was a tagged rebuilt at 94 hours and ran good for about 20 hours, then something in the camshaft let loose. I got time yesterday to do a swap with a rebuilt crate engine I had in the shed. I am pretty well set up with a shop and forklift, still wasn't an easy job with only one person. Started at 7am and had her running by 6pm. As many know the hardest part is the flywheel bolts. I left the generator head on the frame and replaced the engine as per the manual. I would suggest to anyone attempting this job that you clean the threads in the flywheel with a tap before you attempt to install the new engine and put a little never seeze in the holes. All 8 bolts went back in very easily by hand. Also I marked the flywheel with paint on the timing marks while it was hanging from the forklift for future adjustments. I dont know if I installed the studs to far but there was very little stud sticking thru the fan when installed. Any one ever used longer studs or know how far to install the alignment studs to make the removal easier? Today I hope to load test and set the governor if needed. Are there any break in recommendations??

 

[Harleyd315]

Pictures of completed project

 

[metalworker393]

Ditto on chasing the threads on the flywheel. I did an engine swap on one of my spare 002's and found that using one of those claw retreval tools helped significantly. It made holding onto the bolt when removing it a snap. Also putting the bolt back in was very easy,and it doesn't fall down inside the generator head either. worked well at installing/removing the guide stud too.

 

[storeman]

Ditto on chasing the threads on the flywheel. I did an engine swap on one of my spare 002's and found that using one of those claw retreval tools helped significantly. It made holding onto the bolt when removing it a snap. Also putting the bolt back in was very easy,and it doesn't fall down inside the generator head either. worked well at installing/removing the guide stud too.

Source for the claw? Thanks.
Jerry

 

[metalworker393]

Hey storeman, its one of those claws you can get at almost any auto supply. has a flexible extension,usually 4 flat pieces of metel at the end. Also has a t shaped grip with a spring loaded button you push in to extend the thin flat claws. You can find it McMaster Carr catalog. If I can I will post their p/n. metalworker393

 

[gimpyrobb]

One of these!

Well, I was going to show a pic, but the pic loader thingy sucks. No more posting pics!


This new crap SUCKS ASS

 

[Speddmon]

One of these?



Gee, the picture thingy seems to work for me...maybe you need to be smarter than the object you're working with?

 

[gimpyrobb]

Nah, I have multiple folders with pics and the uploader wouldn't let me change it.

It uses the old style of loading pics for avatars, but a different one for pics to a thread. what a pita.

 

[metalworker393]

That would be it.

 

[storeman]

Thanks. Do they make them magnetized?

 

[LuckyDog]

ah-yup