Well, the day started out nice. I took advantage of the morning coolness to organize and clean up the garage. Tony (Ansimp) showed up and we had lunch while the Rat's Nest cooled down for an oil/filter change, valve adjustment, cooling fan circuit upgrade, and horn repair.
So I drain the oil, change the filter, and refill the sump. Everything's all cleaned up, so I pour the old oil into the now empty jug that the new oil came in. There it was - in the bottom of the drain pan - the washer off the drain plug. Grrrr! OK, no problem... cleaned out the drain pan, unscrewed the plug, slipped the washer onto it and re-installed it. Poured the oil back into the sump. A minor annoyance, an easy fix.
Tony's working on putting a toggle switch and relay in the fan circuit. That fan wire connector is a BEEAUCH to get at! Tony's the man, and he gets her done!
Meanwhile, I'm adjusting the valves. The intakes are perfect, #3 exhaust was quite loose and #1 exhaust was slightly loose. I'm impressed how like-new the inside of this engine looks! The cover gaskets and bolt seals are nice and soft - all is well, right? WRONG!!
After we got everything wrapped up, ourselves cleaned up, and some dinner in us, Tony headed for his brother's house, a good 65 mile ride. 10 minutes later, I got a text saying he's coming back with a rattle on the right side. He limps up the driveway on 3 cylinders, and a nasty valve clatter. I fear the worst, but hope for the best. With the right valve cover off, it's obvious I screwed up. The #1 exhaust adjusting screw and locknut are nowhere to be seen! I either over-tightened it and it broke, or I didn't tighten it enough. Fortunately, I have lots of spares, so it was an easy fix, however the originals are now at the bottom of the sump, like the Titanic - 2 parts at rest, and un-recoverable without considerable efforts. I don't think they'll be a problem - I've found plenty of hardware in oil pans over the years, and none of it has caused any issues.
My apologies to Tony for the inconvenience, and shame on me! I'm usually much more careful than this. Guess it was just one of those days.
So I drain the oil, change the filter, and refill the sump. Everything's all cleaned up, so I pour the old oil into the now empty jug that the new oil came in. There it was - in the bottom of the drain pan - the washer off the drain plug. Grrrr! OK, no problem... cleaned out the drain pan, unscrewed the plug, slipped the washer onto it and re-installed it. Poured the oil back into the sump. A minor annoyance, an easy fix.
Tony's working on putting a toggle switch and relay in the fan circuit. That fan wire connector is a BEEAUCH to get at! Tony's the man, and he gets her done!
Meanwhile, I'm adjusting the valves. The intakes are perfect, #3 exhaust was quite loose and #1 exhaust was slightly loose. I'm impressed how like-new the inside of this engine looks! The cover gaskets and bolt seals are nice and soft - all is well, right? WRONG!!
After we got everything wrapped up, ourselves cleaned up, and some dinner in us, Tony headed for his brother's house, a good 65 mile ride. 10 minutes later, I got a text saying he's coming back with a rattle on the right side. He limps up the driveway on 3 cylinders, and a nasty valve clatter. I fear the worst, but hope for the best. With the right valve cover off, it's obvious I screwed up. The #1 exhaust adjusting screw and locknut are nowhere to be seen! I either over-tightened it and it broke, or I didn't tighten it enough. Fortunately, I have lots of spares, so it was an easy fix, however the originals are now at the bottom of the sump, like the Titanic - 2 parts at rest, and un-recoverable without considerable efforts. I don't think they'll be a problem - I've found plenty of hardware in oil pans over the years, and none of it has caused any issues.
My apologies to Tony for the inconvenience, and shame on me! I'm usually much more careful than this. Guess it was just one of those days.
