Dan’s the Man
As you’ll remember, the rebuilding of the engine had come to a grinding stop as we couldn’t find correct sized rod bearings. Fortunately Dan, from 4Wheel Auto in Edmonton, saves our butt and sends me his last available set of standard size bearings! Less than 24hrs later, they’re here and the build can resume.
Minnie is always pleased to provide assistance.
Hey! This is beginning to look like an engine!
Glow plugs, new injectors, IP, etc… Check.
Out with the old…
And finally, the time comes when we’re ready to drop it in. Note how serious the moment is…
It’s midnight when we begin lowering No4s new heart in its nest.
Over an hours’ worth of wrestling with the 700 lbs engine is squeezed in the following 2 min. clip, the issue being getting proper motor-transmission alignment .
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.Tah Daaaaaaah!
As luck would have it, it’s only when we’re ready to bolt the engine in place that we discover an engine support has separated and is now useless. Not having a good 40 series support on hand means we’ll have to resolve to modifying a 60 series one to fit. An easy task but it’s 1:30 in the morning and that’s going to have to wait until tomorrow.
By about 11:00 am that sunday morning, the new 2H is fastened and ready for action, hopefully…
Between time spent looking for parts and time spent rebuilding per say, it’s been two complete weekends in the garage. Over the course of the coming week, I’ll finish reconnecting wiring, hoses and various nick nacks as well as fill up the new engine with fresh oil and coolant.
A couple of weekends later, it’s time. Time to turn the key and see if our labour has lead to success. Will it start? Will it not?
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.Success! And spirits high and low.
As evidenced in the video, the engine runs and runs smoothly once air is out of the system. The only bug (or so we thought) being a faulty low oil pressure cut-off sensor that kept shutting off the engine even if it had good oil pressure. A bitch to reach and replace.
About an hour later, No4 purrs to life again and we even take it out for a spin in the snow with no headlights, no hood.
The verdict? Smoooooth, and much quieter than before thanks in part to the Dynaliner pad I installed on the firewall.
As we get back, we notice an oil leak coming from the oil cooler aluminium cover.
“No problem, lets just tighten it up a bit” I think. But the tighter it gets, the worst the leak becomes. To the point where it’s not dripping, it’s oozing, leaving a continous streak of oil on the ground. After closer examination, we find a crack has formed in the cover itself, which allows oil to be pressured through.
Getting that cover out of there is a pain.
Starter, EDIC motor, batteries, injection pipes (between IP and injectors), injection pump, lower radiator hose, oil filter and housing, etc, all need to get out of the way… All in all probably close to a full day of work….
Brief moment of discouragement…
The decision is then made to “borrow” a cover from another engine that was part of the deal, and that Gilles would be back to help next weekend.
As expected, it took pretty much a full day but the “new” cover was put back on and the engine is now fully functionnal.
I suppose it’s all part of the Adventure. Confirming such an Adventure begins long before we even hit the road…
G.E.C.
Putting my trust in him was the right thing to do. I now consider Gilles-Étienne Côté as one of my best friends. Neither the snow and freezing rain storms nor the flu or the 100 + km drive (one way) from his place to mine stopped him from spending numerous hours here in my garage, working on that engine. He is so passionnate about his wrenching he forgets to stop, going at it from 8 am saturday morning to 2 am (YES, that’s 2:00 AM !) pretty much non-stop only to get at it again at 8 on sunday! He now definitely is a very important part of the Landtrek Adventure.
Thank you Gilles.
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