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Old 03-04-2020, 12:01 AM
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Launchpad McQ Launchpad McQ is offline
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Hello again A4-ian crew. Sorry for the hiatus but as you'll see from the forthcoming post, a mental break from the longest-rebuild-in-A4-history has been much needed. I wish I had some upbeat news to share about the progress but I've gotta be honest, it hasn't gone well. Also, between two kids in diapers and a full kitchen remodel in progress, it's been harder and harder to find the time to write thread posts let alone work on the engine. So if you'll forgive me, I'm going to hit the fast forward button on this thread from the last post describing the crack repair (which took place in May 2019) and catch you up to where the rebuild stands at this moment (March 2020). I'll probably gloss over some things but if I'm ever going to bring this thread full circle, I've gotta start wrapping things up. Soooooo......

The UPS Disappearing Camshaft Magic Trick
Because of some pitting on the lobes, the machine shop recommended I send it to a camshaft-specific shop in Oklahoma for overhaul. I shipped it, but UPS delivered it to an address that doesn't appear to exist and it's never been seen since. (It's been over a year) Oh yeah, and all my lifters were in the box too which I didn't remember until I went to reassemble the engine months later and couldn't find them. "Hello Ken? Yep it's Jonathan. Yep now I need lifters in addition to that new camshaft I just bought."

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Reassembly
I followed the Moyer Manual methodically and got the engine back together just fine. I checked, double checked, and took pictures as evidence/reminders of all the oil gallery plugs installed so I wouldn't fall victim to the dreaded "0 oil pressure after rebuild" that some folks have.



Initial Post-Rebuild Engine Run
Once again, following the Moyer Manual "Initial Start Up" section step-by-step, it fired up and ran as well as I hoped...with the exception of low oil pressure. The oil pressure registered over 40psi when "priming" the oil system per the manual, but after running for 20 mins or so, declined to below 10psi before I turned it off. I changed the oil from straight 30 weight oil to Rotella 15W-40 and ran the engine the next day. No difference in oil pressure.

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Low Oil Pressure Mystery
With a new crank, rod bearings, main bearings, and seemingly no other culprit Ken, Don, and I suspected worn oil pump gears. I got the engine back up on the workbench, tore it partially down, and sent the rear main bearing cap out to Pennsylvania for testing & rebuilding. While waiting for the pump to come back I decided to do what I should've done before I ever ran the engine and plasti-gauge the rod/main journals. Once I got them apart, I found the #2 and #3 rod journals were badly discolored. I took the crankshaft to the machine shop and after measuring it, he diagnosed the damage as oil starvation from mis-sized crank journals (specifically .030 oversized instead of .010 as advertised.) I alerted Ken and Don of my machine shop's findings and they immediately sent a new (.010 over) crank and bearings while I sent the "20-minutes-old-but-trashed" crank back to them for investigation. Once they got the crank and were able to analyze it, their measurements showed .010 over (albeit damaged) rod journals and were unsure how my machine shop came to the .030 conclusion. We brainstormed for a bit and agreed that I should "cease-and-desist" on this rebuild until we were absolutely sure what caused the damage lest I destroy another perfectly good crankshaft/bearing set. During that brainstorm session I mentioned that somewhere in the shuffle of transporting the disassembled engine home in my suitcase, I had also lost my original main bearing caps. I reassembled the engine using the main bearing caps from the spare engine I had purchased off Craigslist (which was also the rear main cap/oil pump that I sent in for rebuilding). Little did I realize, the main caps are married to the block and therefore not interchangeable without machining, specifically line-boring. The use of mismatched main caps is currently our best hypothesis of why the engine exhibited such low oil pressure post-rebuild and subsequently damaged a brand new crankshaft beyond repair.

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So Here We Are
As it stands today, the disassembled bare block is back at the machine shop getting measured for line-boring to correct the mismatched main bearing cap issue. I still owe Don a chunk of $$$ for the replacement crankshaft he sent me after having destroyed the first new crankshaft after 20 mins of run time. (Ken and I haven't caught up on the phone in a couple weeks but they know I'm good for it and they know where I live )

Needless to say that between a cracked block, lost-in-the-mail camshaft & lifters, misplaced main bearing caps, an expensive oil pump rebuild, a misguided spare engine purchase, and oh yeah, recently a new cylinder head, it's clear this rebuild has gone as sideways as one could go. For anyone considering an A-4 rebuild project, I really hope I haven't dissuaded them from taking on the challenge. I've learned a tremendous amount in the process, but also had more than a little bad luck and some setbacks caused by my inexperience and/or ignorance. In the same breath I would caution anyone from choosing to rebuild vs buying a short-block engine from Moyer on the notion that rebuilding will be cheaper. At this point I would've been way, way, money ahead if I would've just called Ken and had a short-block sent to the marina, and I would've been enjoying the boat years sooner. I probably won't update this thread very much until I (hopefully) get this thing machined (again), reassembled (again), and running (again). Between the kids, kitchen renovation, and work, It'll most likely be mid summer at the earliest.
__________________
Jonathan
1979 Catalina 30 #1497
An old Airline Pilot proverb: "If we don't help each other nobody else will."

Last edited by Launchpad McQ; 04-17-2020 at 10:55 AM.
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