April 6, 2022

Holby 6

Wednesday

I continued work on-and-off on the engine “removal”.  This was frankly getting silly.  After secretly hoping that during my day away from the shop the engine would have magically jumped off its mounts, the reality was unchanged since I left it.

Heeding some of the minimal advice I’d found in my research, I pulled out all the temporary shims I’d placed beneath the engine as I’d microscopically lifted it, and pulled the forward end back to square one by installing a pair of the fixing nuts.  Because the tolerances around the shaft (and even the mounting studs) were so tight, even small lifting angles could cause it to bind all the more tightly, so went the advice, so by re-lowering it I hoped to have a fresh (and successful) start.

I replaced the strap at the aft end with a chain to avoid stretch, and, with a new plan of lifting from the aft end, incrementally, then switching to the lifting ring on the flywheel, incrementally, and so forth, tried anew.  To improve my access to all parts of the engine base (which, judging from some of the few photos I’d seen of other installations, was downright luxurious to begin with), I removed the large, bulky plastic carburetor cowl, and unbolted and lifted out of the way the powerpack on the starboard side of the engine, which greatly improved sight lines and access to the area beneath.  For the first time since I started this progress, these changes allowed me to finally get a slim, stiff blade beneath the engine at the aftermost end, and I got a little excited.

But that was about it for the rest of the day.  Shifting the hoist back and forth between the two lifting points (but focusing on the main lifting point on the flywheel), I lifted whatever amount was possible and installed wooden shims to hold the position.  Back and forth, but really with essentially no progress–certainly no eureka moments.  After the initial minor progress at the aft end, and with perhaps 3/16″ gained on the forward end (if I’m being generous), still there seemed absolutely no signs of pending release and a normal, even if prolonged, chance of lifting the engine.

Thus endeth the day.

Total time billed on this job today: 4.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation: 28°, clear. Forecast for the day: Mostly sunny, 55°.