1.26.2003-Super Bowl Weekend

A lot has been going on in my personal life lately and it's been impacting the amount of time I've been able to spend on the Alfa engine.  That's ok by me as this project is not one that I expect to be completed in 12 months.  In one week I begin a year-long  MBA program and I've been preparing during the evenings rather than spending them in the garage.  I have made some progress since last week though.

Last time I left the engine I had most of the con-rod caps off the crank but the crank itself was still in the block, and the pistons were still in the liners.  I had not figured out how to pull the number 5 main bearing cap out of its mortised position in the rear of the block, and I had not pulled the front timing gear off the crank.  Both of these situations prevented the crank from being removed from the block.  I was anxious to get it all apart so that I could begin cleaning the various parts and determining what's needed for re-assembly.

The first thing task I tackled was pulling that number 5 main bearing cap.  This turned out to be much easier than expected, and a few taps with a jelly-head hammer got it out far enough that I could just lever it right out without damaging the aluminum.

Moving to the front of the block I again tapped gently on the keyed timing gear and it was soon off too, along with the lower timing chain and the intermediate gear.

With these pieces now off, I could lift the crank out of the block.  In doing so I found yet another failed bearing on the number two con-rod.  This one had actually fractured in to two pieces.  I don't know if this engine was run out of oil or if the oil galleys in the crank were plugged but something sinister definitely fell on the bottom end.

I then discovered that you can in fact push the pistons out of the liners from the bottom and so soon I had all four pistons out of the block.  At this point it's now a bare block (with the liners still intact) covered in lots of grease.  I'll make sure to get some pictures before and after so you can see all the pieces in their glory.   The next step is to get that block in the tank and introduce it to the wonderful cleaning powers of solvent.  Then I'll inspect the bores, measure the ring gaps and determine whether or not she needs a new set of liners and pistons. 

Check back in a day or so and I should have some pictures posted of these latest results.

Ciao!

TJ