1. An upgraded oil tank that is now a welded unit, as opposed to the original that is bolted and siliconed together. On top of the inherent strength and tighter fit, the new unit features an improved filler neck and dipstick tube. But the real draw for me is the bung that is now welded in place to receive the engine oil line and fitting that returns oil from the PSRU! The Viking engine has another port that ties into an oil galley on the block from which high pressure oil is routed to the PSRU. Instead of a small quantity of 90 weight gear oil (about 3 ounces), the PSRU will be supplied with a constant supply of circulating engine oil.
2. A new, slightly heavier flywheel made out of steel, replaces the second generation aluminum model that has been prone to the development of cracks.
In order for all this to come to pass, it was necessary to remove the old flywheel/ring gear assembly and the PSRU and return them to the factory. The ring gear gets reused, but the old flywheel goes away. The PSRU has a sleeve pressed onto the drive shaft. Yet another issue to be resolved was the removal of the pilot bearing from the crankshaft....more about that later. In its place will be a brass ring.
First in the process was the draining of the engine oil and then the coolant from the radiator and hoses. Radiator is now detached, with only the rear bracket remaining. Cross over tube was completely removed as well.
Up next was the oil tank removal. The unit is bolted together with a long bolt that runs from the top to the bottom of the tank. Even after removal of the bolt, the work is just beginning. Breaking the seal of the Right Stuff silicone was a huge chore. I was in disbelief at the strength of that stuff and its ability to hold aluminum parts together. In the end, it was the use of a pry bar (no less) that was required to carefully separate the tank bottom from the body. After removal of all but one of the 16 M8 allen bolts holding the tank top to the bottom of the engine, it was time to pry again. This time the old oil recirculation bung was used with the pry bar and the block of the engine to break the tank body from the tank top.
The shot below is looking from the ground up and shows the bung on the tank body that was pryed against for removal. Once you had the pry bar in place, (between the bung and the engine block) the silicone was relatively easy to break...but when you realize the leveraged force required to do so, it leaves me with a great respect for the strength of that silicone product.
With the PSRU gone, the rubbers or vibration dampening doughnuts and spider gear are clearly visible on the flywheel.
Six nuts removed and the spider gear/doughnut assembly comes away nicely, leaving the final 6 flywheel bolts.
Close ups of the spider gear and rubber doughnuts are shown below.
To get the necessary torque on the flywheel bolts, a simple locking mechanism was employed to restrict crankshaft rotation.
Bolts are out...
...and off comes the generation 2 flywheel and ring gear.
And there is the next target - the smallish blue ring: the pilot bearing.
I have to say that pulling that bearing was fun! No kidding. I googled up a few youtube videos about guys using everything from axle grease to a piece of bread to strips of water-soaked paper to use hydraulic pressure to remove bearings. So that's what I did. The water/paper trick looked to be the neatest and simplest, so that is what I tried.
Start with some paper soaked in some water and then start stuffing them into the bore of the bearing as shown in the first two photos below.
Next up, begin "plunging" a shaft (in my case, a 7/16 nut driver, whose OD just matched the ID of the bearing) with the aid of a hammer or mallet and compressing the soaked paper shreds. As you penetrate deeper with the shaft, remove it and replace with more soaked paper shreds. Rinse and repeat.
Before too long, you end up with the bearing slowly peaking out from and then entirely protruding from the bore! Works like magic!
Lastly, pry out the soaked paper and you are done. Unbelievable - but I'm easily impressed.
Before I close this tome, I'll make mention of another implication of the upgraded oil tank....and it is not a minor one. The new oil tank will require me to relocate the oil cooler to a location lower on the firewall to insure clearance for the PSRU oil return line. That consideration, combined with the fact that the new tank changed the location of the filler neck and dipstick tube and there are wholesale changes that have to be made to my upper and lower fiberglass cowls!!!!!!!!!
Specifically, the oil cooler duct will be relocated to the lower cowl. The first 2 shots below, show the amputated oil cooler duct and the foam filler patch, awaiting its new glass cloth and resin.
Inside view of former location of oil cooler duct.
Sanded, cleaned, glassed and peel ply'ed and it will be ready for finish sanding/filling to make it seem like a distant memory.
Next the lower cowl has been cut to facilitate the new lower position of the oil cooler duct.
Front view of the cooler duct's new location.
The upper cowl not only lost the oil cooler duct, but the oil access hatch door will have to be relocated too. First shot below shows the inside with the foam patch awaiting shaping to the original shape of the cowl.
Outside view of same.
And the saga continues....
Finally, both of the patches are glassed from the inside as well, to insure structural integrity of the cowl.
Next installment will begin the reversal of this "going backwards" process as the upgraded parts are due in tomorrow, so stay tuned. There will be plenty of perils on the way toward achieving the engine oiling of the PSRU....not to mention the new oil cooler duct in the lower cowl and the relocated oil access door on the upper cowl.
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