engine valve problems

indeed new guides should me miked and reamed but who knows how to do that today??
 
when you install the riser gaskets, try using some permatex Aviation sealant
 
I'm going to have to have the marina winterize all the systems on the boat; I'm not allowed to resume any real physical work for about another month. That's pushing my luck on freezing weather. I'll pick up the cylinder head and exhaust manifold at the machinist's shop next week, but iinstalling them will also have to wait until I'm fully healed. Hopefully, I can get this boat finally fixed by the beginning of next season. Hy
 
RATS RATS RATS!!! The mechanics are one thing. Hy not being able to make the boat part of the couple's recovery from a couple bad years is what's grating on me. I just wish we could do more.
 
I went to the marina today and paid for the hauling, power washing, and blocking. I got the list of costs for their winterizing the boat, over $1k labor plus materials! I'm going to see how I feel next Friday. If my leg's strong enough, I'm going to start the winterizing myself. I'm limit it to two hours' work, starting with the port engine. We'll see how much I can get done. Hy
 
Just be careful the doc probably does not mean two hours boat mechanic work
 
OK, OK! I won't push it. By Friday, it will be three and a half weeks after surgery. I can't break anything; I just may experience some swelling and pain. I'll try to minimize that. Oh, tomorrow morning, I'm getting another set of epidural nerve block injections to deal with my chronic lower back pain, something I've been living with for almost forty years! I refuse to take any strong pain meds. I know people with the same back problems I have who have become addicted to oxy; I won't become one of them. Working on the boat, the house, or the cars helps keep my back going even when it creates some pain. Sounds like a Celebrex commercial! Stay warm ,my friends. Hy
 
I've found a weight lifters back brace not only works better than the kind with elastic, but they last a hell of a lot longer.
 
Stay warm and well, Hy. You and Mrs. Hy. Be blessed, we're pulling for you.
 
I actually have a prescribed and fitted back brace, similar to a weight-lifter's. I wore it for about six months last year and it did help when things got really bad. It limits bending, which is exactly the opposite of what's needed when working in the engine bay. I'll try it; maybe it will give me that extra edge I'll need to get the job done. Thanks for your prayers and best wishes. Hy

P.S. Strange how life works. I got a call earlier this evening that one of my brothers-in-law had a heart attack this morning and will have open-heart surgery within the next day or two. They did a catheterization this afternoon. I just got a text message from one of my brrothers. The prognosis is not good. He's my age. My plans for Friday may have to change if things go south, so to speak. Makes one remember what's really important. (I come from a large family, four sisters - three living, and two brothers.)Stay well, all.
 
Heading to the marina in a half hour. Prognosis on brother-in-law much improved after new tests. He should make a full, though slow, recovery. Update on boat coming. Hy
 
After a late start and time for shopping for winterizing supplies, I arrived at the marina at 1:00. I was able to winerize the air conditioner, after running a triple-length power cord from the nearest dock to the yard where the boat is stored, and the water system. I started the port engine - ran perfectly. Tomorrow's plan is to pick up the head and exhaust manifold for the starboard engine at the machine shop, winterize the port engine and the generator, and remove the linens and other stuff which have to come home. I might begin re-assembly of the starboard engine if I can pick up the gaskets beforehand and I'm not too tired or sore. I don't want to push my luck. Wednesday's another day, even though it's supposed to turn really cold on Wednesday. Hy
 
Wishing you every success with this project, Hy. And hoping you can conserve yourself to get this done safely and smoothly.
 
Port engine done; generaor done except for fogging the cylinders; some of the stuff is in the car to be put into storage; all in all, a good day. Wednesday, the starboard engine will get re-assembled and winterized. On Friday, I'll remove all the rest of the stuff to take home, disconnect the batteries, clean the boat from my working on the engines, take down the canvas, and let the marina know she's ready for shrinkwrapping. That will be it until the spring. Since we may be moving in the spring, I'm not sure where we'll dock the boat or even if we'll keep it. With my wife retiring and me already semi-retired, the expense of the boat may be too much to bear. Some detailed calculations are in order. Have a good winter, all; hopefully, it will be a mild one. Hy
 
Once again, I got out to a late start. Picked up the gaskets at PEPboys, much cheaper than marine parts for the same parts. I then picked up the cylinder head and exhaust manifold. The machinist/owner did a second leak test on the manifold to show me how it's done. A rubber, oil-saturated vacuum pad is placed on the top exhaust rectangular opening. The exhaust gasket side is pushed down onto a large, oil-saturated pad. Suction is applied through the top pad and a reading is shown on a guage. If the vacuum is steady, the mainfold is good. Our manifold was perfect.

I got to the marina at 1:00. Putting the manifold and cylinder head on the swim platform was the first step in getting them inside. After a few tries, while standing on some cinder blocks for height, I was able to swing the head onto the platform. The manifold was lighter and easier to lift. I have to be careful of my bad back and still-healing knee. I was able to clean the block and install the head, torquing all 16 bolts. By 2:30, I was closing the boat and heading home. Enough work for one day. I'll continue with the assembly on Friday, even though the temperatores supposed to be in the low 40s. What's got to be done has got to be done. The labor for this job would have been between $800 and $1000, money saved by doing it myself. To be continued. Hy
 
Sounds like you're well on the way to getting it done. Lifting a Chevy BB head can't be easy and the exhaust manifolds are no lightweights either. Just be careful....It very satisfying to be able to do this yourself, but we all have to take care with heavy cast iron stuff like this....
 
Good Going, Hy! Let us know how you feel after that heavy work, and update us after tomorrow. I'm in mid-project repairing a stuck rear axle brake on our RV. A heavy, awkward job. Like you, I'm trying to conserve myself. Here's what I woke up thinking about your engines - By working on them yourself, you stand a better chance of seeing what caused the problem. Speaking for myself, I'm a pretty good parts changer. When I know what needs to be done, I can figure out how to do it and work through it. Diagnostics? Not so much. But I AM Very Observant and that often leads me to the problem source. From there I can get the parts changed.
So I'm thinking a cause is going pop out somewhere. And praying you'll be able to stay in boating after you get it running, you and Mrs feel well, you retire...
 
Thanks, all. I'm a little sore this morning; but all things considered, not bad. I was planning to finish the engine tomorrow, but that's going to have to wait till next Wednesday. I need to drop our dog at the groomer tomorrow and need to do some fall maintenance at home before the cold weather really sets in. On Monday, I have a routine follow-up visit at Sloan-Kettering Cancer center in Manhattan, which will take most of the day.

JD: the most common causes of a stuck rear axle brake are a rusted emergency/parking brake cable (if you have one on an RV), a frozen wheel cylinder, broken pull-back spring, or brake lining separated from the shoe. Getting the drum off is the hardest part. That may entail a drum puller (not an axle puller) or even cutting off the drum in pieces. Years ago, when I was an auto mechanic, we would have that sort of problem with rear axles on cars, especially in the winter when the cables rusted and froze. If the problem is a locked parking brake cable, cutting the cable as close to the drum as possible should release the parking brake. Good luck.

Today's a special day for me, by the way. Seventy years ago, I appeared on this earth. The years seem to have flown by. Most have been good ones. Hopefully, they will continue for quite a while longer. Stay well, my friends. Hy
 
Happy birthday, where were you before you appeared on the earth?
 
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