April 30, 2009

Trip to NY & VT

If you’ve been following our blog..you all know how hard Jim has been working on the Nissan LD28 diesel engine in the boat.  Well…his talents haven't been wasted.

We went to NY. While there the heater in the camper died…it was cold too…so he removed it and replaced it with a new one.  While there he found a fuel leak on the pickup. We headed to VT and he spent 3 days fixing that. (waiting for parts..wrong ones sent…waiting again)

Great!! everything fixed…we’re nice and warm and no leaks…We head back to NY to spend a few days at the family cottage, which has been sold to some really great people, who allow us to come there when in town. So we do all our visiting and while Jim and his brother Carl are at the last visit….a tree falls across the drive.4.28.09  tree at cottage 004

So we call Rick and Pam, from the cottage next door, and he comes up with his chain saw. The part of the tree on the ground was completely across the road…while clearing it out of the way …the section on the right falls and hits the power lines..4.28.09  tree at cottage 006 Guess where our camper is parked…you got it…under the power lines.…so Jim hooks up (at first the truck wont start…then it does) and moves it past the fallen tree. 2 parts down..don't know if the last section will remain standing.  Jim shut the truck off…but upon hearing the sirens…tries to start it…no go…nothing..nada..zilch…you know the rest.  The starter is gone.

So we unhook…push the truck out of the way…Rick hooks up and gets the camper out of the road..then tows our truck out of the way. By now…the new owners, Tina & Ray are there and Mark and Cindy from the cottage a bit farther down show up and we are having a good time visiting and watching the power crew remove the tree from the wires…everyone is having a great time4.28.09  tree at cottage 018 …oh…forgot to mention…Jim is under the truck taking off the starter so he missed some of the camaraderie.

When Jim went into the cottage to grab his supper (which got set aside for tree removal) the top to the candy dish fell and smashed..He wondered what else could go wrong.

Rick took him to the parts store to pick up a new starter. It was dark, and raining by the time they got back, so we had a glass of wine and went to bed.  He installed it yesterday morning and we headed home.  Got here with no other problems. Had the tree not fallen…we may have been on the road when the starter went and missed all the action. And it would have been much harder to get the starter.So it all turned out well…but..for awhile we were beginning to wonder if we’d ever get out of NY.

We may start the engine in the boat tomorrow…run it awhile and then Jim will change the oil. If things work out we may get it in the water for a test run sometime next week.

April 23, 2009

Indigo Buntings…another look

I saw my first Indigo Bunting about 5 years ago. I had a seed bell in the back yard.The Indigo came in and stayed less then 2 weeks. It was such an “electric” blue, that I was fascinated by this little bird. 4.6.09 blue & paint 008c

4.6.09 blue & paint 025c I was disappointed when he didn’t come back the following year. At about the same time the Indigo showed up a Painted Bunting appeared. Another bright splash of color.4.6.09 blue & paint 060c 4.6.09 blue & paint 066c The Painted Buntings started showing up each November and have been staying a bit longer each year…or so it seems. It is late April and they are still here. Perhaps I have created a habitat that is suitable for a nesting area. 4.6.09 blue & paint 023c 4.6.09 blue & paint 049 This year the Indigos started coming back. I have seen as many as 7 male Indigos feeding on the ground in my small fenced yard.

Hope you enjoyed the birds...meant to post them on my other blog:http://www.wildlifearoundus.blogspot.com

April 20, 2009

waiting for a test run

Dont give up....we'll let you know how the engine is running as soon as we get back home...get it in the water and give it a test run...May be a couple of weeks before we have a chance to do that.

April 9, 2009

4.9.09 IT”S IN!!!!

We had almost given up on getting the engine in today…but Bill called and said they’d be here around 5pm..so we wolfed down our supper…got the top and side curtains down…truck hooked up and boat in position. 4.9.09 set it in 002 Looking over the marine parts on it.4.9.09 set it in 004 Jim had all that stuff off when they pulled it out. They were interested in what it was and how it worked.

I got in the boat for a birds eye view.4.9.09 set it in 009  It set right in there slick as could be.4.9.09 set it in 010 The boom control is in his right hand.4.9.09 set it in 0114.9.09 set it in 016 They definately have the right equipment for the job…sure hope none of you Albin owners will ever  need their services….but if you do…we have room in the yard for you to park the boat and a camper.4.9.09 set it in 018  I dont think it took them more than 1/2 an hour. Jim will hook everything up tomorrow..maybe we’ll get to hear her run.

4.8.09 Ready and Waiting…or so we thought

Jim had all the parts back on4.8.09 009 Got it all rigged for lifting4.8.09 010…and moved it near the door. 4.8.09 012  He  wanted to turn the engine over and make sure there was oil pressure and no leaks before it went back in. So he hooked up a remote starter….bummer….no pressure…back inside for a “look-see”.4.8.09 013 The check valve in the oil pump on the new block wasn't working properly so he replaced it with the check valve from the old oil pump.

Here he is checking the oil pickup with one of his professional tools.4.8.09 016 The truck wasn't able to make it today…but that was just as well. Jim was able to figure out what was wrong and get it fixed before it was put back in. We now have oil pressure..so far no leaks…Maybe the truck will be here tomorrow.

April 7, 2009

4.7.09 Coming together

Jim got a good start on the engine this morning. Starting with the intake/exhaust water manifold.4.7.09 coming together 002

It looks even better with a coat of paint.4.7.09 coming together 009

The fuel pump, fuel lines, timing belt, pulleys, motor mounts, raw water pump, flex plate, fly wheel and assorted other parts are next.4.7.09 coming together 012  4.7.09 coming together 016

Time to quit for the day.

4.7.09 coming together 014

There are a few more things to do…we are hopeing the truck that lifted it out is able to come tomorrow and set it back in.

April 6, 2009

4.4.09 (posted out of order)

Jim started the day by removing  the oil pan. It is designed for cars and…surprisingly…holds less oil.

4.4.09 023Then he adjusted the valves and checked the head bolt torque. 4.4.09 038The new cover did not have a necessary fitting …so Jim cleaned and shined up the old one…it looks pretty good.4.4.09 045

The”auto” oil pan was put back on to keep everything clean while he gets the original marine pan ready for installation.

4.6.09 putting it back together…minor problems

The blocks are different years so there are a few minor details that have to be taken care of….first….the oil pick up is mounted and the oil routed thru a different spot. On the old block it had a shorter pickup tube and it mounted near Jim’s R finger….the new block’s pickup mount is near his L finger…so an extension had to be made. He couldn’t just use the middle mount because that part of the block hadn’t been bored out for the oil to run thru. He loves to be innovative…so he made the extension for it.4.6.09 009 Once that was done …fitted and sealed….he had to modify the oil pan windage tray. Here’s how it looked before he started.4.6.09 010

And this is how it looks now. Most of the “fit” isn’t obvious..but if you look closely you can find them.4.6.09 oilpan,thermostat, birds 005 Now it fits perfectly.  This took the better part of the day. A little grinding and filing here and there…but only a little at a time until it was just right.4.6.09 oilpan,thermostat, birds 007 Finally…..its back together. 4.6.09 oilpan,thermostat, birds 012 I’ve made this all sound rather simple…it wasn’t. It all had to be well thought out so there wouldn’t be any problems later.

April 3, 2009

4.3.09 New block arrived

Jim’s not bored any more…..the new block arrived today.4.03.09e 011 After the unveiling…4.03.09e 013

He was glad to see that this came with the new block. This is the old one.4.03.09e 018

We now have new pulleys…..maybe our alternator belt will last longer.4.03.09e 021 4.03.09e 022

and a new fuel pump pulley…this one was scored when the belt tensioner spring broke….4.03.09e 023

Jim ordered a water pump from Jesco…it was a bit pricey so he got one from NAPA….we wanted to compare them to see why.  The big difference is in the circumference of the impeller blades…This is the Jesco4.3.09e 002 this is the NAPANAPA water pump

Jim feels there will be less water flow with the NAPA…so is keeping the Jesco Water pump.

There are a few parts he has to take off the old block….then assembly starts.