Another Stupid Engine Design! How Do I Dissasemble This Junk

^^^^ THIS. EXCELLENT point!

rberq wrote:Blazer project? I thought you had put a bomb under the Blazer and blasted it back to its original components of earth, air, fire, and water?

That was the Jimmy. Blazer is Chevy, Jimmy is GMC .... same, but different. The Jimmy engine has gone into the '89 Blazer we have now to replace the turd.

This is the Jimmy:
This is the Blazer:

Score one for me - I won!!

This damn thing kicked my ass. Was the most moronic procedure I've ever had to go through just to change a damn valve!

First off, I couldn't get this plate off the end of the crankshaft that the blade mounts to - so I was only able to split the case as far as that crank would allow. So basically between a 6" gap, I unbolted the con-rod, twisted it upside down to get past the crank, then slipped the timing belt painstakingly over each crank weight, then I was finally able to fully remove the top half & drop the valve in. What a nightmare! Somewhere in between working sideways like this, the governor got screwed up. Not sure what happened there, but I'm not doing this twice, so this is one of those rare occasions where something leaves here not 100%. It runs, but has an uneven lope to it. Good enough!

Had a pic of it all together, but it somehow vaporized between my phone & computer. Oh well.

*malfunction deleted*

**second malfunction deleted**

Damn computers!!

Hey I know your excited SMITTY but you only have to say it once.

Because several of us on here have these engines could you tell us, if the have a breakdown that is internal would you just junk it or try to fix it? It sounds to me like getting a new engine is the best thing to do. Maybe they should put a tag on them that reads “WARNING, Do not open, no serviceable parts inside”

Congrats on getting it fixed.

gaw wrote:Because several of us on here have these engines could you tell us, if the have a breakdown that is internal would you just junk it or try to fix it?

Just ship it to Smitty for repair. He is experienced now, and you can tell he loves working on them.

Fixed the damn triple post. Friggin computer seized up on me last night. Got pissed & went to bed .... then I check the forum & see I have 3 posts!!

rberq wrote:Just ship it to Smitty for repair. He is experienced now, and you can tell he loves working on them. ...

If I don't see another design like this, I won't shed a single tear - I can tell you that much!

As far as junking or replacing - that all depends on what broke. If (should say "WHEN" ...) the plastic cam rounds off ... or the timing belt snaps, & the piston hits the valves at warp-speed -- probably 200 times before the engine stops, then I'd say junk it. In my situation, I'd fix it myself - even though it was a royal pain in the ass, it's still cheaper than buying any new engine.

Hondas are notoriously reliable ... but this design just stupifies me. Seems like they just hired a former GM board member. Now you can't find the info you need online, & the engine is designed to make a homeowner throw in the towel & buy a new one ... or haul it to someone & pay as much as a new one would anyway. Stupid. No reason for a piece of lawn equipment to have anything other than the flathead design that's worked for 100 years.

I can tell you this: I will NEVER own one. That you can bet on!

HAHAHAA!, ohhhh that had to be fun with an entire mower hanging off the lower half
My congrats to you!
Now if mine goes south, all I have to do if unbolt a pressure pump and tear it apart.
How did you wind up ungluing the 2 halves? Will a box knife cut threw the sealant?
I bet you'll soon begin to see aftermarket metal gears for that timing belt.

Surprisingly there were pry points on either side, so splitting the cases was relatively easy. I can tell that this WASN'T designed by GM -- they'd have made the sides smooth, & used epoxy for sealant .... or welded them shut.

Not sure how much of an aftermarket there will be for this. My idea of aftermarket would be putting the engine on eBay, then finding a 2-stroke Lawnboy ... or ANY older engine to bolt in it's place.

an american icon is also showing its cracks. bought an air compressor a few years ago powered with a caterpillar engine. starter shot at 112 hrs, non rebuildable, 150 hrs. turbocharger seized, still fighting cat on warranty. 10% of a $30k machine spent on repairs, barely even broken in yet.

SMITTY wrote: basically between a 6" gap, I unbolted the con-rod, twisted it upside down to get past the crank, then slipped the timing belt painstakingly over each crank weight, then I was finally able to fully remove the top half & drop the valve in. What a nightmare!

My Dad would have described this as "I had to operate through the anus".

Good job Smitty! Thanks for the lesson.

Freddy wrote: My Dad would have described this as "I had to operate through the anus".

Good job Smitty! Thanks for the lesson.

That's a good one!! That's about the size of it too ....

Heyyyyy Smitty! Imagine if engines were still built like this! This one is older than me.
I hate working on magnetos, but I got lucky on this one. Just had to file down the points, regap them, cut about 2 inches off the carbon plug wire, regap plug, and she's got fire again! Shot some fuel in the cylinder and pulled it over, she fired off 4 times in a row. Smoooth...
Nowwwww, I just need to get the fuel system working again