Page 9 of the History of TPLS 63
"The Cooker in the Kitchen..."
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(Hear it run)
continued from page 8, "Frustration"...
The weekend of July 4th, 1996, I started it up for the first time. It started quite quickly and seemed to run pretty good. It needed some fine tuning to the timing, and carburetors.
After some adjusting, It ran quite smoothly. It smoked quite a bit, but I was told it would from all of the prelube that was put on the parts when the engine was rebuilt.
I drove the car about 5 miles up the road, and then back home. Still smoking
It shouldn't be doing that anymore, so I called the shop that rebuilt it. They told me the engine probably sat too long after it was rebuilt, and it probably rusted up inside and that's why it smoked.
They told me they wouldn't even check it out.
I thought that "rusting" inside didn't make much sense as you can buy rebuilt engines from dealers that have been "on the shelf" for years. I made about 5 attempts to get some help from them, but they refused each time.
I told them I would have someone else check it and if there was any evidence of faulty workmanship, I would sue them for the costs. I removed the engine and brought it to L&H Machine Shop here in Duluth. The owner, Kris Sorenson tore the engine down and discovered that the previous shop hadn't replace the exhaust valves.
They did replace the guides, and seats, but they reinstalled the worn, original valves. The Stems were worn .004/in. to a taper, and were allowing oil to be sucked into the combustion chamber, causing the smoking.
Kris also found scratches on the pistons between the rings, which could have only been caused by dirt being in there when it was assembled.
When I got the engine back in the car and all together, It started good and...
NO MORE SMOKE!
I contacted the first shop, told them I was going to court unless they paid me the costs for the repair, and after thinking about it for 2 days, and talking to Kris at L&H, they gave me a check.
It was a hassel, but it turned out OK.
Back to Index ......Go to Page 10, "The Birth of TPLS 63..."
Thomas G. Maruska
Duluth, Minnesota