Broken pistons skirts...

[zeroaxe]

Ok, here is something that I am not sure of but willing to try...

My Fastback's motor is blocked solid, so I tried to undo the flywheel nut with a spanner (bad idea, i hate if if I dont have the proper tools to do the job. Tomorrow I am going after work to buy a heavy duty socket set with bigger sockets!!!!) anyway, so I thought. As I am loosening the flywheel nut, I see a part of the piston skirt fall on the floor. First I thought that it was just part of the damage caused by the seized motor. With the second piece of skirt falliing on the ground, I realised that this motor is not as locked up as I thought. The thing turned bit by bit as I hamfisted hammered away on the spanner!! Bugger.

So, having read somewhere once before that someone trimed skirts off the bottom of pistons, I was wondering if I can 'repair' these pistons (other than the two broken skirts, these pistons looks perfect!?) by balancing them out? I was thinking about removing the same amount of skirting oposite to the broken off part, and then balance all 4 pistons with a digital scale?

The way I understand the purpose of the skirts on pistons is to prevent unwanted 'rocking' of pistons in the sleeves. However, the piece that broke off, if I level the bottom of the 'new' skirt with the top of the pistons, there will still be a small skirt left.


Would anyone recommend this or not, and more importantly, WHY not?

Thanks fellas.

[NO_H2O]

I would not do it. Did you have the cylinders off when you were trying to remove the flywheel? If so I suspect the piston skirts were wedged against the case and got snapped when you torqued against them. Used pistons will do ina pinch but I would not use them in an engine I put alot of time and or money into. Unless you had just built the engine and suffered some sort of failure. The you can carefully inspact and use the good parts and replace the broken parts. Either way I would replace the pistons and make sure they all wiegh the same.

[wrenchnride247]

Zero, I found a pic of removing a type1 flywheel. Maybe this can help out.

[NO_H2O]

I use the IR Thunder Gun. 700 ft/lbs in rev. They are just begging to come off when you hit them with that thing.

[wrenchnride247]

Originally Posted by NO_H2O

I use the IR Thunder Gun. 700 ft/lbs in rev. They are just begging to come off when you hit them with that thing.

What fun is that . I'm trying to help him the cheap way (back yard style), not the "I'm a commercial aircraft mechanic with lots of expensive tools" way .

[zeroaxe]

Yeah, airtools are out of my reach for the moment. Got to do with brute force in the meantime. I managed to get that darn f/w nut off and split the motor apart... Seized main bearing. Going to try and put the gear off and disassemble the rest of the stuff on the crankshaft. I will try and remember to take a pic of the pistons with the broken skirts...