You win some and you lose some.
-- I had ordered the replacement ignition part for the chainsaw from China at $25 before finding one from Canada for 85. Understand that the 85 included 22 shipping. Understand that while I was pretty sure that I knew the old part was bad, I was far from certain.
The 85 part arrived and didn't quite fit. I wasn't sure that it was going to clear the flywheel once tightened down. Electrically the spade connector was at a slightly different angle. I tried to bend that, broke it and threw 85 into the garbage in disgust. For 85 I now had the free spark plug and wrench that they'd thrown in when I questioned 22 shipping. Damn.
A couple of weeks later the China version arrived, went in, produced a spark, the engine roared. Done. I guess that the overall cost of 107 was still less than labour and a $300 part from Stihl but I still feel that sense of disgust from the first failure.
Moving to the boat, Mr Brute Force had removed oil injection and electrical connections a couple of times, and reinstalled. I had narrowed the oil leak to the oil pump, I thought. Multiple consults with Jason and Kim can be inserted here. I moved the bayliner out of the boathouse and moved the whaler in. Time for a steady platform.
Said oil pump is very difficult to get at and the entire assembly has been painted to protect from moisture. Tiny hands and tiny tools are required to make this a straightforward project. After much inspection and consultation, I knew the fuel and oil flow, the oil check valve, the Y where they mix etc. Do I or don't I attempt to remove this thing ? What's the downside?
Consulting boats.net, I could see the exploded picture. Perhaps a couple of o-rings are the culprit ?
The oil pump assembly itself is on the lower left and priced at $270 USD.
Pondering and poking, I loosened the top hex screw that I could see, with the wobble, to remove the assembly. I knew that if I was able to get the underside screw out, I might never get it back in. I'd end up packing it all up and taking to Mike. Part of the problem that's invisible in this diagram is that the assembly is surrounded by other parts, down below the housing and has hoses attached.
Long story short, I got the screws out and the assembly pulled out, hoses still attached. Dangling below the oil tank level, it was leaking. Good. Can only find a problem if it continues to present symptoms.
It wasn't leaking back at those o-rings, it was leaking out of the assembly. In fact, it seemed to be leaking from the triangular plate that's attached with two philips screws. Pulling that, a very thin o-ring provides a seal. I found one same size but thicker, reinstalled the plate and it didn't seem to be leaking - it was quite fast before.
With Jason manning the flashlight and some trial and error, the assembly went back in, I reinstalled the electrical parts, swapped boats in the boathouse and took it for a spin.
As of right now, next day, there's no oil slick around the motor and the oil tank is still full. I'm declaring victory until proven otherwise.
What next ? Who knows.
From my iwdt
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