Engine rebuild update and warning to others regarding second hand parts

[Mick W]

Following a lengthy rebuild my Collie is back on the road and all is swimmingly well... or so I thought. The first 500 mile run in went well and she's been in for a new oil and filter change, no issues there until the garage rang to say 'we can't get the oil stick back in the tube'! After a lot of huffing and puffing and climbing all over the engine I decided to get hold of a micro borescope (3.9mm dia) so small enough to fit down the tube. Picture 1 was puzzling and I thought why would a manufacturer do that? after heating and manipulating a very gradual curve to the oil stick I managed to get it in the 'slot' with a lot of effort but only about 5mm so I pulled out the stick along with the obstruction.... Picture two revealed that parts of the rubber stop at the top of the stick had actually broken away about 200mm into the tube. I'd procured a second hand oil tube and stick for the rebuilt engine but hadn't considered that age had simply degraded the rubber. Memo to self, if in doubt buy a new part every time!

 

[MGC]

Great job solving that problem. Hopefully all good from now. I’ve had similar experiences with second hand parts. A loom I bought ended up having a broken wire that caused days of head scratching. Not sure it was worth the saving

 

[Tractionman]

Well done Mick ! Glad that didnt cause you any further expensive work.