Wrist Pin Caps

[blueldr]

ThomasRS,
I have a C-145 engine for sale for$2500 FOB Sacramento, CA. If you're interested, call me at 916-635-5566 ---PM --- blueldr@gmail.com.

[ghostflyer]

As the old saying goes " When the fan stops , the pilot will sweat'' . If on the ground and you find what you do not want to find you can push it in the hangar and go have a cold beer. OR 2 . Knowledge is golden.

[Sixracer]

My 172 with a 0-300D has had the cylinder AD complied with about 285 hours before I bought it. The yellow tags were with the log books. I can't remember which brand cylinders it has, but they have a different valve angle on the intsake than the specs I looked up. When we had the cylinder off we took it to my shop and checked all the sizes and specs. I did a light touch up hone on it and honed both valve guides to the correct size. I have the equipment to hone guides and measure them down to .0001--- That is right, not too many zeros. The same with bore sizes. Back to the intake valve seat angle. As close as I could measure it was on a 30 degree angle and the ex was on a 45 degree angle. The specs I have say both should be 45 degree. I'm also wondering if the specs are wrong. I found everything in spec and very good shape except for the lead deposits built up in the ex guide.
When we had a cylinder off for a stuck ex valve and I do remember noticing the pin buttons were gold in color and appeared to be some grade of brass. I have one of the aftermarket filters that I plan to put on the engine. An a&P I know cautioned me about taking out the primary sump screen. He says it should be left in to catch any BIG pieces of whatever decides to fail. He says it also protects the oil pump from being eaten up by any large particles of engine parts, since it is on the suction side. He says the filter is on the pressure side of the pump. That is how most automotive systems are done, too. I haven't had time to study the oil system flow and passages to see if he is full of BS or telling it like it is. You can bet that $50 that I will study things before I add the auto type filter and check the primary screen when I change oil. (if it is best to leave it in)

[GAHorn]

TCM issued a bulletin addressing piston pin plug wear patterns...but it DID NOT APPLY to our C145/O300 engines.
For information/education purposes only.... and to provide a guideline for this discussion, here is a copy which includes pictures of their concerns on OTHER engines:

TCM Piston Pin Plug CSB97-10A.pdf

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

This is another Ford/Chevy thing. There is probably no right or wrong answer, you have to go with your gut. The experience is saying run it and watch it because they have seen more things taken apart prematurely.

I've been there, torn stuff apart without or against the opinion of experience and wished I hadn't.

Learning from those experiences I've run stuff way past what I should have trying not to be to conservative but ended up paying a higher price.

So what I suggest is get educated which you are doing in part here at this forum. Take all advice and weigh it. I'd give more weight to the experience who have actually seen the amounts of aluminum. Then go with your gut and don't look back.

[GAHorn]

[...I would at the very least stick one of those Harbor Freight borescopes ($180, exact same as the one Aircraft Tool Supply sells for $300) in each cyl through the spark plug hole and carefully inspect ...

If I'm thinking of the same tool you are mentioning.... I'd advise caution on buying one of those hand-held camera type tools. They do not allow viewing "aft" without a mirror attachment....which usually FALLS OFF or disintegrates, or the camera-head comes apart ....leaving parts inside the cylinder and necessitating cylinder removal.

Sometimes a cheap tool is all you need for a one-time job... but this one has bad reviews for the reasons mentioned. (Customer reviews are available at the HF website which will confirm these comments.)

I have looked inside cyls pretty effectively by removing both spark plugs, and inserting an inspection probe-light in the lower plug-hole and using a small dental mirror in the other .... but a real boroscope (not a cheap tool) is the real answer. Perhaps a trip to the airport might lead to permission to borrow....

[GAHorn]

While there are those who like it (I guess it depends on individual experience)....Straight from Harbor Freight website...here is the most popular FAVORABLE review of that device:
"Most Liked Positive Review:

Caution! Mirror attachment falls apart!

CAUTION MIRROR ATTACHMENT COMES APART! The first time I used the mirror attachment to scope cylinders on my airplane engine the little mirror fell out of the attachable tip inside a cylinder. I was ...Read complete review
CAUTION MIRROR ATTACHMENT COMES APART! The first time I used the mirror attachment to scope cylinders on my airplane engine the little mirror fell out of the attachable tip inside a cylinder. I was able to fish out the little mirror, crazy glue the two parts of the tip together and it worked great. I was very lucky that I did not have to pull the cylinder apart to get it. Hopefully this post will save someone the grief of loosing the mirror in a place you can't get it easily. Crazy glue the 2 parts of the mirror attachment before you use it."

Here's another review:
8/23/2012 1.0couldn't view dark places
By Meen Gene

from Arlington, tx
"No switch to turn on leds

Comments about Cen-Tech High Resoltuion Digital Inspection Camera with Recorder:

Unable to find out how to turn on the LEd's for viewing in a dark place.

Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend"

And another:

Mechanic Don

from Cincinnati Ohio Store number #122

About Me Auto Enthusiast, Mechanic, Truck Enthusiast
Pros

Easy To Use
Cons

Instructions Not Helpful
Poor Value

The picture was terrible. The light blinds out the picture. I turned it down and it still was poor at best.I returned it two days after I bought it and they charged me 20% to return it .I will never buy anything that charges you to take it back. It seems this is a new policy that Harbor Freight has gone to to cover cost of the junk they sell.Do Not BUY If There Is A Restocking Fee.

Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend"

And another:
WEEKEND WRENCHER

from MICHIGAN

Breaks Easily
Poor Value


90 DEGREE MIRROR ATTACHMENT FALLS OFF WITH ANY BUMPING OR USE. FELL OFF INSIDE THE CYLINDER I WAS INSPECTING ON A JET SKI. FIRST USE RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. TRIED FISHING IT OUT WITH MAGNETS WHICH IS HARD AS ITS NOT EASY TO GET IT ATTRACTED TO A MAGNET. WE HAD TO PULL THE CYLINDER HEAD TO EXTRACT IT. IN PROCESS OF SLIGHTLY FLEXING THE HEAD THE INTERAL WIRES CAME DISCONETED FROM THE CAMERA. I HAD TO RETURN IT TO HB FOR ANOTHER ONE TO TRY TO FISH IT OUT OF THE MOTOR! NEW OUT OF THE BOX I PULLED GENTLY ON THE CAMERA ATACHMENT AND IT FELL OFF! THE SECOND UNIT. BASICALLY NO GLUE HOLDING IT TOGHETER. SO I SUPER GLUED IT AND TRIED TO GET IT OUT OF MY MOTOR BUT COULDNT. WE HAD TO PULL THE CYLINDER HEAD TO EXTRACT IT. TONS OF TIME/LABOR WASTED. ALSO THE VIDEO STARTED GLITCHING AGAIN FROM FLEXING THE HEAD 10-20 TIMES IN TRYING TO SEE THE PART. WE NEVER FLEXED THE HEAD OVER 20-30 DEGREES EITHER AND WERE NOT HARD ON IT. NOT ONLY IS THE [$] WAST OF MONEY, BUT IF THAT MIRROR FALLS OFF INTO YOUR MOTOR THAN YOU CAN HAVE THOUSANDS OF DAMAMGE OR TIME TO REMOVE IT!!! GO TO HB FREIGHT. OPEN OF THE BOX, AND SIMPLE PULL GENTLY ON THE CAMEAR ATACHEMNT ENDS AND IT WILL FALL RIGHT APART. SHOW THEM IN PERSON SO PEOPLES ENGINES DONT GET SCREWED UP. READ OTHER REVIEWS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM! OR FIND OUT YOURSELF!!!!!!!!

Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

[GAHorn]

Meanwhile... if you don't mind using one that attaches to a laptop for power and for the video / recording on hard drive, Northern Tool sells one for $69....:


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200512626

They also sell other types.

[edbooth]

Here is a preview of what to expect when only 1 plug decides to depart from your pin and crushes the pressure oil screen.

I had one that looked just like that on our return from the Detroit convention. Replaced whole engine with a used one in better shape. Somewhere in my after life, I remember an old engine rebuilder mentioning something about the bores in the piston rod were not exactly parallel which caused pressure on the piston pin plug. Anyone ever heard of this ?? Over the last 42 years, I've had two do this. It's really bad when you go to check your oil and it looks like silver paint.

[GAHorn]

[...Somewhere in my after life, I remember an old engine rebuilder mentioning something about the bores in the piston rod were not exactly parallel which caused pressure on the piston pin plug. Anyone ever heard of this ?? ...

Another of the major differences between a "field overhaul" (actually, a misnomer....it is likely a "field repair") performed by an A&P in his hangar.... and a true Overhaul or Rebuild..... is the trouble taken to return the engine to service. When properly accomplished, the connecting rods are checked for straightness, twist, and parallel of the large and small end bores. They are rebushed and reamed. They are NDT (Non Destructive Tested) for fractures. They are re-certified prior to returning to the engine. There are many more steps to a real overhaul.

Many times an engine gets new rings, a cylinder repair, new bearings and gaskets and sometimes send the crank and cam out for inspection and polish, then reassemble and paint it, and the workman and owner (mistakenly) call that Zero SMOH. Many folks read that in a logbook and believe that verbage.