M Kerkvliet
07-07-2007, 09:21 PM
As long as I have been operating Jim Briden's 40 Avery, it has had a bad attitude when it came to going around corners. The tighter the corner, the crabbier it got!
The problem was in the differential, and Jim has wanted to fix it for a long time, but it was one of those things that could wait, so it did!
After we had some trouble on Steam School Weekend, we decided to get it fixed before show time, and this was the weekend we picked to get it apart.
Jim Briden, Gary and Kelly Muhl, Jerry Mandt, and myself took on the project. We got started at 7 this morning. The idea was to beat the heat of the day. It turned out to be quite a job! Everything on this 22 ton engine is heavy, and greasy... just no getting around it! The differential is probably heavier than my Geo Metro! We had it torn down by dinner time, so I guess it all went as planned.
Here are a few pictures of our day.
First on the list was to take off the extension rim to that the hole in the driver hub could be turned to line up with the pin that holds the driver on. Kelly is on the fork lift while Gary looks on...
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s317/mbkerk/averyextension.jpg
Getting the hole to line up was a challenge, because the differential wouldn't cooperate and let us turn the wheel. Remember that problem? We ended up pulling a key out of the spur gear on the right wheel to allow that gear to spin on the shaft, and the left wheel to turn. Here Jim does the honors on the fork.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s317/mbkerk/averydriver.jpg
Next was to pull the differential. It required a fair amount to heat to get the collar off that held it on the shaft.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s317/mbkerk/averydifferential1.jpg
A close up shot of the differential. The brass in the center is where our problem is. A lubrication issue! Jim will take it to his shop, and when it goes back on the engine, there will be a way to grease it! There was an oil tube originally, but it was a bad design and did not work (as evidenced here) and will be upgraded to a little more modern method of getting lube into the correct places! Whats a little more grease!
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s317/mbkerk/averydifferential2.jpg
Finally, a shot of the engine on blocks, with the left driver missing! The ring gear you see is pressed to the differential shaft, and will stay there as it is not part of the problem. The 30 gallon drum just fit over the axle, and was there to protect us from the greasy axle as we worked around it.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s317/mbkerk/averydifferential3.jpg
The engine will go back together in about a month. The crew is looking forward to the engine actually turning, when we crank the wheel!
To be continued...
The problem was in the differential, and Jim has wanted to fix it for a long time, but it was one of those things that could wait, so it did!
After we had some trouble on Steam School Weekend, we decided to get it fixed before show time, and this was the weekend we picked to get it apart.
Jim Briden, Gary and Kelly Muhl, Jerry Mandt, and myself took on the project. We got started at 7 this morning. The idea was to beat the heat of the day. It turned out to be quite a job! Everything on this 22 ton engine is heavy, and greasy... just no getting around it! The differential is probably heavier than my Geo Metro! We had it torn down by dinner time, so I guess it all went as planned.
Here are a few pictures of our day.
First on the list was to take off the extension rim to that the hole in the driver hub could be turned to line up with the pin that holds the driver on. Kelly is on the fork lift while Gary looks on...
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s317/mbkerk/averyextension.jpg
Getting the hole to line up was a challenge, because the differential wouldn't cooperate and let us turn the wheel. Remember that problem? We ended up pulling a key out of the spur gear on the right wheel to allow that gear to spin on the shaft, and the left wheel to turn. Here Jim does the honors on the fork.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s317/mbkerk/averydriver.jpg
Next was to pull the differential. It required a fair amount to heat to get the collar off that held it on the shaft.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s317/mbkerk/averydifferential1.jpg
A close up shot of the differential. The brass in the center is where our problem is. A lubrication issue! Jim will take it to his shop, and when it goes back on the engine, there will be a way to grease it! There was an oil tube originally, but it was a bad design and did not work (as evidenced here) and will be upgraded to a little more modern method of getting lube into the correct places! Whats a little more grease!
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s317/mbkerk/averydifferential2.jpg
Finally, a shot of the engine on blocks, with the left driver missing! The ring gear you see is pressed to the differential shaft, and will stay there as it is not part of the problem. The 30 gallon drum just fit over the axle, and was there to protect us from the greasy axle as we worked around it.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s317/mbkerk/averydifferential3.jpg
The engine will go back together in about a month. The crew is looking forward to the engine actually turning, when we crank the wheel!
To be continued...