Monday, January 12, 2009

The Engine

Does Lego make instructions for how to put a Saab engine back together? We're going to need it, because sure as a Swede can't design a normal car to save his life, this car is not going back together easily. But - taking it apart was a totally different story. With Dave working the torque wrench with one hand and a beer in the other, this engine came apart easily. Maybe too easily.

While Dave and Nick worked at disassembly, I was relegated to "Book Boy" (really, the only fun part of this entire build is the taking everything apart part, and I was reading the manual and treating every word as Gospel). Afraid of the damage my mechanical skillz would impart (HEY - I was NOT the guy who almost flipped the car), I drank my beer and read out directions. Regarding Dave and Nick working while I read the book aloud - picture the Stig listening to a self-help book while driving.

Looking for catastrophic damage inside our puny 4 cylinder oil processor - we found little obvious damage. Well - we do have some bearing failures on the crank shaft and connecting rods - but hey - what Saab doesn't?!? We found no obvious scoring on the oil processor piston, nor did we find any damaged piston rings. The mystery deepens.

Tomorrow - the dirty, burnt oil smelling block goes to Tony for review. In the Q7. I think this is going to end badly.


PICTURE TIME!

The two primary mechanics (beer already gone by this point). Notice the all-important hammer of death.













Here is but a small sampling of our parts. Some are numbered. Some are labeled. Some aren't. Indiana Jones couldn't decyfer our crytpic notes. Do you believe these parts will make it back as designed? I don't.














"Book Boy" I'm pointing at a part, asking "does this Swedish part suck too?"

No comments: