K341 / 160 Compression Release

[Mike C160 251]

2 minutes ago, Achto said:

 

Yes. A wider gap advances to timing.

 

Right-O. Good to know. What about the ethanol thing? Ever heard of that issue?

 

BTW - I found 2 of those springs and have ordered them. Maybe I dont need em yet, but this fall I will be rebuilding to of these K341s and it wont hurt to install fresh springs. 

 

 

Cheers

[Achto 26,550]

1 hour ago, Mike C160 said:

What about the ethanol thing? Ever heard of that issue?

 

I usually don't run ethanol in mine but I have not heard of any one changing the timing for it.

[WHX?? 46,770]

I gotta try going to 18 on a C-121. Almost think she fires too soon. 

1 hour ago, Mike C160 said:

it wont hurt to install fresh springs. 

No when you see how delicate they are. 

[Mike C160 251]

Well Now,

 

After rounding up all the usual suspects, it turned out the culprit was one we did not suspect.

 

The old starter solenoid had a whopping voltage drop of 3 volts across it during cranking.  Without getting my slide rule and calculator out I can already estimate the current or amperage loss would be approaching 75 amps easy.  As soon as i measured that drop I knew right away this had to be changed out.

 

Once a new one was installed and all the terminals cleaned, it turns over like the wind now without issue at all. I can see its time to change all the high current cables.  So they are on my list. I cannot measure a voltage drop across the new solenoid.

[ebinmaine 63,130]

2 minutes ago, Mike C160 said:

Once a new one was installed and all the terminals cleaned, it turns over like the wind now without issue at all. I can see its time to change all the high current cables.  So they are on my list

Nice work Sir.  

 

I make my own 4 or 6 gauge cables. One could also procure a set from Squonk or a local auto parts store.  

[Handy Don 10,596]

50 minutes ago, Mike C160 said:

whopping voltage drop of 3 volts across it during cranking

Yikes. First time I've heard of a solenoid failing this way. Good investigating!

[953 nut 51,675]

So glad you found the problem prior to needlessly going into the engine.     

For future reference the ACR mechanism can be seen with the cam gear cover, The springs don't show in this photo but can be examined with a small inspection mirror.

[squonk 38,920]

The paint alone on that solenoid was enough to cause problems.

[Mike C160 251]

39 minutes ago, squonk said:

The paint alone on that solenoid was enough to cause problems.

The back side of those nuts are cleaner than what you see. I didnt see any signs of heating on those posts, but there is some signs of heating on the back of the solenoid. I suspect the contacts inside are corroded. 

 

Ive placed it in the circular file for no future reference  

[Mike C160 251]

44 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

So glad you found the problem prior to needlessly going into the engine.     

For future reference the ACR mechanism can be seen with the cam gear cover, The springs don't show in this photo but can be examined with a small inspection mirror.

 

Pictures are worth a thousand words for sure. Thanks.

 

I think i can see the tab of the spring bent over the weight...

 

 

Cheers.

[Handy Don 10,596]

44 minutes ago, Mike C160 said:

Ive placed it in the circular file for no future reference  

I used to keep a box of "someday I'm gonna open this up to see what happened to it" stuff. 

Finally took my London friend's advice and binned it.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Handy Don

[WHX?? 46,770]

I often forget about solenoids since the bulk of my herd is S/G. Wonder why it started fine hot?

[WHX?? 46,770]

12 hours ago, Handy Don said:

I used to keep a box of "someday I'm gonna open this up to see what happened to it" stuff. 

I often do that too....figure with my 11 thumbs and it's already broke I got nothing to lose. 

[ebinmaine 63,130]

11 hours ago, WHX?? said:

I often forget about solenoids since the bulk of my herd is S/G. Wonder why it started fine hot?

Perhaps... because it's less straining on the electrical system to start a hot engine?

 

[Handy Don 10,596]

1 hour ago, WHX?? said:

I often do that too....figure with my 11 thumbs and it's already broke I got nothing to lose. 

I recall several outcomes:

1. Aha, I see how this worked and yep, this thing was toast

2. Arrrrggggghhhhh. I could have fixed this and not bought a new _____ (fill in the blank)

3. Why did I save this made-to-fail hunk of junk?

[ebinmaine 63,130]

14 hours ago, Mike C160 said:

Ive placed it in the circular file for no future reference

😂

Interesting verbiage there. Well done.

 

[Mike C160 251]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Perhaps... because it's less straining on the electrical system to start a hot engine?

 

Likely. A warm engine turns easier. Battery got a fresh charge....etc

 

But I did not state that after the repair, it turns over much quicker now both cold and hot.

 

So I think a little from column A and a little from Column B.

[WHX?? 46,770]

8 hours ago, Mike C160 said:

Likely. A warm engine turns easier. Battery got a fresh charge....etc

 

But I did not state that after the repair, it turns over much quicker now both cold and hot.

 

So I think a little from column A and a little from Column B.

Agreed  Mike