Hi
Getting my head round installing the reconditioned engine into the Mercedes after a seven week gardening exstravaganza in Cyprus was not easy! The bewildering array of bits and pieces that needed to be bolted on before actually starting the transplant looked daunting, but goodsense prevailed in the end and with the calm assistance of Phil our works mechanic we methodically reduced the pile by starting with the bell houseing, clutch, servo unit, fuel filter and the engine/chasis mountings, (one needs new rubber bushes probably damaged in Russia) and we were almost ready. This left the starter motor, alternator, fuel pump, injectors, and exhaust manifold to be added once the engine was back in.
While in Cyprus I had spent considerable time working out a plan for lifting the engine into place and had come up with a design for an engine cradle to fit onto our trolly jack! Once Phil had grasped the idea of my design it took just an hour to fabricate out of scrap! and worked perfectly, the whole operation took only 20 minutes including having to temporally remove one engine bracket!
Hardly had we tightened the last nut and bolt and Phil was called to a machinary breakdown, I was on my own! With the fuel pump and injectors not yet returned from being checked over I concentrated on the fiddly job of fitting the alternator; difficult wiring connections and fan belt tensioning system make this one of my 'love to hate jobs!' in the end I refitted it three times!
Thankfully the refurbished starter motor slipped into place first time, and I did'nt drop the nuts more than once!
Once in place I was able to get on with the daunting task of the exhaust manifold plus all the pipework back to the silencer; removeing it had taken Phil and I an hour or more of back/neck wrenching hard labour, with this in mind I had cleaned and 'copper slipped' every joint, sleeve, and all the threads I could find, with no sign that Phil could come to my rescue I set about the task, to my ever lasting amazement everything went smoothly, within the hour I was on the phone chasing CCS fuel injection services Retford to enquire how things were progressing in the fuel pump department, not good! But an old pump that had been resting on their store shelf for 5 years provided parts that saved the day! But this was 24 hours before Christmas eve and our works was closing till the new year. With plenty of small jobs lined up for the festive period we decided to leave the tricky job of installing and timing the fuel pump until the team CCS return after the holidays just in case we need help! Meanwhile 'Happy New Year!'
Bill

