Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 13:29:26 -0500
Reply-To: Milo <ovalwindow@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Milo <ovalwindow@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: [DIESEL] Stuck heat shields - summary of potential solutions
(concluded)
In-Reply-To: <01C152B7.29D3E550.jhsg@sk.sympatico.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Thanks James, just a heads up that I've finally got the d***ed heat shields
out!!!! This was the method that worked for me. The copper wasn't as
brittle as I'd hoped, but they eventually came out. There is minimal
scarring on the surface below the heat shield - but I've run the Vanagon
for 200 miles now - and there isn't any visible leakage from the injector
holes. Which makes me happy as all get out!
I'd feared that I may have warped the head somehow by using a torch in an
earlier attempt to free them, but this doesn't seem to be the case. At
least there's no short term damage that I can tell. I was also worried
that all of the "tapping" (6 oz. ball peen) w/ the chisel may have loosened
something up - (either head gasket or ???), but things seem good. (I
installed Raceware head studs after getting the heat shields out, which
may have helped...)
Needless to say, I'm thrilled. Thanks again to all the Vanagon and Diesel
listees who helped out w/ ideas and feedback. You guys are the best! It
sure is nice driving this thing again! :-).
> Okay so here's what I would do for what it's worth. Tie a nut on
> a string and throw it down the plug hole. stuff some clean rag or paper
> preferably down the hole to stop junk. Use a small chisel like a caping
> chisel or just a real small SHARP straight blade metal or wood chisel
> applied to the top of the copper washer, as close to the outside of the
> hole as possible.
> Holding chisel so it is parallel to the side of the hole, and catching
> just the copper, trying to get the bottom of the chisel parallel to the
> bottom of the hole the washer is sitting in, give it one sound tap with a
> mallet. Move the chisel over, give another tap, move again and so on
> around the circle, like putting the 5 minute marks on a clock face. The
> copper from being in the hot/cool cycle will be in a hardened state and
> should be able to be flaked out in chunks once scored with the chisel.
> Try now to get under each piece with a suitable pick like a dentist's
> pick, and pry it out. Once scored, you should be able to break a piece
> off, once one goes, the rest will follow. I wouldn't be surprised if the
> act of scoring the copper doesn't loosen it up completely. Unable to get
> a chunk loose, score it again with one thwack from your hammer on the same
spot
> as before.
> Don't get carried away and be sure everything is just right before you
> hit, the idea is not to damage anything.
> I've removed the steel ones with a good whack from a punch on the
> periphery, but that is with steel, not copper sealing washers.
> When done, vacuum the hole out, and pull on the string to get the
> paper out easily.
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