Just a little update...
Monday we received the new power pack and rectifier gasket after waiting patiently for the package to track across the country.
Thought it would be an easy project to accomplish and literally told my wife and brother in law that it was “fool-proof”!
Ha
This is where the trouble began.
Last bolt in rectifier snaps off, apparently the salt water got to it from the leak in the gasket.
Then I drop a dime size piece of gasket into the water cavity.
Stress.
Bro in law suggests using a vacuum to retrieve the shard of gasket material.
Success after retrofitting a length of garden hose to a shop vac.
So we block the cavity with trash bags to prevent future contamination.
The broken bolt.
Unbelievebly seized!
We saturate it with WD40 and try to twist the nub with the only vice grips we have, a shabby pair; hardly suitable.
Even with Bro in law’s brute strength it is no use, so with the dark coming down we give up.
The next day after work and a short trip to Home Depot to better equip us, we give it another go.
This time a fine pair of meaty vice grips and corrosion eating WD40, as well as a torch.
First we saturate the bolt with the new WD40.
I use a large maul to hold steady pressure on the top of the new vice grips as Bro in law puts applies gorilla grip to clamp down locking tight; solid.
Next we heat the aluminum slightly, being careful not to melt anything else in the process.
Then we take the heat away and spray the new WD40 and let it soak in.
Then we gently try to move the bolt in both directions.
We repeat.
The third time we add a small prayer before applying heat.
Amazingly the bolt finally moves and we are able to extract it.
Overjoyed, we move on to prepping for the new gasket with no issues then install the rectifier.
Alls well until I try to be fancy and use a torque wrench that just so happens to be broken, which I am completely unaware.
Yes, I slightly stripped the exact bolt location that was lodged in there in the first place.
Yes I will address it when it leaks again, and probably have to repeat all this once more.
No, I will not fix it now because I would like to hear what kind of purr a brand new power pack produces.
Sigh.
We finally finish installing the new power pack as night begins to fall and cold descends on the South.
Bro in law turns on the water, I turn on the batteries.
Me: “Here we go!”
Bro in law : “VRRRROOM!”
Motor: “...”
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
No start up check lights on the tach, nothing.
We check fuses, and replace the blown starter fuse.
Still nothing.
At the key switch the purple wire reads only 5v, red is 12v.
I’ll have to try again tomorrow.
