TR major stuck shim bucket removal

>>I rotated the bucket

>>I rotated the buckets about 1/4 turn and all 5 just popped out......as they where held by spring tension.<<

WOW..thank you....I couldn't imagine they were jammed into the bores all 'that tight"!!

Congrats and lessons learned.

Yes there was a bent edge catching on the aluminum...it takes only a tiny "steel" burr to dig into the softer aluminum. With a half round very small hobbyist file smooth the bores in the head. It is not possible for whatever scratch was caused to interfere with the normal operation of a good bucket. It wouldn't surprise me if the buckets could be reused after removing whatever burr they have on the lip. Maybe not, I'm not there to see them, but I suspect the lip deformation caused by the cam lobes was just big enough to dig in causing the sticking.

Glad everything is Ok and you didn't have to pull the heads. Of course if you had to have pulled the heads that would have been the opurtune time to fit High Compression pistons...{ }

Best Regards, JRV

JRV: Thanks to yours and all

JRV: Thanks to yours and all the other suggestions. Each was "analytically" considered.

Lessons learned:

1) NEVER turn the cam without ALL the shims in place.

2) While the shim bucket is steel, and probably hardened where the shim goes in, the walls are of a very soft steel. All 5 will have to be replaced. While the edge dug into the aluminum, there was a small indentation noted on the wall edge of the shim bucket. Those that had to removed with pliers, where easily scratched.

3) It was only the outer edge that was stuck into the aluminum. A semi-ellipical indented shape is noted on the aluminum, with a trailing edge that was formed by turning the bucket.....this was unavoidable.

4) I don't recommend just pulling the bucket out, with a puller. This could "break" the aluminum edge of the wall. Turning the bucket is the way to go.

I will now work on filing the high edges formed by the semi-elliptical shape.

I just ordered a leak-down tester. Since the cams are off, the test should be easy.

"High Compression pistons"?.......now JRV, don't get me started!!!!!LOL

Henry,

Should you sand the

Henry,

Should you sand the bucket holes, just be really careful to get all the sand residual out. Sand is really a bad thing -

There is guy we know at a small airport north of San Francisco – sandblasted the inside of his engine, cleaned it thoroughly he thought, painted the inside – As you can imagine, the sand gets everywhere.

Took it out, flew it once around the pattern, then oil pressure started to drop, fortunately got it back on the ground in one piece. Engine was ruined. (My Dads story – he does antique airplanes.)

Aaron