Electra Cylinder Barrel

Got some Electra barrels with intact fins lying round here in Germany...

Have you tried removing the head studs as the head is probably sticking on these ?. But this might not be easy either.

I take it that the engine won't turn over at all and you have already tried filling the bores with diesel ?? And giving it a clout with a block of timber. If the pistons are badly seized in the bores then you might need another barrel anyway. A good welder can replace broken fins.

Patrick

Hi Robert

Give the diesel a few days to soak in then try clouting the piston you can get to using a block of timber and a club hammer. At the same time try putting pressure on the crank by using a socket bar on the alternator end of the crank as well. I would also try hitting the head on the side again with a block of wood as a buffer. The idea is just to shock it (don't wallop it too hard) and hopefully get it moving. Maybe some heat on the outside of the barrels but be careful with this. Use a heat gun - not a naked flame. Don't lever from underneath - this usually only leads to broken fins.

I am guessing that you have fair knowledge of working on broken engines and will have a good idea how hard to hit. The only engine that I had real problems with was a Jubilee engine that had been left out in a wet farmyard for about thirty years. The pistons had to be broken out.

Patrick

Where are you ? Your original pictures from a while back suggest that your engine should be saveable. So why not put in an appeal on this club site for help from someone local to you; there are lots of capable people with good engineering knowledge about even if many have other makes or models. Alternatively bring your engine to an engineering shop and let them strip it down but this could be costly.

Electra engines will be few and far between so you definitely want to avoid any damage to the crankcases. Remember the two halves are a matched pair. Have you any idea what happened to your engine in the first place ?. Is there likely to be further damage say to the crank, gearbox, etc. ?

The big problem with old machinery is the simple fact that nothing does what it is supposed to; e.g the Haynes manual usually says "Remove the whatsit sprocket " - in reality said item often has to be roasted with an acetylene flame for ten minutes, then breaking your best industrial quality puller etc etc. Most manuals were written when the item was new and nuts unscrewed like they were supposed to. The experienced mechanic 'knows' how hard to roast, clout, wallop etc.

Patrick

Hi Robert,

You are certainly a few Kms away from here. The good news is that virtually all Electras went to the USA so there must be persons around the US who remember them and have spare parts for them.

Good luck with your rebuild.

Patrick (in Ireland)

To get the barrels off, you must remove all the cylinder studs. Its amazing how much 'sticktion ' they generate. Use two 5/16" cycle thread nuts & run them down the thread halfway & tighten onto each other. If you then try to 'undo' the bottom nut anti-clockwise, the stud should screw out.

Once all 12 stude are out, the job will be much easier.

If you need to hit anywhere with your lump of wood, choose the very front of the barrel, where the fins are mere stumps.

Good Luck

Attachments
barrel-liting1-png

If the barrells can lift up 1" above the crankcase, a timber wedge between the crankcase and the barrel to keep parallel and solid, might allow the pistons to be drifted down from above with a piston shaped drift. A desperate measure maybe?

Bear in mind, that if the barrel (with its stuck piston) is lifted as high as can be - the bigend will be directly underneath & the conrod will be straight up and down. Better that the barrel is lower & that the conrod is at an angle.

1) Make sure the engine in securly held. You may need to fabricate a cradle.

2) Use WD40 to soak the piston. Diesel, if you can get it is even better.

3) Use heat (but not a blow torch - too much fuel about) from a hot air gun.

4) Ensure the piston is not at TDC.

5) Use a lump of wood on top of the piston thats fits the bore snugly & whack it with a lump hammer.

6) If the engine is securly held, and your wooden drift is also securely held, so that all the force is passed directly to the piston - IT WILL MOVE. If you apply the force confidently - it must move.

Good Luck

Robert,

my suggestion is to split the cases, Sounds like the main bearings are shot. There is no easy way out of this..

Norton Maintenance Manual. This might be of some use.

Attachments
splitting-crankcases-pdf

And putting it back together again.

Attachments
refitting-crankcases-pdf

Previously robert_juric wrote:

Thanks for that Patrick Mullen. I have a "Twin Cylinder Manual" it covers both the heavyweight and lightweight twins. I've recently read there was a different one for lightweights only. Yours is worded slightly differently from mine, so thanks for that!

Hi Robert - the "Twin Cylinder Manual" is your best guide.

Beware when splitting the crankcases of:

1) Hidden bolts - there are two between the barrels & there are two more deeply buried between the engine and gearbox. They are accessible from the timing side.

2) The Drive side case should come away easily enough - its a roller bearing. The timing side may be more stubborn. Once you remove the oil pump worm (L/H thread) and crank timing pinion (with the correct half-time pinion puller), the triangular washer & oil seal disc, suspend if you can the crank from the crankcase (I use two axle stands and some old wooden shelving) & using a special tool (as shown in 'Twins Manual) to slip over the crank, tap it gently & it should come out - onto a pile of rags that you placed below to break the fall. The special tool is to prevent damage to the end of the crank at the oil feed end.

9 times out of 10 you will find that the idiot before you DID not use a special toll & bu**ered the end anyway. The 'special tool' that I use is an 11/16" x 3/4"A/F box spanner. Works a treat.