I'm a lucky man!!!

[bschwartz]

I was in the house with the listeroid running to provide power.
I can usually feel/hear a slight thumping depending on where in the house I am as the engine is in the workshop about 12 feet from the house.
Today the thumping seemed much more pronounced than normal, so I went to the workshop to investigate.
The drive belt was chirping which it normally doesn't do, so I just tightened the gen head a little to see if it would go away...... it didn't.
Something just didn't sound/feel right................
............
...........
I looked on the ground next to the engine, and to my absolute HORROR saw a gib key!!!!!!!!!

I shut down the engine as quickly as I could!!!!

Everything came safely to a stop, whereupon I inspected the key, keyway, flywheel, crank etc.

All seemed OK, so I'm guessing the key was just never seated properly, and loosened up over the last 1000 hours.

Lesson learned...... For your safety, please remember to check gib key fit BEFORE starting your engine.
It will now be in my startup routine with lubricating lifters, rockers etc.

Please excuse me while I pry apart my puckered butt cheeks............

Now I get to take off the flywheel and do a good inspection before reinstalling the key.


Mike (Dr. Death)...... when are we getting the real steel here? 

[rcavictim]

Yes, you did got lucky!  Quick, go buy a lottery ticket. 

[cgwymp]

Yes, you did got lucky!  Quick, go buy a lottery ticket. 

And some gib key collars! ;-)

[mbryner]

Confused a little here:  the belt was chirping and flywheel spinning 'round, but the gib key was on the floor?   Wouldn't the belt/gen head come to a stop while the crank shaft just spun around in the flywheel?   Must have been on the opposite side?

I had that thump thump when I first put my engine together a few years ago....when I was real dumb.   Much dumber than now.   I thought the keys were tight, but it turns out you really have to pound them in!

Marcus

[veggie]

Hey Marcus

Pick up two x 2" shaft collars, snug them against the re-installed gibs and lock the set screws into the keyway.
If the gib works loose, the flywheel will slide towards the engine and make a bit of noise but it won't come off.

Veggie

[bschwartz]

Gen head was driven by flywheel that lost gib key!!!!!  There was enough friction between crank and flywheel to keep things going even with missing key.  The thumping was the flywheel slowly changing position on the crank, causing the engine to be out of balance (6/1 with spoked flywheels).  I was also shocked that my frequency and voltage never fell that far out of spec.  There must have not been that much slip.  No matter how I look at it, I consider myself lucky to have a learning experience that didn't cost me dearly....

[veggie]

Like this.....

[Tom Reed]

You are indeed a luck fellow. I always like the stories of retrieving the old Lister with 1 flywheel out of a barn and siting through the hole in the wall to find the other flywheel. In my case they'd go through the engine house wall and down the hill, long steep hill, and probably end up 1/2 mile away.