Work Proposal.G13

Engine disassembly requires a systematic approach. Aside from having all the tools necessary at your disposal, you must also have a basic understanding of how the engine works, and a plan to disassemble and organize all of the components. Upon examination of the engine, we have so far determined that we will need Philips and flathead screwdrivers, as well as a basic socket set. We are unsure of the bolt sizes, so we will need a full set to get started. We also need open ended wrenches to get at bolts in tight spaces, as well as pliers to disconnect clamps and lines.

External Parts Disassembly

First, we must remove all of the external parts from the engine. This consists of the gas tank, the starter pulley assembly, the carburetor, the spark plug and wire, and the plastic cover over the engine. These parts are mounted to the engine with screws and bolts that look to be easily removable with hand tools. First, we will remove the plastic cover, then the gas tank, the carburetor, the starter assembly, and the spark plug assembly. Once the gas tank is removed we can disconnect any fuel lines that may be present. Once all of the external parts are removed from the engine we can begin removing the internals of the engine.

Internal Parts Disassembly

We have not yet seen the internals of our engine, but we have an understanding of how it works. This allows us to create a basic plan to disassemble the internals of the engine, which can be modified as the disassembly happens. We must disconnect the crankshaft from the connecting rod, and remove it. Then the piston and connecting rod can be removed as one. Once they are out of the engine, the connecting rod and piston can be disconnected. This will require the removal of bolts. Once these major components are removed we can determine if any other disassembly is necessary.

All but one of our group members don’t have any hands-on experience with engine disassembly. However, we all have a basic understanding of how the engine works, and how to use hand tools. This allows us to create a plan to systematically disassemble the engine, and learn as we do it. We estimated that it will take us 1-2 hours to properly disassemble the motor, and organize the components. This is assuming we do not run into any snags in the form of frozen bolts, or hidden components. All of the group members are confident in our ability to disassemble the engine in a reasonable amount of time, but we do expect that we may develop some skills alone the way. Most of us feel we have some lack of skills when it comes to working as a group successfully, we all believe that this is one of our short comings and hope that we can develop those skills as we learn to work together with each other.