Woodchuck chipper project
So this project took a turn. I found a chipper for sale at the right price. So I went to visit the seller and I watched this thing run. Nothing seemed to be super wrong with it, no outwardly cracked block, didn't see any coolant in the oil, it just ran poorly. So I decided to go for it figuring it was a clogged injector. I always wanted a chipper, and to this day I'm not sure why... Anyway, I got it home and was in for quite the surprise. The piston in cylinder 1 had completely detonated. It cracked the (non-sleeved) block and sent so many metal shards into the oil pan that it caused the oil to thicken so much I couldn't tell there was any coolant in the pan. It formed a solid blockage around the dipstick so it always read good.
Anyway, after a complete disassembly and hours of cleaning - not to mention a new block and plenty of replacement parts, it was ready for prime time! I will be the first to admit that I bit off a little more than I could chew on this one, but it was a very fun project! I just wish I had more tables in my garage. It's was a really interesting experience learning exactly what made this thing tick and asking myself why some engineers made the choices that they did, and now I have a 12" disk chipper with new blades, a new clutch, and a freshly rebuilt engine that runs like a top!