It started years ago. Sammy the Volga wore out her original engine. A 402 model old style Volga engine. Just plain worn out. Probably 300,000 plus kilometers and it ran most of those on propane. Propane while great for fuel cost, killed the engine, as in shortened its life…
So we had a used engine put in 406 model. It was actually 100% better and ran great. Then, she broke an oil pump at high speed. Got that fixed and we prayed for the best, to go as long as we can. It still ran good, but I knew damage was done…
So, that compounded into finally the camshaft broke. Due to oil pump shelling out years earlier and we got that fixed…
Which, has now, due to many years of fixing what had to be only done to keep her running. Has finally hurt the bottom end of the engine. Most likely due to the impossibility of ever cleaning every bit of metal particles in the oil. Some particles will always be there and cause wear. Unless, a complete teardown would have been done at the time the oil pump broke…
So, again, Sammy the Volga is being worked upon…
Main bearings died, rod bearings dying, pistons showing serious wear and crankshaft pitted bad. Rebuild time…
Sammy is once again vacationing, while I am working in the Tiny Russian Village. She likes to do this it seems?
Sadly, it is a compounded issue from the beginning when the oil pump shaft snapped at high speed. Problems begat more problems…
This time Sammy the Volga will have a full rebuild. The engine block is in a shop at Ryazan, a really big city and the parts are being gathered. New crankshaft, bearings and machine work at the shop. Being bored out, block milled and cleaned up. We can still use the camshaft that was put in last year and we will have a new engine in the complete rebuild sense…
Technically, this is what we thought we got when the 406 engine was installed. That mechanic has run away a longtime ago. Probably that is best for him…
The young man we have now is named Ivan and his mother lives in the area and he is a local boy. Works on many Big Village vehicals as well as he works as a fulltime mechanic in Ryszan for a living. Reputation counts and his mom would box his ears if he gets seedy in work ethics. Also, he does not want to run away…
He is a good kid and Andrew, a friend of ours and mechanic also, is best friends with Ivan. That is called icing on the cake for us and Andrew is very meticulous in details…
Like Svetochka said, “Seems to be a normal summer project?” Or something like that she said…
Oh Well!
WtR