| Moderated by: Greg Fletcher | ||
| Author | Post | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
James Wilson Member 
|
The spare engine I'm rebuilding has a damaged oil pickup. The wire mesh screen was crushed and is hanging from the top plate. I still have the bottom and a mesh screen that's seen much better days. It appears to have been glued together originally. Are replacement screens available? I think I could buy an original-style replacement but shudder at the cost... I suppose I could fabricate one easily enough, if I had to. Fine-ish wire mesh (like the old), TIG'ed onto the top and bottom plates, though it'd be a simple one round rather than folded in and out.... And I'm reluctant to just leave the mesh off and have a hole sucking up the trash the mesh is supposed to stop. For what its worth, the old one was practically clogged with excess sealant meant to stop leaks elsewhere. Has anyone else encountered this problem? How'd you solve it? |
|||||||||
|
Jon Plowe Member
|
Hi, As you are in the UK you could try Andy at Appleyard Engineering http://www.jensen.co.uk . Or try the links on the Jensen Owners Club web site http://www.joc.org.uk Very helpful. You're right to keep the mesh as whenever I have dismantled engine that hasn't been apart for 20 odd years the screen is usually choked full of crud. Jon |
|||||||||
|
Greg Fletcher Administrator 
|
That's a very common problem. Those original mesh screens usually just fall apart after time, yours sounds like someone messed around with it previously and it was reassembled without repairing. I've seen some that had been "fixed" by wrapping bailing wire around the pick to hold everything in place. I don't recommend that, however. Whatever you do, NEVER leave the mesh screen off. A good used one from Appleyard is a great idea as Jon points out (it might be worth an additional repair before installing even if it looks good), but these are also fairly easy to repair. The steel screen/mesh material is pretty common and a local machine shop should be able to spot weld it back together to the top and bottom plates without much fuss. |
|||||||||