Minor updates today:
I'm finally done with the hospital and doctors. I'm not an emoji kind of guy, but...
Today I decided to drain my fuel tank of the more than year-old 1/2 tank of gas it had in it. Rather than pumping it dry with the fuel pump I removed the left rear wheel, which gave me excellent access to where the filler hose connects to the tank. I removed the filler hose an inserted a piece of clear 3/8" OD tubing into the tank. The metal filler nipple has a gentle 90 degree bend it in once it enters the tank, so the 3/8" line ends up going straight to the bottom corner of the tank. The front and rear of the truck were already up on safety stands, but I raised the front slightly so that all the fuel flowed to the rear of the tank. Next, I got out all my plastic gas cans (4 containers with a total of 12 gallons capacity) and started siphoning. Using the clear tubing makes sure I don't get a mouthful of gas. It took a little while, but after about 40 mins I got out about 11 gallons before the siphon hose ran dry. Then I reinstalled the fill hose. When the time comes to start the engine I will add fresh fuel and flush out the fuel line and filter before the first startup.
I had added Sta-bil fuel stabilizer to the fuel last Summer, but as it was already at least 6 months old then (and was 10% ethanol fuel) I didn't trust it. I wondered whether the fuel I'd removed was still any good. It smelled okay, so I decided to test it to see how volatile it was. It wasn't a very scientific test, but I had a bunch of paper bags in my 50 gal burn barrel, which has 1" air holes drilled around it's lower circumference, so I poured a 1/2 cup or so of the old fuel on the paper bags and used my propane had torch to light it from the bottom being careful not to have my face anywhere near the top of the barrel (
safety third) and whoopf! the paper bags went up as if I'd used fresh fuel. So I guess the fuel is still okay. This is good news for 2 reasons.... Firstly, I don't have to figure out how to responsibly dispose of 11 gals of bad gasoline and secondly I don't have to waste $25-$30 dollars worth of fuel I can still use. I plan to introduce it slowly (just to be safe) into our old 2000 Mountaineer and burn it.
Next I removed my hood (which isn't currently bolted on) just to put fresh plastic bags over things I don't want animals or insects getting into. I'd used plastic grocery bags on things when I pulled the engine out back in October, but they didn't hold up very well. This time I used zip-lock bags and wire tie-wraps. When the weather gets nicer I plan to power-wash the engine compartment, which isn't terribly dirty but I might as well clean it while the engine is out. I was going to reinstall the hood on its hinges temporarily to make for easier access to the engine compartment, but I didn't reinstall the hood bolts in their bolt holes and I didn't feel like looking for the marked baggy, so I just laid the hood back on for now. I need to buy a new tube of dielectric grease to pack all the electrical connectors to keep insects and water out of them until reassembly.
One thing I decided to address, which caused me a big PITA during the engine removal, was the ground wire that bolts to the back of the left cyl head and then to a stud/bolt on the wiper motor. For some reason the nut that holds the ground wire to the stud would not come off and when the stud started to turn the wire spun with it, hitting the edge of the cowl. Today I spend a good 20 mins trying to get that nut loose, but there's no way to hold the stud to stop it from spinning. I finally had to bend the wire eye over at 90 degrees and take it off with the stud. Then I held the stud with vice grips, sprayed WD40 on the nut and got the nut and wire off. What a pain!
Right now I'm waiting on nicer/warmer weather, so I can start cleaning the engine block and other parts and for ordered parts to arrive so that I can begin engine reassembly. I guess I need to go to Walmart and buy another large container of Purple Power. Yesterday I found a nice set of assorted roll-lock disks on clearance at Tractor Supply, so they will be helpful in cleaning gasket surfaces.
