Sachs engine mystery.

[Dale Fisher]

The Cheney II Sachs has been a mystery since the discovery of the 48th ISDT sticker on the front hub and the head and cylinder being drilled for a seal.  Opened up the clutch side cover this morning to find the shift mechanism looked a little "odd".  Also note the piston with the extra ribbing below the rings.  Something different or is it just me? [?]







Dale Fisher
74 Berkshire 100
70 Six-Days 125
72 Jackpiner 175

[Larry Perkins]

Dale,

My inventory of NOS Sachs pistons had some pistons like that but it seems like they were early ones.  I am not knowledgeable enough or have good enough eyes to see the shift mechanism difference you are showing.

Larry P

[Dale Fisher]

I don't remember seeing the spring return on the selector boss in any of my other engines.

Dale Fisher
74 Berkshire 100
70 Six-Days 125
72 Jackpiner 175

[firstturn]

Dale,
  It is supposed to be there....I see a lot of modifications in the shifting area and am never surprised what I will find.

Ron Carbaugh

[ALB]

Dale,
What you have is a "gear lock" on the selector boss. This is shown on page 5 of the Penton 100-125 spare parts manual - 006.
This was Sach's "fix" to the overshifting of the A engines. There were some gear locks for the B engines but it was unnecessary since the redesign of the the selector rod (with the larger diameter and the larger grooves on the end) eliminated the problem with the "A" selector rod (with the smaller diameter and the thin grooves on the end).

Alan Buehner

[Dale Fisher]

Some discussion and show-n-tell with Doug Wilford yesterday noted that the running gear and framework were not the only things that underwent continual improvements.  The only mystery left with the engine is why it had'nt blown up.  Movement of the rod up and down about 3/16" isn't a good thing.  Now the search for a complete "B" crank and rod or possibly "B" rod set begins.

Dale Fisher
74 Berkshire 100
70 Six-Days 125
72 Jackpiner 175

[joe novak]

Dale,  Your description of the rod condition sounds like the lower rod bearing has "failed".   Frequently, the small diameter needle bearings appear to get "smashed" by the engine load of the rod beating on them every time the engine fires.   I have seen engines run with lower end bearings in this condition, but not very well.  Was your engine in running condition?  Be thankful that you tore the engine down before engine disaster!   Joe

[Paul Danik]

Hi Dale,

   Nothing like a mystery, maybe we can find a couple of clues...

   What stampings are on the top of the engine cases ?

   Are you able to tell the casting date of any of the engine castings ?

   Are there any drill holes in the lower end fins of the engine, usually on the outer fin just in front of either the ignition or clutch cover?

    Is that engine a 5 or 6 speed, I have tried to count the indents on the quadrant but it gets dark in that corner.

   I am pretty sure that the over shift prevention system that Alan mentions, and you are asking about, is the topic of the very first service bulletin that Penton produced. I have one here and it describes how to retro fit the unit into the early engines, but the bulletin has no number or date on it. The # 2 Service Bulletin discusses the Clutch Release & Throw Out, if someone has a service bulletin with # 1 on it please chime in with it's topic, I would be curious to know about it.

Thanks,
Paul

   

[SouthRider]

Those shift kits were a great idea. I had always heard that they were invented by "Uncle Ted" Penton, and were made in Ohio. At one point there was a rolling service school that came to all the dealerships installing them free for customers who were having problems & doing free shift adjustments.

I got a new one from Al a couple years ago and tried it. They don't actually stop you from missing shifts however, and work by forcing the gearbox into the next higher or lower gear when you do miss a shift (depending on which direction you were shifting).

After trial & error, and consulting with both Mike Burgess & Doug Wilford we ended up tossing mine to the side, and just learning how to shift properly (Damn Germans).