New 682 (I may have a problem)

[jbrewer]

Originally Posted by Sam Mac

I was going to get into this but decided I don't need the aggravation.

No worries, there'll be plenty of others.

[SS5150]

Originally Posted by john hall

Where'd you get them? I needed one for a Magnum 18 and Kohler wanted about that much for one. Never could come up with a crossover for the seal--I forget which one it was. I think Lew came along with a deal I couldn't refuse, he got hungry again.

Sorry for the late response, but they were OEM from my Cub Cadet dealer. I was thinking they were $6 & $14 apiece but it's been awhile, I got them in June.

[Gompers]

Added a poll just for the heck of it.

Didn't mean to start WWIII.

You all have a lot more experience with this stuff than this poor home gamer does, which is why I appreciate everyone's input.

It's not worth getting worked up over whether some random guy on the internet should replace the crankshaft seals on a 25 year old engine to put into a 35 year old tractor.

It's Friday night. Let's all just have a beer!

[Gompers]

Been slowly making progress on cleaning and fixing up the M18 before I mount it up in the 682.

Firstly, I built a new wiring harness and relay to go between the factory harness on the engine and the factory one on the tractor. Fuse probably wasn't necessary, but I had it laying around and didn't have any primary wire laying around (or at least couldn't find it) so figure it'd work and wouldn't hurt anything. Bench tested that and it seems to work as I'd expect.

The new seals from TEW look just as good as factory ones, so I figure I'd go ahead and replace them while this thing is sitting on a bench instead of in the tractor. Got the PTO one done tonight. Might go and try and finish up the flywheel side too. If not, I'll get to that this weekend.

PTO bearing was pretty rough so went and ordered a new one. Got the old one pressed out and so I'm ready to pop it in when that shows up.

Oil sentry switch bench tested no good, so I ordered a new one of those too. Not going to do a light on it, but figured having it hooked up to the engine is cheap protection. These things are getting harder to find in good shape and I'd rather not blow this one up.

Drilled out a broken off bolt for the tinwork on one of the heads.

Got the oil lines off and replaced the grommets on them and repainted the tinwork for the engine. Not trying to make it perfect, but want it to at least look good in there. Old stuff wasn't too bad, but I had to use some red bits from the KT-17 and wanted it to all be black when it was in there.

Debating replacing the magneto. One of the sides of it got pretty rusty and spread out a little bit. I suspect it would probably work ok, but it's kinda a PITA to get at when it's in the tractor. Just don't know if a cheap one would be better than a wounded original one. Guess I"ll fire it up when I get it back together and see if it runs ok.

Feeling pretty good about getting this thing going here in the next week or so, especially since it's warmed up a bit.

On non-engine-related front, I git some new heim joints for all the steering components, since they are mostly shot.

[SS5150]

What did you use for a PTO bearing? Is there an aftermarket cross reference?

[Gompers]

Originally Posted by SS5150

What did you use for a PTO bearing? Is there an aftermarket cross reference?

It’s a 6206 bearing. There are a lot of cross references for it. I bought an NTN one (6206LU) for ~$20 because that’s what was on there.

Jon has a guide to replacing them in the tech section. Just grind the tabs off and press it out like any other bearing.

[cadetmike]

My thoughts on seal replacement

I know there has been a lot of ..."discussion" pertaining to this, and nothing I am about to say is worth arguing about, so this is the only post I will be making on this topic.

I have replaced a lot of seals, not thousands or millions, but enough to know. I am a big fan of not replacing a seal if it is not leaking.

That being said I almost never put something back together without new seals if I have had it apart. Think about it, if you have disturbed a 25yr old seal chances are it won't seal right when you put it back together. If a quality seal is installed properly, and the shaft is properly cleaned and free of damage there is no reason it should leak afterwards. I have never had a new seal leak unless there was something else causing it like a: damaged shaft, bad install, clogged crankcase vent, ect.

Another thing to consider: On a oil pressure fed engine there is constantly a pool of oil behind the seal and if you don't get a really good seal on the shaft it will leak... a lot! However, on a splash lube set up there is no oil pressure behind the seal and not nearly as much oil present so it seems to reason that a seal will be much less likely to leak. What I am saying is the type of engine changes the "risk" factor.

Now, I have no idea if the M18 is pressure fed or not; these are just my observations and thoughts pertaining to seal replacement.

[ol'George]

Originally Posted by cadetmike

My thoughts on seal replacement

I know there has been a lot of ..."discussion" pertaining to this, and nothing I am about to say is worth arguing about, so this is the only post I will be making on this topic.

I have replaced a lot of seals, not thousands or millions, but enough to know. I am a big fan of not replacing a seal if it is not leaking.

That being said I almost never put something back together without new seals if I have had it apart. Think about it, if you have disturbed a 25yr old seal chances are it won't seal right when you put it back together. If a quality seal is installed properly, and the shaft is properly cleaned and free of damage there is no reason it should leak afterwards. I have never had a new seal leak unless there was something else causing it like a: damaged shaft, bad install, clogged crankcase vent, ect.

Another thing to consider: On a oil pressure fed engine there is constantly a pool of oil behind the seal and if you don't get a really good seal on the shaft it will leak... a lot! However, on a splash lube set up there is no oil pressure behind the seal and not nearly as much oil present so it seems to reason that a seal will be much less likely to leak. What I am saying is the type of engine changes the "risk" factor.

Now, I have no idea if the M18 is pressure fed or not; these are just my observations and thoughts pertaining to seal replacement.

Yes pressure fed up to #80 cold, much less when warm.
If some well meaning feller used a lot of silly cone during assembly and the drain back hole got plugged on the main bearing it will turn the inner lip inside out,
pissin' like a drunken Irishman on St Patty's day---
Not saying it is your case, you will prolly replace the seals and not have a problem
Reseal and be happy.
Do put a little grease between the lips ( ID) so your seals don't start off dry.
kohler seals have it there already most times.
if you have experience, the seals are no different than others you have done sucessfully.

[Marko141]

Making good progress!

[Gompers]

Seals are installed. Flywheel is back on and torqued. Mostly new nuts and bolts from McMaster.

Got the oil pressure switch installed, and it looks like the wiring harness is working like it's supposed to on the bench, so optimistic that will work great.

Tested the magneto today and got no spark and no continuity on the secondary. Magnets on the flywheel seem strong and consistent. I was already feeling a bit suspect about the magneto, so just went ahead and ordered a Kohler OEM replacement. Don't want to have to mess with that again. Not real convenient to get at when the engine is in the tractor.

Got the PTO cleaned up to put a bit of paint on it before I put it back on the engine. Also replaced the missing Packard 56 connector on it so I can just clip it into the wiring harness.

Still have to put the exhaust back on and then I'll be real close to seeing if it will run, once the magneto comes in.