Threw a rod!
 

"tick tick tick... bang!" That's all she did this morning, just a few minutes into my planned day of spraying 4 acres. Engine freewheeled to a stop. Turned by hand, felt no compression. Pulled the plug, and indeed the piston is not moving when I turn the crank. Looks like the connecting rod failed... which would explain the "ticking" I asked about a few days ago.

Trouble is, I'm swamped. Simply no time to pull and rebuild an engine. What are my options? I don't mind throwing money at this problem to get it done, but don't like throwing good money after bad. I'm tempted to run over to Home Depot and (gasp!) buy a new sheetmetal tractor. Problem is, I have a whole army of implements for this Cub, and I use all of them.

Crate motor? Hot rod motor? Send it somewhere to get rebuilt for me?

Thanks, guys!

Fred-

No idea on what model you experienced the failure. But maybe someone in your neck of the woods can sell you a decent used motor. Short block price is $$.


Michael

Sorry. Kohler K301AS (spec.4759B).

Already got a line on one rebuilt short block and one used long block. Don't mind spending the money, but need this thing running again ASAP! I'm on a tight schedule to get some chemical down, before re-seeding season. Also, had plans to move a lot of topsoil with my 42" plow blade, which are now on hold.

It's too bad you need it done in a hurry. There are guys around that could rebuild it great but it takes time.

Well at least you found out why it was ticking. I have a couple Cubs for sale but they are all wide frames.

Go for one of the rebuilt motors you've found. You should be able to change it in one evening. Then you can see how well it runs during all this work you have coming up. I would pass on the Lowe's Depot SheetRider, especially considering all your attachments.

Yeah, find another motor..And then try to get yours rebuilt.



There are many K-series Kohlers that have survived a rod failure. :beerchug:

I would swap in another motor that you found and rebuild the one you have. Motor rebuild is not too bad and not that pricy. You'll probably need the crank ground and everything measured after tear down. I just saved my 301 before that happened but it looked like it happened in the past as well. I spent about 100$ for machine work and about the same for a rebuild kit which included piston, rings, rod, valves, gaskets, seals, points and a spark plug. Im sure you know this but Honestly if you take your time and do it by the book it's pretty straight forward, that is if you ever have time which we all know is very limited for some of us.Good luck

Thanks, guys! I had been debating a few options, and you guys helped me decide. I'll pick up a second hand motor (already found a few) and do the swap. I'll rebuild mine after I get my new shop built, as we just moved, and that's the project du joir.

So, I got a replacement engine on the way:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150886445998

Two questions:

1. What should I plan to do before install. Pull the head and check for / scrape carbon deposits? Pull the oil pan and wipe out any sludge? Rebuild the PTO?

2. What should I have on-hand for the install? I figure a carb gasket and fuel pump cover gasket, at a minimum. What else?

I also have an exhaust leak between the elbow (KH-235692) and the muffler (IH-393840-R91). I see there's a sleeve wrapped around the elbow under the muffler clamp, and had ordered KH-25-112-15-S thinking it was the correct replacement part, but I got some small sleeve bushing which was much, much smaller than the muffler elbow OD.

Thanks!

Engine's here. What should I check before install? Worth pulling the head and oil pan, to clean both?

If the engine is a used engine I would absolutely pull the head and oil pan just to see that all is clean and clear to operate. Even if an engine is new and never used I would at least pull the pan to clean any metal shavings/bits that may be there.

Cool. As I suspected. I figure I'll open up the new used engine, as well as remove my old engine this weekend. Order gaskets, etc. this week, and do the install next weekend.

Some differences between the new block and the old one. The "old" block is in fact not original to this Cub, but it's been in there the last 30 - 40 years.

1. Old engine has a chamfered bore at the carburetor interface.

Old:
Attachment 28425

New:
Attachment 28426

2. Old engine has dipstick on left side (integral with timing gear cover), new engine has it on the right. New dipstick tube interferes with generator mount and muffler. I'm assuming I need to find a blockoff plate for that right-side dipstick assembly, and reuse my cast timing gear cover with integral dipstick.

New:
Attachment 28427

3. Old engine has an extra gear in the crankcase, which I've been told is a counter-rotating balancing gear. The old man who installed this engine in this Cub many years ago told me this was supposed to vibrate less than the original engine, although he never noticed any difference himself.

Old:
Attachment 28429

New:
Attachment 28428

4. New engine has an extra hole into the crank case, below the carb. Presumably for a breather / PCV setup. I need to find the appropriate blockoff plate.

If anyone knows the numbers or source for the various block-off plates, I'd be very happy. Other items are:

5. New flywheel cover is larger than other, and contains a gear to interface with a gear/solenoid starter. I will swap for the old.

6. I need a new PTO bearing. This is an oddity to me, with the inner race extending way past the outer race on one face.

Humm.. what's the serial number on the new one?

You might want to pull the points off and replace the aluminum timing pin with the replacement kohler steel (if needed). Then set the points...

Easier done when out of the tractor.

Michael

s/n 4054213

I just talked to the old man who owned this tractor from new until last year. He still has the ORIGINAL motor out of this old Cub! He said it was actually a functional motor when he pulled it out, but the valve guides were worn, which was causing problems with carbon buildup, valve cooling, and valve sticking. He said that with a new set of valve guides, the original motor would be ready to go.

So, now I have a choice to make... new valve guides on the original motor, or find all the blockoff plates, dipstick tubes, etc., to make this new motor work? Time is of the essence... I really do not have time to be spending on this thing right now!

Freds 123, It sounds to me that you are in the landscape line of work,maybe you should rethink the tractors you are using for your work.I'm not sure 40 year old engines are what you need to be worring about when you are trying to run a business that already is stressful enough. I too am a cub cadet nut and own 5 tractors and about 10 attachments ,they are fun for a hobby but running a business with them ,i don't know? :bigthink::beerchug: Dave

Nope... I'm just a homeowner / hobbyist. That said, I just bought a 240 year old house that's 5500 sq.ft. on a large property, with 4 acres of manicured lawn space. We are beyond busy with repairs, modifications, rennovations, etc.

I have a new John Deere 757 ZTrak mower with a 60" deck for mowing, and a recently-borrowed John Deere 750 utility tractor with front end loader, but this Cub sees more use than either of them, being my primary machine for pulling the fertilizer and seed spreader, weed sprayer, utility trailer, snow plow, snow blower, and an old 48" mower I use for brush hogging the "rough" areas. In the the next two weeks I need to aerate and seed, and both of those implements are too small to pull behind the JD 750, especially the tow-behind broadcast seeder which I need to be able to turn off and on from the drivers seat... I need my Cub.

That said, I think you're right... I need to plan to replace the Cub with something newer and more reliable. Problem is, I did not address this earlier, and now I'm in a pinch. Maybe I should post a new thread, to decide the fate of the Cub, and what to replace it with.

Sounds like a neat place u have there ,8 yrs ago i bought a 150+ yr old farm house in Doylestown pa (north of willow grove on the pa turn pike) and decided the house was just to far gone so we tore it down and built a new one.I am mowing 3 acres so i picked up a kubota with all the bells and whisles,but you know what, after a yr with that i had enough ,i sold that and picked up 3 cub cadet supers all with 60 inch decks and other goodies. Now i feel right at HOME and have one for each job.2072 mowing,982 blowing,1572 is going to snow plow when i get it back together. the 127 pulls trailers and carts and the 1450 is unemployed right now. Good luck with your tractors. Dave

Thanks, dag. I grew up in D-town, and almost certainly delivered newspapers to your old house, if it was in the boro. I don't think there's a house in that boro I can't name from a picture.

Based on the recommendation of a friend who knows how busy I am, I'm going to try to find a mechanic to rebuild and set up one of these three engines for me. I think the best candidate is the original motor out of this cub, pulled from the tractor around 1981 and stored in a friend's attic. Maybe putting the original motor back will finally make this machine happy and put the tractor gods at ease.

Now, how do I find a good Kohler mechanic?

New thread started at: http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=20091

^ If only you were local to the western part of the state we'd fix your K right up.

Doh! Wife's from Johnstown, but we don't make it out that way often. Thanks, anyway!