1972 Cub Cadet 149 Refurbish & Restoration

[TheLoneRanger]

Starting this thread to log the refurbish and eventual restoration of my new to me 1972 Cub Cadet 149.

Was told by the seller that he bought it from a guy who had started fixing it up but had to sell it due to health problems. Was told the engine was rebuilt and hasn't been started since being put back together. The kid I bought it from was only 15 and while he's pretty good at fixing dirt bikes, he didn't know much about fixing old lawn tractors. Specifically when it comes to the wiring aspect. He got the engine to turn over but it didn't have any spark. He got tired of messing with it and decided to get rid of it.

First order of business will be to get the engine running and make sure it checks out before continuing on with anything else.

Here's what I'm starting with. Took these pictures the day after I got it home. Found it for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Louisiana. Sadly there were none for sale in Houston. Found a few in Dallas but they were more expensive. It was a 4 hour drive to Baton Rouge to pick this thing up lol.

[DeltaCub]

The model 149 is a great tractor. Good luck and have fun with your project.

[TheLoneRanger]

Tried to get the Engine Running

Hooked some jumper cables up to the starter generator and the engine turned over but would slow down significantly on the compression stroke. Then would slowly get past TDC. Maybe the compression release isn't working or it could be another issue.

Connected power (with a ballast resistor) to the ignition coil, removed the spark plug, and checked for spark. No spark. That's a problem. Removed the points cover and checked the points. They were not adjusted properly. They weren't opening at all. Set them to .020" and checked for spark again. We got spark!

Sprayed some carb cleaner into the carb and tried to see if the engine would fire at all. It sneezed a couple times but that's it. It's just not turning fast enough get past the compression stroke.

Looks like I'll have to remove the engine and do some more diagnosing to figure out what the problem could be.

Engine Removal and Mounting on Stand

I could probably lift the chunk of cast iron out by hand but I'd rather not risk it. The trusty Harbor Freight engine hoist does it with no complaints



Made a little stand out of some 2x4s and angle iron



Pulled the head off to see what was going on. Whoever did this rebuild did a lot of things right. New piston and what looks to be new valves, valve seats, and valve guides. Forgot to measure the bore before buttoning it back up.





Figured out why it wouldn't turn over fast

To make a long story short, the valve lash was not right on both valves. Intake was about .015" and the exhaust was .024". This prevented the compression release from opening the exhaust valve enough. Adjusted them to the Kohler service manual specs and then the starter generator was able to turn the engine over just fine.

Let's get this thing running!

With the engine mounted on my little stand I hooked up my temporary wiring, sprayed some carb cleaner in the carb, and put power to the starter generator. The engine immediately fired and came to life! Only ran for a few seconds because I didn't have any fuel going to the carb. Connected a temporary fuel tank and with a little adjusting of the carburetor, the engine was running, albeit noisy and jumping all over the place.

On to the next step

Now that I know the engine runs I want get get it back in the tractor and check the transmission to make sure it works before doing anything else. I'm not all that familiar with these engines but it seems like this one is rather noisy. Not exhaust noise but mechanical noise. I didn't run the engine on my little stand for very long because it kept vibrating and moving all over the place. This might be the source of the noise. Once I get it back in the tractor I'll run it a bit more and see if the noise is still there.

[DeltaCub]

Happy you got it running! Does the cylinder appear to have been bored over size? The bore appears to have the typical scuff/scratches at the very top.

[TheLoneRanger]

Originally Posted by DeltaCub

Happy you got it running! Does the cylinder appear to have been bored over size? The bore appears to have the typical scuff/scratches at the very top.

Forgot to measure the bore before reinstalling the cylinder head. The ISaveTractors piston that's installed doesn't have any markings on it indicating that it's oversized so that leads me to believe that it's standard bore.

[TheLoneRanger]

Temporary Fixes are not Permanent Solutions

Reinstalled the engine to check the transmission and make sure it works properly. I specifically waited for the drive pin I ordered to arrive before testing the transmission because I wanted to do it right. Alas, when I went to install the drive pin it slipped right through the hole in the driveshaft. Probably should've anticipated this because the previous owner (really the second previous owner) had used a roll pin instead of the proper drive pin. Reluctantly, I used a 1/4" socket head cap screw for testing purposes. I'll figure out the drive pin situation later.


Moving Under its Own Power

Got the engine running and after freeing up the relief valves on the hydro unit, it moved forwards and backwards! Was confident that it would, these hydrostatic drives and differentials are pretty reliable but wanted to be 100% sure before continuing with this project.


Engine Removal, so much fun lets do it again!

Ran the engine for a few minutes in the tractor and the noises it was making were concerning. The entire tractor was rattling and vibrating but I could definitely hear some unfriendly noises coming from the engine. Once again, I'm not very familiar with Kohler engines but I know a Briggs Flathead like the back of my hand and I've never heard a Briggs engine make these kinds of noises unless it was hurt. Decided the best thing to do from here is to pull the engine again, completely disassemble it, and inspect everything. With the quality of work (or lack there of) by the previous owner, who knows how well this engine was put together. Disassembling and inspecting everything will give me peace of mind.

[Ambush]

Originally Posted by TheLoneRanger

[B][SIZE="4"] With the quality of work (or lack there of) by the previous owner, who knows how well this engine was put together. Disassembling and inspecting everything will give me peace of mind.

Very wise and worthwhile! Be interesting to see what you find.

The engine in my 149 will be coming out this winter, four years after a rebuild, to finally change the valve guides and the rings that I suspect never did seat properly.

[ol'George]

looking at the bore in a fuzzy enlarged picture, it appears that it was not recently bored/honed, agreeing with Delta cub.
so I betting the crank condition was never addressed or corrected if not to spec.
Pay attention to taper/out of round/sizes of both the bore and crank pin, if you already haven't done so.

[TheLoneRanger]

What Once was Together, is Now in Pieces

Brought the engine into the Workshop, put it on the workbench, and proceeded to completely disassemble it (except for removing the valves)





Put all the parts in labeled bags



Measured the bore. It's standard.



Looks like the previous owner just did a quick hone of the cylinder and put in a new piston



Knock, knock. Who's there? Connecting Rod! Connecting Rod wh... wait you're not supposed to be knocking!

My ears did not deceive me. I did hear some bad noises coming from this engine. Upon taking some measurements with my calipers (yes, I know they're not really precise enough for this type of work) I found that the rod journal on the crank was out of round by about 4 thousandths. 1.493" and 1.497" respectively. Put the rod together, torqued it to spec, and measured it. It was over 1.503". With the rod installed on the crank and torqued down, there was obvious play. That's where all the noise had been coming from.



While it's already apart, lets do it the right way

My plan now is to finish the rebuild started by the previous owner, except to do it the right way. The bore doesn't look all that great and there's a noticeable ridge at the top. Going to take it to a machine shop and see how much it will need to be bored out, from there I'll order the correct oversized piston. Hopefully it'll clean up at .010", but I doubt it.

As far as the crankshaft goes, I'll bring it to the machine shop and see what they can do. Can't remember if the shop I go to grinds cranks or not. Would rather have this crank ground instead of having to find and buy a used crankshaft in better condition.

[Cub Cadet 123]

When I had one of my 149's engine rebuilt, I also had the balance gears removed since several advised me they are ticking time bombs. Little more shake and rattle, but not bad at all. Good ear and attention to detail. Glad to see your 149 is getting the attention it needed.



Cub Cadet 123