Engine question?

tarheel96 · May 12, 2017

JRobyn said:
^^Yes. The symptoms actually sound more like poor cooling air or water (or both) flow. This could be due to radiator/thermostat/water pump problems and not the head gasket. Or even just a loose fan/water pump belt! Since it is disassembled to this degree now, would probably be wise to pull out the radiator for a thorough inside and outside cleaning. If you can still find a "radiator shop" in your area! The thermostat may have been hanging partly closed. A replacement thermostat is cheap and good insurance. There's a chance that the water pump impeller is degraded just due to age or poor cooling system maintenance. This can usually be verified just by pulling the water pump and only the cost of a new gasket is involved if it is ok.

So the previous overheating MAY have not been severe enough to warp the head. I have no idea how prone 2-cyl Yanmar heads are to warpage. Some heads are really tough, others not so much. But since it's off anyway, no good reason NOT to have it checked and resurfaced if necessary.

If a machine shop doesn't have tooling to remove diesel injectors, you definitely DON'T want to use that machine shop!

I will pull the radiator and water pump and see how things look. And also look at the air filter and hoses to make sure we are getting all the air we need too. I will do some digging and see if there is a good shop to take a look at the head and radiator if possible. At some point I have to put a battery in the tractor to do some wiring/electrical trouble shooting to make sure everything is working right. Thanks for all your help!

DLTTrekkers · May 13, 2017

2 sil is a short head ...will not warp...check your sleeve hights ! Sleeve protrusen from the block .

Jerry/MT · May 14, 2017

tarheel96 said:
Good thinking Jerry I will have some time this weekend to do a little work on the trator I hope. If I do I will take more pics so you guys can see the condition of the other parts. Thanks for your help!

Another thought. Do you have the correct pressure cap? Is it working properly? If the pressure cap has a lower pressure rating than spec or is damaged, the coolant will boil at a lower temperature and cause an overheating condition.

tarheel96 · May 15, 2017

I didn't have much time to work on the tractor this weekend but here is some pics of some of the parts. The radiator fins is packed with dirt and grass from cutting grass it looks like. The air filter is packed all the way around the filter as well. I would say that this tractor was having some problems with air flow..it is hard to cool properly with all those fins packed tight too..

tarheel96 · May 15, 2017

DLTTrekkers said:
2 sil is a short head ...will not warp...check your sleeve hights ! Sleeve protrusen from the block .

I will check on that as well! thanks

tarheel96 · May 15, 2017

Jerry/MT said:
Another thought. Do you have the correct pressure cap? Is it working properly? If the pressure cap has a lower pressure rating than spec or is damaged, the coolant will boil at a lower temperature and cause an overheating condition.

I am not sure on the pressure cap.. I have never tried to check one before. Does anyone know a good way to check the cap? Thanks for your help

Jerry/MT · May 16, 2017

tarheel96 said:
I am not sure on the pressure cap.. I have never tried to check one before. Does anyone know a good way to check the cap? Thanks for your help

Repair shops have testers and so does NAPA stores, O'Reily's, etc. Alternately, you can just buy a new cap. Just make sure it's the right pressure rating.
It looks like you found the cause however. Clogged air side of the radiator. What's the coolant side look like. If the PO used hard water, they can lime up an clog. Clogged air filter is also a culprit.
Probably never needed to come apart!

bspeedy · May 16, 2017

Fancy coolant overflow bottle you have there!

In my experience with broken / damaged tractors and motorcycles, a person is usually money ahead to buy a working machine. Even when I buy something that seems great, there is usually something wrong with it that requires attention. When I buy something I know is broken, there is usually a LOT wrong with it that I didn't foresee.

I wish you luck in your endeavor. Please document the process. I hope you will prove my bias is incorrect.

sd455dan · May 16, 2017

tarheel96 said:
I didn't have much time to work on the tractor this weekend but here is some pics of some of the parts. The radiator fins is packed with dirt and grass from cutting grass it looks like. The air filter is packed all the way around the filter as well. I would say that this tractor was having some problems with air flow..it is hard to cool properly with all those fins packed tight too..
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WOW- Can't believe the PO didn't clean or replace the rad before ripping into the engine...

That rad looks badly plugged and almost like Mud in between some of the cooling fins. Can't see how it could do a decent job of cooling the engine.

( If- it were mine) I would check the head and block for straight, check the oil that is in the oil pan and if not milky do as was posted above with the cylinder bores to make sure no crap is lodged above the piston rings .

If- the head/ block passes the straight test,
Take the head and fill the intake exhaust ports with a bit of diesel and wait about 2 minutes -if diesel is not drooling out between valve and head seats... buy a head gasket reassemble the engine. (after cleaning the head /block surfaces) Making sure to follow torque down sequence and torque specs.

clean as best you can the radiator flush some water thru it and re install, use new oil and filter and see if she will run.

If- It will run without billowing smoke , excessive Knocking , and no bubbles running thru the coolant/water in the radiator either have a rad shop go thru it or if not to pricey replace it and the thermostat.

This is just how I would approach it , but am CHEAP by nature, this way you are only out the price of a head gasket oil and filter and some RTV sealant and will know pretty quick whether the engine is basically sound or not. If the engine oil in the pan is Milky, I would not reassemble the engine as is.

PJ The Kid · May 16, 2017

Flush out your oil passages with diesel fuel, uses clean water in the coolant passages and call it done. Change the oil filter after about 10 hr x2 and run it.