Recent content by Half-a-Day Farm

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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    Well I'm going to try it first. I just got the tractor back and I'm not too happy about the way things went. It spent from the 4th of July to after Labor Day out in the weather at the CAT dealer. 1000 bucks later I've got a new head gasket on there I didn't need. Then after that was done the...
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    That would be wonderful. I think what I have to do is choose one of these products, flush the block to get it as clean as possible, and follow the instructions. A friend told me he did this and rigged up an old radiator to do this to avoid fouling the one in the tractor. He claimed that he used...
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    He said it was the near the #3 cylinder and the crankshaft. There are quite a few brands of this miracle sealer but I don't see the one he mentioned. This tractor doesn't see a lot of hours so with a little luck maybe it will stay better than the wheel barrow and shovel. dammit
  4. H

    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    Ok, thanks. I appreciate it. I just called and talked to the service manager and what he said was the leak was in an area that a new sleeve wouldn't help and he wasn't too enthusiastic about the prospects of any sealer being much help either. He mentioned a brand called "duraglass" that you pour...
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    What does that mean? I think this engine is a "dry sleeve" type but honestly I don't know the difference. When I asked the service manager where to go from here he suggested looking for a block or an engine and that might cost more than I paid for the tractor. He said he wouldn't do that if it...
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    I know big boys don't cry but sometimes they almost do. The CAT dealer called, two months later, and told me they replaced the gasket set and coolant was still leaking into the oil. The service manager said they had a camera up in there and they found a "pin hole" leak in the block in a place...
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    The one thing that you wonder why you didn't buy sooner?

    These tractorbynet threads that land in the inbox are....addicting! ;) A lot of good choices here. For the budget minded, how about a CALICO CAT? We have dogs and never liked cats but somebody dumped one on us as a tiny kitten and it's been a LOT of fun having her around. All natural blood...
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    I chickened out on doing this myself...and the only outfit I could find that agreed to do this job was the $$$CAT dealer$$$. I'm going to order the gasket set and bring it in with me when I drop the tractor off July 10.
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    What I'll do this weekend is study the manual carefully. I'm lucky about the fuel tank on this model year because the fuel tank is behind the seat but with the FEL on there it's a bit of a contortion to do anything on the engine. Maybe I can do things like thoroughly clean everything to reduce...
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and this is just a bad dream. We've gotten so accustomed to the priceless *privacy* we have here, and the crazy things going on out in the world, we don't even like driving on paved roads. ;) (now I'm just being silly)
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    First I want to say that I really appreciate you guys taking the time to help me. The oil doesn't look milky but has a shade of red. There are two drain plugs because there is a shaft that runs down the middle of the oil pan. I pulled the left plug first and quickly put my inspection jar under...
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    I think since last year I've added maybe a half gallon of coolant and when I changed the oil last week it measure a half inch over the line. I didn't catch all the oil...maybe a half gallon in a clear jar for inspection...as soon as I pulled the drain plug and that container is about 1/3...
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    Beautiful, thank you. We're in the process of building a garage so we'll have a place to work. I think my son and I might take a (very careful) crack at this and we have a friendly neighbor who seems to have every type of tractor and tool under the sun. I'm sure he'll keep an eye on us. Once the...
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    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    Could I impose on you for another question? Would this be the kit I need for this job? https://southern-global.com/shop/engine-parts/engine-kit/re-ring-kit-rrk-e3cd/
  15. H

    2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

    I appreciate the advice. There is a CAT dealer not far from me (E. TN) and an MF dealer (I think Massey sold this tractor with red paint). I wouldn't be comfortable doing this myself. An engine rebuild sounds pricey....so I've got some diplomacy to do. My wife was adamant I did NOT need a...
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