Damage from toppling a tractor?

[MJPetersen]

The early 3208s were not the best engine Cat ever designed, IMHO, however there are TONS of them out there in alot of different HP and applications. I was not impressed though.

Mike

 

[D7E]

The early 3208s were not the best engine Cat ever designed, IMHO, however there are TONS of them out there in alot of different HP and applications. I was not impressed though.

Mike

Hey don't get me wrong , i love em ,i've got 3 of em in trucks , tractors , combines and all have been good but i'm well aware of what they can do ?

 

[D7E]

The early 3208s were not the best engine Cat ever designed, IMHO, however there are TONS of them out there in alot of different HP and applications. I was not impressed though.

Mike

Hey don't get me wrong , i love em ,i've got 3 of em in trucks , tractors , combines and all have been good but i'm well aware of what they can do ?

 

[jwk]

The good news is my seat cutoff switch works -- the engine stopped quickly as I flew off the seat...

The bad news is, after putting the tractor on its feet again, I made the mistake of trying to crank it over. (this was before I posted this question) It didn't crank -- well, it tried to, then wouldn't turn. A good indication that there was oil in the cylinders.

Then it sat for a couple days. Then I tried to start it, and it started up. I don't notice anything bad happening now when it's running. Would I notice a bent rod, or any other bad things that could have happened when I originally was trying to crank it over?

To answer the question on what NOT to do: When using a FEL, with a lot of weight in the scoop, be VERY careful on slopes. I will not be going anywhere near a slope with the scoop loaded any more...

 

[RoyJackson]

The good news is my seat cutoff switch works -- the engine stopped quickly as I flew off the seat...

The bad news is, after putting the tractor on its feet again, I made the mistake of trying to crank it over. (this was before I posted this question) It didn't crank -- well, it tried to, then wouldn't turn. A good indication that there was oil in the cylinders.

Then it sat for a couple days. Then I tried to start it, and it started up. I don't notice anything bad happening now when it's running. Would I notice a bent rod, or any other bad things that could have happened when I originally was trying to crank it over?

I'd guess the fuel may have drained down and you had an air block. It may have started if you'd bled the lines.
As far as a rod...you should hear a loud knock with a bent rod...
So, how did the tractor run? Was it OK on power?

 

[skipmarcy]

The good news is my seat cutoff switch works -- the engine stopped quickly as I flew off the seat...

The bad news is, after putting the tractor on its feet again, I made the mistake of trying to crank it over. (this was before I posted this question) It didn't crank -- well, it tried to, then wouldn't turn. A good indication that there was oil in the cylinders.

Then it sat for a couple days. Then I tried to start it, and it started up. I don't notice anything bad happening now when it's running. Would I notice a bent rod, or any other bad things that could have happened when I originally was trying to crank it over?

To answer the question on what NOT to do: When using a FEL, with a lot of weight in the scoop, be VERY careful on slopes. I will not be going anywhere near a slope with the scoop loaded any more...

I have very little diesel diagnosis experience, my career was all gas, but just from basics it would seem that you would notice something if it had a bent rod or busted ring/piston - a miss or vibration and in the case of ring damage, some smoke. A bent rod would decrease compression in it's cylinder and possibly not even ignite the fuel mix if it were bent enough. Does your engine seem any different?

Amen on the FEL - many times that I've had repetitious loader work to do, I've had to dump the bucket a little prematurely when the rear wheels left the ground going down a grade - luckily I always do this in a straight line, if the front wheels had been turned the tractor could have gone over very easily. Everyone knows that you should keep your bucket low for transport but you gotta keep it up high enough so the materials don't fall out of that full bucket you tried so hard to fill fully !!

 

[Tig]

Would I notice a bent rod, or any other bad things that could have happened when I originally was trying to crank it over?

As Skipmarcy suggested if you can't feel a difference in how it runs that is a good sign. I'm not a mechanic by trade but I unfortunately have some experience in bent rods. If a rod were bent then the piston will not travel as high in the cylinder as it used to. You should be able to detect this with a compression test. A good reading will give you some peace of mind. If there is some compression variance between cylinders it does not mean bent rod for certain. It could be due to normal wear.

 

[TrippleT]

I think the good news is, that if you got thrown off the tractor you were not hurt, or worse. One can always rebuild an engine. I think others have given good info on here as to the bent rod. If your engine is running all right your more than likely good to go.
At any rate if you have a tractor dealer nearby he might check the compression and he might have an exhaust pyrometer if there is a difference in the temps on the exhaust runners then you may have a weak cylinder. But that could be from normal wear as well.
If it were me and it runs as well as it did, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[jwk]

From what I can tell, it runs as well now as it did before. So I guess I'll stop worrying about it, unless I start to notice some change. Thanks for all your replies!

 

[Kernopelli]

I have had a little experience with a bent rod from the engine being hydrolocked. As was mentioned, a compression test will show if that's the case but I think chances are that it would be obvious without it. In my case the increase if fuel smoke was so obvious it couldn't be ignored and I suspect you would be seeing that too if one bent.

 

[dfkrug]

You are probably right Roysince I'm not familiar with other tractors, but my Kama and other Chinese tractors like Jinma have them too.
Originally designed for ease of starting but I've found it can help pre-lube the engine when cranking it over in the mornings. Turning the engine over a few times gets oil pumping into the bearing journals without load imposed by a firing piston. Of course I don't use it all the time during the rest of the day.

Hey, Rob, I have never seen comp release on any CUT either. Of course
I have never seen a Kama, and the Jinmas I did not see up close. Yanmars
not up close either.

How does it work? Does it operate from the cockpit, or under the hood?

Even my JD (Yanmar) had no C.R. So I am also surprised Yanmar tractors
have them.

Quick, tell me before I get deleted as an "off-topic" post...

 

[3RRL]

OK, sorry for the "off topic" post...
I took these photos while doing my valve lash adjustment.
This one shows the lever at the back of the valve cover on my Kama. It is operated with a cable that pulls the lever. The lever is attached to a rod with cams on it that when activated, opens up all the exhaust valves on mine.



Below is the knob on the dash which you pull from the driver's seat. Actually, on mine this is the kill knob, but the decompression knob is right next to it on the left. Pretend this is the decompression knob for a visual... I have it pulled back so I can rotate the crankshaft for setting the valve lash.



Now, when the exhaust valves are held open, the engine turns over without any compression. It is easier on the battery and starter motor especially in super cold weather starts. It also allows a squirt of fuel to get into the cylinders, and as the engine is turning over, the oil pump starts pumping to lube the journals, etc. without load on the bearings. Then after a couple revolutions, you let go of the knob and the engine catches.

My Kama starts very easily and really doesn't need that feature. It had no glow plugs and is direct injection. As a matter of fact, it shipped out without the lever connected to the cable. But some other Chinese brands are hard starters and it comes in handy for them.

 

[dfkrug]

It had no glow plugs and is direct injection.

My JD 955 was DI, too. No glow plugs and no comp release. Super
easy starting with automatic air intake heating element. Perhaps the
DI engines (mine was only about 18:1 compression ratio) do not lend
themselves well to glow plugs? Non-DI engines of that size are more
like 22:1.

 

[Soundguy]

My yanmar 1700 came with CR from the factory.. etc..

Soundguy

Hey, Rob, I have never seen comp release on any CUT either. Of course
I have never seen a Kama, and the Jinmas I did not see up close. Yanmars
not up close either.

How does it work? Does it operate from the cockpit, or under the hood?

Even my JD (Yanmar) had no C.R. So I am also surprised Yanmar tractors
have them.

Quick, tell me before I get deleted as an "off-topic" post...