Damaged block installing block heater L5240

Adiredneck · Feb 1, 2016

Update guys. I stopped at the dealer tonight and ordered the paper manual. Two weeks! I could have had an electronic version download immediately, but I just couldn't see myself flipping pages on my laptop with oily fingers. So I have some time to de-clutter the garage.

I did verify with one of the mechanics that the front axle pivot does need to be loosened and lowered before the two center oil pan bolts will come out.

The Deerslayer · Feb 1, 2016

As cool and calm as you have been through this whole ordeal, I have no doubt that you have already recognized the positive in that you will now have a brand new shop manual:laughing: Hang in there and keep the updates coming when possible.

countrybumpkin · Feb 1, 2016

Ive come to like the electronic versions of manuals , allows me to print off what i need and then not worry about getting oil and grease on them, just throw them away.

Adiredneck · Feb 1, 2016

The Deerslayer said:
As cool and calm as you have been through this whole ordeal, I have no doubt that you have already recognized the positive in that you will now have a brand new shop manual:laughing: Hang in there and keep the updates coming when possible.

Yup. And I'm seeing parts of my garage floor that haven't seen light in years. Whenever my wife is distracted, I bring some more of her crap into the basement.

Another positive: I'm likely going to need some more tools in this venture.

One thing I can't figure out is how I'm going to get the loader off the 5240 out of the other side of the garage. I do have an old mobile home axle I was thinking about. Maybe I could lift up the bucket and chain it to the axle, then chain around the other end with the 3400 and drag it up to the polebarn.

There's really no way to lift it all with the little tractor. Very strange shape to move..

aczlan · Feb 1, 2016

Adiredneck said:
One thing I can't figure out is how I'm going to get the loader off the 5240 out of the other side of the garage. I do have an old mobile home axle I was thinking about. Maybe I could lift up the bucket and chain it to the axle, then chain around the other end with the 3400 and drag it up to the polebarn.

Wrap a pair of straps around the loader frame at the top of the bucket curl cylinders (or perhaps partway down the frame behind the curl cylinders), drive your L3400 up to the front of the L5240 and lift off of them (you will probbaly need to disconnect the loader from the tractor first, if its like our B7500, you should be able to disconnect it, then put the loader in float until you pull the loader off of the tractor, then disconnect the hydraulic lines).
Alternatively (if you have a place where you can leave the loader and pull the L5240 away from it), hook the L3400 to the L5240 loader and use its hydraulics to disconnect the loader brackets/push the tractor back and then pull the L5240 away from the loader frame.
BTDT with a L3650 that had the exact same issue (we used the B7500 to power the loader cylinders to disconnect the loader, then pulled the L3650 back and around to the barn with the B7500 to remove the rest of the loader brackets).

Aaron Z

Wild Bill the 2nd · Feb 1, 2016

If you want to get started early you can get a digital service manual for your tractor here for $10

I got one for my RTV through them. Seems sketchy but worked.

GPintheMitten · Feb 2, 2016

Any chance of taking the bucket off first by removing the loader pins? It might make it easier to move with just the fel arms on, or make it easier to remove the fel arms.

Adiredneck · Feb 2, 2016

GPintheMitten said:
Any chance of taking the bucket off first by removing the loader pins? It might make it easier to move with just the fel arms on, or make it easier to remove the fel arms.

The loader is already off the tractor, sitting in the left side of the garage. It is not doing me much good there.

ACZLAN had a good point. If I can drag the whole thing backwards out of the garage so I can get in front of it, then I can disconnect the bucket, scoop up the QA assebly and put some ropes around the arms and hope it lifts everything. I think it will. I've lifted the snowplow for my truck with it on the forks before, and that's a lot of weight out a ways.

That would be a huge help, and it may allow me to get my pickup back into the garage.

Ford850 · Feb 2, 2016

Adiredneck said:
The loader is already off the tractor, sitting in the left side of the garage. It is not doing me much good there.

ACZLAN had a good point. If I can drag the whole thing backwards out of the garage so I can get in front of it, then I can disconnect the bucket, scoop up the QA assebly and put some ropes around the arms and hope it lifts everything. I think it will. I've lifted the snowplow for my truck with it on the forks before, and that's a lot of weight out a ways.

That would be a huge help, and it may allow me to get my pickup back into the garage.

You'll be surprised how easy it will slide on the bucket. You could strap a piece of plywood under it if you want to skid it across a driveway or something that might leave marks.

aczlan · Feb 2, 2016

Ford850 said:
You'll be surprised how easy it will slide on the bucket. You could strap a piece of plywood under it if you want to skid it across a driveway or something that might leave marks.

I agree. It should slide well on the bucket (probably better than just on the QA frame).
If its face in on one side of the garage, I would pull the L3400 in, put a couple of straps around the back of the loader frame, then lift it and pull it out (letting it slide on the bucket (with a spotter to watch the bucket and make sure nothing gets chewed up)).

Aaron Z

The Fred · Feb 2, 2016

I move my LA724 loader with a floor jack. It balances perfectly on the large cylindrical tube behind the bucket.

Obviously a floor jack won't work on dirt.

If you want the manual sooner I can email it to you. It's a rather large file.

Regards, Fred

Adiredneck · Feb 2, 2016

The Fred said:
I move my LA724 loader with a floor jack. It balances perfectly on the large cylindrical tube behind the bucket.

Obviously a floor jack won't work on dirt.

If you want the manual sooner I can email it to you. It's a rather large file.

Regards, Fred

That would be great! If nothing else, I can read through and get an idea for what I'm up against. I sent you a PM with my e-mail. Thanks!

Adiredneck · Feb 2, 2016

The Fred said:
I move my LA724 loader with a floor jack. It balances perfectly on the large cylindrical tube behind the bucket.

Obviously a floor jack won't work on dirt.

If you want the manual sooner I can email it to you. It's a rather large file.

Regards, Fred

That would be great! If nothing else, I can read through and get an idea for what I'm up against. I sent you a PM with my e-mail. Thanks!

JWR · Feb 5, 2016

I really hate to poop this party ... but in my opinion about 10 pages ago in these posts it was time to pull the engine, not the pan. Take it to a good engine shop and tell them to fix the #$%^ thing. Sometimes it just gets to that point. I fear you may dig deeper holes. The major question is "What all did I drill through?" Pulling the head and one piston will confirm the extent of that. Repair itself is not likely to be hard once the extent is known. Obviously almost all labor. As others have suggested there may be some unrelated secondary issue that you did NOT cause by drilling. Sorry to hear the whole thing -- this is about as much of a mess as I have heard about, starting from an innocent thing.

oldpilgrim · Feb 5, 2016

pull the engine, not the pan. Take it to a good engine shop and tell them to fix the #$%^ thing.

agreed...take it out....haul it off.....pick it up and put it in. i doubt it would be a tremendous more cost and you'll save yourself a lot of time and effort. And it will all be buttoned up tight and ready to go.

kuboman · Feb 6, 2016

The problem with these engines is the cylinder walls are very thin which makes installing a liner that much more trick. To bore it out enough for a liner generally does not leave enough material to actually hold the liner and maintain cylinder wall integrity.
Hope you find a solution.

pmsmechanic · Feb 6, 2016

JWR said:
I really hate to poop this party ... but in my opinion about 10 pages ago in these posts it was time to pull the engine, not the pan. Take it to a good engine shop and tell them to fix the #$%^ thing. Sometimes it just gets to that point. I fear you may dig deeper holes. The major question is "What all did I drill through?" Pulling the head and one piston will confirm the extent of that. Repair itself is not likely to be hard once the extent is known. Obviously almost all labor. As others have suggested there may be some unrelated secondary issue that you did NOT cause by drilling. Sorry to hear the whole thing -- this is about as much of a mess as I have heard about, starting from an innocent thing.

oldpilgrim said:
agreed...take it out....haul it off.....pick it up and put it in. i doubt it would be a tremendous more cost and you'll save yourself a lot of time and effort. And it will all be buttoned up tight and ready to go.

Some guys have more money than time. Others are not so fortunate.

And you are right. Your idea is the most reliable way of fixing the problem. There's no question about that. But if it was me I'd be looking for cheaper ways of repair as I just wouldn't have the money.

And for me anyways there is a certain amount of satisfaction in doing a unconventional repair and experimenting with what works. In the end a different block is always an option but with a lot less satisfaction at beating the odds.

I make my living doing odd jobs and I get to see a lot of questionable things. It always amazes me at what kind of repairs that others do that still keep running....and running. Long after I would have done something more permanent.

ovrszd · Feb 6, 2016

pmsmechanic said:
Some guys have more money than time. Others are not so fortunate.

And if my memory is correct they would charge him $400 to tear it down so they could do the repair?? I'd want to trim all off that $400 that I could. If stripping it down to the short block saved me a couple hundred, I'd be all over it.

TomSeller · Feb 6, 2016

pmsmechanic said:
I make my living doing odd jobs and I get to see a lot of questionable things. It always amazes me at what kind of repairs that others do that still keep running....and running. Long after I would have done something more permanent.

Old Greek proverb -

Nothing is more permanent than the temporary

pmsmechanic · Feb 6, 2016

ovrszd said:
And if my memory is correct they would charge him $400 to tear it down so they could do the repair?? I'd want to trim all off that $400 that I could. If stripping it down to the short block saved me a couple hundred, I'd be all over it.

Well we are not on the same page. I was thinking more about the $3200 for a new block. $400 for a tear down (and reassembly ?) is reasonable.