Head Gasket

[clemsonfor]

What do you think about re-useing a head gasket. If it wasn't blown but pulled to check cylinder health. I have a non running 186. As I spin the motor over by hand by fan it spins very easily like there is no compression. The previous owner pulled to head cause the motor was locked up. It was not the pistons stuck. He put the head back on. I am not sure if bolts were even torqued. I can check this I am just thinking in my head about this tractor and not done it yet. I did pull the cover and check valves but didn't think to check the bolts. I am trying to figure why this motor will or won't run. If it fires I will for sure get a new gasket. But if I don't have to get a new gasket right now I will just check this thing out. At this point if I put a new gasket in it it would feel like just throwing parts at it.

What's your thoughts on re-useing a non blown gasket. If it was not torqued would it create a no compression situation?

 

[shovelmike]

The head bolts not being torqued would cause low or no compression. Did you establish the cause of the engine being stuck? Need to make sure that is remedied then assemble with a new head gasket.

 

[Roadworthy]

Just for test purposes I would torque the old head gasket. If you don't get compression with the proper torques you may have a defective head gasket.

 

[winston1]

Since you have all the unknowns I don't think you could do any harm in torqueing it down just to see what happens. If the previous owner said it wasn't stuck pistons he must surely know why it was locked up?

 

[clemsonfor]

The head bolts not being torqued would cause low or no compression. Did you establish the cause of the engine being stuck? Need to make sure that is remedied then assemble with a new head gasket.

Yea that was found by him prior to me getting it. The bell housing he said was half full of mud. How did that happen, I have no idea, but it was and locked the engine up with the tires. Mud gone, trans in neutral and engine spins like normal.

I can see residue in the bell housing, I take what he said as the truth. Guy seemed honest, had plenty of stuff at his house ( things like newer big diesel pickup, camper, several other tractors , a Corvette, newer jeep), I paid next to nothing for the tractor, the amount of money I paid I know meant nothing to this guy so I don't think he told one lie in what he found or did to the tractor.

 

[California]

I would torque it to spec, and try it. You have nothing to lose. If you are real lucky you might discover dried mud was the only thing preventing it from cranking and starting.

Does the starter seem to have survived his attempts to start it when it wouldn't crank? Also, is there any chance this is a flood recovery with mud in the crankcase, transmission, axles?

Note you can't tow-start these. The transmission stays in neutral (and no lubrication) until it gets spun by a running engine. In fact its not quite neutral. There are clutch plates not fully released, as a partial parking brake, before the engine spins the transmission's internal pump.

Good luck with this.

 

[clemsonfor]

I would torque it to spec, and try it. You have nothing to lose. If you are real lucky you might discover dried mud was the only thing preventing it from cranking and starting.

Does the starter seem to have survived his attempts to start it when it wouldn't crank? Also, is there any chance this is a flood recovery with mud in the crankcase, transmission, axles?

Note you can't tow-start these. The transmission stays in neutral (and no lubrication) until it gets spun by a running engine. In fact its not quite neutral. There are clutch plates not fully released, as a partial parking brake, before the engine spins the transmission's internal pump.

Good luck with this.

I knew the tow start would not work.

He said he never even tried to crank. He was just spinning it the same way I was with the fan and belt. I know he didn't try to start it. I noticed when I got there the fuel bowl was busted (typing this I just remembered I dropped my spare bowl out of my cabinet this summer and busted it!! I'll have to buy another one of those or borrow the ym2000 one). I figured water got into it. The clear glass cover was busted on the fuel cap/gauge part. I knew it let water in and it froze and busted the bowl. He said he hadn't even noticed it cause he never got as far as trying to start it. He got tired of it. Pulled the oil pan off with the head and pushed a piston in the bore. I didn't see any evidence of mud anywhere else. I am not sure if somehow ants made an ant bed into it or it was burried somehow going through mud? The tractor does not look muddy though.

I am at the mental planning stage on this tractor. I am getting my attachments for my Cub this weekend and I am going to be trying to free up and getting some of those in working order this winter. That project has way more of my attention and focus than this tractor. But I can't deny that I am iching to year into this thing.

 

[California]

I wonder if he bogged down in mud then just left it out there until spring.

You're going to love both of those after you eventually get them running!