JD 4300 splitting?

[smul1124]

Greetings,
Had some problems with my John Deere 4300 SRT starting ( it wouldn't ) and blowing white smoke ( last time it started). Had a friend of a friend whose a mechanic stop by an diagnosis it as a piston ring issue. Turn out that I had a ton of water in the tank due to someone using a diesel can that had been left outside. The JD dealer wanted an arm and a leg to fix it so I'm going to tackle it myself. I'm pretty mechanically inclined so with time and patience I think i can do it.

A few questions for all the experts out there.

1. I ordered the top end gasket kit, the bottom kit and the piston rings. Anything else you can think I might need?
2. Do I need any of the special tools listed in the service manual?
3. Do I really have to split the tractor at the flywheel to do change the piston rings?
4. any tips in advance of me tackling this project?

Thanks so much for any help
Scott

Phil 4:13 "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

 

[smul1124]

Was hoping someone would be willing to help...

 

[mfreund]

I have never done it but I would think you could drop the pan, take off the head and change the piston rings. The only reason you might have to split is if you need work done to the crankshaft. In fact, I was wondering why you would have thought it needed split?

 

[dfkrug]

1. I ordered the top end gasket kit, the bottom kit and the piston rings. Anything else you can think I might need?
2. Do I need any of the special tools listed in the service manual?
3. Do I really have to split the tractor at the flywheel to do change the piston rings?
4. any tips in advance of me tackling this project?

1. I only buy the head gasket, and use silcone for other gaskets. Get a service manual.
2. I used no special tools.
3. When I did my 4300, I split the tractor. To do it without splitting, I think you will
have to remove the whole front axle to clear the oil pan, if I recall. Anyway, I
prefer engine removal even if I am sure I don't need a bore job. And I have never
been sure of that. Also note that if you only hone the bore for new rings, that's a
messy job involving abrasives that are hard to remove fully with the crank in the motor.

4. Check other problem areas for 4x00s while you are at it. I posted 2 4300 rebuilds, but
the one with the most engine work is here:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/146974-john-deere-4300-complete-rebuild.html

Good luck. If you are handy, this is a job you can do.