John Deere 1050 Engine Opinion

[kleinhhl]

Just wanted to check in in case anyone is facing the same problems with their tractor and is following this thread.

I haven't been able to do much work on the tractor due to the cold weather in Virginia and the holidays.

Tonight, I went down to look things over and stuck my finger in the neck of the radiator and found it covered in oil.

My next steps are to get the head checked out and possibly pull the liners to replace the o-rings. The liner puller is pricey but it'll have to be done.

 

[pmsmechanic]

You can make your own liner puller easy enough. You need something in the bottom that supports the cylinder and yet clears the block when you are pulling liners. A piece of ready rod and a bridge on top that clears the liners and you are in business. Just reverse to install. Pretty paraphrased but you should get the picture. If not ask questions.

 

[kleinhhl]

Quick update... I was able to work on the tractor today since it was 58F here in Virginia. It was 11F when I woke up this morning!

Anyway, I pulled the oil pan and did a pressure test on the coolant system. It was pretty obvious that coolant was leaking from either a crack in something or the sleeve o-rings from at least one and maybe all three cylinders.

I also bought a sleeve puller off of a guy on eBay. He custom machined a puck to fit the sleeve. It was much cheaper than the OTC tool or other sleeve pullers available. I'll post a picture when I can.

Just need to wait for my 3/8" and 1/2" torque wrenches to come back from Snap-on before I tear into the engine. I'm thinking of just replacing the sleeve o-rings at this point and doing a visual inspection of the sleeves and pistons / rings before going crazy and rebuilding the engine completely.

 

[TimberHole]

I replaced the seals on my first 950. Upper and lower seals carry different part numbers and are different colors (assume different types of materials) yet some aftermarket guys sell the same seal for both locations. I honed my sleeves and installed new rings. I returned a set of aftermarket rings and bought them from Deere. Not much extra money and the rings were exact matches, including markings, to the originals. I haven't found an aftermarket head gasket that is any good. I bought one aftermarket that was only $20.00 less than the expensive Deere gasket and it arrived all beat up from the manufacturing process and 7 out of 8 holes were too small to go over the studs. Buyer beware is my advice.

Are you going to have the head serviced while it's off?

 

[kleinhhl]

I did buy the John Deere sleeve o-rings and got both colors for each cylinder sleeve. I agree on the aftermarket parts being sub-par in some cases. When I did the head gasket, the one I bought came with Japanese writing and Yanmar printed on the package. It was represented by the retailer to be the equivalent Yanmar part for the John Deere 1050 later S/N break for the 3T90J-T. I did re-torque the head studs after operating for a few hours. I will see what the state of it is when I do the sleeve o-rings. If I have to buy a new head gasket again, I will buy the John Deere part.

I'm waiting for my Snap-on torque wrenches (QJFR275E 3/8" and QJR3250 1/2") to come back from the Snap-on repair facility. I sent them in to get them repaired, if needed, and calibrated. I had bought them both from eBay. Can't say enough about Snap-on's customer service. It was ~$63 each to get them gone over.

I like the idea of doing the rings while the pistons are out. I will buy them from John Deere too. There was some blow-by but nothing I felt was out of ordinary although I might as well replace them while the pistons are out.

Do you have any advice on proper technique for honing the sleeves? Which hone did you buy or are they pretty much all the same? I've never done that before. Did you use the John Deere lubricant soap (JD P/N: AR54749) on the sleeve o-rings when you put them back in? Also, I've had advice to put the liners in the freezer prior to installation. Did you do this?

I will take the head to a good shop near me to have it checked out for cracks and see whether they recommend valve work, etc.

Also, here's a video of the leaking coolant: John Deere 1050 Leaking Coolant into Oil Pan - YouTube

 

[TimberHole]

I borrowed a ball hone but you'll need one of the correct diameter. I'm not a big fan of the 3 stone hones. Read up a bit on honing and I think the manual even states the cross hatching should be at a 45 degree angle. In other words you need to turn it fairly slowly while traveling thru the liner at a fairly rapid rate to achieve the correct cross hatch.

You won't need to freeze the liners and in my opinion it would be counter productive as it would make the o rings harder. It won't take but one good whack on a wood block to get past the orings and seat the liners. They go in and out without much fanfare. I did buy an aftermarket kit for my second engine and it was tough to get the liners past the o rings. I think they were a little too thick. I did buy the soap. If it's legal to ship I'll send you some as I have enough for two lifetimes.

I hate to say it but I'll be surprised if your cylinder bores meet specs with 2500 hours. My first engine had 1200 hours and the liner bores mic'd good. The second had 2800 and they were too worn and a little out of round. For $722.00 you can get an overhaul kit with liners, rings, pistons and pins and gaskets. Bearings not included. The kit isn't perfect and I didn't use the head gasket or front and rear seal. Just too much work if they don't seal.

As for the Snap On wrenches......can't do any better than that. I only have a few Snap On tools but their the ones I reach for first!

 

[TimberHole]

Forgot to mention one thing.......you may find pitting on the liners just above the bottom o ring. This could also be the deciding factor in whether you decide to reuse the liners. Sorry, don't mean to be discouraging, but I did have some pitting on both tractors. The pitting nearly caused the first liners to reject.

Here's a pic of the second machine getting close to done.



Not to derail your thread but do you have a backhoe on your machine?

 

[kleinhhl]

Thanks again for the advice. I will inspect the sleeves and take measurements when I start to take the engine apart. I think you are right about there being pitting and excessive wear at 2500 hours. It will be a learning experience and one that will be satisfying once everything is buttoned back up.

I don't have a backhoe for this tractor. I have a Woods LC108 loader and bucket, a 3PH round bale spear, a chain drag harrow and a small snow plow mated to a quick-attach plate.

We have a horse and donkey that generate a surprising amount of manure and eat a surprising amount of hay and the 1050 handles all those chores easily. It is a 4WD as well which has gotten me out of a few sketchy situations. We try to keep the four legged beasts out as much as possible even in the winter so we feed round bales to them. The only time they come in is when it rains hard or snows because the donkey doesn't like the wet.

A guy up the road from me has a 950 with a rear mounted log splitter that looks pretty slick. I would like to add one of those, a rear blade, grapple and bush hog down the road. I also want to add a dedicated loader control valve with 3rd function and free up the rear remotes.

Regarding the rear mounted backhoe, I have been contemplating that route or a used mini excavator. I know a mini excavator would be much pricier but I think it would be more flexible than a backhoe. My barn has a dirt floor and needs extensive grading... I am going to rent a mini excavator from Sunbelt to see how they operate.

By the way, your restoration of the 950 in that pictures looks very nice. I'm jealous... mine would need a lot of work to get to that point.

 

[TimberHole]

If you pursue that dedicated valve I'd sure be interested in that. I'm not sure if I'm smart enough to figure that one out but would love to have a thumb for handling brush. I also need to sort out the log splitter as I have timber and want to start putting up some wood. I'm debating whether to keep both of my 950's. I shouldn't but I sure hate to sell either, especially after going thru the engines!

It's not really my style but I have thought that maybe the way to repair these old tractors is to only fix what's wrong. On yours that would mean seals, rod bolts and head gasket. Even if it smoked a little it would probably run a long time. Something to think about.

 

[kleinhhl]

Just a quick update on my JD 1050 with engine problems. There was a break in the cold rainy weather and I was able to pull the head this weekend with my Dad. I didn't get any pictures before I dropped the head off at the machine shop but it looks like it is cracked between the exhaust and intake valves in all three cylinders. I won't know until the machine shop calls later this week. They are going to magnaflux the head. They couldn't do a pressure test because they don't have a fixture and plates to seal the head.

There was coolant in cylinder 2 and some white particles that I'm guessing is unburnt fuel / coolant.

If the head is indeed cracked and it is not repairable, it looks like a $700 - $1000 bill to get a new or remanufactured 3T90T-J head.

I also pulled the injectors and will have them tested and cleaned. I had to use a slide hammer with a special adapter from Hoye Tractor to get them out of the head.