New to me Jinma 254.. crankcase breather hose?

[Mr4btTahoe]

I think I'm going to go on and put a head gasket in it which will give me the opertunity to check the liners and head. I got the oil pressure gauge hooked up last night and that resulted in a bit of sadness. Lol

Cold idle oil pressure is only ~10-15psi. Oil pressure comes up with rpm to a maximum of ~40ish psi. Once the engine gets some heat in it, I'm sure idle oil pressure will be nill. It's odd as I know my neighbor has ran this thing for a good while with none of the gauges working and it never seemed to give him any problems. It starts easy... runs smooth...

I'm going to change the oil in it tonight and see if it makes a difference.

Likely what I'll end up doing is doing the head gasket and running it until winter when I can tear it down and rebuild it or just get a short block for it. As long as I can keep oil pressure up and keep it from destroying the crank, I may consider rebuilding it myself. IDK yet..

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

So... not to offend any of the distributors on the site... but has anyone imported parts for their tractors direct using Ali or similar outfits?

At this point, I can't swing buying a short block kit from a US distributor. I am however not in a rush... so shipping times don't bother me.. and I can swing the price from the Chinese distributor. I can get everything in the short block (not including the block) for ~$500 shipped to my door by May with buyer protection.

So... have any of you gone this route before?

Parts look to be identical to what is offered in the states... same manufacturer stamping... same packaging.. I'd venture to say they are the same parts (as this specific distributor seems to be an Asian tractor/parts distributor).

Thoughts?

Again... don't want to offend any of the local distributors and I'm aware I'll be taking more of a risk/wont have local distributor support..

Thanks

 

[piper184]

I replaced my driveshaft balls with 3/8 "pins" from Fastenal. Worked perfectly. They were the same shape as a tiny Tylenol pill. I believe they are line up pins.
Good luck with your Jinma. I love mine.

That is really interesting! Sounds like a dowel pin like you would find between the bell housing and the engine block. used for easy assembly and then the bolts are not taking a shear load as the pins carry that with a closer tolerance fit. Very innovative.
Did you take pictures you could share?

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

So... thoughts on parts direct from china?

 

[piper184]

Way back when I bought my tractor I looked into using an importer as opposed to using a dealer. The importer wanted the $$ up front and he had to get enough orders together to fill a shipping container then he had to pay the factory up front before they would fill the order. No guarantees from anyone involved and not even a time table could be established. I found a dealer that sold the tractors still in the crate so I was able to save on shipping and prep fees. The importer route just sounded too risky to me even though it would have saved two or three thousand.

I understand not having enough cash to go around but I am also really reluctant to stick my neck out on an overseas order. A big part will depend on what kind of buyer protection you can get.

Typically I like to take things apart and only order what I need but when it is your working tractor down time is a factor too. Tough spot to be in but you are probably the only one that can make the decision.

Have you considered looking for a "parts tractor"? Maybe one that someone abused and broke an axle or took out some gears that could be had for cheap? Maybe even look at scrap yards? You would still have to buy gasket and ring sets but it may save you a lot of $$.

Maybe put a want to buy ad out there and see what comes your way.

Sorry I don't have any experience with importers or buying direct.

 

[Bob Rooks]

I have the NAPA squeeze bulb coolant/block tester that I use, but I just ran across this. Looks promising.

Amazon.com: CS Engine Combustion Real-TIME Leak Tester - CO2 Leak Tester - Cylinder Head Gasket Tester - Test While Driving - Petrol Diesel Gas - Engine Under Load Head Gasket Test Kit - 2 PCS in a Box : Automotive

Buy CS Engine Combustion Real-TIME Leak Tester - CO2 Leak Tester - Cylinder Head Gasket Tester - Test While Driving - Petrol Diesel Gas - Engine Under Load Head Gasket Test Kit - 2 PCS in a Box: Ignition Testers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Almost any good oil analysis lab can test your oil, but be careful to use a reputable one. I use this one because they have a contract with Washington State Ferries and do all of our lube oil, fuel oil, hydraulic oil, gear oils, and coolant analysis. We run EMD, Cat, Waukesha, Detroit, and Cummins engines.

ALS locations

ALS is a leading testing, inspection, certification and verification company head quartered in Brisbane, Australia. Servicing multiple industries globally, ALS employs over 15,000 staff in more than 65 countries.

www.alsglobal.com

Here is my first report card during break in.

 

[Bob Rooks]

A little update...

I've noticed an odd issue. After starting the tractor and letting it run for any length of time.. no matter if its 30 seconds or 30 minutes... when I shut it down, the cooling system gurgles. After the engine comes to a stop... a few seconds go by and then it sounds like a quick burst of pressure is entering the cooling system. It does this at least twice on every shutdown.

I'm kinda thinking it may have a head gasket issue.

None of the gauges worked as the wiring was butchered and the gauges themselves were damaged. I just installed a cheap set of mechanical gauges to see what its doing.

A head gasket issue could also explain the excessive blow by.

Hmm...

"Odd issue": This is actually quite normal with any reciprocating engine (more noticeable on some than others). Why? Because the coolant pump is no longer circulating coolant, and the piston and rings are hot and static against the cylinder walls thus transferring heat to the coolant jacket that no longer has coolant circulating. If you had a mechanical gauge you would also notice a rise in temperature. This is why you "warm down" an engine (idle it) before you shut it off. You need a coolant recovery system too.

I'm not sure how you correlate crankcase blow-by to a head gasket failure. Please elaborate.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

"Odd issue": This is actually quite normal with any reciprocating engine (more noticeable on some than others). Why? Because the coolant pump is no longer circulating coolant, and the piston and rings are hot and static against the cylinder walls thus transferring heat to the coolant jacket that no longer has coolant circulating. If you had a mechanical gauge you would also notice a rise in temperature. This is why you "warm down" an engine (idle it) before you shut it off. You need a coolant recovery system too.

I'm not sure how you correlate crankcase blow-by to a head gasket failure. Please elaborate.

Excess crankcase pressure could certainly be caused by a head gasket failing to an oil return passage in the head. Combustion pressure would be vented to the pan creating pressure.

But after running it for a good bit, I don't think its head gasket related. The bottom end of this engine is definitely tired. Hot idle oil pressure is well under 10psi.. probably 5ish but hard to tell on the gauge. On the governor, its around 20 to 25 and thats with 15w40 in the case.

As far as buying the parts.. it would be through a distributor selling on aliexpress. They seem to only deal in Asian tractor parts and have several reviews from US buyers as well as other countries. Aliexpress offers 75 day buyer protection against not receiving an item or an item not being as described. These parts are being sold by part number and are well described. Looks legitimate.

I just can't swing 1800 for a short block (or 1200 for a rebuild kit + crank).. but i can get everything for 500ish from them. The wait isn't an issue.. I just wasn't sure if anyone had any experience going this route. I understand the risk for sure.

 

[TTTTTT]

I've ordered parts through Ali express from a supplier that sells through them . One large order around $500 . No issues , got what I expected. Similar international shipping and tracking like Amazon. Actually very quick and no surprise s. The only thing is to verify and double check exactly what you what for your tractor. The descriptions and specs,and pics seem accurate. Some part's numbers may be a replacement or updated. You can ask questions of the supplier. Don't rely that " part X" is this for your tractor without checking via specs and pics.

 

[Bob Rooks]

Excess crankcase pressure could certainly be caused by a head gasket failing to an oil return passage in the head. Combustion pressure would be vented to the pan creating pressure.

Hypothetically, yes. But in over 60 years of wrenching on almost everything, I've never seen nor heard of that scenario.

But after running it for a good bit, I don't think its head gasket related. The bottom end of this engine is definitely tired. Hot idle oil pressure is well under 10psi.. probably 5ish but hard to tell on the gauge. On the governor, its around 20 to 25 and thats with 15w40 in the case.

It's very likely that if you took the time you could find interchangeable bearing inserts domestically. All you need is measurements, and any good automotive machine shop can do your crankshaft.

As far as buying the parts.. it would be through a distributor selling on aliexpress. They seem to only deal in Asian tractor parts and have several reviews from US buyers as well as other countries. Aliexpress offers 75 day buyer protection against not receiving an item or an item not being as described. These parts are being sold by part number and are well described. Looks legitimate.

There are members from other sites and forums that have had good luck with them. No experience personally.

I just can't swing 1800 for a short block (or 1200 for a rebuild kit + crank).. but i can get everything for 500ish from them. The wait isn't an issue.. I just wasn't sure if anyone had any experience going this route. I understand the risk for sure.

Check measurements. There is a lot of parts interchangeability in these engines.