Repairing Drilled Engine Block

[Husaberger]

I had the dealer install a new engine in my Kubota L4740 when it spun a bearing

In order to get the new engine from Kubota, they required the dealer to drill the block

Now I would like to rebuild this engine and am wondering what it would take to repair the drill hole

See pics

 

[WranglerX]

If it's only into water jacket, I would venture to guess to tap threads into in and install a plug.... It's drilled all the way into a cylinder, it's pretty much dead.... IF drilled all the way into cylinder you "might" sleeve it but it would be rather ifie....

 

[Husaberger]

If it's only into water jacket, I would venture to guess to tap threads into in and install a plug.... It's drilled all the way into a cylinder, it's pretty much dead.... IF drilled all the way into cylinder you "might" sleeve it but it would be rather ifie....

What is the concern with sleeving if into the cylinder?

 

[ericm979]

If it's only into water jacket, I would venture to guess to tap threads into in and install a plug.... It's drilled all the way into a cylinder, it's pretty much dead.... IF drilled all the way into cylinder you "might" sleeve it but it would be rather ifie....

If it was drilled into a cylinder a sleeve would fix it unless the sleeves were the ones with seals on the ends to keep coolant out. Then you'd need to plug the hole. You could do that with epoxy if you can get tools in through the water jacket. Or cut a larger hole in the outside of the water jacket, weld up the hole and then welt the cut out part back in.

 

[WranglerX]

What is the concern with sleeving if into the cylinder?

Going to the expense of sleeving and it does not seal so you have water leaking into cylinder.....

 

[IndyIan]

No experience with this, but could you pull the sleeve for that cylinder, tap all the holes in the block, put in a set screw with the threads covered with epoxy in each hole in the block, then put in a new sleeve?

 

[ruffdog]

Rebuild kits for the V2403 engine show replaceable liners. Both holes through the casting would have to be tapped and plugged. The outside hole may have to be bigger to allow the tap to reach the inner hole. Use a high temp thread sealer.

 

[WinterDeere]

I have no experience with building small tractor engines, but having done several car engines, there's a lot of hours and dollars in involved in any engine build. I'd hate to put all that into an iffy block.

How much are you really saving by using this block, versus buying another core from a totaled tractor?

 

[Husaberger]

I have no experience with building small tractor engines, but having done several car engines, there's a lot of hours and dollars in involved in any engine build. I'd hate to put all that into an iffy block.

How much are you really saving by using this block, versus buying another core from a totaled tractor?

Good question

 

[4570Man]

Is that all they did to the block? It wasn’t uncommon to pour glass shards in the oil and run them until they seized. As for the hole it could be brazed over and a cylinder sleeve installed if needed.

 

[DarkBlack]

I’m curious about the whole transaction. Isn’t that an older tractor? I’m assuming old enough it wasn’t still under a new warranty, so why was a complete new engine issued for a spun bearing? Was it a special circumstance free replacement? I’m trying to figure why the manufacturer required the block destroyed.

 

[Harry in Ky]

I’m curious about the whole transaction. Isn’t that an older tractor? I’m assuming old enough it wasn’t still under a new warranty, so why was a complete new engine issued for a spun bearing? Was it a special circumstance free replacement? I’m trying to figure why the manufacturer required the block destroyed.

As I understand it, they still build (and sell) replacement non emissionized engines for the older tractors. One has to provide model and serial numbers of the original engine and provide proof the block was drilled in this manner to prevent it's being rebuilt or re used. Mainly to stop you from buying an older style engine and putting it into a newer tractor to defeat emissions. I put a new engine in an L5240 a few years ago and had to do the same thing before Kubota would ship the new engine.

 

[WinterDeere]

Pretty standard practice. Hell, even Stanley Thermos makes you send in photos of your destroyed thermos, before they'll send you a new one under warranty. It's a way to prevent people from reselling bad product on ebay, thus damaging the brand name, or from scamming the manufacturer to get duplicates through warranty.

 

[bigtiller]

Pretty standard practice. Hell, even Stanley Thermos makes you send in photos of your destroyed thermos, before they'll send you a new one under warranty. It's a way to prevent people from reselling bad product on ebay, thus damaging the brand name, or from scamming the manufacturer to get duplicates through warranty.

I believe that! Given half a chance, some people will screw up every good thing available.

I sent Stanley a letter in the mid 70's explaining the luke warm milk in my new thermos and they sent me a replacement.

I still have that one. I should take a pic and sent them a thank-you letter.

 

[WinterDeere]

I believe that! Given half a chance, some people will screw up every good thing available.

I sent Stanley a letter in the mid 70's explaining the luke warm milk in my new thermos and they sent me a replacement.

I still have that one. I should take a pic and sent them a thank-you letter.

I'm on my third classic Stanely thermos. You know, the ones that run around 1 liter, with the green wrinkle finish. They're not dishwasher safe, the chlorine in dishwasher detergent attacks their welds, but I used to wash them with dishwasher detergent anyway. I carried one to work every day for more than 20 years, as the coffee I brewed at home was always way better than anything I could get at work.

What usually happens with these, if the welds that hold the handle to the bottle don't fail first, is that the weld that forms the vacuum seal between the inner bottle and outer bottle fail. Once this happens, pouring hot liquid into the thermos causes the outer shell to get hot... now you know your vacuum seal has failed.

Stanley will replace it, they carry a lifetime warranty. But they want to see photographic evidence that the old one was destroyed, before they will send out a new one. IIRC, they make you write your name and date on the outside with a Sharpie, and then scratch "DEFECTIVE" into the finish, before taking a photo.

The new ones are substantially thinner and lighter than the old ones, but actually outperform the old ones, in terms of keeping your liquids hot and avoiding corrosion at the welds. Just one of a million examples where the heavier/older tech wasn't necessarily better.

 

[CliffordK]

As mentioned, the depth of hole is important as well as what it hit. That doesn't look too different from the freeze plug just below it. So if it looks to only be in the water jacket, perhaps just pound in a new freeze plug the size of the hole.

 

[Williy]

Can you weld it?

willy

 

[flyerdan]

From the pics, it looks like that red depth probe goes all the way into a cylinder, which would make repairs pretty difficult. If it's a sleeved engine, you might be able to punch out the outside hole a bit bigger so you can tap the inner one for a plug, seal it good with JB or braze, smooth it down with a die grinder, then tap the outer one or size it for a drive in frost plug. Seems like a lot of work for an iffy repair at best.

 

[sandman2234]

Time to invest in one of those $79 borescopes and take a closer look at what they drilled into! If it didn't hit anything important, it might be do-able.

I have several Stanley thermos' that have been warranted without damaging it. That must be a new requirement.
I carry two themos with me when I leave home. One trip I set them on the APU and put some other stuff in the truck, and meant to grab them. Got about a mile from the house and reached down to pour a cup, and no thermos! I remember running over something on the road, but noticed that I didn't see anything, just felt the bump! I called my Bride and she rode over there and picked up a 3 inch flattened thermos! The next day when I got home, (36 hours later) I removed the top and the coffee was still hot! Stanley would not warranty that one, even though it would have been really good advertisement for them!
They also will not replace the names on the outside, just the thermos. I had a Cummins painted one that quit and they would only send me a green one!
David from jax

 

[WinterDeere]

I have several Stanley thermos' that have been warranted without damaging it. That must be a new requirement.

Maybe. I had two replaced, and they required defacing of both. They were purchased 1970's and 1990's, but both replaced sometime 2010 - 2020.

If I'm being totally honest, I know for sure that they required defacing the first, sending me specific instructions on how to do it. But the second I might have just done myself, before they even asked, on the expectation this was their SOP.