Thinking about reconditioning my B7100 engine...

[Blagadan]

I've noticed quite a bit of blow by coming from the engine breather tube and after read up on it a bit, this seems to be a common indication of engine wear? It has been there since I bought the machine last year. The blow by has not worsened. I haven't noticed any lack in power and the tractor runs away all day long no problem but since the winter is on its way, I've started to entertain the thoughts of pulling the engine out and reconditioning it as a bit of a winter project. Perhaps just to see just what is causing the excessive blow by.
Has anyone else refurbed a B7100 engine and if so is it a big (read pain in the ***) job to do?

Hopefully it would only be a case of honing the cylinders and replacing the rings... Or, as I'm going this far, would a bottom up recondition be more in line? i'm not sure yet about availability of parts for the B7100 engine yet. The likes of gaskets and big end bearings etc etc...

I must do a compression test just to see if theres any one cylinder giving problems.

Theres a little over 2000 hrs on the meter.

thanks,

b

 

[Sherweld]

Watching this thread with interest.

 

[Tig]

duplicate post, deleted

 

[Tig]

I had my B7100 engine apart to replace connecting rods. Not a wear issue, my tractor had an accident. There is no problem getting parts. Splitting a tractor is an interesting task if you have never done it before.
Based on what you have said I would suggest you go ahead with the compression test and then decide what to do. Sounds like your little mule is still working well.

 

[larso1]

To Tig, just a question: Is it necessary to split the tractor to rebuild the engine from the rods on up? I rebuilt my Iseki (Isuzu 2-cylinder) in situ with no problem. Pulled the head and removed the oil pan, used a ball hone for the cylinders (after miking the cylinders to be sure they weren't out of spec top to bottom). Then checked the fit of the big end rod bearings on the crank and although they were within spec, I replaced the bearings anyway (checking the fit with plasti-gage). Installed a new head gasket, had a local diesel repair shop do the valve refurbish with new guides and stem seals, and that was pretty much it. It works great now.

Bill

 

[Tig]

On my B7100 4x4, the oil pan cannot be removed while the engine is in the tractor. The front subframe and drive shaft are in the way. I split the tractor then removed the engine from the front half and put it on an engine stand.

 

[larso1]

Tig said: "On my B7100 4x4, the oil pan cannot be removed while the engine is in the tractor. The front subframe and drive shaft are in the way. I split the tractor then removed the engine from the front half and put it on an engine stand."

That subframe might be a problem (mine doesn't have one) but the front drive shaft was easy to remove. On the other hand, if mine had needed a rebore, it too would have had to be removed. I was lucky.

 

[Egon]

Does it use any oil?

 

[638]

b,

2K hrs. is really not a lot of time on these little engines. My attitude is, if its not using a lot of oil, starts & runs good, and has enough power, it ain't broke. I try very hard to not fix things that ain't broke. But, if your just boored, and want to see what one looks like on the inside, go for it. We would really like to see pic's of your progress though. Could be that some of us might even be able to offer suggestions as you travel through this uncharted territory.

 

[Blagadan]

No, its not using any oil at all and it still has loads of power. The coolant is also clean and no traces of contamination.

Its just that the blow by from the breather tube catches my eye every time I look at the tractor and I cant help but think that its not right. There are more gasses coming from the breather tube than there are coming from the exhaust pipe. When I put my finger over the end of the breather tube, significant pressure builds up.
I also noticed when I would let the tractor idling while parked on the lawn, it would kill a little patch of grass directly under the tube. It took me a while to figure out why i had little patches of dead grass dotted around the lawn, I can only put it down to the breather tube. (I've since re directed the tube to face forward instead of directly down)
I'll need to run a compression test on it. I have a compression gauge but I dont have the correct adapter to fit the bota. It could be just a cracked ring causing the problem, I dont know yet.

I'd rather be proactive with this rather than wait for something to go wrong. I should have some time over the winter to get it done.
I'll get some prices for the parts required to recondition the engine and I''ll see where I go from there. If I do decide to recondition it, there will be a digital camera involved in the process... thats for sure.

I have reconditioned car engines and motorcycle engines in the past, but I've never done a tractor engine so I may be looking for guidance along the way from you experienced guys, thanks!