YM 1600

   / YM 1600
  • Thread Starter
#11  
You're doing it right. Don't be bashful about asking anything.

I and many others started here with exactly the same question: "My first tractor. What do I need to know?". Some of us stuck around to encourage each succeeding generation of new owners.

Plus there are a few folks who owned these when they were first imported, nearly 50 years ago. Their advice is profound.

Welcome aboard!
Yes thankyou so much. I love figuring out and repairing old machines. I figured this would be a good way to learn tractors. Learning how to split a 16hp tractor will be more forgiving then a 60hp tractor i assume lol. So far the only thing slowing me down is that it's an old rarish gray market tractor and certain parts are hard to find.
 
   / YM 1600
  • Thread Starter
#12  
NOPE. They don't offer free manuals and nor do they have nearly 2,793 members like we do.
Plus try searching for anything on the FB group, it is a major pain.

The YTOG link is below in my signature in big print. :D
Alright I think I'm signed up lol
 
   / YM 1600 #13  
From your description it sounds like the previous owner cooked the starter windings, which means that you cannot rebuild the starter. It would need to be rewound and this can really only be done by a shop that rewinds starter and other motors. However, if the rest of the tractor is in good shape spending a C note on a starter is a good investment. I have a YM 2310 that was made in 1980 or 1981. The machine is a beast for its size. It has a front end loader and I use that tractor so much and it just keeps going and going. I think you will be very happy with your Yanmar. When you do have a working starter don't spin it more than 20 seconds when trying to start the tractor. Let it cool a bit before trying again. You probably need to bleed the fuel system since the previous owner said he ran it out of fuel. This is easy to do and there is lotsa info on this site about how to bleed the fuel system on your particular tractor. And DO NOT use starting fluid on you tractor, it can cause all sorts of really bad problems. There is info on this site about that too. Some diesel engines can be used with ether, AKA starting fluid, but Yanmar engines of your vintage can be broken badly by using starting fluid.
Eric
 
   / YM 1600 #14  
I love figuring out and repairing old machines.
We all here share that hobby! :)
... only thing slowing me down is that it's an old rarish gray market tractor and certain parts are hard to find.
You'll be surprised - Back then Yanmar built things to be owner-maintained, anywhere in the world, in almost all cases with the simple tools any farmer would already have. The company continues to have a strong pro-ag attitude.

And back then they went to the existing suppliers of the electrical systems on Japanese cars and motorcycles for starters, alternators and regulators, lights, the choice of which battery, and I suppose they used industry-common parts like the clutch assembly. So the parts an owner is likely to need for maintenance are available anywhere, so long as cross-reference info is available. And that's where this forum and Maverick's YTOG are valuable.

These old Yanmars are like old VW's and Jeeps for continued parts support, now by third-party suppliers. The US is only a small part of the world market where these were exported, are still in use, and are well supported.

Some Yanmar folklore you may not yet have discovered: 30-40 years ago refurb factories in VN bought used Yanmars, swapped parts around until there was one complete tractor, applied a museum-quality paint job, and sold them over here. A few were misrepresented as new. Most of these tractors, like yours, then provided excellent service for another generation. Much of this forum was discussion on these.

Yanmar also had dealers in the US that sold US-spec models. Then closed them to build for John Deere for a couple of decades. Then returned to the US more recently - with sophistocated complex modern tractors that don't have much in common with our YM-series ones.
 
   / YM 1600
  • Thread Starter
#15  
We all here share that hobby! :)

You'll be surprised - Back then Yanmar built things to be owner-maintained, anywhere in the world, in almost all cases with the simple tools any farmer would already have. The company continues to have a strong pro-ag attitude.

And back then they went to the existing suppliers of the electrical systems on Japanese cars and motorcycles for starters, alternators and regulators, lights, the choice of which battery, and I suppose they used industry-common parts like the clutch assembly. So the parts an owner is likely to need for maintenance are available anywhere, so long as cross-reference info is available. And that's where this forum and Maverick's YTOG are valuable.

These old Yanmars are like old VW's and Jeeps for continued parts support, now by third-party suppliers. The US is only a small part of the world market where these were exported, are still in use, and are well supported.

Some Yanmar folklore you may not yet have discovered: 30-40 years ago refurb factories in VN bought used Yanmars, swapped parts around until there was one complete tractor, applied a museum-quality paint job, and sold them over here. A few were misrepresented as new. Most of these tractors, like yours, then provided excellent service for another generation. Much of this forum was discussion on these.

Yanmar also had dealers in the US that sold US-spec models. Then closed them to build for John Deere for a couple of decades. Then returned to the US more recently - with sophistocated complex modern tractors that don't have much in common with our YM-series ones.
Cool information. Thankyou. I've heard they were very reliable.
 
   / YM 1600
  • Thread Starter
#16  
All the Elec. brushes are gone and the wires to them are huge. The Yanmar Motor for the YM1600 is a SM-146 from Fredricks. That is the same starter I use on a YM2000. Models 1600,1700,1900,2000 use it. I had to rebuild it for the same reason you are. They carry most all the replacement parts. Armature, Brush plate Etc...
I can't seem to find any sm-146 or even fredricks.
 
   / YM 1600 #18  
   / YM 1600
  • Thread Starter
#19  
Ok. New starter came in the mail and it looks to be for a smaller motor. Said "yanmar various" so I gave it a try. Can I please just get a link or something to the right starter? I'm tired of f*cking with it. I bought a nice fuse block so I can redo the wiring and a fuel/water separator because some past owner thought it was cool to bypass it with some gas filter. I'll post a pic before I change it. I need to go find a bolt to match the old separator holes first. Also I flopped the wheels back out so I had a wider footprint and found oil all over the inside of the wheel. Checked the transaxle and found it almost empty. I assume it's just a seal fix but tractors are a new animal to me. Please advise.
 
   / YM 1600 #20  
What starter did you order? This should be the correct part number per parts manual. 124450-77010

 
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