Well....turns out the tractor I worked into the deal on my new home purchase last fall wasn't as good as I thought. Previous owner wasn't keen on proper maintenance and the second time I used it to mow, she overheated.
I found the fill neck on the radiator was bent, so the cap couldn't seal....and the seals on the cap were completely dry rotted anyway. No coolant. Not something I expected, but I guess I should have known better than to take his word on it being ready to go.
Once I fixed up the radiator and got a new cap, refilled it and fired it back up, it was spitting what looked like a mixture of coolant and oil or fuel out the exhaust pipe. I figured at that point that I had a blown head gasket.
Since the damned tractor leaked from just about every orifice, I figured I'd pull everything apart, clean/repaint, new gaskets, and the works. Get it looking good and in proper maintenance.
This is when I discovered that the engine is a structural member of the frame.....this should be fun. I'm used to working on cars and motorcycles.
No problem.....front end needed to come apart anyway.
Time to buy a service manual......thanks to all of the resources here, I was able to obtain the WSM in digital form, print it out and make a nice binder.
Time to pull the engine. Had to borrow a cherry picker from a buddy, as mine is still up in Michigan at my old place. Removal wasn't that hard, but getting it on the engine stand was another story. Had to get creative with the mounting arms to get for holes on the flex plate that would line up. Took some doing, but she's mounted solid now.
I got the head off, and inspected the piston domes.....already trouble. #1 and #3 didn't look bad....but apparently, #2 has seen some moisture.
I found the fill neck on the radiator was bent, so the cap couldn't seal....and the seals on the cap were completely dry rotted anyway. No coolant. Not something I expected, but I guess I should have known better than to take his word on it being ready to go.
Once I fixed up the radiator and got a new cap, refilled it and fired it back up, it was spitting what looked like a mixture of coolant and oil or fuel out the exhaust pipe. I figured at that point that I had a blown head gasket.
Since the damned tractor leaked from just about every orifice, I figured I'd pull everything apart, clean/repaint, new gaskets, and the works. Get it looking good and in proper maintenance.
This is when I discovered that the engine is a structural member of the frame.....this should be fun. I'm used to working on cars and motorcycles.
No problem.....front end needed to come apart anyway.
Time to buy a service manual......thanks to all of the resources here, I was able to obtain the WSM in digital form, print it out and make a nice binder.
Time to pull the engine. Had to borrow a cherry picker from a buddy, as mine is still up in Michigan at my old place. Removal wasn't that hard, but getting it on the engine stand was another story. Had to get creative with the mounting arms to get for holes on the flex plate that would line up. Took some doing, but she's mounted solid now.
I got the head off, and inspected the piston domes.....already trouble. #1 and #3 didn't look bad....but apparently, #2 has seen some moisture.
