Uh Oh!!! Head problem......

[half track]

I unloaded all of the parts off of the trailer for my L185. I went through all of the parts, and they are all there and in apparently good shape. I cleaned up the head with a wire brush to check it out and ran into a problem. There is a hairline crack between the intake and exhaust valve on both sides. Is this what is officially known as the Kubota Kiss of Death?

Can this be repaired?

I would appreciate it if someone convincingly jumped on here and said, "Don't worry about that. The cracks are casted in there so that Dousenflugger valve inside can get some extra ventilation to better vaporize diesel for proper fluggering." Is that possible?

Jason

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Cracked heads are never a good thing and are seldom repairable. However you might be able to find one used at a junkyard. Check out West Kentucky Tractor they may have what you need.

http://www.wkytp.com

 

[MDsteve]

Check out http://www.grainfarmer.com/kubota-engines.html

They have a variety of used Kubota heads.

 

[ckw346]

before i got to excited, i would take the head to a machine shop and have the head pressure tested. unless you know for sure that the head was leaking. Many cast heads have surface stress cracks.
charlie

 

[Kubota Newbie]

Ditto what Charlie says. Cracked heads are repaired all the time. Take it to a reputable automotive machine shop and have them look it over/give you an estimate. Repair cost varies depending on the head and the method of repair used (most common repair is a tapered cast iron screw, or overlapping series of them inserted in the head with a special sealant. Seats are then re-cut or re-installed and life is usually pretty good) A lot depends on the location of the water jacket (and on a dsl, the location of the injector) and how much material there is to work with. RC

 

[Gerry T]

I have a new one for you.
You can buy off eBay at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380261753897&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Or contact me directly at tractors@mts.net to save a little.

Gerry T

 

[KennyV]

Not to be complaining about someone else's parts price... BUT $585.

and that is for a 2 cylinder bare head...
I know I would be doing something WAY different...

 

[half track]

Thanks everyone. I will take it to a shop to be checked out before I do anything. Thanks for the replies.

Jason