[AT] combine engine update

[charlie hill]

John,  sorry for your engine trouble but that sure beats the payments on a 
new one!

Charlie

-----Original Message----- 
From: john hall
Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2011 6:44 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: [AT] combine engine update

Been awful quiet lately so I thought I'd share an update on my combine 
engine. Last spring, I found water in the oil on the engine on my John Deere 
55 combine. We pulled the head and changed the gasket and all appeared well. 
Cut the wheat crop with no problems. Last fall we again found water in the 
oil--2 weeks before cutting soybeans. I mentioned it on the list here and 
inquired about block seal. I decided to try some K&W Block Seal. It appeared 
to work as we cut the beans with no problems. I put anti-freeze in for the 
winter and pretty much forgot about it. Then in late winter I went to crank 
it up one day only to find it was way low on water and way too full of 
"oil". I looked around for high-tech block sealers and found a couple that 
cost over $100, but they would not guarantee a repair. Nothing else to do 
but pull the engine. Got a fellow that lives nearby with a track-hoe to do 
the lifting for us and set it in the shop. When I dropped the pan I saw 
water leaking on 4 !
sleeves. The engine had been rebuilt before I got it using Clevite parts. It 
took a little doing but everything was converted over to new Clevite numbers 
and we installed rings, rod bearings and sleeve seals. The sleeve seals in 
this engine leave a little to be desired. Only one seal is used and the 
sleeve compresses it when the head is installed, like a metal oil filter 
canister. The current theory is when we pulled the head to change the 
gasket, we released the pressure on all the sleeves causing them to start 
leaking. Anyway, we just finished cutting wheat with no engine troubles. 
Matter of fact the only trouble we had with the combine was a leaking fuel 
bowl. Not bad for a machine that is older than its owner!

John Hall
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