[AT] combine engine update

[Cecil Bearden]

I really do not understand why they ever came up with this design.  Cat 
engines are known for their reliability and longevity, but pull the head to 
fix a small problem and you end up overhaulling the engine.  It really seem 
like the engineers missed the boat on that design.

Cecil in OKla

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "john hall" <jtchall at nc.rr.com>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 3:07 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] combine engine update


> Cecil, the scary part of the whole rebuild was Deere and Clevite called 
> for
> 3 O-rings per sleeve. I talked to techs at Clevite as well as the machine
> shop and neither could explain why the parts list conflicted against what
> was in the engine. I agree that whenever you open up an engine built like
> this, you need to change the O-rings!
>
> John Hall
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Cecil Bearden" <crbearden at copper.net>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" 
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2011 7:28 AM
> Subject: Re: [AT] combine engine update
>
>
>> John:
>> Sounds like that engine is built just like a lot of caterpillar engines.
>> If
>> you pull the head you have to pull the sleeves and put in new seals
>> because
>> the head holds the sleeves down against the seals..  Our old 2 o-ring
>> sleeves on the old tractors were really  built for servicing, not like
>> these
>> later models....
>>
>> Cecil in OKla
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "john hall" <jtchall at nc.rr.com>
>> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"
>> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2011 5:44 AM
>> 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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>>
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