[AT] combine engine update

charlie hill charliehill at embarqmail.com
Sun Jun 19 18:51:53 PDT 2011


Cecil,  CAT likes to sell parts!  Of course, as you well know, not all of 
their engines are known for reliability and longevity.  There is the 3208, 
better known as a throw away.  At least I think it was the 3208, it's been a 
long time since I messed with truck engines.



-----Original Message----- 
From: Cecil Bearden
Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 7:22 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] combine engine update

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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