[AT] JD 430 update

Howard Weeks weeksh at att.net
Thu Jun 8 11:22:03 PDT 2017


Spencer,

In my experience and lots of opinion:

There are lots of ways to damage an engine or gear system trying to 
break one loose by twisting a wheel or PTO.

The head and pan is easily removed from a 430. Remove them, fill the 
cylinders with your favorite concoction and begin watching the level. 
Get a short piece of 4x4 that is cut square on the end and long enough 
to stick up above the block when setting on top of the piston. About 
once a day, go by it and whack the top of the 4x4 with about a 4 pound 
hammer once or twice. I have had some engines that took a couple weeks 
to give up but they ultimately did. I actually poured diesel in an 
upright piston once, set it on fire, and let it burn out. When done, the 
piston moved and the fire didn't hurt the block. The engine is still 
running today. It did have steel pistons.

When the piston does move, pull the rod caps and remove both pistons. 
Clean everything up, change the rings and inserts, and reassemble. Check 
the valves closely while you are at it.

Now, you will know exactly what kind of condition the motor is in rather 
than guessing.

I have been tempted to brute force turn a stuck engine several times but 
ultimately did not and tore the engine down. What I found in all cases 
was a mess of rust that was bad enough that it would have done much more 
damage if I had ultimately gotten it started in that condition.

Good luck with it and be patient!

Howard in GA


On 6/7/2017 11:32 PM, Spencer Yost wrote:
> Since I brought the 430 home, I have been soaking the engine with a mixture of penetrant and ATF. The engine is definitely stuck tighter than a drum. One cylinder appears to very slowly sleep some fluid. The level decreases but not fast(days) and barely enough to raise fluid level in the oil pan.  The other cylinder has not had a single drop decrease in the level of the fluid.
> 
> One question for the group: there is no good way to try to rock the engine.  All my normal tricks like ring gear, crankshaft pulley nut, etc. are not accessible or not situated in such a way that it would be safe for the tractor or effective.  Would you try the PTO shaft?  I have not needed to use the PTO shaft before but it seems like the gearing just is not right to generate a lot of torque.   Plus I would need a coupler or adapter or something to protect the shaft from the pipe wrench.
> 
> On a positive note; I have done further inspection of the tractor , and I am liking this tractor more and more. It is very clearly a very low hour tractor. There is no slop or play in the power take off,  transmission, rear drivetrains or anything. With the tractor in gear and the engine stuck it barely moves an inch. The only thing that shows any kind of real wear is the universal joint at the steering wheel. But even that wear is at an acceptable level.
> 
> Spencer Yost
> 
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