Attempting to fix a Kawasaki water cooled engine

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

  Well, here we go again. A real nice fella helped me out by mowing my lawn when I was hospitalized for seven weeks... He used his deere and my 314-8 to get my acre of heaven mowed. Just after that , a guy noticed that while he was hauling his tractor  to the shop or the dump that by friend's tractor matched his own  and offered the twin for sale at 200. They made a deal in the parking lot.   i I checked a taryl fixes all video and taryl showed an  exact tear down and repair video for that very engine. The reason for two tractors is that a Deere of that vintage is a big job to change from a mower to a snow plow. cant blame him for that.

  I invited my benefactor to bring it into the shop and after scraping and vacuuming and blowing dirt off the thing, I finally got the bottom pulleys off so it could be removed. Its a bucket engine that comes apart from the bottom and you tear it apart upside down. The engine is notorious for having a plastic cam gear that sheds teeth, but this one was a later model and it has a metal cam gear----yAY!

  The thing is stuck, but it looks good inside. The valve covers are off and the valves appear to not be stuck. The push rods move in and out against the springs. The engine seems to be seized. i flipped the spark plug side up and  sprayed Deep Creep inside, but with the pistons at opposing angles, the penetrant will not be evenly sitting on top of the piston. i have the thing mounted to some 2x6 to keep it upside down, but the thoughts are to either fill the tops of the pistons up with 0w30 full synthetic or make a modification to set each piston in the vertical on alternate days and use Deep Creep. I might even be able to get a camera attachment into the spark plug hole to view the piston bores.

  I intend to be patient with this one. First the pistons, Then if it does not break free, examine the crank shaft rod ends .She's sitting high and pretty on the adjustable work lift because my old back makes it a good idea. Pictures are coming...BTW, i must admit that the tractor is heavily built with power steering. Hopefully we can repair it with just some gaskets and perhaps check the water pump.

[Achto 27,609]

1 hour ago, ohiofarmer said:

, but the thoughts are to either fill the tops of the pistons up with 0w30 full synthetic or make a modification to set each piston in the vertical on alternate days and use Deep Creep.

 

Personally I have had very good luck soaking the cylinders with ATF in order to get a stuck piston to free up. When I bought my C141 the engine was locked up tight. After a week of soaking the piston with ATF I was able to get the engine to turn freely. Never did take the engine apart, been running it ever since. Doesn't even smoke. 

[c-series don 8,724]

I’ve had the same luck with Marvel Mystery Oil. I had a small block Chevy for my boat that was locked up tight, and after about two weeks of soaking the cylinders I got it to move. A breaker bar on the crankshaft, each day I would try to move it either way. One day I got it to move just a tad bit, not wanting to be greedy I would just move it a little more each day. Then one day it just totally broke free and shot oil out of the spark plug holes everywhere!! It was at my friends marina, on an engine stand, in the room where he sold marine supplies to his customers and the public. I remember he walked in shortly after this incident, and oil had shot all over. He just looked at me and said “I know what you’re doing for the next few hours!” I cleaned it up to the best of my ability, but then I told him that it looks like you’re going to be selling pink rope! Some of the oil shot onto the spools of rope where he sold it by the foot. He just laughed and said “Oh well!” 
 Anyway, I put the engine back in my boat and it ran for years without any issues. The boat itself had issues, but all boats have issues sooner or later!!! 

[Sailman 1,291]

11 hours ago, c-series don said:

 The boat itself had issues, but all boats have issues sooner or later!!! 

 

Truer words were never spoken......

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

So here it is in the OR. I put 150 ugga duggas on the torque wrench and nothing's happening. I used the approved back saver 2000 handle extension. The camshaft is out and perfect. The crank is probably OK, but that has to wait for the owner. I am thinking to not push things because one of the connecting rods is at a pretty steep angle. I might be better to remove the heads and tap the pistons straight down into the bore.

 Possibly the thing has a water leak at the head gasket and the piston bores got rough and then seized. If the bottom end is OK then a possible rebore or refresh may be enough to make a good plow tractor.

   The water left in the overflow bottle was very pale, do that is a concern

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

So here is the actual tractor frame. Power steering and beefy steering components which compare to the 520 Wheel Horse. 

. The rear frame is right inches tall and the front frame  st the engine drop is over three Thickness is about .18 inch

 

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

    I have it taken down as far as it will go  One of the pistons is at the near bottom of the stroke, The other one is closer to the top. There is nothing wrong with the crank===no scratches or wear at all.Rod ends are fine, Piston walls are glazed but very nice. Still stuck however.All I know to do is give it some more time with the ATF brew. I guess aftIter that I might try using an air hammer on the tops of the pistons padded with plywood rounds to protect them and see if they will break loose., This thing is frustrating. The aluminum block has no corrosion in the water passages , but yet the pistons are seized with no scoring in the cylinders

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

 Since the owner only needs this tractor for plowing snow, i think that all he really needs to do is get a vertical shaft engine installed in the tractor with a transmission drive pulley of a similar size. The tuff torque transmission drives with two foot pedals forward and reverse. He does not need the OEM engine to get there.

   That being said, he should save the existing engine and all the good parts on it including the connecting rods which are trapped by the pistons. here is my last ditch idea to pull them. I think that a good thing to try would be trill and tap the top of the piston and use a steel plate with a hole drilled in it above the bolt If I had an idea how thick a piston top is, it would help a bunch. Step two is a steel plate across the piston bore for additional threaded  bolts for additional bolts to push against. Think about how we pull hubs on out tractors and you get the idea. An alternative to this would be to use the holes the heads are threaded to. i don't really like that idea as it could mess up the head.

   The first method might be preferred in that it is no big deal to make this stuff . All you need is a drill press and it might be possible to still use the pistons by cutting off the threads flush after they are pulled. Tell me what you think. my main purpose is just having fun and also salvaging the excellent condition camshaft.

[RED-Z06 2,221]

Are the heads off yet?