Rookie vs. Wheel Horse

[shaggydoink 81]

Well, I put myself at about 99% done with the dismantling.  The remaining 1%?  The *bleeping* roll pin on the lift lever!  I drowned it with two other penetrating oils yesterday and let it sit overnight, torched it, but no movement with the pin punch.  I had the idea of using a tie rod puller and a small cap screw to push it out, but the arms of the puller started to bend under high pressure so I gave up on this.  I'm not sure if I'll get a cheap air hammer from Harbor Freight and try this route, throw in the towel and see if there's a local shop that might be able to remove the demon or just let it be and do my best to paint with it in place - a decision for tomorrow.

 

My wife and I just moved into a small cabin the mountains of North Carolina and I don't currently have a garage, barn or shed... current state in my "fancy" Coleman Canopy workshop.

 

[ebinmaine 67,224]

24 minutes ago, shaggydoink said:

do my best to paint with it in place

 

Nothing wrong with that. 

 

We've done several full restorations without removing the steering wheel. 

 

 

[shaggydoink 81]

I entered my project space today and I must admit that I was a little overwhelmed at first - so many pieces and parts, some of which I'm already wondering where they came from, all rusty and in need of a lot of care.  After a short spell of being completely disoriented, I decided to take on a couple bigger frame pieces to get me kick started.  First task for tomorrow is to buy more wire wheels and rust neutralizer... gonna need a lot to pull off a miracle for this poor old guy.

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,224]

You'll get there. 

 

 

5 minutes ago, shaggydoink said:

get me kick started

 

Good all.  

 

 

 

Here's one for ya....

 

The One Bolt Rule.

 

Every day. One bolt. Nothing else. 

Just one.  

 

Unfailingly.  

One. Bolt.  

Daily.  

 

 

You do that, you win.  

 

You'll soon run out of small things (bolts) to work on. 

Then progress.....

 

 

 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,486]

4 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

You'll get there. 

 

 

 

Good all.  

 

 

 

Here's one for ya....

 

The One Bolt Rule.

 

Every day. One bolt. Nothing else. 

Just one.  

 

Unfailingly.  

One. Bolt.  

Daily.  

 

 

You do that, you win.  

 

You'll soon run out of small things (bolts) to work on. 

Then progress.....

 

 

 

 

That's the Colossal approach... 

[ebinmaine 67,224]

23 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

 

That's the Colossal approach... 

 

No no....

That's more like "Put on hold while 78 other things get done".

 

[shaggydoink 81]

Volunteering has continued to consume a lot of my free time these days, but I was able to spend a little bit on the A-100 this afternoon.  After some coaxing I got the handgrip off the lift lever, it was neat to see the original paint in nearly perfect condition!

 

 

There was another dreaded roll pin that was crusty and growled at me, I wasted no time cutting off the ends and bypassing the hours of suffering.  By my eye I can cut a groove and use a retaining ring instead when the time comes:

 

All of this allowed me to see why my lift level had no "sproing"... yeah, I think I might need a new compression spring:

 

 

Last task was removing the front axle and getting it brushed and sprayed, before and after pictures below.  I'm not sure when I'll have time to make more progress due to some work travel, but next in the queue is to get the front frame assembly cleaned up along with all of the miscellaneous bolts, nuts and hardware.  After that I'm thinking I'll do some painting and start reassembling... very excited!

 

Jonathan

 

 

 

[8ntruck 6,990]

Find any wear in the front axle pivot pin or bores?

[shaggydoink 81]

20 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

Find any wear in the front axle pivot pin or bores?

 

I must admit that I had to look at a parts diagram, but I think you mean these?  If so, there was/is some very minor pitting but overall things look to be in good shape (not the best picture):

 

 

Your question was well timed, I didn't think I needed to do anything else on the front axle but discovered that one of the spindles was nearly frozen.  I don't remember noticing this originally, but it led me to do a little more dismantling and I'm glad that I did.  Water must have gotten into both sides at some point, lots of nasty gunk and grit:

 

I got everything cleaned, reinstalled and fresh grease added - what a difference!  Both sides spin completely freely now so time well spent.

 

Jonathan

 

[ebinmaine 67,224]

Nice. 

 

 

The front axle pivot pin is the center. Outside edges would be the spindles. 

The center pin in particular is known for excessive wear on heavier tractors. 

Yours looks good from those pics.  

 

 

 

[shaggydoink 81]

I finally had a little time to spend on the A-100 today... not a lot, but "one bolt" as Eric said which is forward progress.  While cleaning one of the frame pieces I discovered another victim of age and neglect - what I believe is (or was I suppose I should say) the fuel shutoff valve is toast:
 


I found a couple sources for an OEM replacement and am choking on the $26 + tax and shipping price tag... if I can't figure something else out I'll have to cave.

 

As I stepped back I realized that my collection of parts ready to paint was actually pretty decent:


 

To give myself a bit of a break in the rust dust I got the wiring harness pulled out of the donor tractor (picture below).  I have a feeling I can pare it back a bit since I don't intend to use the mower deck, and there are a couple wires that I have no idea what they're for... a "bolt" for another day.

 

Jonathan

[ebinmaine 67,224]

Nicely done.....

 

 

 

That fuel valve. Is there one in the tank? 

Where's the original valve sit on your tractor? 

 

 

[Pullstart 62,767]

Awesome work!  Like @WHX?? I’d have written that off as less superior a long time ago!  We also have bigger heavier horses falling out of the rafters!

 

On another note, your big heart for an old tractor and for helping those in the community in need deserves a big high five!  Thanks for doing what’s right!

Edited October 29 by Pullstart

[shaggydoink 81]

22 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

That fuel valve. Is there one in the tank? 

Where's the original valve sit on your tractor? 

 

The tank didn't come with any fittings, so I'll need to sort through this.  The original valve was on one of the vertical frame pieces, I took a picture as a breadcrumb:

[shaggydoink 81]

11 hours ago, Pullstart said:

On another note, your big heart for an old tractor and for helping those in the community in need deserves a big high five!  Thanks for doing what’s right!

 

That is very kind of you to say, thank you @Pullstart!

 

I had another short window to work on said old tractor after work today.  The first dusting of new paint on a couple frame pieces is on!  I've got limited space, so I did a little work on the wheels after.  I got some mesh and first coat of reinforced body filler applied:

 

It started to get cold, so the last item for the day was trying to get my head wrapped around the wiring harness.  The donor machine I believe is a 1990-91 Coast to Coast... lots left to figure out here!

 

Jonathan

 

[953 nut 55,041]

23 minutes ago, shaggydoink said:

8 minutes ago, shaggydoink said:

get my head wrapped around the wiring harness.  The donor machine I believe is a 1990-91 Coast to Coast... lots left to figure out here

I took a picture as a breadcrumb:

Good decision, too many people get in a rush, pile up all the parts then start asking where things go.       

Taking a look at what you have there it shouldn't be a big problem to wire it up.  Did you ever try out the starter etc. while it was on the donor machine. Please take a Screen Shot of the wiring diagram you have and post it and we will get to work on helping you.

 

[shaggydoink 81]

13 hours ago, 953 nut said:

Taking a look at what you have there it shouldn't be a big problem to wire it up.  Did you ever try out the starter etc. while it was on the donor machine. 

 

I didn't, but boy this would have been a smart thing to do in hindsight.  

 

The donor had been spray painted black so I was having a little trouble identifying exactly what it was, but noticed what appeared to be an ID tag - a little paint stripping and I was able to get the model and in turn a matching wiring diagram:

https://www.partstree.com/models/481-2251-132-650f054-coast-to-coast-lawn-tractor-1992/electrical-system-2/

Below is a copy of the diagram for the Coast to Coast (donor) and A-100.  Things are starting to become a little clearer, my thoughts thus far are:

• I could eliminate the deck safety switch and associated wires as I won't have a mower deck
• I could eliminate the clutch and reverse safety switches and associated wires as the A-100 doesn't appear to have had either
• The A-100 didn't have a seat shutoff, but I may use the seat from the donor so makes sense to keep them in the mix at least for now

Two open questions:

• The A-100 also didn't have an ammeter - would it be worth me migrating this over from the donor and if so, it looks like there's one black (ground) wire connecting to it but what would the other color wire be?
• What's peculiar is that one of the blue wires was connected to the engine which I traced to the ignition coil, although the blue is clearly marked as being associated with the headlights (and tail light in the case of the A-100).  I'm thinking I should connect this ignition coil wire to one of the yellow wires as is shown in the Coast to Coast diagram?

Once I sift through things I'll update the original A-100 diagram for a spot check, thanks so much for all the help!

Jonathan

Coast to Coast Wiring Diagram:

A-100 Wiring Diagram:

 

 

[Pullstart 62,767]

I think you’re on the right track for the two harnesses becoming one.  One big point.  If an ammeter shorts out, it can create a magic smoke scenario.  If a volt meter dies, it dies.  Many folks prefer to wire in a volt meter with a power and ground, vs an ammeter running power through.

[Pullstart 62,767]

1 hour ago, shaggydoink said:

What's peculiar is that one of the blue wires was connected to the engine which I traced to the ignition coil, although the blue is clearly marked as being associated with the headlights (and tail light in the case of the A-100).  I'm thinking I should connect this ignition coil wire to one of the yellow wires as is shown in the Coast to Coast diagram?

Could it have been replaced along the way?  The blue wire looks to go to the ignition interlock circuit on the A-100.  Am I missing something?

[shaggydoink 81]

7 hours ago, Pullstart said:

Could it have been replaced along the way?  The blue wire looks to go to the ignition interlock circuit on the A-100.  Am I missing something?

 

Welcome to my can of worms!    In all seriousness, I don't think you're missing anything (says the rookie who is flying by the seat of his pants).  Reconciling the differences between the tractors and associated wiring diagrams is the task at hand... feeling like it might be a good task to postpone to tomorrow.  

 

Thanks for the continued support!

 

Jonathan

[953 nut 55,041]

9 hours ago, shaggydoink said:

Below is a copy of the diagram for the Coast to Coast (donor) and A-100.  Things are starting to become a little clearer, my thoughts thus far are:

• I could eliminate the deck safety switch and associated wires as I won't have a mower deck        
• I could eliminate the clutch and reverse safety switches and associated wires as the A-100 doesn't appear to have had either        
• The A-100 didn't have a seat shutoff, but I may use the seat from the donor so makes sense to keep them in the mix at least for now             

Two open questions:

• The A-100 also didn't have an ammeter - would it be worth me migrating this over from the donor and if so, it looks like there's one black (ground) wire connecting to it but what would the other color wire be?       Probably a VOLT Meter would be better   
• What's peculiar is that one of the blue wires was connected to the engine which I traced to the ignition coil, although the blue is clearly marked as being associated with the headlights (and tail light in the case of the A-100).  I'm thinking I should connect this ignition coil wire to one of the yellow wires as is shown in the Coast to Coast diagram?        I think that yellow wire is going to the ignition switch, the drawing isn't too clear.

Once I sift through things I'll update the original A-100 diagram for a spot check, thanks so much for all the help!

Jonathan

Thanks Jonathan,         The coast to coast drawing isn't too clear but we can use it as a starting point. I love a little challenge and will develop a wiring diagram that will get the job done, give me a couple days,  got some honey-dos to take care of.

[shaggydoink 81]

On 10/30/2024 at 11:13 AM, Pullstart said:

Many folks prefer to wire in a volt meter with a power and ground, vs an ammeter running power through.

 

You mean something along these lines?

https://www.amazon.com/Samdo-Waterproof-Voltmeters-Universal-Voltage/dp/B07CVDPN7Y

[Pullstart 62,767]

@shaggydoink yes that would work.  Battery around 12v is at rest.  Voltage up around 14 is charging.  Easy as that 

[953 nut 55,041]

On 10/30/2024 at 6:54 PM, 953 nut said:

will develop a wiring diagram that will get the job done, give me a couple days,  got some honey-dos to take care of.

I'm back,  honey-dos are done and I think this diagram should work for you. The ignition switch layout is for the 925-0267 one from the Cross Country. The engine on the A-100 had two wires coming from the alternator, one DC line with a diode for charging and an AC line for lights. It appears the one you are using has only one DC line so that is how I drew it.

The volt meter you have selected also has a light so you could attach the light to the same switch as the rest of your lights.

[shaggydoink 81]

1 hour ago, 953 nut said:

I'm back,  honey-dos are done and I think this diagram should work for you.

 

This is truly a real gift, thank you so much @953 nut!

 

Jonathan (aka Rookie Wheel Horse Hack)