Martin 2,132 #51 Posted July 2, 2011 well its running its almost finished. still need to do the hydro pump and lift, seat and fix the steering wheel but the rest of it is 99 % done. think i have a problem with the engine when its been running about 15 minutes or so. sounds like something knocking in there, not real loud but its there. i didnt notice it before i tore the tractor apart. it seemed ok. i guess everything around the engine was loose and rattling that it would have been hard to tell if the engine was like it before or not. will start investigating. hopefully its just something minor, its sort of put a dampener on the excitement of getting it running.... otherwise i couldnt be happier, runs good, quieter than the 875, no leaks and it drives nicer with the steering all tight now. belt has a grabbing/squealing issue when taking off so i need to mess with the pullies a little and maybe spring for a new belt. brake band squeals too when reversing. so i have some things to sort out. i am going to try and restore the steering wheel. had to reweld the steel inner spoke to the rim and needed to remove some of the material to get to the steel. i guess i will be looking for some tips on how to do that. im happy with how its turned out, i guess the engine has got me down a bit today, little worried that its going to need some surgery. heres some pics and a video or two for you guys out there. heres two videos. the first one id had it running about 5 min. belt guard was off so the drive belt was acting a little crazy. i hadnt rebuilt anything engine wise, carb was done previously when i first got the tractor. runs reasonably good, starts on the first turn or two, really love the starter gen set up on these tractors, so quiet, no whine, so cool.... click on image. heres the knocking im worried about. only there when it gets hot. otherwise it runs quiet..... click on image. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #52 Posted July 3, 2011 i had to add this one for the starter gen fans among us click to play.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
312Hydro 474 #53 Posted July 3, 2011 Geez Martin, that's a sweet tractor! You did a great job with it. I liked your engine vids I'll bet some one here will be able to identify that noise for you. I noticed your attention to detail . The stainless looks good. nice work! :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimD 3,345 #54 Posted July 3, 2011 Beautifully done, a real work of art. Thanks for having us along for the ride. :woohoo: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #55 Posted July 10, 2011 Beautifully done, a real work of art. Thanks for having us along for the ride. thanks jim, hope everything is going ok for you..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #56 Posted July 10, 2011 Geez Martin, that's a sweet tractor! You did a great job with it. I liked your engine vids I'll bet some one here will be able to identify that noise for you. I noticed your attention to detail . The stainless looks good. nice work! i started another thread on the noise issue if anybody missed it..... k241 has noise when hot Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #57 Posted July 10, 2011 been doing some reading on the hydro lift on these tractors as mine seems to have a broken spring on the 'down' side of the lever. the unit worked well and didnt have any leaks. but i would like to fix the spring situation. i am going to pull the pump down and do seals and the spring while its open. the tube also doesnt leak which is good because its a welded one and i dont really want to mess with opening it up. hoses looked ok until i started moving them around and now i see some slight splitting, so they will get replaced. for anybody interested in a rebuild of these pumps here are some good threads..... link 1 link 2 link 3 link 4 there are more to be found on this subject by using the search. here is mine after a bit of a clean to remove alot of built up dirt and grime. ready for the pump to come apart. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #58 Posted July 10, 2011 got the pump apart and sure enough, one side of the spring is broken, with the other side broken half way through and splitting lengthwise up the spring. reservoir has some rust above the filler hole, must have been some moisture up top.. i guess i need to get some parts together and get this thing cleaned up and painted..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sorekiwi 761 #59 Posted July 11, 2011 The tractor came out really nice Martin. Hope the motor issue is resolved. One question: did you reuse the rear tires, or did you have some luck finding new ones? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #60 Posted July 11, 2011 The tractor came out really nice Martin. Hope the motor issue is resolved. One question: did you reuse the rear tires, or did you have some luck finding new ones? i think the motor issue is better, its still a work in progress...... the tires i picked up from kelly at the mentone swap meet. the millers tire paint made them look better..... i still have the tires on the rims that came with the tractor, they are beyond help. this thread has some details.... tire paint Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #61 Posted July 17, 2011 just thought id update a bit on the 1054. changed the oil in the k241 to shell rotella t 15w40 to see if there was any change with the noise issue. it seems quieter up to about 2500 rpm. up to full throttle not really any change. im more comfortable with it now just using it at around 2000 rpm. its definitely quieter than before, with each thing i try it seems to be better. im thinking through the winter i may pull the engine down and look at the rod/crank assembly though. the engine also vibrates more that the tired k181 in the 875 at full throttle so i think its better that i keep the revs down around 2000 just enough to get some oil splash. im not mowing with it, just driving it around and i dont see the need to use it at full throttle. sorted the noisy belt issue as well. put a new napa green belt on it and at first wasnt real impressed. i thought id at least give it some time, so got at least a couple hours seat time today..... well the belt really settled down, its real nice on the clutch now. you can creep it real slow or let it out quick and off it goes. no jumping anymore..... still have a weird noise from the brake band in reverse though. its going to need further investigation. like a vibration noise between the band and the drum as the brake drum turns in reverse. i think the band is grabbing the drum. really annoying and maybe its going to take relining the brake to fix it. one other thing i got to check out tonight was the headlights... to be honest i wasnt expecting much, but they seem to light up the ground in front just fine. looking forward to getting it and the 875 up to kellys show next month to drive around with some of you guys on your tractors. im really happy with how its turned out, even with the engine, the brake issue and a few small things that still need a little work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dclarke 4,032 #62 Posted July 17, 2011 Martin, your 1054 looks fantastic!! Great Job. :woohoo: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chris hall 5 #63 Posted February 7, 2012 love love this tractor !!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #64 Posted February 7, 2012 and so does my wife.... its her baby now..... and she just reminded me once again that it needs a seat....... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Terry M-(Moderator) 2,175 #65 Posted February 12, 2012 Look really nice Martin! :flags-usa: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,132 #66 Posted February 12, 2012 Geeze O Man, you do some gorgeous work Martin. :handgestures-thumbsup: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #67 Posted May 7, 2012 finally time to investigate the k241 on this thing. i wont mention the symptoms again here, it has been discussed numerous times in this thread, only to say theres a knocking when it get warm. alright, pulled the engine, carefully, first time working on one pulling it apart with everything looking nice and clean......got it up on the engine stand and pulled the head and oil pan. the heads going to get studs while its apart, and i wanted to see if there was any evidence of any shenanigans going on up there as well. looks ok. little bit of carbon in there, it really hasnt been run much at all, other than for short periods the last few months. ok, turn it over and check out the usual clearances. engine looks real clean inside still. just to give a litttle history, this thing wasnt torn down at all, it was a good runner, except for the noise, (which i didnt start to notice untill it was back together and running) anyway, just an outside clean up, gaskets and paint. looking at it, looks like a recent rebuild, hone marks still in the bore, consistently light all round, has a .020 piston and .010 rod. checked clearances...... rod .002 (with plastigage) crank end play couldnt get anything in there........ cam end play .016..... so i already have the bearing plate to pull to get some crank end play, and the cam end play needs to be tightened up some (should be between .005-.010) im thinking that the camshaft is mainly to blame for the noise, with the total lack of endplay on the crank just a disaster waiting to happen....... interested in anyones opinion on this, thoughts? let them flow........ heres some pics of my adventure........ breaking it down...... looks like a bit of gasket leaking here on the fins, but the gasket isnt showing any evidence of it except the outer edge, the ring and surface area thats clamped are clean, same with the head surface. maybe it was leaking, but sealed up at the retorque of the head bolts when i first got it running? combustion chamber was wet, i sprayed some magic juice in there through the winter months..... not sure whether to swap out the lp head with a standard one while its apart........ i cant remember the last few big kohlers i rebuilt having this little amount of clearance between the fuel pump lobe and rod..... its close, but i cant see any evidence of touching in any way.. 1054 looks sad........like i ripped its heart out........ so all the engine gurus out there, is the camshaft to blame for the noise? could the lack of endplay with the crank contribute as well? just turning it over by hand and lightly touching the cam as it turns, you can feel the 'float' back and forth. also can 'feel' the noise through the cam when you move it side to side...... everything else looks ok so im ruling out rod noise on this one....... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #68 Posted May 7, 2012 got the clearances in the ballpark now. i ended up using an .008-.009 shim washer for the camshaft, which when all said and done i was at .005 to a tight .006 so that now is right on the money. (.005 - .010 is spec) then i dealt with the crank end play, or lack thereof........ all the bearings ive seen in these engines have been open, first time ive seen them closed like this, may have been replaced at one time.... first of all i made sure the bearings were pressed into the bearing plate and block all the way. the old shim gasket measured in at .039 and i knew i at least needed to add .010 to that and see what clearance i had (assuming that it was at a loose 0.00 now), if it was binding id need more. one thick and two thin got me to .050...... and 5 thin got me to .0485... allowing for some crush, i needed to go with the one thick and two thin gaskets, which would in theory add around .010. so i cleaned the gasket faces and installed two screw in studs. the studs keep the gasket/shims in place while installing the bearing plate. bearing plate going on...... also this has an early camshaft (pre acr), if you guys know your camshafts, you can sort of make it out in the pic. installed two bolts snug, removed studs and installed the other bolts, torqued to 35 ftlbs and checked it...... nice, .008 great! (.003 - .020 is spec) engine turns over nice and smooth, actually quieter too, so maybe something worked out good here. until the engine is back together and running i wont know for sure...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Terry M-(Moderator) 2,175 #69 Posted May 9, 2012 Martin, sounds like you may have it figured out. Before I read this recent post on the engine, the noise I listened to on your video sounded like valve tappets/lifters making that noise. I hope your changes solve the problem. Have you had the engine apart before? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #70 Posted May 9, 2012 no terry, first time apart. only did gaskets and painted it previously. i like how clean it is inside, its quite a nice engine. i guess who ever rebuilt the engine didnt check those things, crank clearance is very important, and the loose side clearance on the cam was apparently a problem with a lot of these kohlers.... i hope the problem is fixed, im fairly confident it will be... :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeek 2,286 #71 Posted May 9, 2012 I dunno Martin, based on what I see with the shop and tractors, I think the tapping may the foot of a significant other . I thought I heard that noise in mine too. I followed this diagnostic procedure: I asked my wife to go get me a beer - noise stopped. Wife back with a beer - tapping noise heard. I asked my wife to go get me a beer - noise stopped. Wife back with a beer - tapping noise heard. I installed a fridge in my garage . Got a wireless router and showed my wife she can play games and shop online anywhere in the house, ephasising that I can monitor all activity . May be my dumb luck, but mine stopped tapping :eusa-think: 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diesel cowboy 263 #72 Posted May 9, 2012 Nice work on the tractor. In one of your posts you mentioned possibly swaping the lp head for a standard one. If it was set up for propane then it might not have rotators on the valves and that might cause the noise once it warmed up :twocents-02cents: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #73 Posted May 9, 2012 i dont think this was ever setup for propane. even though the head is what is now referred to as an lp head, it was the oem head on the very early k241. im fairly confident this engine is the same one that was originally on it from the factory, it also has the pre acr two piece camshaft which was on the early engines as well.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #74 Posted May 13, 2012 got the engine back together. installed head studs in place of bolts and gave the engine a good clean and polish on the tins while going back together. probably will spend some time cleaning it up in the hard to get areas while putting it back together, might redo some electrical and run a hard line for the gas instead of the rubber line as well. then it will be time for a seat....... :hide: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martin 2,132 #75 Posted May 15, 2012 engine back together and running...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
