Mudrig150 298 #1 Posted August 15, 2019 So yall will remember my m18, the one that only turned half a turn. I have some good news, I got it turning over good with a good amount of compression. Need to get a compression tester to test her out. But in the mean time, I took the carb off and pulled the bowl. My god, the amount of dust that came out was astonoshing, also the float is broke off. For now that's only a minor issue. I did get it mounted in the tractor, and I'm getting it back together, albeit incredibly slowly. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,265 #2 Posted August 15, 2019 Good to hear.... What's it going in? Any pics? I've been working on a K582. First time I've worked with a twin. Massive engines. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,783 #3 Posted August 15, 2019 3 hours ago, ebinmaine said: Good to hear.... What's it going in? Any pics? I've been working on a K582. First time I've worked with a twin. Massive engines. No pics of BBT tossing it around? Just kidding with that one, you two be safe and remember... Never trust a fart! Especially when lifting! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,265 #4 Posted August 15, 2019 46 minutes ago, pullstart said: No pics of BBT tossing it around? Just kidding with that one, you two be safe and remember... Never trust a fart! Especially when lifting! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #5 Posted August 15, 2019 (edited) 7 hours ago, ebinmaine said: Good to hear.... What's it going in? Any pics? I've been working on a K582. First time I've worked with a twin. Massive engines. It might go in our 414-8 once the motor comes out. Might also go in my JD 317. I did take the starter off, and good thing, too, the starter had so much corrosion on it that it barely turned over. I cleaned the brush surface with some sandpaper and shoved it all back together and now I've got a nice and strong starter. I also sat it in the deere frame to get it off the floor. Edited August 15, 2019 by Mudrig150 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #6 Posted September 9, 2019 I ordered the 3 parts I need to test run the M18. I ordered a carb because the old one had a broken float and stank of death. I ordered fuel line. I ordered my remote oil filter, which doesn't have the base plate. I'll have to order that separate, I guess. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #7 Posted October 11, 2019 On my new M18 the guy said it had good fuel to the engine. Pulled the fuel filter and looked like it was filled with coffee. Put a new fuel filter on it and put new fuel in the tank, that's when I noticed that the fuel filter had the line pulled and nothing was coming out except DRIP or 2 of fuel every minute. Siphoned the gas out and pulled the fuel line, totally clogged solid. New piece on and fuel flows good now. Tried to start it and tractor has a dead key switch, and the original is NLA. Sigh. This is, however, the nicest M18 I think I've ever seen. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,265 #8 Posted October 11, 2019 It's likely that to some extent the use of ethanol / gasoline was the culprit in that dirty fuel system. Another reason why we need to consider getting it out of all of our systems. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #9 Posted October 22, 2019 Pulled it off, then set carb on the vise, and cleaned it. Turns out there were tons of little grubby bugs stuck in the jets. Blasted them out then found out that the jets are supposed to be 8.5 turns in, the PO had the main fuel jet 10 turns in. Probably why it had a fuel delivery issue, having the main jet completely closed. Tried to start it, and after a second of cranking the starter gear locked solid on the shaft during the compression stroke and the starter burned up. Pulled motor off the compression stroke, tried it again, starter did nothing then started blowing out tons of smoke. Now to pull the engine to swap the starter for the one on my other Magnum 18. Sigh. Of course, this engine also has a head gasket leak. Bad. Great... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,265 #10 Posted October 22, 2019 Dirty carb is probably the result of ethanol fuel usage. Keep plugging away at it. You'll get there. Head gaskets are an all-too-common maintenance item on small engines. Comes right down to the physics of metal. Lots of the blocks are cast-iron and most of the heads are aluminum. Even the aluminum blocks still have Steel in them such as the cylinder sleeve or the bolts themselves. Aluminum and steel just do not expand and contract at the same rates so it's an unavoidable eventuality to do a head gasket on most small engines. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #11 Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) 46 minutes ago, ebinmaine said: Dirty carb is probably the result of ethanol fuel usage. Like I said, it was bugs. Like, literal bugs. Little grubs, or something. All I know is that the fuel tank was full of em. Good thing I rebuilt the starter on the other magnum. It's a revised version, and after I cleaned up the brush surfaces all good, I tested it I got probably 5 times the amount of torque then I did originally. That thing was anemic, couldn't even turn the motor over without the spark plugs. Looking at the head bolts, I think the head was pulled and the head bolts weren't torqued properly. They are all grimey and sootey, same as the front and top of the block. I did find out that the valves were actually hitting the spark plug and flattened the threads on the one side, it's supposed to have Champion RV17YC, it has RV12YC, which is WAY too long. Probably also what contributed to the bad running... Edited October 22, 2019 by Mudrig150 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,302 #12 Posted October 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Mudrig150 said: I did find out that the valves were actually hitting the spark plug and flattened the threads on the one side, it's supposed to have Champion RV17YC, it has RV12YC, which is WAY too long. Probably also what contributed to the bad running... If the valves struck the spark plugs, there is a very good chance they are bent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #13 Posted October 22, 2019 Just now, lynnmor said: If the valves struck the spark plugs, there is a very good chance they are bent. Seems like they were only hitting a little bit. The threads have dents in them but the valves look fine, almost like they ran in the guy's other 317-A and got bent in it. In fact, the plugs don't look like they've actually ran this engine before... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #14 Posted October 25, 2019 Starter out, engine back together. Found out fuel pump was bad and pumping gas into the crankcase, gonna change the oil tonight. PO put the wrong spark plugs in, but luckily they were in a KT17 before this, and the valves in it flattened the threads so they didn't touch the valves in the magnum, but it stripped the threads on the RH head, so my old magnum will donate its head to the new one when I do the head gaskets. There's just enough force to hold the plug in, but I already know in the long term it's not going to hold full compression. Ugh. The starter bolt may be 1/4" away from the frame, but it's enough to hopefully run. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,032 #15 Posted October 25, 2019 On 10/22/2019 at 8:51 AM, Mudrig150 said: it's supposed to have Champion RV17YC, it has RV12YC, which is WAY too long. Probably also what contributed to the bad running... The two plugs should be identical except for the heat range - 12 being a colder plug than 17. https://www.fme-cat.com/overlays/part-detail.aspx?brandId=CP&pNum=25&partType=Spark Plug Garry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #16 Posted October 25, 2019 RV12YC has about 1" of threads, and they protrude into the engine, coming close to hitting the valves. RV15YC is the correct length, but the wrong heat range, I think. RV17YC is the correct plug. Old magnum has RV15YC, New one has RV12YC. Looking at it, the bent threads are probably what stripped the head out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,032 #17 Posted October 25, 2019 There has to be something wrong with what you have and their numbers. Open these and click on the specification tabs. They all have tapered seat so no gasket. RV12YC https://www.fme-cat.com/overlays/part-detail.aspx?pNum=406&partType=Spark Plug&brandId=CP RV15YC https://www.fme-cat.com/overlays/part-detail.aspx?pNum=18&partType=Spark Plug&brandId=CP RV17YC https://www.fme-cat.com/overlays/part-detail.aspx?pNum=25&partType=Spark Plug&brandId=CP Garry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,032 #18 Posted October 25, 2019 Took a lot of looking but found the Champion plug spec chart Added it to our files as a pdf also so it can be downloaded. Garry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #19 Posted October 25, 2019 Oh, they are rC12yc. That's why they're so long. Then, why did the picture show an RC plug when I searched for an RV plug? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #20 Posted October 28, 2019 Coil somehow got 12 volts to it and now has an internal short, despite the fact that nothing is even hooked up. Shows ground when you test the wire. Guess I'm pulling the engine again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudrig150 298 #21 Posted November 21, 2019 I'm believing more and more that the snapper has only 560 hours on it. The throttle linkages are barely wore out and the throttle shaft has very little play in it. There's quite a bit of clean steel on the flywheel (normally they rust because magnums are painted AFTER assembly) and the shrouds have almost 0 rust on them at all. Mufflers have quite a bit of paint left and the intake isn't too badly corroded. Only steering play was the 1/8" of clearance on either side of the axle channel to allow the deck to pivot better, and the wheel bearings ain't looking too bad. Brakes ain't wore at all, and the deck spindles are still good. Belt is original and looks pretty much brand new. It only ran an average of 18.6 hours a year. Sat in a garage for most of its life, so that's why it's so nice. First owner must've mowed in his stockings. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites