sdhdcouple 133 #1 Posted May 10, 2020 Well i know i don't get time to be on the forums much any more, but i wanted to chime in and pass on the bad news. After 53 years of fathfull service the 1267 lost her heart yesterday. I am not sure if it was a valve, broke rod or burnt piston, but it died. Turns over and has no compression at all. I am the 2nd owner of her and the 1st owner bought her new and mowed 2 acres with her when they lived in Indiana, then mowed 4 acres when they moved to North Dakota. I then bought her and Mowed 3 acres in south Dakota, moved to Indiana and mowed 3 acres here. She has not missed a year of service since new. I think thats pretty good. So now i not sure what i am going to do with her, not sure how i am going to get the yard mowed. Just wanted to share her story with the group 3 1 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,270 #2 Posted May 10, 2020 That's a great service life! Easy enough to swap an engine and get it back to work. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rjg854 11,349 #3 Posted May 10, 2020 you can rebuild her or swap out another engine, and be good to go another 50 years 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdhdcouple 133 #4 Posted May 10, 2020 was thinking about one of these rebuild kits on Ebay, anyone ever used one of them? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,302 #5 Posted May 10, 2020 45 minutes ago, sdhdcouple said: was thinking about one of these rebuild kits on Ebay, anyone ever used one of them? Until you open up the heart you won't know if it needs a bypass or a transplant. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 15,427 #6 Posted May 10, 2020 Just remember that until the engine reaches about 600 RPM, there is very little compression due to the ACR (automatic compression release). Look for something simple like spark or fuel issues before tearing into open heart surgery. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adsm08 2,022 #7 Posted May 10, 2020 The heads on those old engines are easy enough to remove, might be worth it just to take a look. As long as it was kept oiled and not run over-speed I see very little likely hood of a major failure. If it was running and just died I'd look at spark and fuel issues first. If it ran, was shut down, and wouldn't restart I'd look at spark and fuel issues first, then probably check that the ACR isn't just stuck open. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D_Mac 8,593 #8 Posted May 10, 2020 Side tracked by @ebinmaine new photo EBDundee 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZXT 2,401 #9 Posted May 10, 2020 Were you mowing when it quit or did it just not start when you went to mow one day? A little bit of information will allow us to make a much better guess as to what the cause of failure might have been. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdhdcouple 133 #10 Posted May 10, 2020 i was mowing and it just quit. this tractor has always spun slow when starting. now when you hit the key it spins very fast and when you let off the key it several seconds to stop Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 41,021 #11 Posted May 10, 2020 Sounds major. Look for a another K321 or 341 and drop it in. Lots less work. You get your tractor working and then you can see about fixing the other engine. If it’s too far gone, leave it at @WHX24’s door. He needs more stuff. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lee1977 6,642 #12 Posted May 10, 2020 35 minutes ago, sdhdcouple said: i was mowing and it just quit. this tractor has always spun slow when starting. now when you hit the key it spins very fast and when you let off the key it several seconds to stop It could be carbon holding the valve open. Hope that all you find wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdhdcouple 133 #13 Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) dang i didn't think of that, going to go pull the head off Edited May 10, 2020 by sdhdcouple 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdhdcouple 133 #14 Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) Guessing it's the connecting rod it will not let me load video but head is off, turns over and valves open and close but piston stays still. Was able to move the piston down with a one finger push. Didn't seam stuck at all. I felt the cylinder walls, no scratches that i can see or feel. will try to upload the video Edited May 10, 2020 by sdhdcouple 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richmondred01 2,237 #15 Posted May 10, 2020 4 hours ago, sdhdcouple said: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdhdcouple 133 #16 Posted May 10, 2020 There's the video 2 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richmondred01 2,237 #17 Posted May 10, 2020 Far from dead. bore, grind the crank, grind valve seats, new guides, piston, rod, rings, bearings and seals. good to go another 50 years with proper maintenance. I done hundreds of these engines that certainly looked worse. just check the cylinder apron to make sure when the rod broke loose it didn’t crack it. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sam Pasch 449 #18 Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) I think its safe to say that it is broken. I think a new rod should fix it though. Edited May 10, 2020 by Sam Pasch 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,787 #19 Posted May 10, 2020 Just listen to the guidance of machining the crank at the very least! It is very important that it is perfectly round before reassembly... ask me how I know! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richmondred01 2,237 #20 Posted May 10, 2020 Indeed, a set of rings or a new rod will fix nothing. The engine must be in spec or machined or the same issue will arise within a few hours of use. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdhdcouple 133 #21 Posted May 10, 2020 well i got lucky, farmer buddy seen me out door working on the tractor stopped by to BS. He knew someone who collected old Gravely tractor, called him and he had a k301 block that had been rebuilt and with a turned crank, matching rod, new bearings but he had no piston. or the rest the motor parts. So he sold it to me cheap, i think. i will get some pictures 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richmondred01 2,237 #22 Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) Gravely has a different PTO bolt pattern and the crankshafts aren’t 1 and 1/8. Gravely utilized and embossed lip machined into the pto side of the block. 1st photo gravely 2nd wheel horse Edited May 10, 2020 by richmondred01 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,787 #23 Posted May 11, 2020 You should be able to get a sleeve and cut it to length to take up the difference on your crank! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richmondred01 2,237 #24 Posted May 11, 2020 5 minutes ago, pullstart said: You should be able to get a sleeve and cut it to length to take up the difference on your crank! Thats true you can go that way and fabricate half moon shims for the lip issue and reposition the holes on the pto bracket. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdhdcouple 133 #25 Posted May 17, 2020 i think i lost the battle while i was at work this week, came home and the yard was mowed. you don't want to know the rest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites