Well, today was a little light on the fun stuff...somebody wanted to get his corn planter ready. With the Challenger and planter ready to go, we were back into the old stuff after lunch.

D4 gas tank is now clean, with a new filter and valve. I decided not to put any gas in, after looking at the plug wires and switch wires from the mag. I need to do a little rewiring next week.

Say, what is the wiring schematic from the mag to the switch? It looks like maybe just one wire?

We did spend a little time on the 12 Motor Grader, though. Rebuilt pony starter reinstalled, installed the correct fuel tank, sed bowl, and new belts. A little gas and the pony fired, a little cranking and the main was running. Then, it was time to give my 3-year-old a ride. "Dad, the wheels lean!!"

Finally, the D2 got a little attention in the form of a quick sed bowl clean to get her running. She needs the entire gas tank cleaned and flushed...next week's project. She also needs the left steering clutch adjusted, as it does not work at all now. Worked when we got it, but I think we ran it too much without adjusting it, not knowing any better. I hope we can simply re-adjust it and save the clutch, and hope we haven't ruined it. There's practically no resistance when the clutch lever is pulled back.

Sounds like you got a whole fleet at once, what's the story?

You're making great progress! It seems like there's no end to the rust in the gas tanks. I relined the one on the 9U and it's holding up well so far. No more sediment. I used RED KOTE, others have used several other kits with good results.

Many newly washed CATS have ended up with the steering clutches or even the main clutch stuck after the washing if they weren't run enough to chase out all the moisture that gets into the "dry" clutch compartments. Might be a good idea to check the drains for all 3 clutch compartments too.

Hope the adjustment works on the clutch. It's not like the opposite problem where it doesn't pull a load on one side because there's no free travel. Then you would be slipping the clutch pack, but I don't think too much free travel would hurt anything. Unfortunately you may have had a bearing go out or something come loose if there's really no resistance.

Almost through planting corn here, just one field of tropical to go, no hurry on that. Hay to bale first. It may bring a rain which we need, but sure would be good to put up some nice red clover and ryegrass hay.

130 ac of corn yesterday, probably 105 today before the rain hits. Good start.

The D2 arrived in 2003, and has been used a little since then but not much. The 12 was an early XMas present for us, and the D4 is a week old. As for the "workers", the Challenger has been with us for 5-6 years, and the 236 arrived at my place in December. I just decided to start working on things this spring, that's why all the activity at once.

Starting clutch: On all of the old Cats (D2, 12), it seems like I have to really hold the bendix in gear (up) when starting. It seems to want to kick it out all the time. Is this correct, or does it need adjusted?

Yes Sam, on the mag that is just one wire going to the switch & basically a ground wire to short out the power in the mag.Make sure the switch is grounded under it good. As for the starting bendix it either needs to have the latches taken up back near the diesel clutch or they could be getting worn out along with the stop that they hook on to.

Got the "new" mag and carb on the pony last weekend. Spun over with an electric motor and belt, firing with a little ether. We got it running really well on gas, but it seemed to have differences in compression. Left cylinder had good compression, while the right did not. Needless to say, the blowby pushed the dipstick out and we stopped our experiment.

Now to the questions. The right side of the pony doesn't get much compression...I'm thinking rings. I put oil in the cylinder and run it over several times before draining it. IF the problem was stuck rings, I'm hoping they will free themselves with the oil. IF not, how hard is it to replace the rings? Does the pony need to be removed, or can it be done in place? Where is the best place to get parts? Should I replace bearings at the same time, and how do I know if they need replaced?

Similar questions on the main engine? If I'm getting into the main, I'm guessing a good overhaul would be rings, run the valves, and rod bearings. Are there some measurements to take on the bearings to determine if they need replaced? With the rings, can I get oversized rings and just hone the cylinders?

Thanks for all the help. D4 is a ball so far...my kiddoo loves rides on it.

Thanks

You will need to get the Servicemen's Reference Book on the 4-1/2 in. bore 4-cylinder engine. It has all the dimension specs and procedures for rebuilding the main and pony motors. The Form # is FEO30522-02.
The pony will have to be removed for the type work your referring to. Pony parts are still available from Cat (pricey) rings can be obtained after market. Main engine bearings are getting harder to come by and can be very pricey. Pistons, liners and rings are readily available. Liners are much to hard for honing to oversize.

I would tie the dipstick down on the pony and keep an eye on the oil for gasoline dilution while you run the pony for a few times. Will it crank the main engine? You may have a valve stuck and need to take that head off and push the valve back and forth some to free it up. that would fit with NO compression vs low compression.

the diesel rings/sleeves/pistons are only going to be available in standard bore since it would be cheaper to replace the sleeves than to bore them oversize even if they weren't too hard. All sleeved engines are going to be this way, not just CAT engines.

If your sleeves meet the wear specs at the top of the ring travel, or you just want to patch it up for light use, ream the ridge at the top and then hone the sleeves with a bead hone. CAT sleeves are noted for being hard to hone, but the bead hones are generally considered to be the best to use.

Then when you start up after the overhaul, (even with new sleeves and new rings), make sure it gets worked hard and gets to normal/hot engine operating temperature to minimize the chance of it slobbering. If it still wants to slobber, the trick is to use Bonami powder in the intake to make the rings seat and keep it from slobbering under normal use. Many of them will slobber if they are idled a lot or run under a light load mostly.

Usually my main determinant on an overhaul of a wet sleeve engine is whether the crankshaft is good or can be turned undersize. If the crank isn't servicable, might be better to find a runner.

its easy to pull the head on the pony and take a gander at the valves, could be crappy seats with rusty junk. you can reuse the gasket.
good luck....

CC - funny on the "tie down the dipstick" comment...that's what dad's buddy said. "Just tie the dipstick down and run it, forget about it!" There was quite a bit of smoke coming through the exhaust, making me think the rings were just stuck...or a holy piston. Also, one side fired fine until (I think) the oil in the breather pushed into the carb too much and fouled the good side plug. We oiled the cylinders last weekend to try and loosen, but it it's still stuck. Any ideas on what's the best way to unstick a ring? Have you guys tried soaking the cylinders with penetrating oil for a week, then drain and try to fire?

Mike - I'm thinking of pulling the pony head this weekend, just to see what's there. I'm hoping the valves are fine, and it's just a stuck ring.

On the diesel, I like the idea of just replacing the rings, honing, and going on about my business. It runs pretty good now, but smokes a little like a ring is still stuck. I may work it this weekend and see if I can get it popped loose under load.

For rings, bearings, pistons, sleeves, etc. is the best place the Cat dealer? What other sources are there for engine parts? Same question for Pony parts, any other sources?

Thanks all