Grandpa's WD-45

WGreufe

Member
Grandpa passed away years ago and Grandma is 96. I talked her into selling me Grandpa's WD-45 so it wouldn't go to waste sitting in the machine shed. It ran a few years ago but Uncle Bob pulled the water pump to replace it and life got in the way and he didn't get it back together for quite awhile. I think a year or more. Grandma has several tractors at the farm so it wasn't needed and just got pushed to the back burner. When Bob finally got it back together the engine was stuck.

I am not 100% what year it is but I do know it was Grandpa's second tractor. It is a wide front with factory power steering. I will go get it in a couple weeks and see what I am in for. I guess it really doesn't matter since sentimental value means I gotta fix it. Dad has a parts tractor that I can have that does run although it smokes like a freight train! I would prefer to fix the factory engine if possible to keep it original unless the factory engine is too bad.

With the engine being stuck is there a good way of getting everything loose so I can disassemble the engine? I would like to do an in frame rebuild if possible. I will check bearings though and if they are worn then I will pull the block and go through it. Any tips on getting the engine free? Pour MMO in the spark plugs holes and wait? Uncle Bob said he shot some WD-40 in the plug holes and has been soaking for quite some time.

I'll post some pics when I go get the old gal out of Grandma's shed.
 
If you are in no hurry then there are reasonable options. If it were me I would pull the plugs and shine a light down in if possible. If no serious rusting has taken place then I would pour some MMO or ATF down the spark plug holes to coat the piston chamber. Maybe every week walk by and see if you can turn the motor by hand or slight movement by some kind of leverage. It would be a good idea to pull the valve cover to see if there is a reason that the valves or rockers will not move freely. If there is reasonable access to the lifters then pull the cover to inspect to see if anything is hung up. If it gets to be more time than you can allow then you will need to pull the cylinder head to further inspect the sleeves and pistons. If there is no obvious reason for them not to move then pull off the oil pan to see if the rod bearings or main crankshaft bearings are stuck. Without seeing the tractor it is hard to promise anything but in most instances if a rebuild is required the original engine block and cylinder head can be reused but may require some machine shop work.


As far as WD40 goes there are more agressive penetrating oils to use instead of WD40. Stop that program and change over to some ATF/ penetrating oil/ diesel fuel mix. Some guys use acetone as well. Just make sure all the ingredients in your witch's brew are compatible with each other.
 
Congratulations on getting a family tractor. The WD45 is an amazing tractor that can be used for many things around the house or farm. I also have my Grandpa's tractor, it is a WD and I wouldn't take anything for it. Yours has power steering which makes it even better, as most didn't have that option. I think that power steering was only available in 56 and 57, so yours should be one of those 2 years unless it was added at some time. Unfortunately the engine is stuck, I would remove the spark plugs and put a 50 50 mix of atf and acetone in it and just let it sit for a while, you could go to where its at and put it in and then it would be giving it time to work till you get the tractor home. Then once home, you could gently try to get the engine to turn. You never know, you may get lucky and the engine turn real easy. Ive seen them come unstuck easy, and Ive also seen them have to be completely disassembled to un stick. It sounds like yours has been stored inside a shed, so that is a plus. Good luck with it and keep us informed of your progress, and also post some pictures when you get them.
 
While you are waiting on the engine to loosen up it would pay to check all electrical connections, distributor cap, spark plugs to insure a good spark before trying to start it. Make sure the carb jets are not tarnished if you do not mind spending on a bowl gasket and possibly new needles and jets. Make sure the float and float valve are in good order while you are at it.
 
Well first off forget the WD40 it is a water displacement stuff and will not help one bit but likely to make it worse.
If it is locked up due to sitting and not water in the engine due to water down the exhaust fill the cylinders with ATF and also pour ATF down the exhaust till it will not hold any more. Pull one plug at a time then put it back in after filling a cylinder. Let it sit a week or 2 then pull the plugs out and use short fast taps on the starter button. A 12 volt battery works best. I have freed up 20 plus engines that way and have had very good luck doing that
 
Please do not pull it to try to break it loose, dad did that with his and bent several rods. Good luck with her.
 


Once you get the engine turning, I would pull the engine Head and oil pan and take the connecting rids loose ..Remove the Pistons and Rods AND remove the cylinder Sleeves BEFORE you pull the engine (easy to remove these) and overhaul it properly..
The reason for pulling the sleeves before taking the engine Block out of the tractor is to have the Block steady and it is already at a nice height to make a Sleeve Puller and pull the sleeves..
More Correctly, the sleeves are Pushed out from below..

4 1/8" overhaul kits include Pistons, sleeves and more and make an engine that has more power than it had when new..those kits are available in this site..

Bearings WILL be worn, so replace them.. BE SURE to be very careful of the SHIMS between the Rod and the ROD Cap..the measurement is more easily made if you have kept the shim stacks together..
Then, when you have one bearing properly adjusted (with the shims), you can then measure the rest of the shim packs and the clearance should be the same..

Just a "Heads-Up" is all...

You MUST have a good Allis Chalmers Engine Manual... assembling the Connecting Rods and Properly Installing them MUST be done correctly (they are Off-Set) prior to being Installed..

Actually a pretty nice engine to overhaul..not a lot of parts and makes you Proud when you have it done and running..!


Ask any questions you like, we will be here to help ya..
Ron..
 

Also..take Note of which Side the Rod Bearing Notches are on and Write that Down while it is easy to record...you will thank yourself later..!!

Ron.
 
I would use a 50/50 percent solution of automatic transmission fluid and acetone.
this is about the best solution to break parts loose,

downside: the acetone is very flammable and will flash off, if left to the open air.

so put the solution down into the sparkplug hole and then insert the plugs;

main thing to remember: do not get in a big hurry, give it time to work its magic.

good luck,
 
Why take the head and pan etc off????????? I have at least 5 tractors if not more then where locked up when I got them and they have yet to have the pan or head off and they purr like kittens. Why waste $$ of you do not need to
 
I would pull valve cover and oil pan if tractor has been setting for some time. I would make sure valves are opening and closing so not to bend push rod or break rocker arm. Oil pan off clean it and inspect oil pump and pickup. A few gaskets are cheaper than maybe breaking parts.
 
If it has been in a shed all of this time, that is great...no rain water down the exhaust pipe. Pour whatever your choice of chemicals is down all four spark plug holes, but remember, you need more than 6 or 8 ounces in each cylinder because the pistons are dished. Until you get it free enough to turn over, there's not much need to worry about any stuck valves. Doing an "in-frame" overhaul on one of these engines is pretty half-arssed, because they always need cam bearings (oil pressure issues) and the upper rear crankshaft seal cannot be replaced without a complete tear down. I doubt there's anything stuck in the oil pump if it has been indoors all these years. Check your engine oil level.....it better not be overfull, or you have a cracked block from freezing. This should be determined early on.
 
In fact, I'd probably dump 16 ounces in each cylinder and figure on it sitting a weeks before anything might let go. Check it every day or so by rocking it back and forth in road gear or hand crank it.
 
As old said, soak with ATF. I like to take the valve cover off and oil the valve stems and lightly tap the rocker arms over the valve stems to free them up. Once you get it turning over. take an oil line loose and see if it is pumping oil. Could take several revolutions to get it to flow.
Richard in NW SC
 
I will most likely do a full out of frame rebuild since I don't think the old girl has ever been rebuilt. Grandpa was a cattleman and only raised crops the first couple of years they bought their farm so it was used for hay instead of tilling/planting. I guess hours used is hours used but at least it wasn't pulling a plow through the hard ground at their place! :lol:

What can I expect for pricing on having the block and head hot tanked, head checked and valves ground, and cam bearings installed in the block? Cam bearings something I can do myself or best left to a machinist?

Anyone have a tractor machinist they can recommend in the KC, MO area?
 
Old you are lucky more so than I. Rough translation every time I get in this situation is stuck rings. Piston and sleeves may be ok.
 
Stuck rings ya that if why you fill the cylinders with ATF and let ti sit for days i not weeks. I have a D-17 that was locked up 2 Hs Farmalls and M and over the years many others and none had the pan of head removed. Just used the D-17 the other day and it did not spin over more then 5 turns and was purring
 
Well in over 20 tractor engines I have only had ONE that I had to open up and that was because of a stuck exhaust valve and that was in a 8N ford. Ya you do get some that you have to open up but why open it before the need it there
 
If I can fill the cylinders full of ATF and get her broke loose and running with nothing more than a carb rebuild I will go that route. I will pull the valve cover and oil pan to make sure everything is ok there. I bent a couple pushrods on my Deere 2020 that was Grandpa's when I fired her up. Gaskets are cheap and if I can put off a full rebuild for awhile that is money that I can put toward new shoes or paint. I will drain and refill all the fluids though. I am sure it will need it. Thanks for all the advice guys. I will post up some pics of the old girl when I got pick her up. I am not in a real big hurry because she's in the shed and I really don't have the extra space under roof to keep her right now.
 
Again why throw $$ at it till you know what you have or do not have. I have my grand fathers 1935 JD-B and it runs pretty good for something that has not been opened up since maybe in the 50s. Ya it smokes some but as long as it runs well I'll leave it like it is it does the jobs I need it to. A good soaking with ATF and then once freed up run har some and you may find you have a good running tractor on your hands
 
A tractor that has set for some time and is stuck how can you tell if valves are not stuck with out taking off valve. If you do get it to turn over with stuck valve you can bend push rods or break a rocker arm. I like to open them up and make sure everything is free. It can save you time and money in the long run.
 
In all the years and all the engines I have messed with as I said I have only had that 8N that caused me a problem. BUT knowing how to soak one makes a big difference. Not yet had a bent push rod on ones I worked on. Ya I have gotten a few in that did but I was working on something some one else had messed with before I got it. I fill the exhaust with ATF and fill the cylinder as full as I can and many times I get ATF running out the carb which is a good thing that way ALL the valves get a good soaking
 

Not sure if you skimmed over it but I said I will have the valve cover off when I try to roll the engine over the first time. I will tap all the rockers and everything to make sure it is all free before just cranking it up.

Old, I will do as you say and fill the cylinders full of ATF and let it soak a few weeks. It probably wouldn't hurt to pour some ATF down the exhaust also so it can coat the valves then, correct? I have plenty of time to wait. I'll wait six months for it to soak if that's what I have to do.
 
Yep fill the cylinder as full as you can put the plugs back in then fill the exhaust till it will not hold any more and let it sit. I have never had to pull the valve cover off of any of them till after spinning them over and once once or twice have I had to do that due to a valve sticking open. Most of the tractor I have had locked up engines on them when I got them and most have not head the valve cover or pan or head of of yet
 
If you have access to a PTO shaft (36" or there about) then you could put the front half on the tractor PTO for a lever. Use a light amount of force which for a guy like me is not too hard. Don't go Popeye on it or put a 5 foot pipe extension on. Some guys have hung a moderate amount of weight 20-25 lbs on the end of the shaft to apply continuous pressure on. Again, do not be too forceful by hanging a couple hundred pounds of weight on as that may bend a rod or break some other component. Given that the U joint will want to flop make sure whatever you rig up is not going to create new problems. Hopefully, your clutch is in good shape so it does not slip.
 
I've seen guys make a "PTO wrench" from scrap material. One was from a hitch support off an old disk harrow and used the pump coupler for the PTO off of a sprayer.
 
You'd spend your time much better if you disable the hand crank disconnect spring(remove one cotter pin) and get your "lever" on the engines hand crank. Going thru the PTO will only yield 1/3 the turning pressure that directly to the crankshaft will get you.
 
If it is that simple to do then by all means. Most projects I have been around do not offer that option. Most guys that I have seen do the PTO method have a good handle on compensating for the PTO gear ratio. I was offering a means where continuous force could be applied whether the OP was near the tractor or not.
 
I went to Grandma's today and pulled the plugs and took a peek. It looks pretty clean down in the cylinders. I am hoping that it's just the rings that are stuck. I filled the cylinders full of ATF and poured some down the exhaust manifold to coat the back of the valves also. I'll let it soak a few weeks then go back and see if I can get it to move. I took a few pics for you guys. Going by the serial number the old girl is a '56 model.
 
well for some reason I can't figure out how to post pics. Can I upload pics to the website or do I need to upload to photobucket then link them here?
 
Scroll down past the posting box, past advanced posting tools, and click on "browse" under the upload photo header. Should be able to pick it off your computer.
AaronSEIA
 
pics
34191.jpg
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top