Tips for removing John Deere 60 manifold?

pmarkel · May 19, 2017

I noticed a significant exhaust leak at the gasket surface between the cylinder head and exhaust manifold of my JD 60 the other day while tedding hay. The tractor runs great but when you put your hand near the manifold you can feel hot air shooting out where the gasket has burnt away. First off, how big of a deal is this? There is some pitting on the upper exterior of the head near the manifold on both sides of the tractor. Will I damage the tractor if I continue to use it for a prolonged period as is? Also, what is the best bet for removing the exhaust and intake manifolds? At a glance it seems I would have to either pull the head and manifold as one unit or disassemble the upper water pipe, fan shaft, carb, etc? Seeking any advice from those who have had to do this before.

Thanks,

Pete

machineryman · May 19, 2017

yes it will air cut the head with extended use. I've removed several of these. The intake bolts will probably unscrew however the exhaust bolts will be frozen in the exhaust manifold. If you removed the gas tank you can use an impact wrench...use a size that you will need to drive onto the bolt....impact back and forth and you may get them to back out. I've also broken the cast iron from around the bolts to all allow the bolt to spin. Use a sharp chisel to break it up and down along the bolt but don't break it where it will fall into the head. You can use penetrating oil around the crack. be sure to wear goggles. Would be easier for me to do than explain.

buickanddeere · May 19, 2017

Head has to be removed and taken to a machine shop to mill the intake and exhaust gasket mating surfaces flat. Jb weld, gasket goo etc will not make a lasting repair.
can't do any harm to check valve stem to guide clearance, measure valve spring pressure, mill the head flat, freshen up the valves and seats.

Fred from MO · May 20, 2017

I did this a few years ago. Mine was leaking pretty bad for several years. Made the tractor super loud.Had to remove
the fuel tank and water pipe. Soak all the bolts in pb blaster. Used a breaker bar and got all but one bolt out that
broke. Took the whole head and manifold to a machine shop to machine surfaces flat. Including the block to head
surface. While there they had to replace the guides and valves. With the head off I measured the block bore and
found my block was out of spec along with the crank. So those went too. Since I was that far into it so were the
transmission bearings shifter forks and some gears

machineryman · May 20, 2017

I used a large flat file to smooth down mating surfaces. Well if you're going to remove the head you don't need to take off the hood and all that other....remove water pipes, remove tool tray and then slid it forward....get a buddy to help to avoid loosing or breaking a finger. If you desire just a hammer and breakup the manifold before removing as it's trash anyway and machine shop can remove any broken studs.....reinstallation is no issue....most of these jobs are made more work than needed.....

Mike M · May 20, 2017

I'd remove the head. Good chance it is over due for a valve job too. Manifold surface of head can be trued up in a milling machine and any broken off bolts can be drilled out when mounted in the mill. This is the BEST WAY to do them.

NoDakInMN · May 20, 2017

Bought a 60 a few years back with the standard leak on the exhaust manifold on the pulley side. It was too far gone to save when I got it, so I found a new old stock head in the want ads here and put on new manifold as well. This is one of those jobs where it is possible to bubblegum it together but you will spend more time screwing with it and will still need to pull it to have it machined in the end. Unless you wait too long like the guy who had mine before did and then I had no choice but to replace everything.

pmarkel · May 21, 2017

(quoted from post at 19:10:18 05/20/17) Bought a 60 a few years back with the standard leak on the exhaust manifold on the pulley side. It was too far gone to save when I got it, so I found a new old stock head in the want ads here and put on new manifold as well. This is one of those jobs where it is possible to bubblegum it together but you will spend more time screwing with it and will still need to pull it to have it machined in the end. Unless you wait too long like the guy who had mine before did and then I had no choice but to replace everything.

Thank you for the advice. It seems everyone is in consensus. Pull the head.

Tips for removing John Deere 60 manifold?

pmarkel

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machineryman

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buickanddeere

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Fred from MO

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machineryman

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Mike M

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NoDakInMN

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pmarkel

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