Oliver 1855 ????

I talked to a guy whos son has an Oliver 1855 (gas) that has a bad cylinder so its only running on 5. I havent been able to talk to the son yet so dont know all details yet but his dad said its a good tractor other then the 1 cylinder issue. The dad said he thinks his son wants around $2500-$3000. Does a person have to do the whole engine or is doing just 1 cylinder possible? Depending on if the engine is decent other then the 1 cylinder. What could it cost for fixing 1 cylider or doing the whole engine

Might be as easy as a bad injector or push rod out of place.

If the condition os good to better for: tires, electrical, metal, transmission, I think it is a good buy if you have either real good luck, or have mechanical skill. Jim

That doesn't seem too bad. 2 years ago we sold our DOA 1755 for parts for 1750. If it runs and moves yet, even with those problems that doesn't seem to bad.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Thanks Guys. I hope to see it this weekend.

Probably not an injector on a gas tractor, could be a push rod, valve problem or even ignition or could be
something major like a hole in something that's not suppose to have holes. Cost....ain't figured out what's
wrong yet. It might be possible and economical to do one cylinder but before you commit to that look the
whole engine over so you don't have to go back into it in a year or so.

I picked up an Oliver 500 gas the other day that had a miss in it. Only thing wrong with that one was a push rod out of place.

Just my opinion, but I think it'd be insane to give
3 grand for a tractor thats not running right.

Gas tractors don"t get much respect in the marketplace, it may still only be worth $3000 to $6000 after you repair it, depending on condition, tires, and your location.

Bid on it as if it needs a complete engine overhaul and probably a rebuilt clutch and reground camshaft too while you have it apart that far. A reground cam shaft, a rebuilt distributor and a carburator overhaul are not absolutly nesessary, but at 40 years old, they could pay for themselves quickly in fuel savings if you plan to use the tractor much. Figure $2,500+ to fix it if you put any value on your labor. That way if it only takes $1000 (for parts, gaskets and your labor) to fix just the one cylinder, that"s your gain and yours to worry about in the future.

$1,500 to $2,500 as-is should be a fair price for the tractor, depending on the tires and general condition.

Spend some time diagnosing it before you tear down the engine. A compression test and leakdown test could tell you what condition the other cylinders are in before you pull the head off.

Probably something small like a wire,dist cap or plug at worst pull the head and do a valve job.The cost of repairs will be dwarfed by the cost of fuel to keep that baby running.

You CAN always do one cylinder, but it may not be wise to do so. If you fix one, and there are others ready to start giving trouble, you end up doing the same job over again...
Some of my own recommendations...
*diagnosis! As previously stated, compression and leak down tests would tell a lot.
*make NO assumptions. Prepare for the worst, and you will not be disappointed.
*Bid accordingly.

There are many things that can cause a dead cylinder. Could be a plug, wire, distributor cap, burned valve, broken rings, hole in piston, bent pushrod, broken rocker arm, flat cam lobe, or vacuum leak. Each problem usually brings along secondary symptoms.

Gas tractors of that size are fuel hogs and
generally bring a lot less than their diesel
counterpart. The 1855 diesel was known to
through rods on the 310 engine if the bearing
update wasn't installed.

So you have the gas version of a tractor that
already has a mark on its reputation. Probably a
make it should't have as they were generally a
good tractor. ---- But that translated into a
lower price for the model and an even lower price
because of the gas engine.

Oliver's also tend to bring in less money because
the brand changed ownership and branding (became
white)over the years. Unfair but true.

A good tractor except only running on 5 cylinders.
In my book that means it needs a complete rebuild.
And completely rebuilding this gas engine because
of the poor fuel economy really doesn't make
sense. Unless your looking to add it to your
collection because it's an Oliver 1855 Gas.

Are you looking for this to do some heavy work -
If so, I'd pass at any price unless. If you're in
love this model be ready to re-power it with a
diesel and spend some additional cash

If you are just looking for a show tractor or a
hobby tractor with not much hard work if at all
then you could take a chance on spending a grand
for it. Probably get that back in used parts if
the engine is completely gone. This assumes
everything else works and tin straight.