Tractor engine rebuild questions

JohnV2000

Member
Hello,

I made a thread a couple days ago and got great responses, so I figured I come here to ask another question.

I’ve been reading and studying a lot about engines. I watched several YouTube videos on rebuilding engines and I’m pretty confident I can rebuild an old engine, such as a Ford 8N.

My question is, what if the engine is completely stuck, as in, I cannot turn it over by hand? In that case, if I complete disassembly the engine, will I be able to fix it, even if it means replacing more parts like new pistons? I think as long as the engine turns over, however, I should be able to get it running, maybe just with some new gaskets and a thorough cleaning.

Right now I’m in the learning phase of tractors, and since I’m 18 years old, I have a lot to learn. I’m trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible.

Thanks,

John
 
Just b/c it is stuck does not necessarily mean it needs all new internals. My WC had been stuck for 15yrs before I tore it apart and rebuilt it. New rings, gaskets and some shims
out of the bearings and she runs good enough for me to putter around a few hours each year. Must have done ok since it is a hand start and starts easy (when it has enough gas in
the tank...).

If I was going to used it every day for active farming, I would probably have spent more on new bearings, turning the crank, etc.
 
There are varying degrees of being stuck. You don't really know until you get inside. You want to take out the spark plugs and pour some lubricant/penetrant into the cylinders and let it set for a while - sometimes even several weeks. Some will loosen up after soaking for a while. Some will run fine after loosening up with minimal work. Some never will loosen up. I have an old pickup with a flathead V8 that I hoped would loosen up. After soaking for six months I ended up having to drive one of the pistons out with a hammer and it resisted the whole way. I had to machine the block and put in two sleeves to fix that. Then all new pistons, new valves, new camshaft, turn the crank, replace a couple rods - you get the idea. It cost about $2500 to totally rebuild that motor. But listening to it run now gives me a lot of pleasure. For me it is hobby money. You are in a different position so you should proceed with caution. It is a lot of fun but it can get expensive. ADB
 
P.S. I don't want to discourage you from doing it. To me there is little that is more satisfying that bringing an old machine back to life. I love it. I just want you to have your eyes open. ADB
 
Getting into an engine that you have no history on is always an unfolding mystery.

An engine that was running, then stored, and now will not turn is "stuck". It is stuck because moisture or coolant has rusted the rings to the cylinder walls.

An engine that was running and locked up, is "seized" or "locked up". That is usually a worse case for real damage, as in something in the bottom end dies from lack of lubrication, or something came loose, like a connecting rod, and jammed the rotation of the crank, and possibly damaged other components.

If it is just stuck, good chance it can be saved. The 8N engine has sleeves, so even if the cylinder bore is rust pitted, the sleeves can be replaced at a reasonable cost.

Also take in consideration what it will be used for. Since this is your personal property, you are free to make the decisions about how well and long you want this to run considering what you want to pay. If it will be for light use, parades, tractor shows, you may want to, and can somewhat get by, with a less than perfect engine rebuild.

Once you get in there, and lay it all out, take some measurements, get some advise from your shop manual, the machine shop, and what you can gather from online videos and forums, then you can make a decision based on need, use, and budget.
 
Thanks everyone! Is there any way to know if the engine seized up while running or got stuck over time from sitting? Obviously I could ask the owner but they might not know or they unfortunately might lie.

If it got seized up, I probably wouldn’t want to mess with it, but from what I’ve read here and researched, I could probably fix a stuck-from-sitting engine.
 
Well since you have dug deep into and engine lets start with ok try the snake oil treatment , now here you will get 10000 ideas from many people . Some will tell you P B Blasters is the only way to go , some will tell you Kernol is the way to go , some will tell you acetone and ATF , me i will tell you that Zep is good stuff , but hard to find and expensive . But getting down to the nitty gritty is to just pull the head and look BEFORE you do anything . See what your dealing with first . No matter the degree of STUCK your dealing with rust . That rust is abrasive and course , even if you get it to turn that rust can sick the rigs harder then before , it can grind away at the sleeves . Your engine more then likely has sleeves in it those are a thin wall sleeve and have to be pulled with a puller and then pressed in , this is the best way . Some will drive them in and this can be done but you stand a chance of cracking it , you can freeze the sleeves and you can get them to go in but ya have to be fast and not touch them with anything warm or they will expand fast and can stick going in . Myself if i am not willing to spend a lot of money i will remove the head first and look over what i am dealing with , If i have one that is lightly stuck i will spray some Zep around the top of the piston and walk away then come back and do it again in a while and do this several times letting it soak in , then i used and oak block that fits in the hole and give it a rap or two with my favort frustration tool . and spray it again and let it soak some more . and repete If it moves down providing that it is not stuck at the vary bottom of the stroke that's great BUT 4 cylinder engines always seam to stop with two pistons at the top and two at the vary bottom . My next course of action it to use a deglazing hone with Course stones and run it on slow RPM's along with my Zep and knock the rust off the walls and get them smoothed up then clean out the best i can and them make my attach from the bottom by removing the affected rod cap and usen and oak block attempt to drive the piston up along with adding a Little more joy juice . . Once it moves then get it out all the way and thenlook over the walls and see if you have pitting . Pitting is back but rust stains may clean up usen a bottle brush hone . Also check for a ridge at the top of the piston ring travel , if it has a ridge that you can catch with your finger nail this needs to be removed with a ridge reamer if not it is posable the top ring will catch and it will either break or you may end up bring the sleeve out . . Now by no means am i the guru of Fords but i have over the years worked on a few . get yourself and I T manual and read it , is it the best manual out there no but it will help . when i rebuilt a 8 N i was lucky to the fact that the old Local Ford dealer lent me the sleeve puller and instillation tool to install the new sleeves , but t.o have to buy the valve setting tools
 

Thanks! I’m thinking that if I get the tractor that isn’t running, first thing I’ll do is take the engine off the tractor and open it up. I’ll take a look at all the gaskets and valves and pistons, etc, and see what needs done.
 
(quoted from post at 13:40:39 12/07/18)
Thanks! I’m thinking that if I get the tractor that isn’t running, first thing I’ll do is take the engine off the tractor and open it up. I’ll take a look at all the gaskets and valves and pistons, etc, and see what needs done.

Don't do it!

I know you're eager, we've all been there, but you need to find your inner Mechanic Zen. OK, pull up a yoga matt and now BREATH with me. In. Out. Ommmmmmmmmmmm.

OK, now that you've got your Zen on, slow down!!! If you have a stuck engine, TIME is your friend. Pull the plugs, lube the cylinders with ATF or Deep Creep and WAIT. Give it a few days or a week.

Then start gently working on "rocking" the motor back and forth. YOU absolutely want to unstick the motor in the least invasive way possible. Get a bar on it and slowly work on getting it loose.

Be gentle and take your time. This is part of being a good mechanic. Don't go tearing into what may not be broken. As I said in your last thread, there will be PLENTY to do on an old tractor without getting in over your head with a full on overhaul.

Also, here's a warning about YouTube. Just because some generic mechanic puts a video out there, it doesn't' mean they know what they are doing. There's a lot of stuff out there that is plain old wrong. Problem is you only find out this after trying to do it the way they did it.

Grouse
 

Thanks for the tips! So if I buy a tractor that does turn over freely but doesn’t run, what should my first steps be?
 
(quoted from post at 15:33:27 12/07/18)
Thanks for the tips! So if I buy a tractor that does turn over freely but doesn’t run, what should my first steps be?

Make sure the key is on and it has plenty of gas and it's turned on.
 
(quoted from post at 16:53:27 12/07/18)
(quoted from post at 15:33:27 12/07/18)
Thanks for the tips! So if I buy a tractor that does turn over freely but doesn’t run, what should my first steps be?

Make sure the key is on and it has plenty of gas and it's turned on.

And if it still doesn’t run.......
 
Check the 9N 2N 8N site. Complete rebuild parts are available from this site. They are simple tractors and easy to fix. Look at your wallet and enjoy. HTH
 
My opinion is ,First you have come to the right place. The knowledge here on this site is off the charts. These folks will head you in the
right direction. Ive been here sense my first question when i rebuilt my 135 massey few years ago. So set back read and enjoy. Have fun on
your rebuild just take your time do a good job. It will be like new again and you get lots of years of good service out of it.
 
Does anyone have experience with or knowledge of Charlie Burgh Implement in western Pennsylvania near Zelienople? They seem like a huge dealer of antique tractors and parts. I might give them a call tomorrow. I’m thinking they’ll have an assortment of tracking with engines in varying conditions.
 

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