Wolfe, I appreciate the feedback that you post to help members if this forum, including me. However, while I am asking a lot of this tractor, I do not think that I am in anyway pushing it beyond it limits. You have not seen the area in question and therefore cannot place an accurate judgement on just how thick of brush this is. We do not run over trees lager than about 2in in diameter and we try to avoid those. Most of them end up pushing over then it gets chopped while laying flat on the ground.
The great majority of the grown is wild bushes and vines. We are taking very good care of the tractor and other than this unfortunate incident with the oil plug, nothing else of significance has happened to it other than normal wear and tear. (Knocking a light off the fender does not count in my book and will be fixed once we are done with this clearing.)
Point being, there is more than one way to fix my issue at hand. Aluminum has a significantly lower melting point than steel and therefore the melted aluminum is all that I expect to find wrong with the crank journal. Once I get the aluminum off and polish I will take multiple measurements of that journal and the other two corresponding journal to see if there is any significant difference to be concerned about. Since the bearings was still in the journal, no steel to steel contact was make between the crank and the rod, therefore the crank nor the rod should be out of round. I am still debating on reusing that rod and will be taking measurements of it tonight to make a final determination.
The process I described above for cleaning and salvaging a crank shaft has been used for many decades in everything from V-8 trucks to racing motorcycles, drag cars and semi diesels. It all comes down to tolerance. If the tolerance is correctly within spec (weather done this way or at a machine shop) then it is within spec and will perform just fine.
I think you assume I am trying to cut corners and will grenade my engine by doing so. While I am trying to save dollars I am also trying to save time by not having to rely on others. If I can make this repair within spec on my own, then I will have this tractor back to work before any other shop can do it for me while dealing with other workloads and waiting on parts.
Again, if it does not meet spec and needs additional work at a machine shop, then it will go the the machine shop. Either way, it will be done right and within spec. Question here is who decides what is right? Old timers that have performed backyard fixes for decades or the professional that does this everyday with near endless resources. I say it does not matter if it works and stands the test of time and that is all about the specs.
