B1550hst-d 17hpa head gasket question

Ryan Slater

New member

Equipment
B1550hst
Jan 1, 2015
22
0
0
tacoma, wa
So I bought a used b1550hst-d 4wd and got a good deal on it. The only mechanical issue is it has a blown head gasket on #2 cylinder. So while reading through the repair manual it talks about taking a "fuse" and putting it on top the piston with the engine on tdc and setting the head on the block and then looking at the fuse to see how much it crushed. This is all they they talk about with a fuse. So my questions are, they talking about an old style glass fuse like a Buss AGC? And does this play on the piston or? My next question is in the head gasket kit it comes with the gasket a shim. Is this to determine weather or not to use the shim after having the head pressure tested and surfaced? I'm an auto tech for a living but never had to worry much about clearances when doing a head gasket on a vehicle but other than this it is a simple strait forward repair. Thanks any info or input is greatly appreciated on this.
 

Jim L.

Active member
Jun 18, 2014
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Texas
Ryan, I can't help you with that specific model. There are other guys here who can.

It's not an electrical fuse. It is a crushable strip that you put on a specific place on the piston head with grease. You then put on a new head gasket and tighten to spec. Turn the crank until you pass top dead center. Then take it apart and measure the fuse thickness to find top clearance. If OK, then get a new gasket...

Unless you need to look at top clearance, you would not normally do this test as you will go through 2 new gaskets.
 

D2Cat

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Mar 27, 2014
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Ryan, the shim will only be used if you had to have the head milled down. I'd take the head to a machine shop and have them magnaflux it and put a straight edge on it to be sure it's not warped. Then install new head gasket and be done.

I'm not familiar with your specific engine, but some Kubotas have an oil passage coming up out of the block in the left rear corner. If your has it be sure to put a new 0-ring there.
 

Ryan Slater

New member

Equipment
B1550hst
Jan 1, 2015
22
0
0
tacoma, wa
Ryan, I can't help you with that specific model. There are other guys here who can.

It's not an electrical fuse. It is a crushable strip that you put on a specific place on the piston head with grease. You then put on a new head gasket and tighten to spec. Turn the crank until you pass top dead center. Then take it apart and measure the fuse thickness to find top clearance. If OK, then get a new gasket...

Unless you need to look at top clearance, you would not normally do this test as you will go through 2 new gaskets.
Ok that makes more sense. Thanks for clearing that up it's much appreciated
 

Ryan Slater

New member

Equipment
B1550hst
Jan 1, 2015
22
0
0
tacoma, wa
Ryan, the shim will only be used if you had to have the head milled down. I'd take the head to a machine shop and have them magnaflux it and put a straight edge on it to be sure it's not warped. Then install new head gasket and be done.

I'm not familiar with your specific engine, but some Kubotas have an oil passage coming up out of the block in the left rear corner. If your has it be sure to put a new 0-ring there.
We have a strait edge specifically for checking head and block surfaces at our shop. Do you know if the cast iron heads are very susceptible to warping? Thanks for the heads up on the oil passage o-ring. I ordered a kit from kubota so hopefully if it takes it it is included.
 

Ryan Slater

New member

Equipment
B1550hst
Jan 1, 2015
22
0
0
tacoma, wa
So I hope this helps someone in the future. Since everything I could find about the timing Mark's even I the manual show them only visible from the back of the engine and mine has no inspection plug I brought the engine as close to tdc as I could by bumping it over and using a compression gauge fitting in the #1 flow plug hole. Next I disassembled the top end and removed the head. Wasn't exactly on tdc so moved the crank so #1 piston was all the way up. Cleaned up the head and block checked the head with a .002 feeler gauge and our straight edge for checking heads at this point I made a mark on the crank pulley and the block with a yellow paint pen. Installed the head and torqued to spec, installed the valve train and adjusted the valves as the manual says. (Note when referring from the manual to the actual valve order it differed. Manual shows valves E-I-E-I-E-I. actual order was different from the manual.) Adusted the first 4 as manual says then rotated crank 1 full revolution to where my paint Mark's lined up and did the last 2 valves. Hope this helps the next person who does a head gasket and is wanting to adjust there valves.


Engine now runs great just working out some other bugs now.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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Running the valves on these older models is easily overly complicated.

You can simply watch the push rod move, then when the push rod goes down and stops you just go a little past that and set the valve, if you do this twice around you'll get them set right, with no need to tear the head off just to check timing. ;)