While I'm waiting on a WSM, does anyone have any experiences or tips to share on removing the engine from an L2550? I have been slowing restoring one that was in a field for many years before I purchased it. It looked very neglected and sun-faded, but had very low hours (less than 400) and very little rust on it.
At the time, the engine was a very hard start and lots of white smoke poured out of the breather while running. I was pointed towards rings as a problem. Upon inspection, there were some broken piston lands that just crumbled when I pulled the pistons. I'm guessing this was from starter fluid being used on it.
Initially, the cylinder liners looked pretty good. They were shiny and had lost the cross-hatching, but I thought that I was going to skate by with a simple de-glazing and replacing the damaged pistons and rings.
But, no. Closer inspection revealed a gouge more than halfway through the thickness of the middle cylinder liner. It runs up and down the liner, and I am assuming it was from a piece of one of the broken lands moving up and down with the piston. I will need to replace the liners and, after some researching, it appears the liners arrive semi-finished. I just do not have the equipment or expertise (or, the desire) to remove and re-hone these, so I plan to take the engine to a machine shop.
This is a very long way of asking - does anyone have any tips for removing this engine? This is a project that I'm doing for fun and to learn about these tractors. There's certainly no rush, but, at the end of this, I'd like to have a really solid working L2550. I really appreciate it.
At the time, the engine was a very hard start and lots of white smoke poured out of the breather while running. I was pointed towards rings as a problem. Upon inspection, there were some broken piston lands that just crumbled when I pulled the pistons. I'm guessing this was from starter fluid being used on it.
Initially, the cylinder liners looked pretty good. They were shiny and had lost the cross-hatching, but I thought that I was going to skate by with a simple de-glazing and replacing the damaged pistons and rings.
But, no. Closer inspection revealed a gouge more than halfway through the thickness of the middle cylinder liner. It runs up and down the liner, and I am assuming it was from a piece of one of the broken lands moving up and down with the piston. I will need to replace the liners and, after some researching, it appears the liners arrive semi-finished. I just do not have the equipment or expertise (or, the desire) to remove and re-hone these, so I plan to take the engine to a machine shop.
This is a very long way of asking - does anyone have any tips for removing this engine? This is a project that I'm doing for fun and to learn about these tractors. There's certainly no rush, but, at the end of this, I'd like to have a really solid working L2550. I really appreciate it.
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