Winter projects = Mini Fest!?

[outdoors4evr]

That is the cleanest valve train I have seen! Nice Photo's and description of the work performed!

[Dale Finch]

I am moving so slowly on this, that it takes me a while to pick up where I left off. It's still cold this morning, so I thought I would catch up on the current status, before I head out to the garage.

Pulled the spark plugs and checked the condition and gaps...all were fairly new & looked pretty good so reinstalled them with small amount of anti-seize:

Decided to check and repack the front wheel bearings, using a strap around the front axle and an engine hoist:

Removed the hubcap, cotter pin, nut and washer, which allowed the outer bearing to be removed:

Cleaned everything with clean kerosene, then blew the parts dry. Per the Service Manual, since the inner bearing was good, I did not remove it...simply brushed it clean with Kerosene and dried it. Then repacked (by hand) both bearings, ensuring grease was pushed out all rollers...note pushing grease from outside until it exits the inside. Then pressed grease into all the rollers themselves.

Installed the well-greased hub, then the well-greased outer bearing, washer, and nut. Tightened the nut per the manual, then inserted a new cotter key. Make sure you bend the ends so they can NOT touch the hub cap.
Put on the hub cap, installed the tire/rim with wire-brushed tapered wheel bolts, and did the other side.

[Dale Finch]

After finishing the front wheel bearings, I changed the strap to the bolster, so I could pick up the front of the tractor and rock the front axle. This allowed me to push grease into the front pivot pin more evenly. It also helped greasing the spindles, and I was able to rotate the steering from stop to stop, ensuring even greasing there. I did push out some water from the bottom of the left spindle.

Continued greasing zerk fittings, per the Owner's Manual:
http://farmallcub.com/rudi_cub/www.cleancomputes.com/Cub/Cub%20Owner's%20Manuals/International%20Cub%20and%20Cub%20Lo-boy%20Tractors%20Operators%20Manual%202-75/Page-66.jpg

Note: I also oiled the pedal shafts for brakes and clutch, as well as the seat post, which is easily forgotten. That hole is really hard to find!

Before I could service the final oil pan gear oil, I first needed to remove the drawbar. The attachment brackets are designed for one man (or WOMAN!) on and off. This drawbar had not been removed since rebuild a few years ago, and I quickly realized I needed to adjust the clamping bars so the brackets would unhook without removing the implement bolts completely, rather than just loosening them.

If you look closely at the above photo, you will see that the forward (left) bolt unhooked by swinging the drawbar up, and the rear one SHOULD have unhooked when the drawbar was then lifted. It did not because there was not enough room for the bolt to get out of the slot. By loosening the rear bolt (far right) holding the clamping plate on, I was able to make more room. the drawbar was easily removed then, allowing access to the fill holes in the finals.

Instead of simply topping off the gear oil, I decided to check everything out by removing the oil pan, cleaning it and replacing it with a new gasket.
It's a messy job, so have a drip pan, cardboard and rags handy!!

Cleaned the mating surfaces of the pan and housing, then reinstalled the pan with a new gasket using Indian Head Varnish on the pan side.

Wire brushed the bolts, which were in good shape, and snugged everything down with new lockwashers. Still need to refill the pans, but will do that after I finish the 2nd final.

[Stanton]

You’re doing a great job documenting your progress, Dale.

Thanks for taking the time to do it.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[Dale Finch]

12/14/18 Installed the left final oil pan with a new gasket (paper, not cork...hadn't used this type before). Applied Indian Head Varnish to the pan side, and used new lockwashers:

When I did the right Final Oil Pan removal and cleaning, I found some fine metal pieces. Not sure where they came from...possibly one of the thin shims between the bull gear and the bearing?? Decided to only clean it out, and reassemble without further investigation, since I will be pulling the wheels to put on new tires soon, and can disassemble the final at that time.

Removed the drain plug from the front/bottom of the transmission, to let it drain while I continued lubricating per Owner's Manual. Did not seem to have much moisture...not the often seen chocolate milkshake! Since I did not plan to remove the PTO, I used a small magnetic tool to poke up the drain hole to check for metal particles...none found.

Completed the greasing of Tie Rod Ends, Steering Arm, 2 Rockshaft zerks,and PTO

Removed the fill plug for the Steering Geer Housing. The fluid appeared to be at the "Full" level plug, and was not milky. Removed the bottom drain plug, and drained all fluid. Meanwhile I cleaned the fill plug vent holes with a piece of monofilament, then sprayed it clear with carb cleaner.

[Dale Finch]

12/23/18 In the steering gear housing, removed the ("Full") level plug (middle plug), and replaced the drain plug (bottom plug). Refilled with gear oil (NAPA 80/90) until it started coming out the level plug hole, then installed the level and fill plugs.

Installed the drain plug in the bottom of the transmission, and removed the level plug (on the lower left side of the transmission near the fender) and refilled with NAPA 80/90 gear oil until it started coming out the level hole (~3 1/2 pints).

NOTE: If you overfill the transmission, you will likely have oil leaking past the differential seals, and into the brake areas, then dripping out the bottom weep holes just inside the finals. This is a common problem with either overfilling or water getting into the transmission from rain, washing or condensation.

While I had the Fill Plug out of the top of the transmission, I checked the condition of the PTO shift lever and pin. It is difficult to see, but it looked like there was SOME wear on the pin, which will eventually allow the clutch to move rearwards, resulting in grinding and disengaging of the PTO. I decided to leave it alone for now, but will probably need to replace the lever later. This is the part from TM Tractors, a forum sponsor:
http://www.tmtractor.com/new/pt/317fp.htm

Using a long funnel, refilled the 2 finals with NAPA 80/90 gear oil until it started coming out of the fill plug holes.

[RonT]

Nice work detail - lots of good information contained within.

[Dale Finch]

12/27/18 I received my "NEW" Rear Seal/Retainer from Tim Talleur (tst forum name), who machines the old retainer for a seal that is tight, as it should be. It will be the third, and hopefully last, of my three cubs to have his seal installed! Thanks, Tim!!

For the split, I chocked the rear wheels, put transmission in gear, and wedged the front axle. This wedging is not to avoid the possibility of rollover, as it would be for a rear wheel or final removal, but it does maintain the orientation of the engine with regard to the clutch housing. This will be important later when reattaching the 2 halves.

I had already attached a jackstand, which will support the rear half, while allowing it to be moved:

Removed the starter, to allow access to the flywheel later on. Also, it made strapping the engine to the hoist more efficient.

Disconnected the steering shaft bracket from the support, then removed the 6 bolts holding the clutch housing to the engine. Sprayed the 2 dowel pins with PB Blaster. They can be a bear if it has been a while since being split. Fortunately this tractor had been apart recently. The 2 halves separateled fairly easily (sorry about the photo orientation!):

Note: I had already removed the clutch housing cover. If this is not removed, the flywheel will hit it.

As you are pushing the 2 halves apart, don't forget the steering wheel! It will hang up on the support. I was just too lazy to remove it, since that can be a project all by itself!!

Now I could check the rear half for any problems. No evidence of leaking from the front of the transmission, and the clutch rod mechanism looked in good condition. The Throwout Bearing (TOB) was in good shape, as was the hanger.

[Dale Finch]

The clutch fingers were checked, and miraculously were all exactly 1 1/4"!! They were in good condition, as were all the springs.
The manual says to mark the orientation of the clutch to the flywheel. I actually have failed to do this in the past, and do not think it made a difference, but...! Hence the white paint.

Note where the base of the rule is sitting. It is quite difficult to see this area when attempting to adjust through the clutch housing hand hole, but not impossible.

Note the 1 1/4" height:

The flywheel teeth showed SOME wear, but were OK. The ring CAN be removed and turned around, but I am not doing this.
I removed the 6 bolts holding the clutch assembly to the flywheel, and examined it. All looked OK, including splines:

Pilot bushing was good, and still showed it had been greased.

Removed the flywheel, to give access, finally, to the rear crankshaft seal retainer, which had obvious evidence of engine oil leaking:

[Dale Finch]

The rear seal, once removed, showed it had already been reworked, but NOT by Tim (tst). It appeared to have been leaking around the outside of the seal. All 3 bolt holes for the oil pan had been helicoiled, also.

I polished the crankshaft area where the new seal would ride, cleaned everything up, and put Indian Head Varnish on the new oil pan gasket. Greased the crankshaft and seal, then carefully installed Tim's new seal/retainer with a new gasket "stuck" to the retainer with Indian Head varnish.

I just started the bolts (with new lockwashers) holding the retainer, before starting the 3 oil pan bolts, THEN tightened them all down. I was able to EASILY secure those back 3 oil pan bolts with new lockwashers, a job that is truly a PITA once "unsplit" through the clutch housing access!! Then it requires a universal 1/4" drive 1/2" socket, and is still hard to get tight. Also, since they are going into the retainer, rather than the engine block, the metal is softer and the holes CAN be stripped! Be careful!

I greased the pilot bushing, and the drive shaft spline end. As has been mentioned on the forum previously, if the bushing has been replaced (which I did not), you may have to ream out the bushing for proper fit. If it is too tight, the drive shaft may not stop spinning when the clutch is depressed, causing transmission gears to grind.

While separated, I pumped fresh (CHEAP) grease through the TOB, since it was easy to see when clean grease came out the small hole on top.

I reinstalled the flywheel and torqued the bolts to 45ftlbs (manual says 45-50), while holding the flywheel from spinning with a large screwdriver through the starter hole (helps that a friend came over for this last part!):

Installed the clutch assembly onto the flywheel, using a Clutch Pilot Tool from TM Tractors (a forum sponsor). http://www.tmtractor.com/new/cl/7932fp.htm
Torqued the bolts to 20ftlbs, per the manual.

To make rejoining of the two halves easier, I copied a trick from the DSCF a few years ago. Not sure who to credit with this idea, but THANK YOU to ALL the "guys" who share their knowledge at these events. If this is new to you, I am simply passing the idea along!
Cut the heads off two 7/16-14x3" bolts, then cut a slot in the top, allowing them to be turned with a screwdriver. Insert them into the two top holes for the clutch housing-to-engine bolts. They will act as pilots when remating the 2 halves:

With the help of a friend, we pushed the 2 halves back together. Don't forget the steering wheel needing to clear the support. At one point we thought something was binding, then looked up and saw it was the steering wheel hitting the support!!

The pilot bolts helped tremendously, but at some point, I needed to line up one, then drive one of the wedges in a tad, to rotate the front half, in order to get the two pilot bolts to line up. Since the clutch had been centered during installation, the drive shaft went in quite easily. I put the tractor in neutral, engaged the PTO, and was able to mesh the splines. I then used a couple 3 1/2" bolts in the other mating holes, added nuts, and gently drew the 2 halves together. Replaced the 2 pilot bolts with the correct NEW 7/16-14x2" bolts with new lockwashers and torqued to 35ftlbs, swapped the 3 1/2" bolts with the four NEW 7/16-14x3" bolts, nuts and new lockwashers (manual calls for 7/16-14x2 3/4", but they are unavailable) and torqued to 55ftlbs.

Another note: all the hardware I replaced was with Grade 8, including the lockwashers. I have had bad experiences with wimpy hardware, even Grade 5!

SO! That's where I am as of today! Finally caught up. Now it's time for lunch, and we'll see if I get all the parts I removed back in the right places!

My apologies ahead of time for ANY typos, or jumbled up explainations...I am too tired to adequately proofread all this!!

[staninlowerAL]

Fantastic Dale. If you ever decide to come out of retirement you can easily start a new career teaching mechanics. Wish I was close enough to participate, maybe serve the

[Dale Finch]

Since the rear seal swap is complete, I continued with my "Annual Service". I removed the distributor cap, and saw some corrosion inside on the 4 terminals. I will clean it for future use, but since I had a new one on the shelf, I simply swapped it out.

Since it is easier to work on the distributor while it is OFF the tractor, I set the engine at top dead center (TDC) on #1, and removed the two clamping bolts from the distributor, pulling it free.

Removed the dust cover and gasket, then the points, which showed off-centered wear.

When I installed a new set of points, I realized the reason for the uneven wear was due to a broken insulator, which allowed the spring side of the points to become misalignment. I ordered and installed the new insulator, and everything was as it should be. Set the points to .020.

Pumped fresh grease into the distributor and the base, reinstalled it, with the rotor pointing to #1 tower.

[Dale Finch]

Painted then installed the previously primed starter, then applied the starter and tractor serial number overlays made by Tim Talleur (tst).

Reconnected the wiring harness.

Cleaned both ends of the hydraulic manifold, and "glued" a new gasket onto the touch control block end with Indian Head Varnish, since it tends to slip out of place when bolting the manifold on. Pushed two new (blue) O-rings into the grooves of the hydraulic pump. Since the manifold is not "flexible", I started a couple bolts at the block end, then coerced the pump end into alignment for those two bolts. Finished bolting the manifold into place.

Installed the exhaust pipe AFTER the hydraulic lines, to allow access to the manifold bolts.

Since there had been no problems with the carburetor (a Zenith), I simply cleaned the exterior and the inlet screen with carb cleaner, then installed it with a new gasket and new lockwashers.

Attached the choke, throttle, and gov. rods with small hitch pins.

[Dale Finch]

As I had been cleaning the carb, I noticed the surface where the drain plug seats with a gasket was quite rough, so I filed it smooth.

Installed the air cleaner assembly, then the breather tube. Used a 3/8" ratchet with an extension and universal 1/2" socket. Those 2 bolts can be a bear...just keep working at different angles (sometimes between the fan blades). Filled the oil cup to "Oil Level" line and clipped in place.

Attached the hose between the air cleaner and the carb. (for the Zenith carb...IH carb uses 2 hoses at either end of a metal pipe)

Put in a new engine oil filter and gasket, then added 3 quarts 30wt NAPA oil.

Partially filled radiator with 50/50 NAPA antifreeze mix, to check for leaks. When none were seen, topped off the radiator.

Added about 3 pints of HyTran to touch control block (was "full", but should take about 4 1/4 pts, so will top it off after running it to bleed the air out, then pulling rockshaft to the rear.

Since the fuel tank was off and sitting on sawhorses, decided to clean it up...washed then used polishing compound to remove some of the gas staining around the filler, then waxed it. It was so slick, it almost slid off the sawhorses!! Removed the fuel sediment bowl, and cleaned it. The screen and "rubber" gasket were fairly new and in good condition, so reused them. I did add some packing to the valve stem, since I vaguely remembered that it leaked just a tad. Also, using some emory paper, tried to remove the slight groove in the seat. I tested it with water, and I THINK it was good...we'll see...keeping fingers crossed.

Finally, I snugged the engine oil pan bolts a bit...some wetness around the gasket. Next step is to do a compression check, static timing, and see if this guy will run again!!

[Dale Finch]

Removed the spark plugs, and proceeded to do a compression check:
#1 128
#2 127
#3 122
#4 125
I was pleased with both the values as well as the closeness between all 4.

With the distributor bolts loose and engine on TDC, rotated the distributor toward me...points closed. I put a multimeter from ground to the coil post, and slowly rotated the distributor back toward the engine until the points just opened. Tightened down the distributor bolts.

Time to start the engine, so attached a pony bottle, pulled the starter...and HE LIVES!! Oil pressure was good, TC worked, charging well. I ran the throttle up and down, slowly and rapidly...no stumbling or hesitation.

Finally checked the timing with a timing light...a very slight offset from the timing mark, but decided to leave it for now. Will run it a bit, see how it does, then recheck.

I added some gas to the tank, to check for any fuel leak...easier to deal with it now than after it is installed on the tractor! No leaks.

Installed the tank, feeding the headlight wires through the grommets.

Loosely installed the 2 bolts at the front of the tank to the radiator support brackets.

Then the 4 truss screws at the dash.

Installed the doglegs, ensuring they are straight, then tightened the bolts at the radiator supports. Before tightening the doglegs, I tested the front grill to make sure it sits correctly. Then tightened everything up.

Attached the fuel line, and started the tractor again, just to make sure all was well.