Can the RMS job be done without a new oil pan gasket?

[Stevos_loboy]

Yeah!!!! Hope you get everything you need to put her back together and get running again in a timely fashion. When your done could you please let me know of any un-foreseen problems or issues you come across in that compete process as I will be repeating what you have done to replace the rear main seal. I'll be thinking about doing what you have done with those pto belts, pending how worn and beat they are on my unit! Appreciate the tip - Good luck and thanks for keeping us posted -

[MikeEyre74]

Sure thing! You can gimme a call on the phone and we can do a detailed discussion of it all if ya like as well. It’s all good to me...

[Stevos_loboy]

Mike ……. is she running?

[MikeEyre74]

Sorry, yes!

I got that back together and it worked like a champ. No leaks and looked good. I put the deck under it and just had problems with the PTO lever not staying engaged. It would pull up and click into place but then disengage itself within seconds.

Reading through some old posts, HamiltonBob mentioned that a bad PTO cam bearing could cause this phenomenon, so I spent last night taking that apart to fix things. I ordered the bearing from HB already but, after taking the rubber seal off one side of the bearing I found a bunch of crap inside there that came out with some brake clean and didn’t feel too bad at all after I got it flushed out. I said heck, and reinstalled it and it works like a champ in the garage as of late last night. Haven’t mowed with it but it seems a LOT more positive on its action now than it did before. I *think* it’s time to do a tuneup on the motor and put her to work. But that’s why I got a little delayed there...

[Stevos_loboy]

You wouldn't have snapped any photo's of any issues replacing the seal along the way did ya? Visuals always seem to be a big help (some women say this one big difference between men and women - )

[MikeEyre74]

Not really? I guess because I didn’t have any issues? It’s pretty straight forward. The only thing that really I didn’t think about, which really wasn’t an issue is that you have to remove the steering gear from the front of the engine in order to get to the bolts that hold the oil pan on up there. So that Has to be moved… it’s just four bolts tho. You pull the oil pan off, you have to remove the four bolts that hold The output shaft onto the fly wheel, then you have to remove the fly wheel… And then the seal retainer pops off with a few more bolts after that. Package up your retainer and send it off to get machined, then do your cleanup work for the gaskets that you need to change when the seal comes back, clean out the screen for the oil pick up and find something else to do until the seal comes back. You might consider changing the PTO belts while you’re in here, but otherwise? No, it’s just a bit of time, working in a confined space where you can’t really see a lot of what you are doing and have to feel your way through it.

[mozer71]

Sounds familiar to my earlier times. Dang "trouble light" - is what Dad called it. Nope not too similar. Under a freakin vehicle and it is cold and everything you touch has rust or grease falling in your face. First the moths then the creepers then what may be a rat. Then the bulb goes out.

[BigBill]

I was thinking about ty wrapping a extra pair of pto belts on my earlier 154 so when the new belts wear out just cut the ty wraps and install the new set rather than move the engine again.

[MikeEyre74]

I did that too. they're zip tied up under there.

[mozer71]

Great info about the matched pair. Mine have been running a long time but I don't know how they are wearing the pulleys. I think that is pretty important.