1952 H Cylinder Liner

Allan from PA · Oct 11, 2012

Hello All. Brought the FIL's H home that was used just for mowing. The engine was locked up, left exposed and water got in #2 cylinder. Had it soaking for 6 months, but wouldn't budge. Took head off and still couldn't get it loose. Had to take out liner and piston as a unit. (3 7/16 bore) Liner is shot, piston may be salvageable and of course rings bad. Economics being a concern here, should all the liners be replaced with new pistons and rings, just the bad liner and piston, or could used parts be used? The best scenario for me would be to get a good used sleeve with its mating piston and rings and I use the connecting rod from the engine on the piston. Thoughts and help would be appreciated. FIL passed last year and tractor was 100 miles away in a field. One last thing, tractor is now in the heated garage and the wife's car is sitting out in the cold which makes it a little more painful for me! Thanks, Allan.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 11, 2012

my thoughts are this;
understanding your economic concerns,
i would go ahead and do it all,
reason being one is bad tho' the rest may appear to be good,they too are probably worn out,
the motor is apart now easy to take care of,
unless you want to pull it all apart again at a later date

Zachary Hoyt · Oct 11, 2012

I would check the other pistons and sleeves for wear and decide from there. I got a 300 in the spring that had been left out for years and one piston/sleeve had to be replaced. I decided not to replace the others at the time since there was no ridge on the top of the sleeves and the piston-sleeve clearance did not look excessive. I got the tractor running and so far I am happy with that decision, it runs well with no smoke and has plenty of power.
Zach

Allan from PA · Oct 11, 2012

I did not mean to leave the the wrong impression. My time, effort and money now seems to be a donation to the wife's family to get this fixed. Don't ask how, it is a long story. I am still grateful for all the comments and opinions. The other three cylinders look good. No ridges or defects noted. Thanks, Allan.

mkirsch · Oct 11, 2012

Maybe it would be a good idea to make friends with an engine builder or educate and equip yourself to take a few measurements to determine the condition of the other cylinders?

Wayne in MN · Oct 11, 2012

Remove a piston ring from one of the good pistons and measure the end gap at the top, middle, & bottom of the 3 good cylinders.
This will give you a basic idea if they are worn much or not.
Any difference in the gap measurements should be divided by 3 (Pi) to get a diameter difference of that cylinder. The greatest wear is usually at the top of compression ring travel (about 1/2" from the top of the liner).

rhtx55 · Oct 11, 2012

All good advice above.
The only way to tell if it needs a complete overhaul is the check the diameter of the remaining sleeves in two directions at top middle & bottom compare and record the differences.
Just to "get it running" to sell I would just replace the one sleeve & use as many original parts as possible, but, ask for some professional help to check the piston to sleeve clearances prior to install.
If you plan on keeping the tractor in the family, I would consider a complete overhaul. Maybe the family can agree on what they wish to do with the tractor, and go from there. I would try to keep it, but that's just my opinion.

El Toro · Oct 12, 2012

You can buy a sleeve kit for your H off this forum for about $200.00. You also need to check the bearings. You could stick a used piston and sleeve in the engine to see what the oil pressure is. If there's low oil pressure your cam bearings need replacing and the crankshaft needs to be measured for wear. I never liked doing a job twice. Hal

1952 H Cylinder Liner

Allan from PA

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Anonymous-0

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Zachary Hoyt

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Allan from PA

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mkirsch

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Wayne in MN

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rhtx55

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El Toro

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