Rebuilding a 3 cyl Diesel engine froma 1972 4500 backhoe

Can anyone tell me where I can have my 1872 4500 Ford 3 cyl. diesel engine rebuilt without mortgaging my home? I have Googled everywhere with no luck.

Hmmmm...1872 three cylinder engine? Must be a triple-expansion steam engine!

Anyhow..if it's a 1972 ford tractor gasoline or diesel engine those are not particularly complicated and I would think a local tractor shop should be able to in-frame one of those without issue.

Knowing you'r general location maybe helpful. email is open also

It has to come all the way out to replace rear main seal. Not gonna get pan off without removing front support and axle. Loader has to go somewhere either up or or off.

I did one about 20 years ago and parts were scarce then. Had it all the way out. Ended up with three pistons that weighed the same and had the same part number but looked different. Far as I know it is still working.

It will be expensive where ever you go.
Remember; those 3 cylinder Ford diesels
are prone to cavitation and perforation of
the water jacket into the cylinder walls.
So they pretty much Must be bored and
sleeved back to standard.
That is a pretty big chunk of dough right
there. Any shop that doesn't insist on
doing this isn't one I would send it to.

What is the engine doing or not doing at the moment?
Can the loader and backhoe be transplanted onto another later model Ford ?

Where are you located? We average doing at least one or two Ford engines a month. We are
putting a 4 cylinder back in a 6610 today. Parts are not that expensive and are very easy
to get if you have the right connections. This engine broke the crank. We bored and sleeved
the block,New Crank,Pistons and rings,reconditioned the rods, New Cam and lifters,new oil
pump, Line bored the block and reconditioned the head.All new fluids and filters. What do
you think a fair price is for a job like this? The cam and crank are not usually required.

Last one I did (201), was in a 455. It had
gotten overheated. As was stated, with the
cavitation issue they have, no machine shop
around here will touch it without boring,
sleeving each hole, and a final bore. Had
that done, had each hole finish honed to
match each piston, had the top of the block
decked, the crank checked and polished,
main cap alignment checked, rods checked
and piston pin bushings replaced and honed
to fit the pins, and the head surfaced and
rebuilt. I double and triple cleaned the
block, then installed the cam bearings
first and went from there with the
reassembly, and reinstallation back into
the backhoe. I didn't do the fuel system,
as I had already replaced it a year or so
earlier. I don't know about a 4500, but a
455 is quite a pain to remove the engine
from, after removing the hardcore, then
dropping the front end off so the front end
casting bolted to the front of the engine
can be removed. Once that's off, you can
unbolt everything else and remove the
engine. How much of this are you planning
on doing yourself? The machine work alone
cost $1200, which was a pretty good deal. I
did ALL of the engine removal, tear down,
engine assembly, and reinstall myself. I
can't remember for sure, but with all of
the new engine parts, piston, rings, rod-
main-cam bearings, full gasket set, new
head bolts and rod bolts, and other odds
and ends I think I had about $750 in parts.
They are good engines and will sooner or
later cost you a little money, but after
that, they'll run another 40 years.

On my 1971 4500 3 cylinder diesel I have about $900 in it for all the parts, and having the block bored. It spun the number 1 rod bearing, I had to replace the crankshaft, a connecting rod along with a new oil pump, had the block bored .010" oversize. New pistons, rings, and a complete gasket kit, but I was able to reuse the camshaft, lifters, and other parts. Except for boring the block I did all the labor myself. If you can do most of the labor, and shop around for parts it's not too expensive to do.

(quoted from post at 15:29:31 08/28/17) It will be expensive where ever you go.
Remember; those 3 cylinder Ford diesels
are prone to cavitation and perforation of
the water jacket into the cylinder walls.
So they pretty much Must be bored and
sleeved back to standard.
That is a pretty big chunk of dough right
there. Any shop that doesn't insist on
doing this isn't one I would send it to.

Click to expand...

I am in the process of practically rebuilding my 1972 4500 diesel and so far it has cost me slightly less than 1K. To have this done at a shop, est. was around 8K. Have replaced one piston and rod, all rings, bearings, seals, crankshaft, and all gaskets. Did not rebore as the cyl walls were in great condition, even though I spun a bearing on the shaft. Never rebuild an engine before but do have a shop close by, and a knowledgeable brother that helps with questions I have. Splitting the frame is necessary and the proper tools must be available. Not an easy job by any means.