[Complete] Mightyraze's Kal-El [2018 Build-Off Entry]

Yikes.... 3 months left.  I need to wrap this tractor up!  I think I just pulled the trigger on the last parts for the rig....

Crosses fingers!

Ugh... this engine is still LEAKING!

I hate to say it, but I think I will go to my backup engine.  While I have this engine off, I will look it over.  I fear a crack at the base of the jug.  The backup is less HP but has more than enough power for my build!

LOL, 3 months left and the whole front end will be torn apart!

Pix to come.  Work won't let me upload.

Edit from phone:

Backup engine...

Nice backup engine, but I would put the one you have and look it over really closely and go from there.

Front end being torn apart? Why?

Crazy_Carl wrote:

Nice backup engine, but I would put the one you have and look it over really closely and go from there.

Front end being torn apart? Why?

I plan on going over it pretty well once I have it up on the work bench with good lighting.  Like I said, I fear there may be stress fractures where the jug meets the inner block.  If so, I have another OPPY that is a parts engine that I can build up into a good engine.

Torn apart....  



Lets just say I am pulling a similar stunt that I did with the 2017 build-off machine.  All will be revealed later.

I think you're really gonna rack in the votes with this next modification you have planned Mighty.

AllisKidD21 wrote:

I think you're really gonna rack in the votes with this next modification you have planned Mighty.

Do you know something we don’t know? Spill it! We have WAYS of making you talk mister!

AllisKidD21 wrote:

I think you're really gonna rack in the votes with this next modification you have planned Mighty.

I don't know if I will  rack  in many if any votes with my final mods. 

MightyRaze wrote:

I plan on going over it pretty well once I have it up on the work bench with good lighting.  Like I said, I fear there may be stress fractures where the jug meets the inner block.  If so, I have another OPPY that is a parts engine that I can build up into a good engine.

Well the 18HP is done...

1st bad... the one that can be fixed easily.   I got everything disconnected from the engine and drained the oil.  Immediately, I figured out one issue.  It was full of GAS!  The crank had 3x the amount of fluid in it.  I'm thinking, thats an easy fix, clean the carb, maybe carb kit.  Just make sure the needle is seating.  OR, it could be some of the gas that didn't burn off while on one cylinder.  I would think it would blow that out.  OR, worst case, the crank vent was sucking gas from the fuel pump?  (Possibly the latter due to further inspection)




I didn't even get it on the work bench before I seen some issues before I took the engine off since I had a bunch cleared away.  First, oil coming out the governor.  Probably due to blow-by.  I could see some oil leaking from under the lower cylinder.  Possibly further investigation there as it is not coming from the valve cover.  Need on bench and take off tins.  Now for the kill shot.  I saw another leaking location below the valve cover on the high side.  I wiped it off to find this little bugger.



Yep, that  is about a 3/4 inch long crack in the block.  It had quite a bit of leak from this location.

SO....

I'll put the backup engine in.  This one will now become a parts engine.  I do have another oppy that was my parts engine, but I will use this one to build that one back up.  The other needs a coil, starter, and ALL the intake parts.

There you have the most current update on KAL.

Just throw some JB weld on that crack

CraftsmanQuad19 wrote:

Just throw some JB weld on that crack

LOL, i actually thought about that for a few minutes. 

Not like it’s stressed. Likely what caused it was the excess oil slapping the side of the crankcase

Is your fuel tank above your carb?

That's crack looks pretty small like a jb weld fix would work pretty well.

Tank is below carb and a shut off.

I'm totally with a 


So much oil everywhere that I cannot figure out how and where this is leaking outside.  Good news, the crack didn't turn out to be a crack once I got it up on the table.  Just a casting mark.  I really don't see anything wrong with this engine at this time except...  I will say one of the head's bolts don't seem to torque to spec... I fear they are stripped or I am just too cautious.

SO....

I am going to go ahead with the engine swap.  Leave this engine up on the table and maybe go through the engine top to bottom for use later.

I would bring the Engine to a shop, where they can weld the crack. THe company I work for now, has few workers, that can weld aluminium pretty good.

It wasn't a crack.  Turned out to be a casting mark. 

MightyRaze wrote:

It wasn't a crack.  Turned out to be a casting mark. 

Same with the MST in my MTD. Thought it's cracked, but it wasn't

I'd look the engine you're about to swap in really carefully first.

Maybe you could clean up the old engine, then put it back on your engine test stand to look for where the oil is coming from.  Hey there's plenty of time in the build off to fix it if it's something simple.

The engine I am putting in I was using until June in another machine.  It ran well and had a lot of power.

That's great that you already have hours of testing with it.

... and it does not leak oil.  LOL

I probably just jinxed myself.

OK, I was hoping to work on this thing today, but it is just to darn hot and sticky outside.  I have worked on this thing with it was 100f out.  Today was already 88f by 9am with dewpoint of about 75.  Needless to say it is a bit thick out there.  I'll hold off.

Finally got to work on Kal this evening.  Started ripping some stuff off the monolink and creating some new brackets.   Man, if i would practice and do this more often, I think I might could get a hang of this welding thing.  Now to get some straighter welds.  LOL

So everything I have done in the past month was a bust....  I think I am making some new progress, but it looks like a reset so to speak.   

YIKES!



My goal is to make this thing as safe and solid as I can.  I had gotten faster messing with the old engine and had started to deal with a death wobble that I did not like.  Also, the steering had gradually got worse with steering slop.  These are issues I am working and in the process I have extended the front axle out another few inches.  I am hoping this will also help with better shock attachment.  We will see how this all folds out.  Also, I seem to have lost the knob to my winch free spool.  It just so happened to be the same size as an air breather nut for a briggs opposed.

Hoping this thing goes back together nicely

Sounds like you have some suspension and steering geometry issues you are sorting out.  Where was the steering play coming form?

I have it pretty much worked out now.  I just need to bolt it back together and I am going to fab up a new front bumper.  It was good, but I was not happy with the "basket" around the grille.  The new one I have designed up will eliminate that basket for the shocks.  I chose this tractor because I like the looks of it... I hate covering it all up!

As for the steering slop, it was due to the universal I replaced the rag joint with.  Also, the plastic bushings in the gears was worn down.  I was going to make a sort of steering brace but that would only take out a little slop.  

My biggest issue right now would be to find some 4 inch angle to fab up the new sub-structure for the suspension which will no longer be straight up and down. Also for the bumper. I may be able to get away with 3 inch which is easy to find.