Craftsman GT3000 "MUTT" Part II

Hmm... If you had a leak down tester that would give you a for sure answer to the valve lash question, so you would know before you tear everything apart. I'm not so sure that's the issue though. Usually valve lash being too tight can cause things like hard starting, rough running once hot, low power, etc.

The idle issue sounds like a vaccum leak to me... Does it stutter upon hard acceleration?

Yeah, extensively. I guess i could do the spraying around gaskets trick.

Yeah, that and the idle thing sounds like vaccum leak to me.

Have you been using the same carb spacer? Might be a chance it has a crack somewhere causing it to suck air.

Yeah, same spacer. I didn't see any cracks in it but I'll try another here tomorrow. I've got a few around.

4 screw ran nice the first time I ran it. Wouldn't idle that low but if i turned the idle up there was no hesitation whatsoever. Cool. Shut it off, go to start it again. No bueno. Plugs wouldn't even get wet with choke. Grrrrr. I'm starting to think this thing just lives to mess with me.

Sprayed ether around gaskets. No difference at all.

Go to pull this hoe over just for the hell of it...and it starts. First pull. Maybe she's getting a coil real soon.

Sounds like it could be a coil issue to me. Possible just week spark or something. Have you checked your magneto gap?

It's at .010, i set it there. I think this is the second coil I've had on this engine

Kinda sounds like bad gas to me...I assume you already tried that though. That’s easier than a coil IMO, but a spark issue is plausible too

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

It's at .010, i set it there. I think this is the second coil I've had on this engine

Ok well thats not it then. I always use my handy atltf business card for magneto gaps and work.

Where did you get an atltf business card lol

I already drained the gas and put new stuff in.

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

Where did you get an atltf business card lol

I already drained the gas and put new stuff in.

That would be me lol. Threw one in the box with his steering box. Got it from Doug at haspin ‘18

Soon

YUMMY!
LIVE AXLE!

Yep. All i need now is a pair of 1641RS bearings. The original bearings in the trans were just shielded, no good to me.

Bearings got here today. I need to clean the case before i put it together. Considering making a new reverse chain too as stock ones do not last long with executioners.

So i go to try to start this thing the other day. Turn the key on (with a mostly good battery), don't hear the ignition relay click. Hmmm. Disconnect the kill wire and she starts right up. Guess I'll be looking at that relay and wiring real soon.

So her running prompts me to go roll it in the driveway, whoops. She took it like a champ and started right back up(albeit with lots of smoke from oil dumped through the PCV when running upsidedown)

Hood is a little bashed up unfortunately but it took it a lot better than most other hoods would have.


Kinda crooked. I straightened it some


Maybe i should do a roll bar for the hood.


Also no progress on the 820.

Rich... you have rolled MUTT how many times?  I think it may be time to change it's name to TIMEX.  Except in your case, it takes a rolling and keeps on going!

You rolled it in the driveway eh? I couldn't do that if I tried!

EDIT: Nevermind, I am also a member of the rolling your tractor in the driveway club now.

Well i was drifting lol, it happens

I'd love to shove a straight axle under brutus. I've got a couple ideas to do it.....just dont have to time right now to mess with it. But I'd like to do something like what your doing but I've got planetary gears in mine and plus I dont trust the 1 key either, I feel like I'll shear it off the first time I dump the clutch.

I expect the key to break lol we'll see. Prolly end up welding it

Well folks I'm not dead, it's just really hard to find time and motivation to work on anything between school and marching band. Mutt's been strewn across the shop for a month or two now since i pulled the ignition and relay as well as the carb.

I've at least got the carb back together now. I'm trying another snorkel intake now with the adapter i turned like 2 years ago now and a pool hose thingy. I think anything is better than stock with a good filter (not sure what I'm doing for that).

A good sock works wonders! Nah I wouldnt do that but I've seen guys use sponges before tho. I've really thought about getting one of those filters that go on a Kohler engine of some sort....they kinda got that snorkel look but has the open element filter that you can replace so it's not as expensive as buying a new entire filter.

I run UNI filters, I love them, and they are reusable. plus they can get totally soaked and not choke out the engine. I usually just go the local bike/quad shop, they have a decent selection and I just find one about the size Im looking for, pretty sure the one on rusty is a 400 or 300 ex filter

Long time no see on this one.


I sorted through my carbs and found one with bigger jets. Why not, says I. It wouldn't pump fuel at first. I'd never had this carb running before(i think it came with a 20hp that I just swapped carbs off of). I took my beater precision stone to the fuel pump mating surface, changed the diaphragm, and put a bit of spray oil in to help it catch prime. One of those did it and i had a small geyser from spinning the engine with a drill. I'll test fire in a bit, digesting dinner now.


Mechanically she's sound. Electrical and the carb are the current problem, and why i abandoned it for a while. I may just clear out the electrical and start anew. It's a mess from the 4 years of my additions.