Whatever you feel like thread.

[stevem5215]

I live in a HOA neighborhood. But I'm part of the Lichy Farm Subdivision. He was the old geezer who sold his 166 acres to a developer who had a HOA. For years they tried to get him to join it. He refused. The deed to this property even states that the 166 was separate from the 4 acres he kept. That legal jargon stopped them from ever getting us to join and my two neighbors who I sold property to were able to get exempted too. But the nice thing is that everyone in the neighborhood has to follow those rules. Except us so we can park an RV on the property or a trailer or junk cars or a mobile home lol. Yeah, I don't do that anyway though. Sometimes there is an advantage to those things. As long as I'm not part of it though!

 

[jjeff]

Anyone ever blow up a Kawasaki 540v in a old 260 JD lawn tractor? What would cause such a catastrophic failure? I changed the oil seasonally always checked oil before mowing never really burned much. However noticed a slight what I thought was a rod knock last several times I used it. Anyways lasted a few years paid a few hundred fo it no major part replacement mostly maintenance and some minor backwoods tinkering to keep it going. Parts on running board is what I fished out of the blown apart crank case. Thinking jb weld wont fix this one Lol. So I already started pulling a few parts off it surprisingly a few shelves and the deck belt fit my older JD decks I have laying around so I was able to get one old deck back on a older 212 and cutting again.

 

[WinterDeere]

How often did you check valve lash? Supposed to be every 600 hours, on most Kawi’s.

 

[jjeff]

Never, wouldn't I hear some valve tapping or ticking if valves out of adjustment? its old but the lower half disintegrated with a little over 500 hrs only. I did add a primer bulb to the fuel line cuz I believed the fuel pump was shot, however it is a pulse pump hooked to crankcase with a breather tube wonder if that was a sign of things to come, It has an hr meter that was working I believe. Anyways feel I got my money's worth on it. 3 yrs of mowing around my 5-10 acres of old and new Xmas trees and about a 1.5 acre field the kids play in. I have some 260 parts now anyone need some that don't work with my old 212s pm me. I'm not putting it in my barn or covering it so any old functional parts will probably be junk after a year or so. Then probably scrap yard.

 

[WinterDeere]

Never, wouldn't I hear some valve tapping or ticking if valves out of adjustment?

You said you did, in your last post?

However noticed a slight what I thought was a rod knock last several times I used it.

I think some of the Kawi's spec checking valve lash as frequently as 200 hours, check the manual for yours. I think my own is more like 400 - 600 hours.

Usually, the lift reduces, so it's likely not an interference issue. But it could be a failure to open a valve, if excessively loose.

 

[jjeff]

You said you did, in your last post?

I think some of the Kawi's spec checking valve lash as frequently as 200 hours, check the manual for yours. I think my own is more like 400 - 600 hours.

Usually, the lift reduces, so it's likely not an interference issue. But it could be a failure to open a valve, if excessively loose.

This sounded like more of a faint rod knock occasionally so not all the time. The entire lower half of the crank case is blown apart. If I get bored and more importantly find time I might drag it Indoors and pull what's left of the engine apart. That will definitely tell me what happened. I'm pretty sure the top end of the motor didn't cause this. Nor have I ever experienced a engine failure this severe 2 or four strokes.

 

[WinterDeere]

Yeah, wasn't implying it was. I was just throwing it out there as one possibility.

The only time I've ever lost a rod cap was due to my own lack of care, keeping oil checked and topped up on an engine that I knew consumed it. Bottom end failures on engines with good top ends and good lubrication seem rare, but I guess they happen!

 

[jjeff]

It definitely was pretty beat up problaby why it was so cheap unfortunately It was also probably severely mechanically neglected earlier in its life although it did run when I took possession it was hard starting until I put a inline primer bulb on it. Changed oil and filter last fall like I did for the three seasons I had it. Darn it, just talking about it now I really want to tear that engine down and see what really happened at least the lower half is already visible cuz it's blown apart.

 

[jjeff]

Busy Sunday morning got sick of looking at my 50" self contained atv pull behind mower so finally finished wrapping deck in old plastic landscaping edging works pretty good cuz I can countersink self tappers on flaps, anything I use to mow my Xmas tree rows I wrap deck with plastic, much better than stock metal mower deck especially when mowing new tree with metal edge and bumping tree knocking bark off or worse , next going to finally replace the starter on one of my old JD 212s and maybe throttle and choke cable with old functional parts off a junk JD 214 that I got so sick of replacing random parts on 214 every time I tried or sometimes got it running and used it. Wonder if these cables are interchangeable? Both have those old somewhat indestructible kohlers.