97 425 garden tractor no start

[weeder]

Well I have been messing with this 425 and have come to the conclusion that the cam is bad. Had plenty of fuel, and plenty of spark but wouldn't even try to fire. I pulled off one of the valve cover gaskets and the vales and push rods were not moving. Is this a hard job to fix? My neighbor gave this to me so I don't have anything invested in it. It has a lot of useful attachments that would come in handy for me. I know I will have to pull the engine and a friend on here gave me a tech manual and I have copied it to use so that will help a lot. But there is nothing like experience when it comes to something like this. Any advice will be good advice.

Thanks Weeder

 

[Gittyup]

I did it and I had no experience working on engines. Definitely worth fixing if the rest of the tractor is in good order. I pulled the motor. Rotated to top dead center and took the cover off. It is best to replace water pumper, oil pump, governor gear, a bunch of O-rings and gaskets, push rods, and tippets while in there replacing the cam. Front PTO seal is the tricky one to keep from leaking. JD dealer should be able to tell you what parts you should replace. I think the total cost was like $600 or so. Also good to adjust valves and maybe replace valve springs and seals too. But valves can be done later after the engine is back in the tractor. Just remove the valve covers.

 

[weeder]

Thanks Gittyup, I think I will give it a try, like I said I have nothing in this tractor but I also don't want to lose $600 or so trying so I have all winter and probably start soon. The only concern I have is when you line up the timing marks is it right on tdc or do I have to watch the valves open and close to see if it is on the intake or exhaust stroke? Well I hope there is nothing else wrong with this thing and if anybody else has some input feel free I am open to just about any kind of advice.

Thanks Weeder

 

[Coyote machine]

Try mytractorforum.com for your specific model and needed fixes, etc. They are the lawnmower/tractor guys for sure.

 

[Gittyup]

Thanks Gittyup, I think I will give it a try, like I said I have nothing in this tractor but I also don't want to lose $600 or so trying so I have all winter and probably start soon. The only concern I have is when you line up the timing marks is it right on tdc or do I have to watch the valves open and close to see if it is on the intake or exhaust stroke? Well I hope there is nothing else wrong with this thing and if anybody else has some input feel free I am open to just about any kind of advice.

Thanks Weeder

There is a mark on the fly wheel indicating TDC. It's also discussed and illustrated in the maintenance manual. Seemed pretty obvious to me when I did it. If you get stuck you can always take the parts to the dealer and pay them to install. Worth trying, I think, as those tractors are awesome. It's more work and time to remove the motor. Gotta pull a lot of stuff off, like muffler and main drive shaft, motor mounts, wiring, carb controls and such. Some have said they can do it without removing motor. But, I wouldn't want to try that way.

 

[Gittyup]

Try mytractorforum.com for your specific model and needed fixes, etc. They are the lawnmower/tractor guys for sure.

Yeah, I think there is a sticky somewhere with illustrations.

 

[bruceatlam]

Here's a thread that can help you:

http://www.mytractorforum.com/44-sm...aft-replacement-kawasaki-fd620d-part-2-a.html

 

[Richard001]

You may want to take some photos as you take it apart so you will be able to put it back together again.

 

[Gator6x4]

I found this on another site the people were complaining about the plastic cam gear being the problem, not the camshaft. It may help you in budget planning and provide a listing of the parts needed.


PARTS FOUND IN THE KIT AS RECEIVED from ebay seller partsforyourmachine seller ($380).
1. Crank Oil Seal 92049-2112 (also in the bag was an oval o-ring and a nylon T)
2. Intake gasket 11060-2088 - qty 1
3. Intake gasket 11060-2087 - qty 1
4. Carb gasket 11061- 2106 - qty 1
5. Exhaust gasket 11060-2079 - qty 2
6. Rocker cover gasket for black composite covers 11061-2182 - qty 2
7. Head gasket 11004-2107 - qty 2
8. Water pump gasket 11060-2450 - qty 1
9. Water pump COVER gasket 11060-2451 - qty 1
10. Governor Gear assembly 49110-2073 - qty 1
11. Push rods 13116-2057 - qty 4
12. Crankcase gasket 11060-2449 - qty 1
13. Pivot arm 39003-2064 - qty 1
14. Valve springs 47078-2082 - qty 4
15. Tappets 12032-2064 - qty 4
16. Oil filter 49065-7010 - qty 1
17. Water pump 49044-2066 - qty 1
Additional parts purchased to finish the engine rebuild:
1. Valve keepers (Repair clinic ) at $.70 each Qty 7 -- $4.90. I lost one so I bought some spares.
2. Exhaust manifold studs (Repair clinic) at $.70 each – qty 4 -- $2.80. The threaded studs came out of the cylinder head on 3 of the 4 studs. New ones were in order.
3. Exhaust manifold nuts (Repair Clinic) at $1.20 each - qty 4 -- $4.80
4. Thermo Switch (Repair clinic) at $24.50 qty 1. The thermo switch reads engine temp and sends a signal to the red light on the dash warning you of an over temp.
5. Coolant Reservoir Tank (Repair clinic) at $14.50 qty 1. The original somehow ended up with a small hole in the side near the top. Silicone RTV plugged the hole for the last 2 years. Time for new one.
6. Kawasaki spark plugs (Repair Clinic) at $2.70 ea. Qty 2 -- $5.40
7. Thermostat Manufacturer #49054-2056 (Repair Clinic) Qty 1 -- $20.80. I wanted everything new in the cooling system.
8. T-Stat gasket (Repair Clinic) qty 1 $1.70

 

[weeder]

Oh wow, THANKS guys this will help a lot I didn't know how I would get the part numbers so this will help a lot and yes I have already started and have taken a few pics to refresh this old memory of mine.