I Still Hate My Tractor II

aeblank · Jan 6, 2020

That just sucks.
Doing it once it's bad enough...

I'm sure you'll get it done, but what am incredible PITA.

Reminds me of the guy that put in a block heater and drilled through a piston. He, too, had to rebuild his engine when "he shouldn't have had to".....

Good luck.

ovrszd · Jan 6, 2020

aeblank said:
That just sucks.
Doing it once it's bad enough...

I'm sure you'll get it done, but what am incredible PITA.

Reminds me of the guy that put in a block heater and drilled through a piston. He, too, had to rebuild his engine when "he shouldn't have had to".....

Good luck.

Yeah, I had forgotten about that one!!!!

The Fred · Jan 7, 2020

moship · Jan 7, 2020

Fred,

Did you check the piston diameters prior to installation?

It just seems odd that with a worn cylinder that was honed created a situation where a stock sized piston would be too tight in the bore. This seems to go beyond thermal expansion from the piston alone. Do you know what grade of piston material was used in the stock and replacement pistons?

Concerned there might be another contributing factor to your issue than just a piston issue.

Does this engine use piston squirters to cool the piston?
Is there a thrust side to the piston (pin slightly offset to one side) or a specific rod/piston position? Thinking if installed incorrectly could increase thrust on piston skirts.

Some members might find the following article on piston trends interesting, but it is nearly 5 years old now.
http://www.federalmogul.com/en-US/OE/Leading-Technologies/Documents/03_March_Pistons_Engine%20Technology%20International.pdf

If you want to take a real gamble these are economical enough to throw away what you don't need.

:laughing: China Kubota 488 Harvest Machine Parts V223 Engine Piston with Piston Ring - China Engine Parts, Kubota

I'm not certain what these guys are doing to the engine but they have a Kubota in a Ford Ranger making around 75 hp and 175 ft-lbs of torque at the wheels. This might be on the low side of what Fred needs though.

Jump to the 9:30 minute mark for the dyno runs. We FINALLY Put It On A DYNO!! - Kubota Ranger Turbo Diesel - YouTube

angelo c · Jan 8, 2020

Fred, sorry to hear about your trials and tribulations...one question if you don't mind the "green horn" asking from the "back of the room"

When I see "abnormal skirt wear" I tend to look for bearing or "crank" issues. Did you Mic the crank/bearings for play ?
just thinking out loud.
Forgive the ignorance.

sandyc · Jan 8, 2020

I’m wondering if the replacement pistons were sized to fit a bored out cylinder assuming a rebuild would be bored. Just a thought

The Fred · Jan 9, 2020

I've been tearing engines apart since I was 15 in the shop where I still work out of. I have most all of the measuring tools.

Also oversized pistons won't fit in to a stock bore.

If you read back through you'll see where I spent considerable time measuring these new aftermarket pistons because I don't trust them.

I called the supplier and they are made in India, they said they would refund my money after they look through some pictures. I don't care about the money it's the time I spent fixing it once.

I haven't taken time to clean or heat one in the oven to see if it expands too much.

Obviously I'll post results when I find time. I'm still trying to dry my clothes out after last night's open station snowblower experience!:smurf:

moship · Jan 9, 2020

The Fred said:
If you read back through you'll see where I spent considerable time measuring these new aftermarket pistons because I don't trust them.

I called the supplier and they are made in India, they said they would refund my money after they look through some pictures. I don't care about the money it's the time I spent fixing it once.
:smurf:

Like the fact you called the supplier to share the feedback. I'm only disappointed they didn't ask for the pistons/rings back, so they could do a failure and metallurgical analysis.

Did you have any luck finding pistons with steel top ring lands?

The Fred · Jan 10, 2020

What a pain to find parts for aftermarket, apparently this is not a popular engine size for Kubota in general. V-2203 IS in abundance for used engines, they fit reefer units and skid steer Bobcat machines. A used reefer unit engine can be had for $1500 bucks, they tell me it's a direct bolt on for the V-2003 like I have..........well had:laughing: