Massive Oil Leak...can you replace front seal with in-frame over haul kit

[Rford]

This 231 is driving me nuts. Now it starts just fine (if throttle is closed, at half-open its tougher). It doesn't overheat anymore, much. It still has some serious blow-by, tough, and the oil leaking out of it is about a gallon an hour. It is literally dripping so much that I can see it in the tilled dirt....its a race to get my work done before I run out of oil.

So someday soon I'll be trying my hand at an in-frame overhaul kit. Happy to do it. But will I be able to replace the front and rear engine seals with the engine in? Or are these the type that you need to pull the crank? Or what?

 

[MFRED]

If you're leaking that much oil, you will probably want to take the crank out as the main bearings are probably worn.

The rear seal would have to be done with the engine removed, or seperated from the transmission anyway.

 

[pjbci]

Uh oh. Now youve done it. The tbn used oil police are gonna scold you.

Once you get that tractor torn down enough to do an inframe, it wont take but just a few more min to just go ahead and pull the block out. It'll make it so much easier to overhaul with it sitting on a shop table.

 

[Rford]

It would - for some reason I thought you had to "split the tractor" to get the engine out, and while I don't know exactly what "split the tractor means" it doesn't sound like something that is easy. From what I have read and I have a Perkins engine manual, these 3 cyl diesels were built with the idea that they'd be rebuilt in the field using a crescent wrench and a pair of pliers -- lots of big parts, not so many little ones, so I'm not worried about the actual engine work as I am getting it to the point of doing that work.

On a side note....I think I've spent more time horsing around with this tractor than I have hunting; and the only reason I have the tractor is to put in food plots for a few turkey and deer or two.....:ashamed: