Where to find DK40 Replacement Engine/Rebuild Kit

[nch18]

Hey guys, I bumped an old thread of mine over in the Kioti Buying/Pricing section before realizing there's not much action over there, hope it's ok if I ask here in a new thread, many thanks.

Long story short I bought a cheap DK40 with bad blowby, used it for what I needed for a year or two, and now as of last week, the engine's toast.

So I need to either rebuild or buy a new motor I suppose. What are my options, should I go through Kioti directly or one of the dealers? And what should I be expecting to spend for a new engine vs. rebuild kit, vs rebuilt/reman engine (if that's even an option).

What now :confused2: ??? Thanks!

 

[ritcheyvs]

How do you know the engine is ruined? What are the symptoms? What parts are ruined?

Things break, of course, but many bad Diesels are actually just frozen rings jammed with carbon. Often, an "Italian tuneup" (extended running at high power output) can fix carbon fouling. On the other hand, running without a good air filter, overheating, or failed lubrication can kill a Diesel pretty fast.

 

[VictorW]

As far as I know, all Kioti parts are from the dealer. I don't believe you can buy from Kioti directly. No clue on the price of a new engine or if you can buy a short or long block. Unless you are absolutely sure you need the whole engine or a complete rebuild, I'd do a partial teardown and see what would be needed. That would give you a way to compare costs. Not sure where you're located, but check with different dealers unless there is one you like. Prices do vary by dealers and regions of the country.

 

[milkman636]

Please keep us posted on whatever you find. Many of us with Daedong built tractors will be interested in what specifically went wrong and your repair/replacement process.

 

[nch18]

Thanks for the replies.

Here's my original thread:Rolled the dice on a DK40

I guess I don't know for sure what's wrong with it yet. When I bought it it had 600 hours but no fuel filter, no idea how long it ran without one. The blowby got really bad, like add oil every day bad. And starting last week, it will turn over fine and start up fine but then loses compression and dies, won't idle. Tons of white smoke and knocking. It may not need a full rebuild but it aint good.

And to be fair, I have no issues with Kioti, I think it's a sweet tractor and am happy to have it. I bought it cheap knowing I'd need to rebuild it within a year or two. I have lots of diesels and know how to take care of one but this one was beyond saving when I got it, feel lucky to have gotten the 100 or so hours I did out of it before it quit.

I guess I'll pull the pan and see what I see and then break into it. I'll keep everyone updated on what the repair process is like. I guess I was mainly hoping for some pricing info so I could consider whether a new engine was an option or not. Time to start calling around I guess, thanks.

 

[DK35vince]

The previous owner was to cheap to put in a $4 fuel filter.
Sounds like he ran it without an air filter also.

 

[nch18]

Yeah, pretty much the worst PO ever. He had a construction company so it was just a cheap little company expense to him, nothing worth taking care of clearly.

 

[ritcheyvs]

I think this is a case where you want to measure several times before you begin cutting.

A compression test would be a fairly non-invasive place to start. But even low compression could self-correct if it's just sticky rings. Diesels with low compression are often hard to start but still seem to run OK once started. Bad injectors can cause leaky rings if too much raw fuel gets jetted into the cylinder. You might have a head gasket problem (mucho blowby and oil use) and a compression test should give clear indications if that's the problem.

The lack of fuel filter is be a big clue, IMO that's where I'd look next. Injectors are pretty easy to remove for testing (pop pressure and spray pattern) if you have a Diesel shop nearby. Old mechanical Mercedes/Bosch injectors can be rebuilt by replacing the poppet and seat (matched set, about $50 each) so maybe these can too. If not, injectors are somewhat pricey from Kioti (like $150 each). The next more expensive (and harder to check) suspect would be the injection pump, which lists for $1400. These IPs have extremely close tolerances between the plungers and cylinders and that interface is lubricated by fuel only. So I suspect a little abrasive could do a lot of damage fast. Again, a local Diesel shop should be able to check it out on a test stand before you have to spring for a new IP. These pumps are rebuildable but there seems to be some legal/licensing problem between Zexel (formerly Bosch) and Doowan, who builds the IP under license. There have been reports on this list that some shops will rebuild the IP for a few hundred bucks and some shops won't touch them. If you have to buy a new one you may get a better price from a Bobcat dealer.

In other words, I would not recommend starting with pulling the head unless you have information (like a borescope) that says the problem is in the block/pistons/valves/bearings.

 

[nch18]

Thank you, good stuff. I had not considered the IP, though you're right that could become an issue as well.

I have a friend with a cheap diesel compression tester but doubt it has the right adapter. I'll see what I can find though, that would be a good place to start and could easily put my worst fears to rest. Also have a good shop to get the injectors tested and potentially rebuilt. Don't see any signs of a gasket problem but I guess I'm getting the general vibe that I need to pin down my problem more exactly before taking drastic measure which is good advice, thanks!

 

[ritcheyvs]

More thoughts on your symptoms:

... The blowby got really bad, like add oil every day bad. And starting last week, it will turn over fine and start up fine but then loses compression and dies, won't idle. Tons of white smoke and knocking. ...

Considerable blowby (compared to a gasoline motor) in a Diesel is not unusual. If compression were really bad on most cylinders it probably wouldn't even start (this is a compression ignition system, after all). White smoke is typically unburned fuel but it could also be water; how's the coolant level? The constant need to add oil is a concern. With no throttle, Diesels don't develop vacuum on the intake cycle so it's unusual for much oil to get sucked into the cylinders, even with really bad oil seals on the valves and bad oil control rings on the pistons. Are you leaking oil or blowing it out of the crankcase (as a mist) with the blowby gasses? The other possibility is a head gasket leak allowing oil to go directly into a cylinder, which would also produce a LOT of blowby on the power stroke. How about the exhaust pipe, is there noticeable oil there? You should be able to differentiate motor oil from Diesel fuel by smell.

When you say it "loses compression" I assume you mean the engine falters and dies. This is most typical of a fuel issue, maybe something as simple as sucking air into the fuel feed circuit (this happened to me on a boat once). Small leaks will let air in but fuel win't come out unless under pressure.

From all the info you provided, I doubt you have a serious problem with the lower end of the motor (pistons, rings, bearings, crankshaft) unless the engine was run in a dirty environment without an air filter or it ran with no oil pressure. If I'm right about this, repair should be reasonably affordable as a DIY job.

By the way, there have been discussions on this list about head gasket failures and a redesigned head gasket with metal reinforcement. I don't recall the affected models or years. If you can get your loader off head gasket repair is not too bad (trivial compared to engine replacement). There is good discussion on this list by others who have done (and are doing) the head gasket job if you want to search.