Mccormic intenational B414 engine rebuild

[fluke]

Hi I have a Mccormic international B414 which is taking a lot of water in the sump and I am considering an engine rebuild winter project....
I don't have great mechanical skills so a couple of questions if I may. where would be the best place to buy a rebuild kit, there seem to be kits available but which are of good quality, I am guessing that original replacement parts are no longer available? Would it be wise also to include crankshaft bearing replacment? Are there replacement engines available that would be a more practical alternative? Do you guys think that someone with limited skills can achieve this rebuild. The head gasket has been replaced with no benefit.

 

[X344chap]

How limited are your skills? Its not rocket science to repair the BD154 engine and parts are readily available - but i would identify the fault first - before deciding to go down the route of a complete rebuild - i.e. crankshaft bearings etc. Did you do the head gasket yourself?

Did you fit the rubber washers on the head gasket and did you use any sealant such as permatex or perfect seal on the gasket? If its not the head gasket i'm thinking liner o-ring seal or porosity or cracked liner. Were any of the cylinders suspiciously clean when you had the head off? Cracked liner can let water into cylinder which then drips into sump - but can effectively steam clean the cyliner when the engine is running - so you can spot which cylinder has the cracked liner. You can check the o-ring seal by taking head and sump off and filling block with water. If its a bad leak you can look up into crank case and get water in your eye.

 

[fluke]

How limited are your skills? Its not rocket science to repair the BD154 engine and parts are readily available - but i would identify the fault first - before deciding to go down the route of a complete rebuild - i.e. crankshaft bearings etc. Did you do the head gasket yourself?

Did you fit the rubber washers on the head gasket and did you use any sealant such as permatex or perfect seal on the gasket? If its not the head gasket i'm thinking liner o-ring seal or porosity or cracked liner. Were any of the cylinders suspiciously clean when you had the head off? Cracked liner can let water into cylinder which then drips into sump - but can effectively steam clean the cyliner when the engine is running - so you can spot which cylinder has the cracked liner. You can check the o-ring seal by taking head and sump off and filling block with water. If its a bad leak you can look up into crank case and get water in your eye.

thanks for coming back on this it was a couple of years ago that i did the head gasket and I must have used a sealant. O ring seals Im not sure, would they have come with the new head gasket pack. Any how I did change it because it was taking a small amount of water back then and after the work it didnt really change the situation much so i put some leak stop in the radiator and that did improve it for a while but now the whole rad will drain into the crankcase even if the engine is not running so i am thinking something a bit more major needs to be considered. There has been very low power it couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.

 

[fluke]

thanks for coming back on this it was a couple of years ago that i did the head gasket and I must have used a sealant. O ring seals Im not sure, would they have come with the new head gasket pack. Any how I did change it because it was taking a small amount of water back then and after the work it didnt really change the situation much so i put some leak stop in the radiator and that did improve it for a while but now the whole rad will drain into the crankcase even if the engine is not running so i am thinking something a bit more major needs to be considered. There has been very low power it couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.

I forgot to say, when I changed the head gasket I could see a crack in the cast between the pots at the narrowest distance.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Crack will be fine,
It will be the liners for sure, they will of rusted through from the water side,
I have had engine kits off, engine fix uk , and in the time I must of had into the teens of the kits off him, and never a problem, full kit will be about £225, but will need bottom end shells on top of that, fit mains and big ends while on with it, but will need it apart to see the sizes before ordering

Edit, it is skill dependent yes, but fairly easy, if unsure just ask,

 

[fluke]

Crack will be fine,
It will be the liners for sure, they will of rusted through from the water side,
I have had engine kits off, engine fix uk , and in the time I must of had into the teens of the kits off him, and never a problem, full kit will be about £225, but will need bottom end shells on top of that, fit mains and big ends while on with it, but will need it apart to see the sizes before ordering

Edit, it is skill dependent yes, but fairly easy, if unsure just ask,

thanks for giving me some confidence there I will get my kit ordered and keep you posted, I hear talk of perforated blocks would there potentially be perforation else where within the block, other than under the pot liners. And one more question ..... do I need any special tools for removing the pot liners and also removing/inserting bearings. Thanks for taking the time.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Some say that the liner seals go at bottom, but I have never seen that on a Bradford block, what I have had is the block broken through at the bottom in-between the liner seals, if this has happened then its scrap, as nothing to hold it together,
I would not order any thing till you have it apart,
The liners can be hard to get out, most will come out with a block of wood hit from bottom, some need a liner puller, , a liner puller is the easiest way by far,

 

[X344chap]

+1 on not ordering anything until you have it apart. If you are losing a radiator of water into the sump then you must be able to find where it is going by tearing it down and looking. I wouldn't go pulling liners out unless i knew that they were the source of the problem, or unless they are out of spec - scored/stepped etc. The last two BD154s i did required at least one liner to be broken out with a sharp chisel. No amount of pulling/pressing/ running weld down the inside would break them loose. These liners had already been frost cracked btw. One had a big hole in it and the other you could see coolant slowly weeping through. It wasnt very obvious until you had hot water in it.

 

[fluke]

ok thanks, I will get her apart before ordering as I said previous I recall a crack between the cylinders when I replaced the head gasket so I will see whats there is at the other end bottom

+1 on not ordering anything until you have it apart. If you are losing a radiator of water into the sump then you must be able to find where it is going by tearing it down and looking. I wouldn't go pulling liners out unless i knew that they were the source of the problem, or unless they are out of spec - scored/stepped etc. The last two BD154s i did required at least one liner to be broken out with a sharp chisel. No amount of pulling/pressing/ running weld down the inside would break them loose. These liners had already been frost cracked btw. One had a big hole in it and the other you could see coolant slowly weeping through. It wasnt very obvious until you had hot water in it.

So perhaps quite a challenge removing the liners.... I just know they will be, I'm just thinking given its 54 years old hemorrhaging and gut less that a rebuild would be in order but I guess I will learn some more as I get into it. Any further tips on removing sleeves would be most welcome.

 

[startinghandle]

It is not difficult to make liner pullers
Have you left antifreeze unchanged for a number of years?? If so the antifreeze changes to acid

 

[fluke]

Its an old tractor which I have owned for 15 years it probably has had antifreeze sitting in it at some stage it was quite neglected when I bought it but since Ive owned it I have all ways had to top it up regularly. would be great to hear more about your home made pullers..... I don't have a welder.

 

[startinghandle]

Its an old tractor which I have owned for 15 years it probably has had antifreeze sitting in it at some stage it was quite neglected when I bought it but since Ive owned it I have all ways had to top it up regularly. would be great to hear more about your home made pullers..... I don't have a welder.

Sorry for not replying.... I made pullers
Using 2 pieces of 2x3/8 plate which I cut to be good fit inside cylinder then cut one plate in half then weld to other plate so that 1/16 inch is out on either side then weld bracket to take lengthened gate hinge then baseplate to go on top of block
Probably you have done job by now!!

 

[fluke]

Sorry for not replying.... I made pullers
Using 2 pieces of 2x3/8 plate which I cut to be good fit inside cylinder then cut one plate in half then weld to other plate so that 1/16 inch is out on either side then weld bracket to take lengthened gate hinge then baseplate to go on top of block
Probably you have done job by now!!

Thanks for coming back on this, in the end i fashioned a puller using a spindle from my apple press which bought the sleeve out 3/4 inch then drilled a hole either side of the sleeve and then put a rod through the hole and yanked it out using a lever bar and chain. A bit Heath Robinson but it did the job, just struggling now trying to remove the seals which I guess I am going to dig out using a screw driver, I am just aware about damaging the block here and compromising the effectiveness of the new seal, any tips appreciated.

 

[startinghandle]

i use old knife to dig into old seal but be very very careful as knife could slip