newbie with a 53

[DANWV]

Hello there everyone, I am a new fellow to this board and I have recently aquired my grandfathers 53 cub and I have some issues with it. I used to ride on the drawbar of this thing while Grandad cut hay with the sickle bar!!!! Can you believe that.......I was only inches away from the PTO pulleys whirling around. Crazy! I wouldn't think of letting my kids near that thing with the PTO turning. I guess times were different then. Course I am only 36. Hasn't been THAT long ago.
Enough of that for now. On with my problems.
When the tractor is nuetral and running with the clutch pedal up There is a terrible noise in the gear box. PUsh in the clutch and the noise goes away. I know when the pedal is depressed the input shaft quits spinning.
Here is what I have done so far....
*Pulled top on gear box and all looks good no broken shift forks or anything.
*Pulled the PTO shaft out and started the tractor and NO NOISE.
I noticed when I pulled the shaft I found the little set screw for the PTO coupling collar Lying in the bottom of the Diff.
I read somewhere that it is not critical to have the screw in the collar.
*replaced the shaft and started the tractor and the noise was back.
*While tractor was running I stuck a 1/2 inch wooden dowel down in the gear box fill hole and pressed on the PTO coupling and the noise would lessen but ot stop.
*About two years ago I replaced the rear main seal and clutch disc. I have since noticed that when releasing the clutch to start the tractor moving during the clamping stage of the clutch the tractor would shake hard and the clutch would grab all at once.
*I figure I did not get the pressure plate adjusted correctly.
*I broke the tractor in half tonight and I noticed that the throw-out bearing is worn lopsided or uncentered. I think I noticed this when I replaced the clutch disc but the other clutch disc engaged smoothly but it was oil soaked and would not hold.
Is there another type of pressure plate besides this original that you don't have to adjust the release fingers on?
I am thinking that the off center TOB might be shaking the input shaft pretty hard.
I would like some suggestions or some advice to help slove this problem.
Thanks, DANWV

[Donny M]

Dan,
Welcome to the board I'm sure Rudi and Bigdog will get you headed in the right direction. (A cut and paste job that would take me a day to type )

As for the noise, I would check the PTO shaft bearing and the bushing on the spline shaft, as you said the noise disappears with the PTO shaft removed. While you have the tractor split I would also check the transmission input shaft bearing. These are fairly easy to change with the tractor already split.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Dan, welcome to the forum. As Donny said the noise you are heaing maybe the pilot bushing for the pto. does it go away when you engage the pto shaft?

Regarding the throwout bearing it only contacts the clutch fingers, and not the shaft so it shouldn't damage the shaft.

Regarding engaging the clutch, are you sure you got the oil cleaned off the pressure plate and flywheel face good. May need to use a little Brake-kleen on them. Second possibility is could you have put the disk in backwards? Not sure if you can, but the extened part of the hub should face the transmission.

[DANWV]

John, Donny I thank you for the replies and I Know I cleaned all the grease off the flywheel and all the other stuff in there. Used two cans of brake cleaner. Got the disc in correct as well.
I can look up in the end of the input shaft where the PTO shaft goes and the bushing looks worn a good bit. One side of the bushing looks thinner than the other. Splines on the PTO shaft are a little messed up as well.
It might be that it is shaking the PTO connecting collar on the PTO shaft giving me the noise.
Where would I find a good PTO shaft laying around?
What is the procedure for seting the preload on the clutch fingers?
Is this what the inspection hole in the bell housing is for?
If it is then I will have to get my two year old to adjust it for me as I will never get my hand in there to do anything.
Is there a better pressure plate and/or a better throw-out bearing for these little critters? This is the third time I have split this thing and I would like to get it put back together right this time.

[DANWV]

The noise does not go away when the PTO is engaged and it is present in all gears and neutral whenever the clutch pedal is up. I am leaning toward the PTO pilot bushing in the rear of the trans. input shaft. I don't think it is the rear PTO bearing becausr it does not turn when the PTO is not engaged.

[Donny M]

Dan wrote:

when the PTO is not engaged.

That's a little more clear. I would check the input bearing and the rear spline shaft bearing. Either one of these could cause the bushing wear you describe

[Donny M]

Forgot to mention that you can adjust the clutch fingers with the tractor split. If you don't have any manuals I suggest you try http://www.binderbooks.com but in the mean time try Rudi's server here:
http://www.cleancomputes.com/Cub/index.html

[Catfish]

Could be the yoke for the throw out bearing is bent or worn out of shape. Mine was and would shake and rattle around whenever the clutch pedal was up. That could also explain why the throw out bearing was worn unevenly. Good Luck and let us know what you find.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Dan, if the noise were coming from the pto pilot bushing it should go away when the pto is engaged. There is a sleeve that slides over the end of both shafts to lock them together when the pto is engaged, and at that point the pto pilot bushing doesn't really do much. As has been suggested I would look at the front or rear transmission bearing.