'59 Cub engine seized

[Jimmy Freeman]

I just recently purchased a '59 cub for the purpose of restoring. I bought the tractor without trying to start it before taking possession. Felt like Barney buying the car from the little old lady that only drove it to church on Sundays. Anyway...the engine was seized. After trying a few things without pulling the head nothing worked to free up the engine. I pulled the head Sunday and found lots of water in the cylinders. I didn't drain the radiator before loosening the head bolts so I don't know if the water was there before or ran into the cylinders as I lifted the head. Finally to the question...I got the engine loose and it turns over freely but not all the valves are opening and closing as the engine turns over. They are very tight in valve guides and the springs appear fine(not broken). What should I do to free up the valves. And, am I at a point that I should consider a complete rebuild? This is my first, no second restore. I am finishing a 1968 140 now, but it was in great mechanical condition when I got it. It was my Father in-law's and I am restoring it to give to my son when he gets a little older. It has been in the family for 32 years now. Any help will greatly be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jimmy

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

squirt good penetrating oil (II prefer Kroil) down and around shaft and let set a while. then try working them up and down

[lloyd430]

Jimmy- How can you turn over the crank if the valves won't move? This may seem basic but remember its a 4 stroke engine so remember that the valves will only move on the correct stroke (one in 4 per cylinder). If they seem tight though try applying PB directly to the guides and letting them soak, move a little and repeat and repeat....... I could have misunderstood the valve thing, but if they are stuck you are going to have one heck of a time turning over that engine!!!

[Jimmy Freeman]

lloyd430, I could've worded that a little better. The valves will move into the up(open) position but will not go into the seated position without some gentle taps with a brass hammer. Thank ya'll for the replies. Everything helps.
Thanks,
Jimmy

[Eugene]

Keep squirting the solvent, as John suggests, around the stem of each valve. Let set, then tap the valves down gently with the brass hammer. Roll the engine over by hand. It may take several repeats of this process to free up the valves.

Overhaul? I would put the head back on, add Seafoam to the gas and oil, run the engine for an hour or two. Then conduct a compression test. If the compression was moderately low or better, I would probably work the Cub for a season to see what happens.

Eugene

[Jimmy Freeman]

Eugene, this may sound a little odd, but what is "Seafoam"?...i'm pretty new to the Farmall family. I've done some old motorcycle restores and some Jeep stuff, but have gotten the tractor "Bug" badddd...
Thank you,
jf

[Lurker Carl]

Your engine has 'sticky' valves. Oil and gasoline has evaporated and left a gummy coating on the valve stems and guides. Might even be some carbon on there as well. Don't use WD-40 because it evaporates too fast and the stickies return. PB Blaster is a better choice. You will need to change the oil in the crankcase after soaking the valves with solvents.

Check the valves and seats for carbon build up. Since the head already off, you may as well remove the valves and clean them up. Lap the valves for a tight seal. Keep all the parts in order so you can put everything back in the same position it came from - don't mix up the pieces.

Seafoam is a fuel/oil additive. You can find it at most auto parts stores. It is a solvent that claims to help soften or dissolve varnishes that have accumulated in the fuel system and crankcase. Some folks swear by additives, others swear at additives.

[Jimmy Freeman]

Ahhhh...finally, my pistons and valves are free at last...free at last. Now on to the lapping. I assume that I will need a spring retainer in order to remove the keepers and springs, right? The cylinder walls look pretty good, no major pits or scars. They will need a good honing though. When I put the penetrating oil in the cylinders the first time, cylinders 1 & 2 leaked through pretty quickly. Should I assume that the rings on these two cylinders are not in too good a shape? Is this a good time too go ahead and drop the oil pan and pull the pistons to rering(sp)? So many questions... and I really appreciate the answers! Thanks again.
jf

[Jimmy Freeman]

Are there any special tricks to removing the valves that may be helpful before I start on them this weekend?
I really appreciate all the help guys. This is one heck of a good board!
jf

[Eugene]

Jimmy:

This would be a good time to drop the pan. Before you remove the pistons get 2 sticks of plastigauge .001 -.003 and.003 - .006 check the clearences on the rod and main bearing journals.

This would be a good time to rering, lap the valves and renew the inserts.

You need a valve spring compressor to remove and reinstall the valve springs. Only tip here is once the spring is compressed - tap on the top of the valve to release the retainers.

You may need a ridge remover to cut out the ridge to to remove the pistons.

If you need to purchase any tools make sure that they will work on 2 1/2 inch diameter pistons.

Eugene

[Rudi]

Jimmy:

First, to the greatest forum on the internet, and to the Cub Family. You will find that all the folks on this forum are kind, helpful and just full of Cub info and knowledge. They also happen to be the finest folks I have ever met

Ok, so here is the spiel :

I would suggest that you read this thread: New Members and Visitors, Please READ Prior to Posting. There are many great links to informative pages such as the ATIS FAQ's 1 and ATIS FAQ's 2, The Best of H.L. Chauvin who has written very interesting articles on troubleshooting common problems with your Cub.


Also, you might want to visit the Cub Manual Server as there is tons of info on servicing, maintaining and re-building your Cub. In addition to this basic information, there are also a number of other useful tools available on the server. There is the Specialty Services page which has contact info for neat stuff like getting your seats recovered, buying quality Decals, Serial Number tags and a host of other neat items. Also there are the Parts Pages - both Used Parts Suppliers and New Parts Suppliers pages with links to quality dealers. I am always looking for YOUR favourite dealers for New and Used Parts to include here. These are intended to complement the businesses who support FarmallCub.com Website.

I would also recommend that you visit Binder Books and purchase the three most important manuals you can own for Maintenance, Repair and Rebuilding your Cub. These are the Owner's Manual, the GSS-1411 Service Manual and the TC-37F Parts Manual. Although they are available on the Cub Manual Server, it is better is you also have your own paper copy. Binder Books is the only Authorized IH Publication Reprint House and they have the best quality manuals available. Most other's are not of the same quality. Just a personal thought here, the I&T Shop Manuals, although helpful in some areas, really are not sufficient for the job. If you wish though, they are good additional reference works.

In addition to the above information, don't forget to check out the various articles that are available to help with your Repair, Restore, Rebuild or just your Maintenance Projects. There are a number of sub pages such as Electrolysis or Rust Zapper's, Maintenance Tips, Jigs and Techniques, Implement and Part Sketches and of course the Paint, Decals & Other Finish Questions which has the Paint Chart and the Paint Committee Decisions links.

I truly hope that you enjoy your Cub and that you will be a frequent contributor to the forum. Again, to the Cub Family

[Patbretagne]

Dropping the pan, there are 3 or 4 bolts hidden at the back where you need a baby socket and an universal joint to get at them, careful when you retighten them, they go into an alloy casting and can strip.
Pat

[Lurker Carl]

This thread is turning into a superb example of "since you've gone this far, you might as well . . ."

[Jimmy Freeman]

WOW...thank you all for the GREAT and informative replies. I've done some searches in the archives of this site and have found them to be a wealth of information. I'm looking forward to learning from and contributing to this site. I plan on making a picture journal of the tear down and rebuild of this project in hopes that it will be helpful to others. Ya'll have a GREAT weekend and I'll let ya know how it goes.
Thanks again!
jf

[allenlook]

When you put the pan back ON, don't overtighten the bolts as it's a thin pan and the lip will deform and you'll have leaks. Just torque the bolts down gently so you get a firm seal on the gasket all the way around.