Farmall Cub

I am tearing down my 185 this week to overhaul the engine and put a new clutch in it while it is apart. First question is, does the shop manual have the information in it I will need such as torque values and sequence on head bolts etc. to overhaul this engine correctly? I see that shop manuals are $30. on e bay, is that the place to get one? On another topic, my hydrolic lift does not work for three for four minutes in the winter then works fine as it warms up. Should I worry about this and do anything other than change the fluid which was in the tractor when I got it so probably filthy?
Thanks a lot for any help you can be.
Mike

You will probably get some answers soon from more knowledgeable people, but in the meantime, pretty much ANY manual you will need for the Cub is available right here...for free...thanks to the good folks who provide this forum. Print out the sections you need or just keep the computer handy. Engine and Hydraulic Sections in the PDF Manuals or Rudi's Manual Server above are quite good, as well as several How To's in the Cub Book of Knowledge above.

Good luck, and if you get stuck, you have an entire forum to assist you!

I purchased the shop manual and the parts manual reprints from Binder Books and they are very detailed. They do have the torquing sequence and specifications for the head and such.
The books cover all of the numbered series tractors in each book.

Thank you guys for the help. I now have a manual in hand and will start taking it apart tomorrow. Can anyone respond regarding the lift delay when cold. I hope not to have to work on it BUT on the other hand I am going to fix everything wrong with this tractor while I have it torn down. I can certainly live with the non working lift for three of four minutes IF does not mean it is about to quit all together. Anyone dealt with this issue? THanks

The lift being slow when cold is perfectly normal. It takes a really long time to warm up all the hydraulics, touch control block, filter, fluid, lines, etc., so the cold fluid moves slower than warm fluid. I would say draining the system, installing a new filter, and new hytran hydraulic fluid would be a good thing to do during the rebuild. There's no telling what the previous owner installed for hydraulic fluid.

Make sure you have hy-tran in the T/C , change the filter for the hydraulics too, the storage for the T/C is the transmission on a 185. You can use a hydraulic fluid that is equivalent to hy tran, it can be had from tractor supply or any good auto parts store. The hy tran is expensive but is my chose.

Thanks again for the help. I will not worry so much about the lift if it being slow at first is not something of great concern. BUT i have a new question. I have taken the all the sheet metal off the tractor today, drained the radiator etc. I still have the dash to remove (which looks to be a big deal as it looks like the steering wheel was tapped or driven on so won't come off. I have read ways to try and will do that IF i take it off at all. I would like too just to put a new dash cover on to make it look like new. The current question however is.... How do I get the gas tank off the thing. I took the two rear bolts out and am about to unhook the gas line at the bulb. It looks like the front mount goes from the tank to the bolt on the water inlet in the head BUT it looks like the tank just sits on the brace and is not welded to it. If so I can just lift it off after taking loose the gas line except it looks like there is something else going into the tank toward the dash from the gas bulb. I can't tell for sure or know what it is. Is it likely with the gas unhooked the tank will slide forward off the tractor? Or is there some other thing I should be concerned about.

Mike

Parts manual comes in handy, shows how things go together.

Steering wheel removal. Remove the decorative cover and loosen the nut holding the steering wheel to the shaft. Chunk of hard wood on nut, knees under steering wheel levering out,whack the hard wood trying to loosen the steering wheel. If that doesn't work, I have used the same puller for removing the engine front pulley to remove the steering wheel.

Gas tank. Empty the tank. Loosen the bracket (strap assembly- hold down) and remove the front mounting bolt. Remove the fuel line from carburetor to sediment bowl. Slid tank forward a bit to remove from tractor.

The steering wheel can be a real bugger to get off. I've had to use a puller every time except once.

It is probably best to remove the upper radiator hose from the engine so that you don't damage it while removing the gas tank.

Today I did not have much time to work on it but did remove the gas tank, removed lower radiator hose (i am going to replace it), and as suggested removed the upper hose from the engine end. I see already that I am glad I am taking this thing apart as I have noticed that the right hand bolt that secures the steering box is broken or at least lost the nut and is now inside the frame. I obviously will need to realign it and put the bolt back in place. I have purchased new ball joints for the front that are worn so will put them on while I have the tractor apart. Now that I can get to the plugs with the gas tank out of the way I am going to do a compression check to see if I can get by with rings or will need to go further. I have never noticed it smoke from the exhaust but does a lot from the filler tube. I am not sure what that is a sign of but think the compression check will tell me a lot. I am going to put off dealing with the steering wheel issue for the time being since it sounds like it may take a while. Thanks again to everyone who has offered suggestions! I will continue to post my progress.

Don't shy away from that steering wheel. There is a lot of value in removing it for wiring issues. I used a 3 jaw puller on mine. Replacement steering wheels are available if it must be cut off.

Your hydraulic lift is supposed to lift quickly (even when cold). As mentioned, fluid type and contaminants will impact its performance. Starting with changing the fluid and filter is good advice. Using HyTran or equivalent is also good. If you find that the fluid is contaminated with water, you may also want to drain the hoses and cylinders. A water seems to gather in the lower cylinder because it is the lowest point in the system. Don't think that I'd change anything with the hydraulic pump if it is working and not leaking hydraulic oil into the engine.

Caution: The radiator hoses have different size inlets on each end. When replacing, take your old one with you. NAPA does have inexpensive replacement radiator hoses.

UPDATE: I had some time today and took off the head, drained the oil and started removal of the pan. I did do a dry compression check. The highest I got was 85, one 75, and two 65. It appears to me that I am certainly in need of a rebuild. Just looking at it the head looks good. I do have one issue to ask about. I don't see how to get the exhaust manifold bolts out. The inside two do not allow for a wrench to go over them and there is not enough depth for a socket to work. So how do I get them out???? The pulling of the engine for me is not an option as I don't have the ability to do it where the tractor is physically located. My question of for you old timers like myself. I know that mechanics in the past ground the valves with them in the motor with a device that hooked to the top of the valve and spun it. Does anyone know where I can get the device, or know about it? Thanks again for all the help you guys are providing.

The manifold bolts take a while. I used an open end wrench and get about 1/8 turn before you turn the wrench over and get another 1/8 turn. I strongly recommend cleaning the manifold studs and nuts real good and use some anti seize on them so you can finger tight them on.

I just gave my valves a hand lapping with some valve compound because they all looked good.

Just getting ready to post the same information as Twotone.

Look up valve lapping and valve lapping tools. Depending on the valve head, might consider super gluing a nut to the valve head to assist in turning the valve during the lapping process.

You might be able to get slightly more than 1/8 turn with carburetor wrenches - box end with a curve in the middle.