Con rod wrecked on 19" haytor harrier

[vhgmcbuddy]

Having wrecked the con rod on my once totally reliable haytor thro’ lack of oil, I need to remove what I imagine is a sump guard , remove the engine, and get to the crank shaft. Is there a special puller I need to remove tha sump guard as WD40, 2 jemmy’s and 1 hammer are not enough? Any clues where I might find a new con rod?

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[wristpin]

Your sump guard is actually the friction disc that supports the blade and allows it to slip if you hit something . Description aside they can be a bit of s B****r to get off. Remove the fuel tank and turn the machine upside down and fill the blade bolt hole with a proper penetrating/ releasing fluid such as Plus Gas, leave to soak for a couple of days Topping up as necessary. Diesel is an acceptable substitute and some people swear by a home brew of automatic transmission fluid and acetone. WD is a waste of time.
A puller needs to pick up on the two holes near the centre, not around the circumference, and can be made with a piece of steel bar and a couple of bolts. Last resort is plenty of heat around the boss but try a good soak first.
Assuming that you have a Briggs and Stratton engine, A new con rod can probably be obtained from a BS stockist – quote the full Model, Type and Code Numbers stamped into the engine cowling or muffler shield, but I’d check that the crank is recoverable before ordering.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks wrist pin. A utube video confirmed your suggestion of a puller. I knocked one up this afternoon without using any welding by placing a nut behind the friction plate and locking it on the long 8 mm bolt with a spanner as shown in my pics. The bolt head should be a hex. 8mm but it was all I had. It worked a treat. Next step, remove engine and get to crankshaft. The stay at home advice does have some benefits.

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[vhgmcbuddy]

More help required. Having removed the engine I am having difficulty in removing the base plate to get at the crankshaft. I have removed 5 bolts and 2 locating pins and inserted a blade around 2/3rds of the base but it refuses to budge close to the cylinder block. Is there anything else I need to do before I do some irreparable damage? Do I need to take any precautions regarding upsetting the valves to piston timing?

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[andyfrost]

Check the recess hole positioned between 3 and 4o,clock , from very distant memory the sixth bolt is down inside this hole……..it’s many years since I had one of these apart , so I stand to be corrected.

Andy.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks Andy, I have found another bolt but it is underneath the brass cog. I guess I will need to push out what looks like a roll pin in order to slide the cog off the shaft. Now I start to worry about getting the valve timing correct.( Assuming I can get another con rod.) This is all new to me but it can’t be worse than restoring a car.( see IH8MUD forum — bj42 found in a derelict barn )

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[andyfrost]

From the last photo I can see alot more clearly that you have seen the bolt I mentioned , I was almost certain there were 6 bolts holding the sump on. Yes, I’m almost certain the roll pin just drifts out.Once you have split away the sump , and split the big end you will be able to see/feel what if any damage has been done.
Report back as and when.

Andy.

[wristpin]

If you pull out the metal retainer to the left ? Of the worm wheel you can slide the whole auxiliary pto shaft far enough to access the hex head without driving out the roll pin. If you do need to free the gear, you can with care rotate the crank to align the gear to a position where there is sufficient clearance for the pin to be driven clear of the shaft but still retained in the gear.
Has your Harrier got a dog clutch on the aux pto shaft to engage the drive? A common problem with well used dog clutch Harriers is excessive end float on the shaft making proper clutch adjustment tricky and leading to worn dogs. If so, worth dealing with at this stage as at the last time of checking one or both halves of the dog clutch were unavailable. I developed a cunning wheeze for dealing with excessive apto end float without having to remove the engine sump.
If you have the Power Trac wrap spring clutch, the same applies.
When it comes to reassembly time you will see that Briggs list different thicknesses of gasket to control the crankshaft end float at the very least you must use the thickest one,30thou . That’s usually all that is needed to give sufficient clearance but should there be way too much there is / was a shim available.
Don’t worry about the cam timing , both the cam and crank gears are marked.
Whoops, Just seen on one of your images that you do appear to have a dog clutch.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thank you guys. But disaster! Removed all bits satisfactorily and cleaned everything. Then spotted a crack and base of bore scored. Will need a new block so guess that is it.I will consult B and S but guess it will be too expensive even if bits available. Thanks for all your help. I will eventually let you know how I get on. Maurice.

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[wristpin]

May not be a disaster. Seen more than a few cracked blocks repaired with JB weld or even body filler.Just needs to keep the oil in. If “the base of the bore” is below the area wiped by the rings you may well get away with it. It’s amazing what one can get away with when needs must and there’s little to loose. You may get away with a used Conrad and a couple of gaskets.Whisper it quietly but I’ve build up a sweet running engine from the remains of two or three wreckers on more than one occasion.

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