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D264/D281 Cylinder Liners

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welbyr

New User
I'm a new member with some cylinder liner questions.

I'm working with a 1956 W-400 diesel with 4.125" sleeves. If I understand the situation these sleeves were likely from a D281 engine. So I have 1 cracked sleeve that needs replacing. Was/is IH the only supplier of these sleeves? They don't appear to be available from that source currently. Any other source out there? I can't seem to find one. Has anyone had a sleeve custom made and if so what is a good source? Is there any chance to get a used liner that would still have life left in it? Any thoughts on a source?

Thanks in advance.
 
Have you seen the You Tube Clips, that a few acres farm posted, he completly over hauled his MD, this last winter,he would be good a resource,plus others on here !!
 
Farmall Pete is the guy you are referring to. Unfortunately there is no way to contact a member directly on this forum.

What you have is likely a stock D-264 with the 4-1/4" overbore kit installed.

Look up "Walt's Tractors" on google. The site lists sleeves and pistons for both standard 4" bore and 4-1/4" overbore for the W-400. I tried to post a link to his website but my post disappeared immediately after I hit send.

Someone please tell me if my first reply came through on classic. It's not here in modern view.
 
He's looking for a 4 1/8 if it is 4.125 not 4 1/4 4.250 will fit different and the piston would be sloppy if that is the bore difference.
 
I just remembered there's a firm located in the
Midlands that have a large stock of engine overhaul
kits for older machines and they export .... could be
worth a try
 
Do not shoot the messenger, their description says 4 1/8. I would hope he would verify measurements with them before purchasing a $400 plus part. I only know from Petes videos that these engines have all sorts of quirks about the sleeves and head gasket fitment.
 
Yep most 400's were updated to the 450 sleeves when rebuilt . NO those sleeves have been out of production since back in the 60's , and No nobody has ever repopped them . So what is left if any are NOS . If you have a cracked sleeve then you had best look real hard at the cylinder bore behind the cracked sleeve as they will crack also . What i have found over the years is they LOVE to crack on # 2 and #3 .
 
(quoted from post at 09:08:18 08/17/21) Farmall Pete is the guy you are referring to. Unfortunately there is no way to contact a member directly on this forum.

What you have is likely a stock D-264 with the 4-1/4" overbore kit installed.

Look up "Walt's Tractors" on google. The site lists sleeves and pistons for both standard 4" bore and 4-1/4" overbore for the W-400. I tried to post a link to his website but my post disappeared immediately after I hit send.

Someone please tell me if my first reply came through on classic. It's not here in modern view.
Click to expand...


So I think you are referring to a 4 1/8" overbore kit. I tried to order from Walt's but no stock and no likelihood of getting any. I have since found Bates Corporation and they seem to have a stock of aftermarket sleeves of part# 277076R1 which I believe to be correct for this size.

Thanks for the feedback.
 

You make a good point about the price. You would not want replace a whole set for sure. Tractor wouldn't be worth it. It does make you wonder how many of these engines have been junked for lack of parts or price of parts.

Thanks for the feedback.
 

Yes, it looks like W400 and W450 share the same parts book and there is only one block listed. The sleeve/piston/ring seems to be the only difference on the internals. When it is that easy you can see why people upgraded.

Thanks for the feedback.
 
yes they are 4 1/8 sleeves. i have bought them before from clevite. but it seams now cant get them. my 400 had them.
 
There's another firm in uk with huge stock of
obsolete engine , I have just been informed and
what they don't have they can make but as I said
before it looks like I am not believed which is ok as I
am not bothered
 
Some had them made at LA Sleeve, if I named it right. Last I heard around 200 a hole. Another option is get a used
standard bore sleeve that came in a SMD through 400 and bore it to size. Best to bore after install though. Also need
to make sure the top of sleeve is the same design as the bad one. Don't know if webers tractor works would sell one
sleeve if they still have any sets.
 
Derwen, I am sure your input is appreciated. My guess is the new poster who I did not greet to YT properly is in the US. I have always found that ordering parts from a party abroad adds extra steps and complication with at the least paperwork and then there is always a possibility of tariffs or duty fees. If I was looking for such a part I would exhaust all option within the US before I would consider dealing with a foreign entity.
 
Ok they are part of Quaker city casting . From my house to the plant it's and easy rifle shot . I have no idea when they started doing this . Or how good they are . I'll have to look into this . It's not what you know it is WHO you know .
 
Yeah that's what I thought too.lol. My machine shop did all of the work for me, so maybe they marked them up. This was in 2011.
 
Thanks for the posts guys. What I've chosen to do is buy a liner from Bates for $410. It's pricey but I can get exactly what I want and quickly. I have it in hand at this point and it measures up perfectly and fits the block just the same as the original. I'm going to start reassembly tomorrow so will let you know how it goes.
 
As promised (sorry a little late) I'll give you a quick run down on how things went reassembling the engine. We had 2 problems to start, coolant bubbling in the radiator and a very active crankcase vent. Once the head was off we could see the head gasket was leaking to the coolant chamber on 3 cylinders and we had a cracked sleeve. Cylinders didn't show much wear so it seemed reasonable to just change the sleeve that was cracked and put on new gaskets. Apparently that was a good call because the engine runs "a treat" as the Britts would say. Since we had a lot of the cooling system parts off we replaced all of the hoses (a couple looked original) and thermostat. No leaks so happy about that. We need to work through a break in period but looking forward to putting it back to work.

Thanks
 
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