White 2-105 head gasket

[ks11]

Around 3 years and a few hundred hours ago, I had the head gasket replaced and the head machined/rebuilt. It was close to $2500 I believe. I changed the oil about 3 engine hours ago, and I saw no water, I check closely every time. The other day I was moving in hay, and a bunch of water was coming out of the radiator overflow tube, tractor temp was no more than 180. I was close to the yard so I drove in, shut it off, heard a lot of bubbles in the radiator, not boiling, bubbles. The next day I started it, put it at about 1500 rpm. Took about 5 minutes, same thing started, water out the tube, bubbles, not hot. I bought the tractor from a dealer, I believe it's a '77, estimated 4000 hours at that time, but unknown. If that's true, about 6000 hours now. Unless my gauge isn't working right, it's never been overheated, I clean/keep an eye on the radiator often. I didn't see oil in the water, and the engine oil still looks very clean/clear/no bubbles or cloudiness but I didn't pull the plug to check for water.

Anyway, I don't know about doing it myself. I can take things apart and put them back together, basic troubleshooting. I've taken apart clutch/transmissions on old stuff like jd 530/630, engine stuff not so much besides small ones very little. But I have many, many other projects now. Also, I don't know what the odds are that it's only the head gasket, with my luck the past couple weeks, and I'd rather have a trained eye working on it if I don't see something or know what to look for. My other problem is I know the tractor isn't worth a whole lot, might be worth getting something and putting the possible repair $ for a down payment on something recently worked on instead (crossing fingers that I'm not buying more problems, but maybe getting something newer this time). I'd keep the tractor for a later project if I'd get time. It has a lot of other little issues, minor, but I'm getting "that feeling" that if I do this, something else will break shortly after. It's used for baling, moving in, and Haybuster every day all winter.

Frustrated at the timing of when it went out. Last time was harvest season too, farmers take priority, it took a long time to get in, and a long time to get it done. I guess if I have questions, if only the head gasket, how much roughly to put it in? Comments? Haven't called anyone yet, know they are busy, and procrastinating quite a bit. Kinda just needed to type something out, know I just need to get it situated. Thanks.

 

[J. Schwiebert]

Well how about a serial number for the engine and the tractor? I am trying to determine if you have a dot 1 or a dot 4 engine.Do you have a phone number? I will talk to ou. J.

 

[ks11]

Sorry, I didn"t mean to let this go. Illness with my mother, emergency rooms, doctors, etc. right after I posted. Haven"t had time to stop, so I just had it picked up a while back. Crack in the valley between cylinders. They said they didn"t know if they could shim it, guy that does stuff isn"t there, so I won"t get an estimate for a few days, but I"m guessing it"s not going to be worth it.

 

[Lovespullin]

Is this a cab tractor? Where are you located? If the tractor is not worth fixing I may be interested.

 

[ks11]

Went to look at it, don"t know why they said what they did on the phone. It"s worn on the top of the motor between cylinders so that the gasket doesn"t seal very well. Can"t see it but can feel it. The main older guy that runs the place (and has seen everything) said he"s had some luck with cutting a shim to put in there, trying that for now, mechanic said he's never heard of doing that. Really don"t want to take out the motor and go through everything, doing it right I"d throw a WHOLE bunch more money on it than I should. They said the motor sounded/looked good other than this. They were surprised no oil mixing with water. Head was gone through, redone last time, he said so far that they didn"t think it needed anything. (I am using apostrophes but every time I post it changes it to a quotation mark). Suppose with my luck this won't work. Main older guy was trying to also get me to buy new injectors, mechanic was saying I didn't need them, these were fine.

 

[ks11]

They polished the head and found the sleeves were damaging the head, so they did find that the head needs gone through again, and the sleeves, so basically might as well go the whole way. I am probably going through with it, not much choice vs. what I could buy used with high hours and possibly blowing up the next day.

Nebraska. Based on what I was told when I bought it from a dealer, what hours they estimated (with no way of knowing), it should have less than 6000 hours on it. It was painted when I bought it, still looks very good. Had new cab interior, tear on the insulation below the seat above the floor. The 3-speed has that front shaft seal leaking, the dealer had it siliconed and painted over when I bought it, I redid it a while back. It was working good on a baler/haybuster before this, hyd. pump, etc., some leaks but nothing major.

Would be curious what it might be worth anyway, cleaned up it would look straight, close to new.

 

[ks11]

I know I could also get a used Cummins in there, it should be a ~little cheaper, possibly better but without knowing the history of the engine either, they weren't enthused when I mentioned that option. They found a used Perkins for $4000 with a 90 day war., but no idea or way of knowing the hours. If the Perkins is "good enough" after overhaul, I guess that's where I'm leaning unless I hear different, saving a little vs. having something that's basically a new engine if they do it right. They only have a 90 day warranty on their engine work though, which won't get me to haying season, I'd like it covered past then when I really use it hard, but I can't do much.

I'm not liking doing this, but say they get it done for $10k on the high end hopefully, including looking through the clutch and fixing the seal. (I had an 1855 done at another shop 18 years ago, and it was $6 to $7k for just the engine, so what they were telling me sounds high, but I guess it's in line with what I had to pay before). 12k around here buys a 4020 with 8000 hours and no cab, no recent engine work. 1086 on lots are more than that, plus I ...hate their transmission, any that I've driven don't seem to have as much take off power without a bit higher rpm. 20k buys a 4240 with 8000+ hours and no work of any kind. 5088 possibly similar. There really isn't much else around, most lots are bare, or full of new tractors. The dealer where it is has a 2-155 on their lot, which won't work for me very well anyway, it was there when I bought this tractor 7 years ago, so that long. They were asking $12k back then, with a new clutch, and I think 7k hours, didn't ask now. They do use it themselves quite a bit they said.