One more K321 to go
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 5:25 pm
Got a 444 in the heat of the winter about 2 years ago, from Al. He said the engine was seized having sat for years out under the open sky. Sure enough, I was not able to budge that Kohler no way no how. So it got thrown in the back.
Fast forward to a week ago when I decided to put the 644 engine in the 224 mower. But hey, first snag was oil pan. That was not originally an engine from a Case tractor, most likely a JD. The belly pan of this did not fit the 224. Then
! get the oil pan from the seized 444. Fine, engine out, oil out, belly pan off. While fooling around with the "seized" k321, to my surprise, the crankshaft turned! 
Surely, I thought, it's a miracle. But no use in getting my hopes up, the engine could still be bad. Being on what I thought was a clear trajectory I continued with the JD engine only to hit another wall. The pto shaft of the 444 engine did not fit the flywheel of the JD engine. The four mounting screws are about 1/8 further from the center. You all probably saw this coming from the beginning but I didn't. Sure I could make it work but the idea that maybe the no longer seized engine is actually fine so let's check it out. A simple task since the head was off because I tried to use it for something.
A little cleaning and inspection showed no marks of concern on the cylinder.
Out came the bore gauge and... 1 to 1.5 thousands over.
At this point it was clear, flatten the head and get it ready
Get the valves out, clean, reface them and touch up the seats.
Adjust valves clearance, put the head on and torque, install new points, clean block and de-rust and some engine paint.
Today it got a carb, coil, and condenser and fired it up. It works.
Fast forward to a week ago when I decided to put the 644 engine in the 224 mower. But hey, first snag was oil pan. That was not originally an engine from a Case tractor, most likely a JD. The belly pan of this did not fit the 224. Then
! get the oil pan from the seized 444. Fine, engine out, oil out, belly pan off. While fooling around with the "seized" k321, to my surprise, the crankshaft turned! Surely, I thought, it's a miracle. But no use in getting my hopes up, the engine could still be bad. Being on what I thought was a clear trajectory I continued with the JD engine only to hit another wall. The pto shaft of the 444 engine did not fit the flywheel of the JD engine. The four mounting screws are about 1/8 further from the center. You all probably saw this coming from the beginning but I didn't. Sure I could make it work but the idea that maybe the no longer seized engine is actually fine so let's check it out. A simple task since the head was off because I tried to use it for something.A little cleaning and inspection showed no marks of concern on the cylinder.
Out came the bore gauge and... 1 to 1.5 thousands over.
At this point it was clear, flatten the head and get it ready
Get the valves out, clean, reface them and touch up the seats.
Adjust valves clearance, put the head on and torque, install new points, clean block and de-rust and some engine paint.
Today it got a carb, coil, and condenser and fired it up. It works.
Harry
