Colt Case Ingersoll Garden Tractors

OH NO! It is obvious, the manual said. I usually take lots of pictures on teardown. Then find myself in your position, and it would be the one photo that is missing.

Im looking closely at the pictures and I don’t think the marks on the silver gear are the timing marks. The look like chatter marks from something or someone. The one on the brown gear looks more like a timing mark. I think I’d really search around on the silver gear for other marks.

The problem is that I cannot find any other marks and went around twice. Some people say if piston 1 and 4 are at TDC the weights of the balancer should be at the bottom. More needed.

This'll from yesterday's tractors

I’m afraid you’re right, more study is needed. Since I don’t know this machine or pump, this is a complete shot in the dark, but, seeing the other things you’ve uncovered as you have gone through it, is it at all possible that silver gear could have been turned around in the past and the marks are on the other side of it? Sorry if I’m muddying the water worse that it already was it was just a thought and a guess. I know you’ll find the answer, it might just take a little more aggravation.

According to theory when piston 2 is at TDC the balancer counterweights should be at rest, that is, hanging freely at the bottom. I thinks that assumes the tractor is reasonably level. So I lowered the balancer enough as to allow the lower gear to disengage from the upper crankshaft gear so that counterweights would freely find their low resting position. Looking on the other side of the crankshaft gear, the one harder to see which I had not looked at before, shows this

Rejoice when reality confirms the theory.

That looks more better !

Placed the heads on gaskets and hand tightened 4 head bolts. It was not easy to do this, each head is really heavy. What I did was put the head on first. Then lift the head and place gasket partly in. Then crawled palms in under the head and set the gasket just right so the fire ring goes around the sleeve protrusion. Then carefully slide one hand out and keep the gasket in place with the other. Then the other hand out.

The head bolts stat finger tight until all the manifolds are torqued.
Started cleaning the water manifold and thermostat housing. New thermostat too.

Done for today, will continue on Wednesday.

Well done! It’s starting to look like an engine again!
Your last couple of updates gave me the thought there’s really no need to the gym for a workout when you have old tractors!

This week I'm on staycation. Yet there are so many things to do it seems hard to find more time to work on the backhoe. If you're wondering why I no longer work in it late at night, it's because I made some changes to my lifestyle and am using that time for something much more important.

Anyhow, back to the manifolds, because that's where I'm at now.

Cleaned up the mounting surface of the air intake manifold. It's aluminum and I was very gentle with the wire wheel. There's no rust so the rest of the surface will stay as is.

The exhaust manifold is cast iron and there was deeper rust pitting all over. After the wire wheel some krud kutter and then into a bag for 30 minutes to give the phosphoric acid some time to act.


After that a little high heat paint is not a bad idea. Because life isn't about being perfect. A little better than before now.

how is the exhaust manifold for flat?