End play spacers


  #1  
Old 06-25-04, 08:11 PM
J
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End play spacers

Dose anyone know where you can get various end-play spacers (washers) anywhere from 0.005" to say 0.020" thick? I've got an engine with approximately 0.025" endplay.
 
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Old 06-26-04, 12:24 AM
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Hello Jack!

Not sure what engine this is, but if it is a briggs, there are different thickness sump cover gaskets available to adjust the endplay. Automotive machine shops have washers of different thicknesses that they use under valve springs.
 
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Old 06-26-04, 05:47 PM
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Cheese,
I need some expert advice...let me give you some history on this engine. It is off of a T1400H Kubota lawn tractor with a GH400V-L ohv engine. I just rebuilt the engine...rings,seals and a new valves. Internally, it has four rotating shafts...a crankshaft, a camshaft and two balance shafts. One of the balance shafts also drives the oil pump and the governor gear. It has eight ball bearings. Everything has timing marks so I feel like that isn't the problem. When I put the oil pan on it, it has about 0.025" endplay. Whenever I push the endplay toward the PTO end the engine LOCKS up HARD...just after TDC on the compression stroke. On the intake stroke (just after TDC) it will turn ok but just dosen't seem right. If I push the endplay toward the flywheel end everything seems allright. I have a factory service manual and it says that the allowable limit on the endplay is 0.004". Do you feel like if I put some metal endplay spacers on the crankshaft that I would be allright. Kubota doesn't have varible thickness oil pan gaskets. I am hesitant about using these spacers...just thinking about the engine running at 3000 plus rpm's and it being 0.020" from distruction. If I take the oil pan off, I can't get it to do it (possibly from the four loose shaft ends). I have never run into this situation before.
One other thing, the head gasket is made from the same material as the other gaskets...I'm used to seeing a metal or metal and asbestos gasket for this purpose.
Sorry this is drawn out so long.
 
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Old 06-27-04, 01:02 AM
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I think I'd be looking for the reason you have so much endplay in the first place. If there is .020" of wear somewhere, that's probably be the source of your locking up problem as well. I think spacer washers would work fine since you have ball bearings as well, but I would make sure they fit well. Judging by your description of the engine lockup when pushing the endplay toward the PTO...it sounds like maybe there is a machined out relief area to allow the rod cap bolts to clear the side of the crankcase, and when you push the whole works down, it hits a bit of the non-machined area. It might be hitting one of the balancer counterweights too.
 
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Old 06-28-04, 03:50 PM
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I'm in agreement with cheese on the red flag situation with the excessive endplay. You must have wear at some point at the crank bearing areas. This is a cause for concern! What was the reason for "rebuilding" this engine in the first place? Was it run low on oil? If you decide to just add machine washers to make up this endplay problem, you may have difficulty finding them since the specs on this engine are likely all metric and you need to be concerned about not only the ID of these but the OD as well. I'm sure the the ID you're looking for will be in the neighborhood of 1 and 1/8" (but the metric equivalent) and this may prove difficult in finding such machine washers. A hot-rod machine shop will likely be your best bet. Post back with answers to the above questions and good luck on the washers.
 
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Old 06-30-04, 05:06 AM
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When I first got in lawn mower in, there was this "AWFUL" hammering noise coming from the engine. Upon disassembling, I found the two rod bolts backed out ( one 1/4" and the other 3/8"). I took it to a machine shop and got the crankshaft ground to 0.020" undersize and installed a 0.020" undersize rod. It appeared that someone had just rebuilt the engine because the head was shining clean as was the piston. I have replaced the rings and am giong to do a valve job also. I still haven't been able to determine the cause of the lock-up. I am getting a machinist, from where I retired from, to make me a custom sized spacer.
 
 

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