Sprucing up an '85 312-8

[HankB 16]

I thought I'd start a thread here and track progress on this tractor. It's not going to go fast as I have other projects, but I can't help but get some things taken care of.

Here it is as I bought it:

First order of business was to get a new battery so I wouldn't have to jump it to start. next was to evict any critters that might still be living in the fan shroud.

Some of that crud had filled the space between the flywheel and whatever you cal that plate behind it.

And some on the head fins

I dug and blew all of that stuff out, cleaned the tin up with some WD40 and rinsed with hot water. (My goal was to leave a film of WD40 behind to help prevent rust.) While I had the shroud off, I adjusted the travel on the throttle cable. It didn't allow full throttle. Now it does. I also checked the air filter. EWWW! I'll get one when I pick up the shift boot along with a new spark plug.

It looks a little nicer here.

Overall, I don't think it is in too bad condition for a 25 year old tractor. It starts and runs well and the mower deck sounds OK. Blades are a bit nicked up, but that is easily fixed. Or I just install the extra set of blades that came with it. It does quite a bit of rust on the fender pan.

I think I need to remove that to get to the shift boot so I'll probably wire brush off the loose stuff and shoot it with rust resisting primer to protect it until I can give it further attention.

So... A quick list of what I know it needs:

• [*:ns0hcacs]Clean mouse nest from fan shroud (done)[*:ns0hcacs]Adjust throttle cable. (done)[*:ns0hcacs]Air filter, spark plug, engine and trans oil change, replace broken/missing zerks and grease[*:ns0hcacs]replace missing headlight bezel[*:ns0hcacs]New battery (done)[*:ns0hcacs]R&I mower deck to inspect, lube and sharpen/replace blades.[*:ns0hcacs]Replace disentegrated shift boot.[*:ns0hcacs]Deal with rust.

-hank

[Duff 206]

Hi, Hank,

Looks like a great project, and as you may know, I am rather partial to 312's!

Re: the shift boot being disintegrated, have you checked the tranny oil? Chances are it's got water in it... .

Duff :)

[HankB 16]

Re: the shift boot being disintegrated, have you checked the tranny oil? Chances are it's got water in it... .

That would not surprise. Fortunately the PO kept it in a spot protected from rain or so he said.) The dipstick has some rust above the oil line so that indicates there is some water in there. I plan to change the oil in there soon.

FWIW, the trans oil in my Raider 12 came out looking like a mocha shake.

I suppose It might be a good idea to set it somewhere I could apply some warmth to the trans to try to drive off the moisture.

thanks,

hank

[Duff 206]

I suppose It might be a good idea to set it somewhere I could apply some warmth to the trans to try to drive off the moisture.

Ummmm....I might advise against that. Iron/steel oxidizes (rusts) faster when heat is involved, and to cook out any amount of water inside the case would probably take a fair amount of time.

Just one man's very humble opinion, but I think a good tranny flush might be the preferred solution?

Duff :)

[HankB 16]

Ummmm....I might advise against that. Iron/steel oxidizes (rusts) faster when heat is involved, and to cook out any amount of water inside the case would probably take a fair amount of time.

Just one man's very humble opinion, but I think a good tranny flush might be the preferred solution?

Good point. Gentle heat is not the same as getting an engine up to operating temperature.

What's a good tranny flush? I thought I'd seen it discussed, but my search skills are not serving me. I seem to recall using Marvel Mystery Oil but I don't recall if it was added to the trans oil or run in the trans for a short period. (Hmmm... A search for "Marvel Mystery" gets me hits on using it for engines only.

I have a large bottle of trans oil. Maybe I should just change it and plan to change it again after a few hours of use.

thanks,

hank

[dgoyette 12]

Good thread Hank - look forward to updates.

If it were mine I would see what the gear oil looks like before deciding what to do with it. If it looks decent and clean just drain and re-fill. If it looked like cake batter I would flush a few times with kerosene.

Great pics too. BTW it looks like one photo didn't post correctly as the infamous words "user posted image" is in the thread. I get that when I make a IMG posting error.

[HankB 16]

Good thread Hank - look forward to updates.

If it were mine I would see what the gear oil looks like before deciding what to do with it. If it looks decent and clean just drain and re-fill. If it looked like cake batter I would flush a few times with kerosene.

I see. This one looks not too bad then. The oil on the dipstick looks like oil.

Great pics too. BTW it looks like one photo didn't post correctly as the infamous words "user posted image" is in the thread. I get that when I make a IMG posting error.

Oops - maybe too many pictures. Here's the one that got dropped:

thanks,

hank

[dgoyette 12]

Is it just me or are those older Carlise turfs just way cooler looking. I have a set on my B-80 from 1977 and they just look better/more aggressive than a newer pair I have. Maybe not but it just seems like there is more space in between the knobs. Maybe just the difference between 22" and 23" tires? Are those 22"?

Just to expand a bit - I would not decide based on how it looks on the dip stick. I would decide after draining into a clean container. I would let it drain overnight and look at the fluid and anything that comes out in entirety. I also have thrown a magnet in the oil to see if it collects metal shavings that were not initially visible.

If there is no dirt, water, or metal than you would not get a lot of benefit from the extra expense of additional flushing IMO.

[bustedglass 1]

Nice thread Hank. Keep the pics coming .

[HankB 16]

No additional pix yet as there is nothing really picture worthy. But I just got done spending some quality time with it.

I replaced the shredded spindle belt and put the mower back on. I was pleasantly surprised to find the mule adjustment could be moved easily. When I took the deck off, I couldn't budge the adjustment so I released the attach-a-matic latch and knocked the mule off with a rubber mallet. I then sprayed it with PB-Blaster and that did the job. The deck went back on without further drama.

Next I replaced the air filter and oiled up the pre-filter.

Then I mowed. I'm not sure how much I like this. I've been spoiled by the hydro and rear discharge deck, both of which make mowing a cluttered suburban lawn easier. But I did get the job done. So I have a competent second mower for any time I want to work on my 314-H. The mower seemed a little loud, but the 36" side discharge seems about half the weight of the 42" recycler on the 314-H. And in any case, I could move the 42" recycler to the 312-8 if it will fit with the oversized gauge wheels.

After mowing I changed engine and trans oil. The trans plug came out with a glob of gunk on the end. The bottom of the trans case is probably similarly coated. <_< Probably be a good idea to change it again before too long. Engine oil didn't look too bad. I also replaced the shift lever boot. Once again, PB-Blaster to the rescue! I couldn't budge the shift knob so I shot a bit at the threads and by the time I had finished filling the engine and trans, I could budge it.

And then I hid it behind the garage. Still haven't figured out how to tell SWMBO I bought another tractor. :)

[bustedglass 1]

SWMBO ????? Please explain .

[DoctorHfuhruhurr 137]

SWMBO ????? Please explain .

She Who Must Be Obeyed

I've never experienced that personally.