Spark Plug Monster!

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Ryan Teach
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:00 am
Location: Holmen Wisconsin

Spark Plug Monster!

Post by Ryan Teach »

Fellow Deere Hardcores...

I have recently aquired, by adoption, a Liquifire (1983) that has a fetish for plugs. From what I understand, over heating was a common issue with these machines and the head gasket was usually the first to go when cylinder temps reached the danger zone.

I think I have an anti-freeze leak, from a faulty gasket,...which is causing my plugs to blow left-and-right when the sled idles for any length of time. Correct?

Ryan
ICCSF 108
Posts: 4369
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:00 am
Real Name: Kenny Heins, AKA Grumpy
Location: Blue Springs Mo.
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Re: Spark Plug Monster!

Post by ICCSF 108 »

Ryan, when replacing the head gasket some of the guys are having trouble with the Winderosa head gasket kits I would recommend OEM Deere If you can find them. Ones you have cleaned the surfaces ( cyl & head ) & installed the gaskets it is a good Idea to torque then re-torque then let the engine set for a bit then re-torque at least 2 more times Deere says to run the engine then re-torque but some of have found that if you get the head bolts good & tight by re-torquing 4 or 5 times cold then you won't need to re-torque hot.. Also by doing it this way after the first torque you can remove the coolant crossover tube & make sure your getting the right torque to all the head bolts.
Make sure you don't have a cyl. stud that has come out a bit as this will make the acorn nut bottom out before it's tight. If you not sure if they will bottom out or not, slip another Stainless steel flat washer between the large thick flat washer & the lock washer on all the cyl head bolts. ..
Also these carbs are REAL fussy, THEY MUST BE PROPERLY CLEANED & ADJUSTED to work properly, this also could cause the plugs to foul.
Congratulations on your adoption, you'll have a great rider there once you get her running correctly..
Hope this helps

Kenny
AKA: Kenny, Grumpy, Mr. Richard Head
"I Hunt For it, Purchase it, Haul it, Sometimes Repair it, Sometimes Break it, Then Fix it Again, Label it, Warehouse it, Talk About it, So NOW, HOW Can I Take Any Less $$ For It?"
"God I love the smell of KLOTZ in the morning, That smell, you know that Gasoline/Oil Smell, MAKES the whole place SMELL like.. LIKE VICTORY. You know someday the 2 strokers are gonna end..."
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Ryan Teach
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:00 am
Location: Holmen Wisconsin

Re: Spark Plug Monster!

Post by Ryan Teach »

Kenny:

Thank you! And I see there are a handful of gasekets on evil-bay.

This sled was my fathers, and it did make the entire trip on the vintage ride last year. He is building a Merc for the ride and had set the Liquifire and its problems aside. I just finished the rebuild of my Sportfire, so...Liquifire.

The carbs were medical room clean last year for the ride. We drained the fuel over the summer. I still plan on taking them off and going through them as we did last pre-season once again. We had this exact problem with the l/c 440 Princess Twister ('76) that resides in the garage- we traced it back to someone pulling the head, doing a sub-par rework of it and not clearing the surface of the cyclinder deck, or the head before they put it back together with a used head gasket. Im almost to the point where I want to pull the jugs, and the head...plane them down to perfect and re-mate them with a new head gasket.

Decisions, decisions,...

I also adopted (over the summer) a Snowfire with 83 original miles owned by a 80 year old lady...original owner. This sled will need a small amount of clutch work and the fuel system gone through before it has any chance to live again....after the Liquifire.
tjsdad
Posts: 135
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:23 am
Location: wisconsin

Re: Spark Plug Monster!

Post by tjsdad »

http://www.vintagesleds.com/classifieds ... john+deere


Down the page are OEM gasket kits. I used one on my rebuild. No leaks whatsoever....
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