Rail-mower Engine Work Goes OK

Frank Glatzl came over today to take apart the rail-mower Wisconsin S-12D engine to change out the piston rings since it was emitting excessive blow-by from the crankcase vent during the Dec. 10 work session at Kingsland at which we first ran it for several hours.  The blow-by is caused by worn piston rings.  Blow-by is bad because the crankcase vent is supposed to be connected to the air filter.  If there is blow-by getting into the air filter it would foul the filter pretty quickly, allowing contaminants to enter and eventually ruin the engine.

It was about 50 degrees when we started but with a bit of a breeze, so we were glad to get the engine out in into a garage bay, where we could work without feeling cold.  I drained most of the engine oil and removed the gas tank and gas tank platform the previous day to speed up our work today.  Frank took the carburetor assembly off and opened up the main engine cover.  I cleaned out the remainder of the oil inside the engine with paper towels and cleaned up the outside engine cover with degreaser while Frank removed the piston.  The piston looked a lot newer than an original would have (this engine is about 42 years old), so perhaps a previous owner replaced it.  Fortunately, the shell bearing seemed to be in very good condition, so we did have to install the new one we had ready to go.  The cylinder had a bit of a lip on it which would call for reboring if the engine were going to be in daily service but for our limited service it does not need reboring yet.  There was a bit of wear on the inside of the cylinder but not too much.  Frank used a hone on my electric drill to clean up the cylinder so the new rings would seat properly.  He then installed the new rings on the piston, using a special tool to take them off and another to put the new rings on.

I used a scraper to remove gasket material from the edges of the cylinder head and the main engine cover.  We also cleaned the top of the piston and the underside of the cylinder head.  Frank re-installed the piston and then we began installing gaskets.  We put new ones on the main engine cover, the cylinder head, the choke mounting plate and (later) the points and condenser box.  Then we closed up the main engine cover and cylinder head.  Frank then opened up the timer box and removed the innards, along with the box itself, since one of the screw mounting holes was stripped.  I had the pieces of a different timer off another S-12D so Frank used the best pieces from both units, including the spare timer box, to rebuild the timer.  Plus I had bought new points and a new condenser set (part no. YQ-16--not easy to find) which he also installed.  He will take the original timer box home with him to tap out the stripped hole and make it a serviceable spare.

Once the timer was reassembled, Frank reinstalled the carburetor assembly.  We brought the engine out to the rail-mower frame and reinstalled it.  Then we hooked up all the various wires and tried to start it.  The engine failed to start, although it did turn over.  Frank took some fine sandpaper I had in my tool box and lightly sanded the points and then the engine started (the points must have had a bit of surface corrosion).  We ran it for a while and even turned on the mower deck.  There were no sign of blow-by from the piston rings, so our job was a success.  We did test the starter-generator, however, and it appears the generator part is kaput.  I have a spare starter-generator, so I plan to swap them out and test the new one to see if it will keep the battery charged so I don't have to use a battery charger prior to each rail-mower work session.  Frank took the muffler with him so he can weld several small holes or tears at the elbow.  We decided not to touch the nipple mounted to the engine that the muffler pipe hooks onto, since if it were to break off, we'd have to take the engine apart and probably buy a new "jug" (the body holding the cylinder).

I am going to replace the engine wiring, step by step, since it appears well worn and in some cases, insufficiently thick for the current it should carry.  Then I will switch starter-generators and see if the new one is good.

Frank took a look a my mower deck discharge cover and advised that he thinks the mowed material will not be ejected far enough from the deck and therefore interfere with the blade operation.  He was of the opinion that we ought to move the cover out about 6-8 inches.  I was concerned that something like that sticking out could hit something along the rail line and might therefore pose a hazard.  Frank suggested that we mount the shield with a single piece of metal that has a stopnut on the single bolt that holds it to the deck.  That way the assembly would pivot backward if it struck anyway, much like modern side mirrors do.  So that is also I my to-do list.  Another item on that list is taking off the mower deck and inserting some washers under the pivot point bolt so the belt is centered on the tensioner pulleys.  But I will need some help from Derek Scott, the local fellow who helps me with the Bolens mower decks, to accomplish that.  Will also need to buy some 10-24 stainless steel nuts to use on various terminals, so they don't rust like the ones currently on them.

All in all, we put in about six hours of work each on this job, but the engine is now in much better shape and should last quite a few years before it needs more work, assuming we keep it out of the rain and sun.  We very glad there weren't any hidden troubles inside the engine that would have required much more work, so I guess we will count ourselves lucky.

I will bring the rail-mower to the next Llano work session on February 18, but Frank won't be able to make that session, so will be running it by myself.  Will probably have to run up to Cedar Park to pick up the muffler once he gets it fixed.

I took some photos of us at work and of the engine with the main cover off, but can't upload them until I find a SIM card to fit the camera I used.  I will post them later, probably this afternoon.

Received Parts, Jan. 28 Work Session on Track

I have received both the piston rings and shell bearing for the Wisconsin S-12D engine in the rail-mower, so we are set for the Jan. 28 work session to install them and a new set of points and condenser.

Next Work Session Rescheduled

Frank Glatzl and I have rescheduled our next work session on the rail-mower for Saturday, January 28.  I was notified by the supplier I ordered the Wisconsin piston rings that they did not have them in stock and would have to order them from the factory.  I checked with Wisconsin Motors LLC and they confirmed they did have three sets in stock, so I decided to let the order go forward.  Meanwhile Frank had alerted me that he would have to move back the date anyway due to his work schedule so I guess the postponement was meant to be.
And also meanwhile, another supplier notified me that he did not have the HA-129S shell bearing for the S-12D.  He cancelled the order and refunded the money.  I found another supplier and ordered it, so am hopeful it will get in soon after all.  Not too many parts left for these old engines.  I sure am glad I got so much work done last weekend--by now cedar pollen has arrived and I am suffering greatly whenever I go outdoors, so I would have been in real trouble if I had had to work on the rail-mower this weekend.

Photos of Recent Rail-Mower Improvements

Here's some photos of the work I have done on the rail-mower or on rail-related projects over the last several days:

This first one is a photo of the deflector safety shield I added to the discharge chute, in case the blades throw out a rock.  The shield is bolted to a piece of angle iron that is attached by clevis pins to the top of the chute.

Here's one of the rail-mower with the right side mat installed.  Note the standoffs at the top (3) that are holding the mat in place.  It is curved as it descends toward the side of the rail-mower.  The mat can now be taken off or re-installed relatively quickly, particularly since the stubs on the underside of the lengthwise frame member are holding the plywood floor up so the mat can be slid into the frame member easily.

This photo shows the left side mat along with the holder for the end of the muffler.  The holder is a piece of curved metal that goes upward from a bolt on the frame.  Then a piece of conveyor belting bolts to the holder and to a bracket on the end of the muffler.

Here's a photo of the rail-mower from the left side, showing the installed mat as well as the safety skirting and the muffler.  About all that is needed to go on now is the hood, once I have sandblasted, primed and painted it.

And finally, here are the C-channel ramps after being wirewheeled, cleaned and spray-painted.  Will turn them over and do the other side soon.  All in all, a very productive warm period for rail-mower and motorcar work before the really cold winter weather arrives.

More Rail-Mower Fixes

Today I carried out a test of the voltage regulator and starter/generator, which Frank Glatzl thinks might not be working.  The test seemed to indicate that the voltage regulator is working, but we are still not sure about the starter/generator.  Unfortunately my continuity tester bulb burned out in the process, so will have to replace it.  Frank will take another look at the system when he comes over on Jan. 14 for our engine teardown.

I installed six stainless steel standoffs, three on each side of the rail-mower frame, and cut off part of the conveyor belting mats I made to hold tools since those parts were impeding quick disconnection and installation of the mats (which is the purpose of the standoffs in the first place).  I drilled holes in mats and the standoffs fit right into them, holding the mats in place.  I also installed a metal holder to keep the muffer in the right position.  All this activity took me about 4 hours (slow but sure is my motto, since quick and perfect isn't going to happen).  Will take some photos and post here tomorrow morning.

After lunch I opened up my angle grinder, which was refusing to work.  I took out the brushes, but they looked OK.  I did blow a bunch of dust off the windings.  Then I put it back together and voila, it worked, allowing me to continue working on rail-related projects.

I cut off a piece of 48" bar metal yesterday to bolt underneath the frame to support the plywood floor, which has been sagging and thereby impeding quick re-installation of the mats.  But as I looked at where to put it, I couldn't find a place that would be clear of the mower deck.  You wouldn't want to have to take the bar off to remove the deck.  So I had a sudden inspiration--use four existing 1/2" holes on the side frame to install flat metal stubs that would support the flooring.  I drilled six holes in some 3/16" 1x2 inch metal I had and installed the stubs and they did the job.  Of course, drilling and then installing the stubs took several hours as well.  It's amazing how many tools and parts you have to go back and forth to get when you are working on a project 100 feet away from your tool and parts storage.

For my last project of the day I finished cutting notches in my steel C-channel ramps to load motorcars and the rail-mower onto my 16-foot trailer.  The notches will enable the ramp to fit down over the railhead when it protrudes up from the surface we are loading from.  I used a cutoff saw yesterday to do some of the cuts, but then realized after I returned the saw that I had made the cuts in the identical locations, whereas they needed to be on opposite sides.  I corrected that error with the angle grinder and then made sideways cuts to take out the notches in the ends of the ramps.

Tomorrow I will polish up the ramps with a wirewheel on my air drill and then spray paint them with a Tractor Supply Co. primer-and-paint-in-one product.  That way they won't look completely rusty as they do now.  I will also try to hook up the sandblaster and take a whack at sandblasting the rail-mower hood, which has dropped down in priority compared to all these other chores.  If it sands down OK, will try spray-painting the hood and putting it together.  Once all those items are checked off, that should do me for rail-related projects until the Jan. 14 work session with Frank.

Bit of Progress

Today I mounted a deflector safety skirt on the discharge chute of the rail-mower, to ensure that anything thrown out the chute hits the skirt and falls outside the rail.

Also rented a cutoff saw and shortened the C-channel ramps I built for the rail-mower and motorcars from 8 feet to 6 feet 10 inches.  The 8-foot version was pretty heavy to lift and I could see it bending as the motorcar went up it.  I figured a shorter one would be stiffer and the angle would not be too sharp for the rail-mower to get over it.

Unfortunately, heard from M&D Mower that they have ordered the piston rings for the rail-mower's Wisconsin engine from the factory.  Since the factory is no longer making them, that probably means I will hear shortly from them that they are unavailable.  Fortunately, I have found an alternative supplier so will order the rings from them if necessary.

Preparing for January 14 Engine Teardown

Today I purchased an HA129S shell bearing set and a DR59 piston ring set (tri-chrome) for the Wisconsin S-12D engine that powers the rail-mower.  Frank Glatzl and I are going to tear the engine down during our January 14 get-together, replace those parts, and then put it back together.  Frank already has purchased a new set of gaskets so the engine will be in great running shape when we are done.  Frank had noticed that the breather tube had a lot of blow-by coming out of it, so that indicates the piston rings need to be replaced.  And as long as we are in there, we might as well replace the shell bearings.  Sure hope there isn't anything else we need to replace since it takes a lot of effort to find parts for this old engine.

Yesterday I was down in Austin so I stopped by American Bolt and picked up six stainless steel hex coupling nuts, plus the screw inserts to turn them into standoffs mounted on the rail-mower.  I will drill holes in the conveyor belting mats and then mount the mats onto the rail-mower using the standoffs to hold them in place.  It was actually a good solution to a vexing problem of finding affordable standoffs that wouldn't rust quickly.When I drill the holes for the screws I am going to tap them so the screws can be screwed in.  That should keep them in place, along with a nut at the back.  A short screw insert on the top of the coupling nut will keep it from unscrewing.