What does a bad bearing sound like K-series?
 

I'm asking..


Somewhere the motor has gotten a metallic sound. It's toward the front and I had assumed that it was the muffler internal baffling or something failed. But after a few more weeks of cutting grass- it developed a front seal leak. I have a seal and home.. thought I'd change it up. But I'm assuming that a bad bearin g will have noticeable play?

What tractor is this engine in? Trying to determine if the engine has balance gears.

Does it make more of a humming sound?

Unless the engine has a lot of metal rolling around in it, the big ball bearings on the crank never fail. Usually even on a rebuild, you can use them over. Chances a bearing is out are very, very slim.

A "metallic" sound is kind of indifinitive. Squeek, knock, rattle???? Tim might be onto something with the balance gears, but when they go out, I wouldn't describe it as a "metallic" sound. They will rattle and knock. You either need to post a video to YouTube and link it here, or describe it better. Several things can cause noises. I'd say the seal leaking is coincidental. But, anything is possible.

Cam shaft end play

That’s my vote too.

Well, then why wouldn't he describe it as a knock??

If this engine has a starter/generator I would check to make sure the basket pulley didn't come loose and is now rubbing the bolt for the s/g bracket. I've had a couple do that over the years and would definitely describe the sound as metallic.

I had a motor in a 149 that had a bad crank bearing, and a 129 with the same, was always on the PTO end.:bash:
Makes a HmmmmmmHmmmmmmHmmmmmm sound.

Was the engine recently rebuilt??? When????

I had a K321 that was rebuilt and start making a noise 15 to 20 hours after the rebuild (no balance gears) . I removed the PTO clutch and starter to make sure the noise wasn't in the starter or clutch. The race where the bearings ran had metal shavings in that area. I replaced the bearing on the PTO side of the crank and noise went away. You could tell the rebuilder didn't know what they were doing.