1864 carb

[Mike McKown]

Originally Posted by mickb72

Hi, i think you might have a bad head gasket. Mine ran just like yours and the plugs looked the same. It was on the right side, setting on the tractor. After seeing the bad one i changed them both. Replaned the heads flat. Mike

I have a Command with a leaky had gasket. That sounds right. I haven't fixed it yet so I can't confirm.

[swacor]

Well i went ahead and pulled the engine and I'm going to install new head gaskets. What else should i look into while I have the engine out. There is a valve plate or guide under the rocker arms and one side the tabs are up and the other down. I also spotted a bad wire that goes from coil to coil so maybe I had weak spark.

[Mike McKown]

The wire is the ground wire to the mags to kill the engine.

I'd put in front and rear crank seals while you have it apart.

[mickb72]

Hell, mine didn't have guide plates. When you sand those heads flat on a piece of glass check under the exhaust port real close. I think they warp upward into the port from the heat. Mine was blown in the oil return hole in that area. Mike

[bugeye]

With the heads off, lap the valves and replace valve guide seals. My 1992 Kohler 18S starter side head was slightly warped under the exhaust port.

[swacor]

So the question is why is one plate up and one down. PO mistake maybe. How exactly does this head sanding work. What's the best thing you guys use to clean the old head gasket material off the block side. I'm going to order parts today so anything else I should put on my list.

[mickb72]

Hello, For cleaning, elbow grease a little pb blaster, carb or oven cleaner and scotch bright pads. For sanding you need something perfectly flat(plate glass) and someone to hold the sandpaper. I use 150 then 220 to 320 grit. Mike

[swacor]

So if I do all this lapping and sanding it seems to me that's going to change valve train clearances and such. Am I wrong or is there something I have to do after the lapping resurfacing of the head.

[Sam Mac]

CH's have hydraulic lifters so no worry about the few thousands that you'll lose cleaning up the heads.

[mickb72]

No valve, clearance, change issues. It has hydraulic lifters. You need to read a service manual, there's a procedure for bleeding off the lifters. There's a couple of ways to go about it, but I can't explain it to you here. There may be some instructions with your head gaskets. Mike