Bolens G14

[Triumph66 1,256]

Another step forward to getting the G14 back into action.

[slf-uk 914]

I spent an hour last night replacing most of the missing nuts and bolts, some were fun to get to and the complete dash tower had to be lifted to get the missing clip at the bottom.

 

The bolts holding the engines on these have a strange head so I removed one of the two remaining bolts to identify the length and thread. Even with only one engine bolt out of four the engine is still rock solid! A quick lathe job is required to make two spacers for the missing ones, or at least that is my excuse for some lathe time

 

Iain

[slf-uk 914]

Tonight's progress was minimal as I finished from work later than normal and had to get some equipment ready for tomorrow.

 

I did a bit of investigation on the exhaust and found that the elbow is held into the engine with a spring  Many years ago when I was involved with hydroplane racing we put a spring on the exhaust so that it would pass the noise test and then on throttle the back pressure would pull the exhaust down the pipe to the open part to remove the restriction, maybe this was done for the same reason   

 

 

I then decided to do a bit of lathe work to make up some replacement engine spacers. Working in my workshop is a bit of a challenge at the moment as every inch of space is occupied with something. I can't remember reading anything in machining books about being careful about digger arms so it passed the risk assessment even though it made my back hurt and I had to stand in the bucket to work.

 

 

I nearly finished the spacers but ran out of time, so hopefully I can do a bit more tomorrow night. Progress is slow but in the right direction.

 

Iain

[Triumph66 1,256]

That lathe look the business Iain. What make and model is that one then?

[OldBuzzard 186]

Iain,

 

I just sent a PM on another forum to a fella that is VERY well versed in Tec engines.

 

He may be able to help us determine the year of mfg. of your engine.

[slf-uk 914]

That lathe look the business Iain. What make and model is that one then?

 

Andrew, it is a Colchester Master. An old but very nice machine to use.

[Tom 215]

Looking good Iain, you are making good progress. The lathe definitely looks handy! Nice digger by the way too

Tom

[OldBuzzard 186]

Iain,

 

I got a reply from my engine guy :D

 

 

 

Dave, there is a way.  However, it may or may not work for his engine.  Some foreign export made engines did not follow the domestic engine's code pattern.  Also, some early engines used different serial number patterns and later engines (particularly those made in the late 1990's and up) were also different.  In 2004, Tecumseh started a different pattern that was much more logical. 

 

He has to have a five digit serial number with four numbers followed by a one letter suffix. 

 

I have the S/N for an OH160 on the desk before me.  The serial number is 9289E. 

 

The first digit is last digit of the year of manufacture.  That would be 9 in my example.  That could mean 1969, 1979, 1989 or (possibly depending on when Tecumseh officially dropped this style of code) 1999.  To go farther, you have to have some general knowledge of the Tecumseh engine line and model years to know the decade.  If you know about when the tractor was made and know that the engine is right for the tractor, you can probably narrow that down easily.  You as a Bolens guy can do that!  On my engine, it is a replacement so I'm almost out of luck.  But, since I can estimate fairly accurately going by the decal style and carburetor style, I am going to take a wild guess at my OH160's year as being a 1979. 

 

The next three numbers is the calender date of the year.  Since 1979 is not a leap year, date #289 is October 16th. 

 

That means my engine was made on October 16th, 1979. 

 

The letter suffix according to Tecumseh will tell you what line and shift the engine was made on.  However, that last letter from what an old factory supervisor told me was the production number for that day.  That means my OH160 was the 5th engine made on October 16th, 1979. 

 

Hope that helps,

Ben W.

 

H also posted a thread over at the GTTalk forums as well:

http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/43247-how-old-is-my-tecumseh-engine/

 

 

 

[slf-uk 914]

Thanks OB, I need to drop the hood off the G14 tonight so that will give me the chance to have a good look at the engine serial number.

 

Iain

[slf-uk 914]

I took a quick picture of the engine number. The spec number is hard to read but the serial number is clear.

 

 

From my reading that is the 345 day of 1976, which is consistent with the age of the tractor.

 

Iain

 

 

 

[OldBuzzard 186]

Right then, being a 1976 engine would make your tractor a 1977.

[slf-uk 914]

Right then, being a 1976 engine would make your tractor a 1977.

 

Thanks Dave.

 

It has been fascinating uncovering the age of this tractor, it has got me thinking about the rest of my collection 

 

Iain

[OldBuzzard 186]

Iain,

 

Believe me, I know the feeling

 

I get that with just about any tidbit I can find on the HDT1000.

 

 

Dave

[slf-uk 914]

Not too much to report on the G14. I have made the replacement engine spacers but then found that I do not have any bolts of the correct length so that is on hold waiting for the postie. I have pulled the carb off in preparation for a quick rebuild, pulled the hood off to straighten the hinge area and also replaced more missing fixings.

 

I noticed that I had another Tecumseh engines tractor in the workshop so I couldn't resist popping the hood to check the engine serial number. The tractor is a Bolens G10 but the engine ID tag on a HH100 is partial hidden behind the carb. I managed to get my phone behind the carb and take a picture. Using the formula kindly supplied by OldBuzzard is looks like a 1973 engine made on the 284th day, which suggest that this G10 is a 1974 machine.

 

 

This is really additive.

 

Iain

 

 

[OldBuzzard 186]

Iain,

 

I can only take credit for relaying information given to me.

 

Proper credit should go to a fine, fine young gentleman named Ben Wagner of Old Paths Equipment. He is superaben over on the GTTalk forums.

 

http://oldpathsequipment.com/

 

He's an "Old Iron" lover and is the fella the did the refurbish on my Bolens 1886 forklift, and is now doing one on my HDT1000. 

[Triumph66 1,256]

I think you can date a Wisconsin engine as well. I believe I saw it somewhere on GTTalk? It would be interesting to date the Bolens I got so far.

Making headway on the G14. What else is there to do on the Bolens Iain?

[slf-uk 914]

I think you can date a Wisconsin engine as well. I believe I saw it somewhere on GTTalk? It would be interesting to date the Bolens I got so far.

Making headway on the G14. What else is there to do on the Bolens Iain?

 

Andrew, I remember reading something about dating Wisconsin engines.

 

I am pleased you asked about the outstanding jobs on the Bolens, it made stand back and reflect. I want to get to the point when I can try to fire it up to see if an engine rebuild is required. Before I can try to fire it up I need to remove the PTO and the bracket that is attached to the rear axle, so I can replace the engine and axle oil. I then need to rebuild the carb, free up the throttle cable, repair the hood and buzz out some odd wires. I also need to free up the freewheeling pin on the back axle.

 

No progress tonight because it was parents evening at the kids school.

 

I am impressed by the amount of wear on the front spindles and front axle, it is worse than any of my other tractors. A full rebuild is required on the front end. The bronze bush on the non diff lock side of the rear axle is toast too, but not unexpected given the wear on the front.

[Triumph66 1,256]

I am soaking the free wheeling pin on the 1254 as well. Hopefully it will free up to enable moving around a tad easier. I think once you get all the bits and bobs you need on your G14 , a few evenings of uninterrupted tinkering to fire her up will be a massive step in the right direction. Fingers crossed that the engine doesn't need rebuilding but a damn good service.

Keep us posted.

I made some room in my garage last night as I sold my tower scaffolding which I no longer needed and was taking up too much space. Interestingly that space could accommodate a snow blower............

[OldBuzzard 186]

Something that will help in getting that freewheeling pin out is to remove the right wheel, and give the pin a couple of sharp raps.

[slf-uk 914]

In the past I have found that the technique Dave suggested works very well for the freewheeling pin. When they are really rusted I have also removed the roll pin from the rear axle so the pin can come completely out for cleaning. This will be the first job tonight.

 

My new engine bolts arrived today, really fast service as I only ordered them Monday night. I did feel they were a tad expensive, can anyone recommend a good online seller of imperial fixings?

 

Thanks

Iain

[OldBuzzard 186]

I think you can date a Wisconsin engine as well. I believe I saw it somewhere on GTTalk? ...

 

There is indeed a thread on the Bolens forum over there about dating the Wisconsin engines.

 

Unfortunately, that link now seems to be broken.

[Triumph66 1,256]

I have been servicing a customer's mower this afternoon and while waiting for the oil to drain, I gave the Bolens transmission hub lock several sharp taps with a hammer and it slowly turned. I had soaked it over the last few weeks as well as soaking the free wheeling hub/ pin on Sunday. The transmission lock now turns freely after wire brushing the rust and crap out of the grooves and sprayed liberally with WD40. Another little job done. I will try OB's technique on the free wheeling pin this weekend.

Hopefully the Wisconsin thread will be fixed.

[slf-uk 914]

Good call Andrew, I had forgotten about the diff lock, clearly I have been spending too much time with tractors that don't have one

 

First job this evening was to fit the new engine bolts. For this you need the patients of a saint and the hands the size of a five year old and I have neither, so I spent a fun time getting the bolts through the chassis tubes, through the spacer and into the bottom of the engine whilst at the same time lifting the engine slightly.

 

I then freed up the diff lock and free wheeling pin, in much the way described by Andrew and Dave. For the free wheeling hub I used a hammer and drift after removing the wheel. The diff lock was seized in the off position which is what you would expect for a tractor that has been predominantly been used for grass cutting duties. Both now working as expected and an "R" clip fitted to the free wheeling pin.

 

Iain

[Triumph66 1,256]

Iain,

Any more updates on your G14?

[HeadExam 1,783]

I have the date codes for Wisconisn engines