I have a Case Model S (circa 1950) that has been sitting in the bush for years.Recently I brought it home and this past weekend I towed/pushed it into my garage. I started getting to know it a bit better last night, and most of the tin is off the front (including radiator, cylinder head, carb, starter, magneto, oil filter, etc). Both the engine and the transmission(?) had water in them. The engine has thawed enough that the water and oil is draining as I write this and the engine is no longer frozen (in any sense of the word). Yesterday I poured some ATF/Kerosene mix into the engine once I had the valve cover off and also sprayed some AeroKroil into the cylinders via the spark plug holes. Today I tried to give it a bit of a turn (with just my hands on the flywheel pulley) and it turns quite freely. Not knowing what was going on internally, I just verified that the engine would turn and moved on. NOTE: I broke a grand total of two bolts yesterday, even though once I had a few out they looked like they could just as easily snapped in two. That AeroKroil is great stuff! The rear of this tractor seems to be one big gear box. The oil that came out of it, while old, did not appear too discolored for gear oil and contained no water. I still have to find out if there are other sections that must be drained independently (there are two more drain plugs that I see?), but it looks like my water problems are centered around the engine and .... tranny? There was a drain plug right behind the engine on the right side and below the starter. It was frozen yesterday, but has thawed some and is slowly draining. There is still a bit of ice in there so hopefully it will be ready to drain completely tomorrow. I think I will switch angles tomorrow and start taking off the tin at the rear (wheel wells, gauge cluster, etc.) so that I can more easily access the transmission and rear end covers. That will allow me to do some inspections.
Here are my questions:
1. How much should I get into the engine to check things over? I was planning on at least removing the oil pan and having a look-see, and also using that path to flush the engine (top to bottom). 2. There is some rust in the coolant (?) paths. Can I remove enough components to adequately flush the cooling system? 3. The gears appear to be at least shift-able. Are there enough plates that I can remove to look for problem areas, or does the presence of water dictate that I strip all components completely? 4. Being a unit frame, is there an ordered way to dismantle this tractor should it be necessary? (i.e. front first, the the two back pieces, etc) 5. I am going to assume that because the engine is free I can get the transmission free as well (I already shifted it into neutral). Is it too early to be ordering shop manuals and should I wait until I have a look at the gear box(es) to see if there is too much damage there? 6. Which general books on rebuilding tractors do you recommend? I am not sure if I will keep the Case, but since it is my first tractor I may end up doing just that. Regardless, I am already looking for my next tractor (more HP, a 3PH, FEL, etc.) so will need books that are general in nature, but that still contain good information. Other Notes: a. I am not sure why this tractor was parked as the guy who gave it to me inherited it when he bought the property. b. I have never worked on a tractor before, so I really have no clue as to what I am doing. c. I have never rebuilt an engine before, but I have been known to tinker from time to time. d. I do not usually talk this much (I actually prefer to read and learn), but I figure that I would like to know more about tractors and that rebuilding one is a good way to learn. e. Yes, I am taking pics as I go, but being at home on dial-up precludes my being too quick to post them up. Thanks Chris
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