Engine Pulled from Ariens GT19--Will My Diesel Fit?

Okay, so I got my engine hoist out--pulled the skid from under the Ruggerini diesel, pulled off the blower housing,

then hoisted it so I could set it down into the Ariens frame.

Will it fit???

One of my concerns is the steering gear box (the vertical silver cylinder under the dash) would be right up against the fan housing.

The crankshaft centerline on the diesel is about 1" higher than the Kohler KT19...The driveline (seen on the right side of the console in the picture below) just has a couple of flex disks on each end... would probably need a couple universal joints.

Actually, it sets down in pretty good,

except....

I could probably remote mount the oil filter... it takes the same filter as many Briggs & Stratton and Kohler engines with pressure lube systems.

I would need to notch a little of the front grill support and the hood for the exhaust manifold, unless I had a custom header built.

The hood will fit fine on the left side, though.

I'm thinking this might fit better in my Case 444... and I'll put my Mitsubishi L3E in here... there's more room in the front of the hood, above the idler pulley at pivot shaft, for a radiator. The engine will have to be put in backwards, like Pager 450 did on his JD400, but I don't think that's unsolvable. My Ariens GT19 is about the same width as the JD400, but the hood is higher--leaves more room to work with.

I'll just have to get Pager over here to give me his expert opinion--seeing as he has sucessfully repowered a tractor with a diesel, and I haven't.

Smitty

No worries, Ryan... I know you're busy...

I bought a Snapper LT16 with a 16 hp B&S twin in it--plan to pull the engine out and slap it into the Ariens just to see how it runs, etc. Then can decide where to go from there.

I've been looking at my Case 444 as you know, and also my Dayton 3Z68B as it has a wide and longer engine compartment than the case or the Ariens.

I also found a Ford (Jacobsen) LGT195 in Western Colorado... it's partly disassembled, and may not have all the lines for the hydro. Engine (Kohler K582) runs good... it may be another project... the wife and I may Drive there Saturday to look at it.... we'll see.

I'm off tomorrow, and also Monday How's your schedule?

Smitty

Well, I picked up a Snapper LT16 this week with a good running B&S 16 hp twin, or so the dealer said. The machine had belonged to one of his customers who had him go through the engine--tune up , oil change, new filters, new belts, etc. then never used it. She sold it back to him cheap 2 years ago and he wanted to get it off his lot.

He only wanted $200 for everything... tractor with baggers, engine, etc. Good price for the engine alone if it's in good shape.

Here it is on my truck getting ready to leave the dealer.


I got it home, cleaned the leaves out of the fins and checked the oil... a little dark, but not bad.

I got more concerned when I pulled the aircleaner--

One of the crankcase vent lines is hooked to a hole OUTSIDE the air filter... this left a hole INSIDE the air filter open to the elements... the top of the carb, and the underside of the inner "lid" were covered with dirt... this doesn't look good

I cleaned everything off as well as I could, then took the top off the carb--inside looked good, no major deposits. I blew carb cleaner through all the jets, holes, etc., including the inlet to the pulse fuel pump.

I then pulled the plugs, shot some WD40 inside the sparkplug hole and cranked it several revolutions... everything seems to be normal...put the plugs back in... put fresh gas in the empty tank...squirted some carb cleaner down the carb and cranked it... she roared to life, but died in a few seconds.

I tried this several times, with the same results, so I pulled the fuel pump off and put a new one on... I didn't take the carb off the manifold, so to keep all the parts of the pump together I made some guide "pins" form some heavy wire I have... I bent one end over and threaded them through the cover, gaskets, center block, diaphragm, and into the screw holes.

The 2 springs in the check valve are so small I can hardly pick them up because I can't feel them very well. I put a small amount of grease on them to hold them in place, put the diaphragm spring in, and pushed it against side of the carb. Had the missus hold it there while I removed a guide pin and lightly snugged one screw, then removed the other pins and did the same for the other two.

Tried to start it again... it ran for about 15 seconds, then started acting fuel starved...??? not sure why so I pulled top off the carb, disconnected the plug wires and cranked it.. plenty of fuel coming through the part that connects to the float needle valve.

Inverted the top of the carb... the float should be parallel with the sealing surface of the carb, but it's sitting too low... I finally found the culprit... the neoprene tip of the needle valve had swelled so much it shut off before the bowl was even half full. I had just bought a carb kit, so a new needle valve fixed that situation.

I put the carb back together... primed it a little with carb cleaner, and fired it up... after the second try it started and stayed running .....YES!!!!!

There are only two flies in the ointment now, though... 1: the engine stalls when I try to engage the electric clutch... probably a frozen idler on the mule drive... 2. The engine doesn't shut off when I shut the key off. I had to ground the coil lead to the fan shroud to kill it... Must be a bum switch.

Anyway, I now have a good running engine I can graft into the Ariens GT19 and put it through it's paces... then I will have to decide which diesel engine to put into it... the 20 hp Ruggerini RD200, or the 23? hp MItsi L3E.... ahhh, decisions, decisions!!

Smitty

dodge trucker said:

another tractor... what all is wrong with the Snapper? I always hated "parts machines" because I usually wind up digging into them and figuring out what's wrong with the parts machine and in turn getting them going -- or I'll rob my parts for the original machine, and then look for those parts again to replace them on the "parts" machine For me, "parts" machines typically turn into another project.

for that "not" to happen the parts machine needs to be missing about half of itself (already scavenged) before I get my hands on it or badly damaged; tree fell on it, hit by car/bent frame, or something like that/ but then about 1/2 the time that means the parts I bought the machine for are already already missing or else not usable....

Click to expand...

The Snapper was running fine--2 years ago. A couple small parts have been robbed--one of the rear bags and the throttle lever assembly--easy fix. I want the engine to power my Ariens GT19--a Kohler Magnum 18 or 20 would fit in with little or no adapting, but I don't have one available... Ultimately the Ariens will receive a diesel engine--then the Briggs 16hp IC engine will go back in the Snapper... They're a decent machine--shaft drive, but use a rotating rubber wheel against a metal disk on the transaxle for gear changes. Even so, they make snow plows for them...

If I can get the Snapper Mower running easily I may use it a little for mowing the homestead (.19 acre with a LARGE separate garage)... But, I want to test out the Ariens before I got to the time and expense of repowering to diesel.

Regards,

Smitty