stumpy Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Greetings all, Well, rebuilt the carb on the "new" 6008, started her up, and rototilled the garden. A little shy on the power, and the tiller dogged some...partly adjustment-related, partly because of nominal belt condition, and partly related to soil-compaction. Just takes an extra couple of passes. Looks quite nice though....and the Mrs. is highly satisfied. I'll throw a bunch of horse-apples on the ground and make one more pass with the tiller before tearing into the tractor again.... Which brings me to the issue of this post. The model 191707, while it is running, lacks a wee bit of power. Of greater concern is the fact that after tilling for 45 minutes I looked things over and the lower pulley (mower deck power) was acting as a bowl for oil collection...not good. Still plenty of oil in the sump, but I don't like to run something I know is going south fast. Might just be a seal, but it might be something bigger toasting the seal, ya know? Besides, I would like a touch more power. Sooooo, I just pulled the model 289707 12.5 hp I/C (mentioned in an earlier post) out of a '94 MTD a friend passed along. Decided I would prefer not to have the mtd sitting around here, so a donor it will make. The 12.5 is sitting out with the sump draining at the moment. Three wires and a starter cable, just like the 8 hp, so 'lectrics is not a problem. Size-wise it will be close here and there, but the 12.5 should just squeeze in. At this point I need to address two issues. Would like the esteemed input from folks here before I proceed. First, I just rebuilt the one-piece Flo-jet on the model 191707. I think the model 289707 is using a two-piece Flo-jet? Looks like they could be swapped out, but I am not 100% sure....and even if they can would there be any unforeseen problems? If it will work I would prefer putting both the carb and governor assembly from the 8 horse onto the 12.5 horse. Reckon that would be the simplest and cheapest route...the carb on the 12.5 needs rebuilding, and I would rather stick with the throttle/choke set-up already on the 6008. My second question involves the stack pulley. Of course they are different sizes. I haven't removed either of them yet, but I've been told that most of the mtd's have a step on the crank. I'm guessing the 6008's original 8 hp does not. Will this prevent swapping the pulley assembly from one engine to the other? Has anyone dealt with this issue? I've tuned my old Homesteader but this is my first real foray into messing about with vertical-shaft B&S engines. I'm going to have to do this pretty soon. Plan on having the 12.5 cleaned-up and ready to install right after the garden tilling is all done. The Mrs. wants some flower beds tilled in the next few weeks, and the 6008 has a deck in nice shape, so mowing will be in order soon. Thanks for any comments...sarcasm is encouraged in moderation as with all things.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumpy Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 Well...just answered part of my own question. The stack pulley came off the 12.5 horse without much difficulty, surprisingly enough. The crankshaft is straight and keyed. Hopefully the length is standard...with any luck the stock stacked pulley will go right on the 12.5 crankshaft. Cleaned out all the fins and such under the tin. Reckon I'll check the torque on the important things too. So, now I'm only wondering about replacing the two-piece Flo-jet on the 12.5 horse with the one-piece carb I rebuilt and it's governor that's still on the 8 horse. If it'll go I'm about half-tempted to just do the swap now and use the finish-up on the garden as a test <BG>. I'm looking forward to using the tiller/tractor combo with that extra horsepower...me thinks it will be just about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefoxz1 Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 You should be able to swap the carbs "but" you will also have to swap all the throttle and governor linkages also. Basiclly everything on that side of the block except the muffler. If your lucky you may be able to use the two piece air cleaner housing, I like those better. Stack pulley maybe an issue. The 8 maybe 3/4 and the 12.5 7/8 or even 1" stepped down to 7/8. Can't rightly help you there because of to many variables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatRarick Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Could be wrong, but if I remember correctly, the 8 horse carb will not fit on the 12 horse engine. I know the 10's on up used a larger carb, and I believe the bolts are farther apart. Other than a carb tune up, what's the reason you want to change the carbs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumpy Posted April 12, 2007 Author Share Posted April 12, 2007 Hmmmm...I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed on the shaft/stack pulley issue. Life will be good if the one on the tractor goes right on the new engine...of course Murphy's Law always applies, so that seems unlikely.... A couple of reasons why I was thinking about swapping carbs. First of all I like the old one-piece Flo-Jet better than the carb on the 12.5 hp I/C engine. Also, I just spent the time to clean and rebuild the old carb on the 8 horse, along with 30-odd bucks for the kit and a new float. Lastly, while I prefer a manual choke, the "choke-a-matic" on this seems to be working pretty good, and that's original (not keen on running another cable set-up for the choke, not that it would be a big deal), and I might just return it to stock-original someday....oh yeah, and I'm getting lazier with age and just need this thing to work with minimal time, misery, and $$$ (the $$$ issue is more spouse-related, har har), at least until tilling and mowing season is done for the year. I have something else to move snow with, so the 6008/6012.5 just might get the "winter make-over treatment." I can use the carb that came with the 12.5 horse for now though...it does work OK. I can rig something up for the choke easy enough too. I am a bit worried about the shaft and stack pulley. Reckon I should just pull the 8 horse again and find out, eh? Quick and easy....but I know myself and once it's out again if the 12.5 won't fit I will want to at least replace the bottom seal in the original engine before it goes back...and that means time and some money...and that means Momma won't get the horse-apples tilled into the garden this week...and that means my upcoming fishing and turkey-hunting activities may be severely curtailed. Ah yes....yin and yang, cause and effect, zen and the art of tractor maintenance, and domestic tranquility....all must be kept in a delicate balance if one plans to add more machines to the livery in the future while continuing to enjoy other minor vices... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatRarick Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Did you check to see if the choke link for choke-a-matic is on the 12.5 horse carb? As I stated in your other thread, it may only be a matter of bending the contact tab to connect with the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumpy Posted April 12, 2007 Author Share Posted April 12, 2007 Pat, I'll give it a look-see. The governor assembly is completely different on the 12.5 horse, but it may have some kind of a choke attachment...nothing comes to mind, but I'll go look now. I do know the carb and butterfly, etc., are set up in a different fashion than the old carb. Regardless, I might just leave thin as they are...the stack pulley, on the other hand, is a must-address issue. Maybe I'll just go fishin' instead... Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts