Up and Running

[BOA]

So I got my first Argo.... 1986 8x8 HBT... did a trade deal for a boat that I had. Guy dropped off the Argo and right off the bat the motor is pretty much hooped. Tecumseh 16 hp ... so after a bit of chat the guy agree's he will buy a new motor. Well wouldn't ya know it he shows up with another Tecumseh.... lol... well at least this one is in better shape. So I spend my day pulling out the old motor and installing the new one. I am not gonna lie... trying to get those damn mounting bolts for the engine back in place is a serious pain in the butt. But I managed and got the new motor installed and all hooked up. It fired right up which was great but I am going to have to go through the carb as she back fired a few times on me. But hey.. now I have a mobile machine...lol, turning on the other hand is another issue.
I have tried setting the pads at .20 thou and find I still have to really pull hard to get this beast to turn. So I am thinking I need a new set of pads and possibly rotors as well. But all things considered at least I have an Argo now that will soon be undergoing a full restoration with a few modifications as well.

[Mike]

Congratulations on getting your Argo and for already diving in on a bit of a project replacing the motor. I hope you get the steering sorted out so that you can go have some fun.

[olargo]

You'll have a blast with that argo!

[BOA]

Thanks guys... well after a bit more tinkering I got the steering to work a bit better... at least it turns now lol. Still not as responsive as I would like it to be but it's getting there. The guy I got it from said he put some gas additive for storage but after seeing how it is running now I am going to drain the tank and give it a good cleaning. Going to take off the carb tomorrow and give it a good cleaning as well to see if that helps the problem of not idling at all. I'm also going to give checking the valve lash a go as well, never done it before but it can't be much harder than gapping the points on a distributor..lol.

[HTB8]

Awesome ! I just got my HTB 16 hp Tec running again and setting the vales was really easy. The Manuals here detail it very well. Block it up, drop it in low and use emery cloth to clean the disc's as they rotate, be really careful as it is now moving machinery !! Works well for the primary and secondary clutch faces too. Setting the brakes can be a challenge, is it manual or hydraulic? For manual brakes, reaching in from the top to run two wrenches is a bugger... not much room. I just finished cutting the firewall today to make a swinging door to give better access.

[BOA]

Once I can get it to idle properly I will give that a try with the emery cloth. Both the clutches are working great but I am thinking the belt may be a bit too wide, still a bit too much power getting to the transmission at idle when I could get it to idle. Mine is a manual steering set up.. I would love to have a hydraulic set up but that will have to wait lol. I have a good amount of room to swing some wrenches around the brake adjust on one side and it's a little tight on the other but doable. Yesterday I found the culprit of my leaning seat which I originally thought had a broken bracket or mount. Turns out it was a bracket that was not seated in it's mounting hole. I lifted the seat as high as I could and managed to pop it back into place. Now I can sit properly without the lean factor..lol. I also had the throttle spring take a dump on me as well so I found another spring in the box of parts that came with the machine and rigged it up... snaps back really nice now and seems to have a way better throttle response as well. Today's big adventure is going to be cleaning the carb up and draining the gas tank of the old gas, then removing some of the tires that were put on wrong and get the treads all facing the correct way.

[Vance in AK]

Sounds like you are making progress!!!!

[BOA]

Thanks Vance.... slowly but surely lol. So last night I pulled the carb off the engine and gave it a good cleaning... boy what a mess. I don't think it's ever been cleaned. Got it all cleaned up and put it back on the engine and bam .. fired right up and after a few adjustments it's running nicely. Not perfect but WAY better than before that's for sure. Put the beast in high gear for the first time since I got it and wow.. I was really surprised at just how fast it went, by no means a rocket but it was surprising that's for sure. I read through the service manual last night and found that the spec's I read on the forums for brake clearance were not correct. I read .20 thou and the manual calls for .10 thou so I will be adjusting them accordingly.

[Rock Doctor]

Sounds like a nice little project, congrats on the machine. You mentioned that the Clutches appear to be working fine, I think I would still be tempted to pull them apart and inspect/lube them. It doesn't cost anything to look, lol. I like to play with the Clutchs a bit, shimming the Primary, and adjusting the Secondary Preload. Sometimes the factory settings are not whats best for your riding style or terrain.