Muscateer out for a drive

[Dozerlarry]

Ha ha, they tried to ban them here but everyone ignored it and carried on using them. There was a little lull in supply for a while but now they're back in full supply, probably from China

I think they banned the sale of them here. I'll check and see if maybe you're right about Chinese imports. They have a place where they're useful. Drop lights and such as that where the fluorescents wouldn't work and of course my "hot box".

[Dozerlarry]

"Thanks guys, and ya but wife don't like me baking paint in oven and when it's 100 out we don't turn that beast on!" It gets a 100 degrees in Canada???????????? May as well stay where I'm at! Enjoyed the pics of the show. Saw several things I used to have. Wish I still had them!

[riotwarrior]

Here be the short vid of it running in the Muscateer
Muscateer with Kubota ZB600C diesel engine - YouTube

Thanks for looking

[rodp]

Nice pics, and glad you managed to make it to the show. Noticed a Mini in the background of the third pic, they're getting to fetch money over here now.

[riotwarrior]

Nice pics, and glad you managed to make it to the show. Noticed a Mini in the background of the third pic, they're getting to fetch money over here now.

Mini is RH drive Cooper S 1.3L FI and quite a nice beast! Owner and I talked for quite some time, the green car directly in front of my machine is owned by a fellow with an 8x Argo getting all redone, 268 hours on meter he tells me. Got rid of his 20" tyres and has 22's and tracks, I may be able to get those old 20's for use with tracks!

Black car on my Right...H E M I elephant engine!

All in all ya it was so much fun and watching kids climb all over it was awesome!

Now to get that thing completed but I think I"m taking a day off six wheeler and installing a windshield in the wifes convertable mustang instead, be a nice surprise for her to come home to today

[rodp]

Hmmm, unless your spec is different to the UK spec it's not a cooper S, it may be a cooper but not an S. The S had twin tanks and was 1275 (probably the same engine, different badging)

S's are worth an absolute fortune over here now, same with RS's. They can fetch £30,000 + for a straight motor. And as normal, I had them as a youth then sold them.

[riotwarrior]

Done some testing last two days of the machine, WOW it is completely different beast.

The larger 770 Torque sensing clutch Vs the 790 Speed clutch was most likely the biggest change hands down, lower gearing and ability to back shift WOW.

The diesel is nice it just chugs along so nicely, and I've got this IP leak to deal with and an exhaust but wow...it works and works very well.

Once I redo the springs/weights in primary I'm sure this will get even better, as I've got 4 stroke gas setup and it's taking more RPM than needed to get going..but that was acceptable for the car show and little bit of maneuvering I had to do.

Once this is dialed in some more videos will be coming.

Bottom line, I really like what this machine is turning into and seems to be capable of!

Thanks for looking

[riotwarrior]

Digging around on the net found this nice Youtube video on the Bosch/Zexel PFR type pump the Kubota uses. I may be able to order the copper washers and O rings and solve this myself, that would be really neat if I could manage to negate the cost of a pump rebuild which at a diesel pump shop some 3 hour drive away quoted $225.00

Bosch PFR type diesel injection pump teardown - YouTube

I may order some O rings and copper gaskets and see if that solves the leakage for now.

[riotwarrior]

Good news!!!!!

After several phone calls I located a Kubota dealer that handles parts for this engine. Oddly enough, only some dealers can sell parts for this engine, something to do with different licensing???

Thus I've ordered two O rings and a bag of 5 copper washers, these copper washers are what i think are the key and if so then I will be well on my way to running leak free!

Busy with volunteering with St. John Ambulance today doing first aid, then tomorrow work as a first aid attendant for a local company supporting forest fire workers with a mobile first aid station, then Saturday is a SAR display/demo down at a local park...guess what I'm taking down there LOL for testing and demonstration purposes only of course! Heck I may even put the plugs back in the tub and drive it into river for demo too LOL why not...except if it dies cause of leaky IP I"m screwed LOL

I've yet to make an exhaust flange and start the exhaust system however I'm sure I'll work something out soon.

Lastly will be some wiring needed for the change over to the diesel.

I'll get pics if I am down at river/park and maybe even some video too!

Thanks for looking

Al

[riotwarrior]

Today I decided to clean out some fuel from the leak and must have drained about a quart of fuel from the tub...wow! Parked it on an angle by driving up two car ramps and let it drain out the rear drains.

I'm trying NOT to run it while I do some other build/mods to it but it does have to roll outside etc now and then.

Today resolved the issue of air filter housing location. This will work out well, along the LEFT side of machine where the old starter solenoid and the VR used to sit. I have made a support plate for the stock mount and that should bolt to side of tub quite nicely. Now to clean and paint that bracket, and clean and then paint air filter housing.

Also might have figured out a way to get the muffler OUTSIDE of tub over rear section where the tail pipe came up through tub, now I'll just have the main tube come up through there into muffler! On my ebay I have saved an auction for 1" flex pipe I can use to do some exhaust work, and I've got some good old Schedule 40 1" pipe I can make some exhaust out of too. One thing is to make a short pipe with an intersecting pipe I can install a Pyro into. With the exhaust outside of tub, I'm thinking this will help keep it cooler in the tub and I can use some wrap on the muffler to help quiet it down some too along with the exhaust tubing.

Once my O rings and copper washers arrive I'll pull the engine and then install those, fab up a plate for the exhaust and thus begin that side of things. I'll have to play around with some small rubber rad hose and tubing to make my air filter to engine work as it's further than stock, also by having it setup like this there is much more room for the turbo once I get around to that.

Got a small AGM battery today from John Deere Brian, that should spin the lil engine just fine. Looks like it will fit either under the cross bar the control levers mount too or up under the fuel tank.

Trying to locate Tygon fuel line that isn't costing like 5 bucks a foot is not easy. I may just for expediency go with some clear poly tubing for return line. I can get the Tygon on ebay cheap so that may be the next option.

Looks like things are coming along nicely and I've undone all my current wring and seems have to begin anew with it yet again.

It would be smart to invest in some rolls of 14ga and a bit of 10 ga wire I think lots of 14ga, many colours LOL

Well that's bout where I am and I'll get some pics soon of the air filter mount and so forth later

Thanks for looking

[riotwarrior]

Got O rings and my copper seals coming this weekend, why pay shipping when a friend can bring them up, along with some nice snow shoes to size and see if they fit and I can use them. He picked up some Amber strobes for me too.

That being said should be a great BBQ at his place I'm stoked! May have to prep a filet mignon for dinner ROFL

Hope to heck this cures it.

Need to get this wrapped up asap so I can get the thing out and have some fun with it! I'm tired of puttering around the orchard, for fear that it will crap out and leave me stranded.

I need to get this up to Barcelo Falls and into some mud and and and..time to enjoy it for what it is. An AATV and usable machine for SAR.

Went out walked dog and decided to do some minor work. Thus I degreased and then steam cleaned the air filter housing, and surface prepped the bracket support and painted it.

Here this is where the Air filter housing will mount, leaving me access to install a clean fresh filter.






I'm thinking that a couple of support brackets and then I can drop the elbow of the muffler down the old tale pipe hole and run a tube up to the muffler quite easily. I'd have to cut the tail pipe and turn it 90 degrees as well.






Got a couple of noisy bearings to replace here


Fuel pump is mounted up nicely and working well, still have some wiring to do, but that's part of the finishing of this machine!



This is the AGM battery, and as you can see it fits under the support bar for the controls, I'd have to make a bracket to hold it in place but I think I can handle that







Hope this works here



I'm thinking under that bar or up under the very front by winch plate mount under fuel tank for battery mounting location. This here under this bar provides shortest leads to starter which is good, easiest to get too, as well. I'll have to sit on passengers side and see if it is not in the way and

Well thanks for reading

Al

[riotwarrior]

Took apart the old dashboard for the Kubota engine today, I've got the GLOW PLUG indicator, keyed ign switch, and VR along with two warning lights, electrical and oil pressure. Now I looked at what gauges I've got

Hours
Voltage
Amperage
Oil pressure
Boost
Pyro

I would like to add to that.

Oil temp engine
Oil temp transmission

I did a google search for digital ATV gauges and came across this site
Trail Tech || Trail Tech Digital Gauges

And this page
Trail Tech || Computer Comparison

I like the Voyager unit, which allows me to delete my Volts and Hours gauge add in a temp sensor for oil OR coolant, so I'd choose oil, as it's most critical!

Seems like not a bad unit for the price at all and comes complete. I like that it can do GPS tracks and so forth, that's going to be neat if I do end up getting one. I'll see what parts they have that will work with what I have and it should be a nice addition to this machine.

One can still add trans temp analogue with another gauge or two if needed. This would simplify my setup some IMHO.

On another note, Brian and I sat in the machine and we agree the battery under the bar is not in the way, the throttle needs to move forward and I would still like to add on a brake!

Mounted my air filter assembly and also played with how I may mount exhaust outside of tub, maybe down over the edge where the SAR plate is....and instead of a hole in the tub on top in can go in on the vertical, but I"m hesitant to cut a hole there; I still would prefer the current hole to be used.

The muffler resting on top of tub is 1/2" taller than the rad caps so clearance isn't a big deal at all.

This is what I'm referring to..either on top like this...or same orientation, just down where the SAR plate sits and entering into the angled rear section




Sorry for blurry image, but ya, 1/2" clearance lower to rad caps


Looks like it may work in this location, the inlet turns freely the outlet I would have to cut, re-weld and orient down which isn't too big a deal




A bit more 1" x 1/8" metal and I can make another bracket similar to this one and build dual brackets to hold the exhausts muffler in place...some new springs to retain it too the bracket and it's golden IMHO


Got busy, mounting air filter...




Still need new filter element..




Yuppers clearance to install filter


Ahh



Thus this is coming along, nicely and working out quite nice. A small rad hose, from air filter to engine intake and I've got a nicely isolated air filter setup.

I am quite anxious to get my O rings and copper washers for the IP this weekend. It's a pleasure to work on this and know it's going to work very well once done!

As always thanks for looking

Al

[riotwarrior]

Removed the engine today, then the mounting plate, and subsequently sprayed it down with Super Clean in the purple bottle, sprayed chains and tub and engine/trans mounting plate and then steam cleaned it all out.

I think I'll do it once more, then carefully remove fuel tank to install fuel line.

Also I need to tend to the new O rings and copper gaskets I picked up from my friend Jordy who had brought them up for me.

Should have IP O rings and gaskets in tomorrow and I can test fire it on the little wooden platform I have made for the engine.

Going to do some minor trimming of some plate on engine mount frame, and also see if I can weld in the NUTS that the plate bolts go into. It would again make it a single tool to mount the plate instead of three, two wrenches and a screw driver to hold the nuts. I"m going to attemp to drill holes and weld through small holes..Who knows right? I WILL figure something out and make it work well.

Also when I install engine I"m mounting it on 7/8" thick butcher block this time to lift it a bit more for and increase in belt clearance to mounting brackets/plate.

These subtle but worthwhile changes will make service and alignment even better yet.

Well I'll get some pictures up once I"ve got this thing leak free!

Thanks for reading

[riotwarrior]

Replaced the two rubber O rings in the IP along with two copper washers, torqued the assemblies to 22 Lbs Ft and test fired it. NOT A LEAK what so ever and machine seems to have a slightly different sound and smoother rev capability in the RPM range I ran it at.

I inspected the copper washers after removal and one was quite worn and looked like it was dented or chipped. The old O rings had become like plastic and where brittle and broke when I removed them with the pick.

While test firing I also held my old muffler up to the exhaust and it was remarkably quiet compared to no exhaust so I'll be building the flange and a stub pipe to attach the flex pipe up to and also fab up one more bracket for the muffler on the rear of the machine. I'm still not 100% on setting it on top of the rear as situating it on the slope where my SAR plate currently is situated. All in due time.

I've gone and remove the Yamaha golf cart brake and throttle pedal and low and behold it's not a good fit. Damn had hoped it would work ok. Hmm..gotta put it back now.

Well time for lunch for me

Back at this again in while

Thanks for looking

[rodp]

Time for lunch ? It's a quarter past eight at night