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Old 08-03-2022, 10:09 PM   #1
Aggiesdm
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Default 2001 CC Pioneer FE350D Clockwise Rebuild

Hi all, I'm in the process of rebuilding my 2001 CC Pioneer's FE350D that rotates clockwise. When I bought it, I knew it smoked, but thought it might be a simpler fix. After I ruled out all the fuel pump, bad gas, and all the other simple stuff, I came to the realization that I'd need to rebuild it to keep if from smoking and burning through a quart of oil.

I read a ton of posts on BGW, bought Procellato's FE rebuild book and watched lots of videos...then decided to dive in.

I've NEVER rebuilt and engine, so I wasn't originally going to catalog this project. But I figured it might help someone else down the line. I don't have a lot of detailed info from the engine removal, but I'll try to tell you what I've learned and show a few pics along the way. I just removed the piston tonight and I will catalog everything better moving forward. So...here we go:

1. I had to remove the engine from the Pioneer 1200 which was no easy feat. Because of the frame and bracing on that cart, the motor had to be removed from the bottom of the cart. I learned this the hard way and finally figured out how to drop the mounting plate and used a floor jack and some straps to ease it down. Not sure exactly how I'm going to get it back in, but I'll figure that out later.

2. Finally got it out and on the bench...this is when the fun started. I began removing the cooling tins and oh man.....this engine has been leaking oil from somewhere for a while and it was coated in oil, dirt, grass and leaves that completely caked all cooling fins. I think I removed over 2lbs of dirt and debris
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Old 08-03-2022, 10:26 PM   #2
Aggiesdm
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Default Re: FE350D Clockwise rebuild...attempt

I tried to clean it up a bit to see what I was working with and got after it with a stiff brush and air compressor and got it a little cleaner. I then started to disassemble and although I didn't take a ton of pics, Brad Porcellato's book outlines it excellently. His pics and descriptions are spot on.

I took the head off and ultimately got it torn down to guts and removed the piston and think I found my problem. The compression ring and the scraper ring end gaps were around .89mm and the spec on both is supposed to be .23mm, so I was getting a ton of blow by and ultimately burning oil in the process. I suspect that the valve seals are probably leaking as well...they'll get replaced regardless.

The head is really dirty too. Exhaust valve is caked with carbon, but visually appears to still be seating ok. I'll get it broken down and cleaned tomorrow.

All of that being said, the cylinder bore and the piston size are perfectly in spec, with no scoring or marks. Smooth as glass. This motor has been opened before and it just appears that someone used the wrong rings.

Another observation is that whoever dove into this engine before, didn't tighten anything to torque spec. Things were either super loose or super tight with no rhyme or reason. I'll be doing everything to spec or as close as possible during this process.
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Old 08-03-2022, 10:27 PM   #3
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Default Re: FE350D Clockwise rebuild...attempt

Does anyone know why my pics are appearing twisted 90deg?
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Old 08-03-2022, 11:03 PM   #4
Aggiesdm
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Default Re: FE350D Clockwise rebuild...attempt

Another question: I noticed markings on the side the piston that say ART. Is this a OEM piston or an aftermarket? I'm probably going to replace it anyway, but it appears to be in good condition and if its OEM...maybe I'll just leave it.
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Old 08-08-2022, 06:47 PM   #5
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Default Re: 2001 CC Pioneer FE350D Clockwise Rebuild

Took all my measurements and everything seems to be in spec, so I'm waiting on an OEM rebuild kit via Pats Small Engine Plus.

I'm taking the head in tomorrow to get it cleaned and get the valves cleaned and lapped.

Once all that is done, I'll start re-assembly and hope I didn't screw anything up!
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Old 08-09-2022, 09:34 AM   #6
Fairtax4me
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Default Re: 2001 CC Pioneer FE350D Clockwise Rebuild

If you're posting pics from an I-phone a lot of times they come out sideways. There are a few ways to deal with that, but usually uploading them to a photo hosting site first fixes that.

The factory FE290 pistons have ART on them, so that is an OEM piston, it may not be the original. Ring gaps are almost certainly due to the rings just being worn out, and worn out rings will give you the oil consumption. I also see some ridging going on around the ring lands on the piston which would mean there is wear to the lands. Those pistons are so cheap there's no point in not replacing it.
Hone the cylinder with a stone hone and make sure it's not egged out or have any funny spots in the bore. Usually 30 seconds with a stone hone will tell you if the bore is straight and round. If it leaves nice even marks all around then run it for another 30 seconds or so and clean it out really well. The cylinder sleeves in these motors are really hard and don't tend to wear much, but that also makes it a bit harder for a hone to totally deglaze the cylinder, so hone and clean it at least three times, for about 30 seconds each time and then check to make sure the pattern is nice and even.

All the black caked on junk in the head is soot from oil deposits.
The tops of those valves have some heavy wear, I would probably be tempted to replace those rocker arms and the valves.

Also make sure you check the clearance of the link rods on the crankshaft. The outer link rod (the one behind the oil slinger gear) is the most likely to wear because of oil starvation and needs to be removed to be inspected. Just doing a wiggle test is not enough on those. The aluminum link rods are soft and wear alot more than you might realize. Unfortunately they're machined to match the crank journal, and if they are worn you don't have much option other than to replace the entire crankshaft because the link rods are not available separately.
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Old 08-10-2022, 01:08 AM   #7
Aggiesdm
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Default Re: 2001 CC Pioneer FE350D Clockwise Rebuild

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fairtax4me View Post
If you're posting pics from an I-phone a lot of times they come out sideways. There are a few ways to deal with that, but usually uploading them to a photo hosting site first fixes that.

The factory FE290 pistons have ART on them, so that is an OEM piston, it may not be the original. Ring gaps are almost certainly due to the rings just being worn out, and worn out rings will give you the oil consumption. I also see some ridging going on around the ring lands on the piston which would mean there is wear to the lands. Those pistons are so cheap there's no point in not replacing it.
Hone the cylinder with a stone hone and make sure it's not egged out or have any funny spots in the bore. Usually 30 seconds with a stone hone will tell you if the bore is straight and round. If it leaves nice even marks all around then run it for another 30 seconds or so and clean it out really well. The cylinder sleeves in these motors are really hard and don't tend to wear much, but that also makes it a bit harder for a hone to totally deglaze the cylinder, so hone and clean it at least three times, for about 30 seconds each time and then check to make sure the pattern is nice and even.

All the black caked on junk in the head is soot from oil deposits.
The tops of those valves have some heavy wear, I would probably be tempted to replace those rocker arms and the valves.

Also make sure you check the clearance of the link rods on the crankshaft. The outer link rod (the one behind the oil slinger gear) is the most likely to wear because of oil starvation and needs to be removed to be inspected. Just doing a wiggle test is not enough on those. The aluminum link rods are soft and wear alot more than you might realize. Unfortunately they're machined to match the crank journal, and if they are worn you don't have much option other than to replace the entire crankshaft because the link rods are not available separately.
Wow. Thanks for all the info! I was actually wondering about the rocker arms. The head is at a reputable machine shop right now for cleaning and reassembly. I’ll see if they have any advice.

Good advice on the piston. I got a new one and new rings. All OEM stuff. All of my internal measurements have been well within specs so far, so hoping new rings, valve seals and cleaning up the head will solve my problems.

I’ll definitely hone the cylinder. Should I use the stones or the ball type?
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Old 08-10-2022, 01:18 AM   #8
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Default Re: 2001 CC Pioneer FE350D Clockwise Rebuild

Got the head disassembled and to the shop for some deep cleaning. Took crank and cam out and started cleaning the cases to get ready for reassembly. So filthy, but better now!
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Old 08-14-2022, 06:25 PM   #9
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Default Re: 2001 CC Pioneer FE350D Clockwise Rebuild

Got the block reassembled with new piston, rings and all new seals. I’ve been very careful to torque everything properly and make sure everything is in spec.

While I’m waiting on the head to get finished this week, I’ve been cleaning all the bolt on stuff and getting ready to pull the transaxle for rebuild as well.
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Old 08-18-2022, 03:08 PM   #10
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Default Re: 2001 CC Pioneer FE350D Clockwise Rebuild

Got head back from the machine shop and it looks great. There was 1/4"+ of carbon buildup in the exhaust port and on the valve. Its slippery clean now! Had new valve seals installed and they lapped the valves for me as well. Should be good to go!
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