1864 progress

[PACub100]

Well, I finally had a little bit of time after work to mess around with the 1864 we picked up... the PO said they were told by the service technician that to replace the ignition modules, the engine needed to come out. I didn't think that it would and I was right
I removed the battery tray (4 bolts) and...wah-lah... plenty of room. Took about an hour.

I left it open for now as I'm going to pressure wash or use the air compressor to clean out all the build up in there before I put it back together. I'll get some pics up soon...

 

[cubs4lifeofme]

So it has a module for each cylinder along with 2 coils ?

 

[PACub100]

Yes, and I'm not exactly sure the one I removed is bad as I noticed a wear spot in the plug wire that may have been shorting out...

 

[mgonitzke]

I would pull the engine, remove the flywheel, clean everything good, and replace the flywheel end crank seal. If it hasn't gone bad yet, it will soon.

 

[tkhoffman]

Yes, and I'm not exactly sure the one I removed is bad as I noticed a wear spot in the plug wire that may have been shorting out...

I guess you need to hold on to the old module, probably not worth the time, now, to put it back in and try it. Too bad you didn't see the plug wire sooner.

 

[PACub100]

What is the proper gap on the ignition modules?

 

[mgonitzke]

The range is in the service manual, which is a free download from Kohler's website.

IIRC around 0.009" is towards the minimum end of the range, and is a common thickness for rolled aluminum roof flashing, so I use a piece of that to gap my ignition modules.

Gap them at the low end of the range...the strength of the spark decreases rapidly with increasing gap.

 

[grozar]

The service manual says .011-.013. I have one of the long feeler gauges for .012.

 

[PACub100]

Well, it's approaching the end of the mowing season and my parents are going to look for a new mower over the fall and winter. They like the Cub but there's a few things they are nit picking about. Not a problem to me since the beast will be coming here now

One question I have... Haban vs Cub deck. Which one is best in performance? Or is there no noticeable difference other than build?

The deck on this thing works great but will need some patching done...

 

[mgonitzke]

The 48GT and 54GT decks the 1864 would have come with are overall the best decks Cub Cadet ever put on a garden tractor, in my opinion. Haban cuts nice enough, but is very heavy and not fun to remove or install (and won't fit an 1864 anyway).

 

[PACub100]

Yes, I could see the heavy duty build on the Haban, figured it weighed a ton. Wasn't aware that it wouldn't fit though... But that just makes the decision way more easier.

Yes, that 54GT deck is impressive to say the least. There wasn't any blades of grass missed no matter how fast we went through the yard.