Ariens GT17 garden tractor repower

Oops...I had a brainfart...I thought it was Screwloose that was saying he wasn't sure...I knew you were a maybe.
You better just go ahead and make plans to come on over...I have a 6 hour ride too pal! (and its totally worth it! )
We are leaving late Friday morning to be there Friday afternoon/evening...leave Sunday morning then.

 

I spent a few hours after my day job working on the swap.

No pics tonight, but I cleaned up the block of the magnum 18, swapped the exhaust over, cleaned the breather out, degreased the stator, pulled the crank seal, stopped by the local shop and he had a new Kohler seal. I got that and the new springs that my buddy ordered for his craftsman chainsaw.

I also degreased the engine bay on the tractor, as well as the clutch.

The shaft adapter is too tight, so my buddy will take it to work to see if they can't open it up on the ID. If they can't open it up, I'll need to buy a different adapter.

The good news is that next week the engine should start to go in. After that if should be pretty straightforward.

 

How much too tight...like a couple thousanths? I'm sure it will go on by itself, but then the clutch won't go over it?
I'm sure you can slide a piece of round stock in it so it can be chucked up in the lathe...make sure they are familiar with turning stainless, it doesn't cut like regular steel!

 

Gotta love machinists!!!


It's in there!!
Note that the output shaft is longer than the original kt17, but that won't matter. We'll use a spacer to make up the difference. That extra length is at the end and won't affect anything.

The clutch backer plate will fit in the second set of holes in it. Lucked out there. But that would've been an easy fix.

 

20 thousandths off. Yeah.... I thought of that after Paul said that he'd take it into work. He was an advocate of buying the SS version too.

 

Progress, with pictures

Crank seal replaced, stator all clean and installed with the flywheel on.

I spent a bit of time getting all the crud out of the fins and just in general as this engine has been around the block a few years.

Here's the end that needed all the work to adapt the 1" shaft to the 1-1/8" clutch. The clutch I'd somehow was much smaller than it needed to be. The adapter I bought from Amazon was a little large on the OD though too. Both were fixed.
You'll see that the m18 shaft is longer than the old one, but axle spacers should keep that all good. There's a bit of room up front so that shouldn't be an issue.

My new flywheel screen arrived and I have to open up a hole for the driveshaft adapter to go through. I have to measure that and Mark it as it had to be oriented correctly.

 

I'll be putting the shrouds/tins on the magnum tonight after work. Thursday we'll drop it into the ariens.

Then it's on to figure out what relay needs to get added to the ariens wiring to get the electronic ignition on the m18 to work with the wiring of the points ignition kt17. I have no idea what relay I'll need or where it goes. Screwloose , any ideas?

 

I'm hoping to have this engine running by the weekend. That reminds me I need to get the oil filter. I'll get that tonight on my way.

 

A relay is used to convert the keyswitch from contacts that close supplying
12 volts to the ignition coil in the run position to a set of contacts that open in the run position and close in the off to ground the magneto. Any continuous duty 12vdc relay will work.

 

Thanks for all the updates Horkn Looking forward to seeing machine rolling again

 

I'm sure there's one on the wiring for the m18 from the craftsman. I will post up a picture, but I'm sure I saw one on there.

 

Thanks I've heard a bit of crap about this tractor, and how it's not running yet, but it's going to get there. I know my dad would be proud.

Once Iget it running, then I'll work on getting it prettier. A repaint of the hood and rear fender would go a long way.

 

Tins got put on last night. Coil got mounted and gapped.


Ready to drop in. Thursday...

 

Gonna paint the motor while its out?
That would make the tractor look if you are gonna paint the body later on...

 

I'd like to but getting the tins off later shouldn't be too tough. Right now I just have to get it running.

 

I'd paint it with 'em on...

 

The muffler is totally hidden and you just the the to of the exhaust. You really only see the side panels

 

That's how Kohler did it. I don't even know for certain if these tins will fit, at least the side tins. They are a little longer than the kt17 side tins. I might have to use the kt17 side tins. I'll find out more tomorrow.
I might just mask it off and spray bomb it after I drop it in of it starts up without to much issue. I could put a BMW roundel on each head since it's an opposed twin. Lol

 

It uses the same oil filter as a Civic or a 2.3 liter ranger. My wife went to Napa and got me a Napa gold filter today. It's black so it will match.

 

See, you don't see a lot of the engine. This one's a little newer than mine.