Buying a Predator, advice?

[Thepartsguy]

Or possibly one of them new fangled 224s… Very cool. How’s the Kohler? The red one that looks like something poured a bucket of seashells in and ran it hard.

k series are indestructible I have to upload a video to youtube of me spinning donuts at the four way. still can’t get around my pops kart that has the blue k181. the blue kohler is fresh and it shows when we race. If the live axle kart sells I’ve settles it.. I’m going to HF

 

[BrownStainRacing]

Go back and ask if they have any customer return engines. when there returned you know how many people leave the gas and oil in them? That is the biggest hassle for the store workers and to be honest they want you to buy the return engine so that they don’t have to deal with it... (so i’m told) you could walk out of there with 2 or 3 super almost dirt cheap predators with carburetor issues. one might be blown up. You never know.

You can pick up a pallet of em, for couple hundred, if you got an inside guy.

I don't have an inside guy

 

[BaconBitRacing]

k series are indestructible I have to upload a video to youtube of me spinning donuts at the four way. still can’t get around my pops kart that has the blue k181. the blue kohler is fresh and it shows when we race. If the live axle kart sells I’ve settles it.. I’m going to HF

420cc? Those Kohlers must be good. How’s their parts support/availability? I’ve got a Clinton 3.5 HP that I’m parting out because I can’t get any gaskets or anything. Had a nice carb and exhaust though, I’ll probably keep those. If you or anybody else needs some 3.5hp parts, let me know. I know this is a hijack, but this is my thread and I don’t give a.

 

[Thepartsguy]

420cc? Those Kohlers must be good. How’s their parts support/availability? I’ve got a Clinton 3.5 HP that I’m parting out because I can’t get any gaskets or anything. Had a nice carb and exhaust though, I’ll probably keep those. If you or anybody else needs some 3.5hp parts, let me know. I know this is a hijack, but this is my thread and I don’t give a.

305cc and there is all stock parts available whole master rebuilds can be had for $50 shipped. not to mention every wheelhorse/ford gravely heck even JD has a k181 on it. so finding one with the mount plate to bolt up to the stock 5hp mount is a cakewalk. My neighbor has a jd with a k181 rotting by the barn. He says no it’s to good to get rid of... here we are two years later and it never got touched.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

305cc and there is all stock parts available whole master rebuilds can be had for $50 shipped. not to mention every wheelhorse/ford gravely heck even JD has a k181 on it. so finding one with the mount plate to bolt up to the stock 5hp mount is a cakewalk

oh I was asking what type of Predator you're getting lol. Nice compatibility for the K181.

 

[Thepartsguy]

oh I was asking what type of Predator you're getting lol. Nice compatibility for the K181.

Ohh ya if I get the kart sold I’m going with either a standard 212 or if the bottom ear mounts on the 420 can be bolted to my kohlers mount I’m getting a 420cc.. I’m almost sure carsandcameras put A billet flywheel on one so the aftermarket must be out there.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Hey @BrownStainRacing, do you reuse gaskets? I’ve heard conflicting opinions. I got me a torque wrench and feeler gauge set, just waiting on one more thing and the break-in will start!

 

[BrownStainRacing]

Yea, I do. New engines are fine and ez to get off. They get bad after a bunch of hot cold cycles, this is when bolts stretch and puts different pressures on gaskets.

Which 1 you work on???

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Yea, I do. New engines are fine and ez to get off. They get bad after a bunch of hot cold cycles, this is when bolts stretch and puts different pressures on gaskets.

Which 1 you work on???

I‘m not sure what which 1 you work on means, but I got a Hemi.

 

[BrownStainRacing]

Sry. gasket???

 

[BaconBitRacing]

Sry. gasket???

That’s fine stain, I was asking for the side cover and valve cover. I haven’t touched anything yet.

 

[BrownStainRacing]

Before anything, check crankshaft end play. Jus look for a mark or something on crank to gauge it by. Jus push, pull and see what you got to start with.

 

[BrownStainRacing]

New torq wrenches will lie to you. I like to find some tight bolt on something and go up in 5lb increments, and jump around, 20, 30 ,40, bak to 20, 50, bak to 10, you get it. Kinda like a breakin for the torq wrench,

 

[BaconBitRacing]

New torq wrenches will lie to you. I like to find some tight bolt on something and go up in 5lb increments, and jump around, 20, 30 ,40, bak to 20, 50, bak to 10, you get it. Kinda like a breakin for the torq wrench,

I played with it a bit, I’ll do some more in a minute. Right now…

Cleaning up some hardware. Before and after!

 

[BrownStainRacing]

After that, check where side cover bolts, and head bolts are now. This will be useful for future turd motors, then you will see how different they are outta the box.

You can pull off, blower housing, air box, jus loosen the gas tank to lift up a bit for now, makes thing easier to get to. I think there's a head bolt on the hemi you can't get to. The throttle assembly is in the way. You jus gotta pop the valve cover off and see, I don't remember if its the hemi or non hemi.

I'll jus keep posting in order so you don't have to keep looking at phone.

 

[BrownStainRacing]

After you got the crap outta the way, pull sparkplug, pop off the valve cover, you can take off the muffler too, it's probly loose anyway, and turn flywheel so 1 valve is completely open. This will put pressure on the cam so it don't fall out when you pop off the side cover.

Pull side cover off, be easy with the gasket, and turn crank around so you can get to the rod bolts, torq to spec.

Line up cam & crank timing marks and make sure piston is at tdc.
Tdc is when the intake valve is closed and the exhaust is starting to open. Move flywheel til piston is at tdc.

Cam and crank marks should be lined up. I've never seen a pred come outta the box with the marks not lined up.

 

[BrownStainRacing]

After making sure rod it torqued, cam and crank marks line up, put the side cover back on. Cam journal might giv you fight, jus put engine on its side, wiggle and shake engine, then it will jump on.

Start at 6lb with the bolts, skipping every other 1, then move to 12lbs skip every other 1, then final at 17lbs.

Recheck crank end play, it will be different now.

 

[BaconBitRacing]

@BrownStainRacing, could you give a diagram for torquing pattern on the side cover? The pattern is always fiddly and confuses me. Come to think of it, it’s not hard to confuse me…

 

[BrownStainRacing]

@BrownStainRacing, could you give a diagram for torquing pattern on the side cover? The pattern is always fiddly and confuses me. Come to think of it, it’s not hard to confuse me…

Jus start at any 1 and skip every other 1 going clockwise. You want even pressure squeezing on that gasket.

 

[BrownStainRacing]

After side cover bolts are torqued to 17ft/lb. Turn motor around so you can get to the head. Take a good look and make sure nothing looks funny or missing. Spring sitting crooked, retainers sitting flat, clips are on the ends of rocker arm pins. You can post pic.

You gonna need a 9mm wrench here. In all my life I don't think I've ever used a 9mm wrench except here for the valve adjusting lock nuts on hemi heads.

Jump over to @LtDansNewLegs thread to see how to adjust valves, its ez after you do a couple hundred. It should be at the end of his thread.