cost of wd engine

What kind of price should I expect to pay for an engine for my Allis WD?  And where might a good source be?  I'm not good at working inside the engine but have all the working external engine parts.

As Chas said, a running engine could be good or not so good. It depends greatly on the condition of the engine itself. On a rebuild, if the engine has a lot of issues internally, its gonna cost more to get those issues addressed. There are other options that you can apply also to those old engines such as align boring the mains to eliminate the shims. Again, costs some dough, but builds reliability in the engine. It depends on your wallet size also. You could spend a lot of money on an engine no matter what it's in....

Cornbinder hit the nail on the head.  Rebuilding an engine is expensive and you can buy a good working tractor for less money but you are taking some risk on your own abilities to know if the engine in that tractor is in good shape because it may be in the same boat as your current engine shortly down the road.  If your current engine block is not cracked where it can be rebuilt and you have the means to get it out of the tractor and to the rebuilder then that is the other option but it will cost more but will also be good for a long long time.

I've torn down 2 WD engines about 10 years ago, both needed machining, so I took both to an engine shop where he took best of both to make 1.  Now that one has water in the oil.  I've taken the head off twice looking for it.  I just don't have the know-how and tools.  Just looking for something reliable.  My wife likes to mow with the WD, over the years she has been frustrated by all the times it would not start for variety of reasons.  She just wants something that starts and runs.  With 2 WD's in the yard (when one ran, it was kept inside) she does not agree with buying more whole WD tractors.  (And I am fine with that because she lets me get any tools, supplies, hobbies, etc my heart desires!)

Wish you were closer I'd take em both off your hands and you could start over!!

These engines are pretty simple to overhaul, remember the design dates to the 1930s, when most mechanic work was done under a shade tree.  The trickiest part is the rear main seal and the end gaskets on the pan.  Some plastigage to confirm clearances as you assemble the bottom end, and hand tools is about all you need.

Done looked at those freeze plugs, that's why I looked twice for the leak.  Can't remember if I posted that here or on MBN.  There were cracks between the sleeves.  Steve, yes, I think it may be those sleeve o-rings.  No, the rebuild 10 some years ago did not need sleeves.  It looses way more than 3" of water from the radiator.  But we have not ran it in about a year.  Each time I do have to run it, I drain the "oil" and get almost 5 gallons. Thanks everyone!

Hey Maurice, if I lived in IN I'd beat ya to it! LOL

Edited by SteveC(NS) - 15 Jan 2012 at 7:55am