Restored d17 project

Blessed Sunday morning
Just got this d17 in that does not turn over at all and I’m guessing that it’s the crank seals are the culprit due to that being the last thing that was done to it.
It has been fully redone inside out supposedly.
I thought that I’d post on here from the start to finish so that it’s on the record.
Btw the rear crank seal is still leaking…..


Edited by 55allis - 18 Aug 2025 at 5:55pm

Update: found that all 8 push rods are bent and I call shot…
The rear crank seal leak ended up being the gasket had fell into the oil pan.
Anything else I should check?
I’m going to re-torque everything just to be safe.
What are the common problems that cause pushrod bending? Don’t want it to do it again…

Here is the original thread about it. https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/topic207217_post1773954.html#1773954

Oh, I am keeping it. 55Allis is helping me out. It was an unfortunate situation. Unfortunately, I am not sure what I could have done differently when choosing him to restore it. He came highly recommended, has his work in magazines, and put clinics on for tractor restoration. Seemed like the right guy at the time. Hindsight is 20/20 but I am moving on with someone who hopefully can get it fixed up.

Bout have to be cam out of time unless they're all stuck

There's something going on with that engine. It was a running engine !! That's why the rear seal was leaking...it RAN !!  All 8 push rods bent on a running engine?? Makes you think the camshaft quit turning.

Worn governor weights and timing gear damage are two things that go together. Maybe, just maybe, the governor weights blew apart while the engine was running AND no one was sitting on the seat to shut off the key ?? That might xplain the carnage. And as far as the man who restored this tractor goes, he might very well be the great restorer of SOME BRANDS of tractors, but certainly not a D-17 Allis-Chalmers. I can't imagine tackling multiple brands for restore projects and ever hope to be very successful at it. The nuances and quirks of each particular brand and model keeps most of us busy when repairing/rebuilding things.

So now I’m even wondering if he ever had it running…
Spark plugs are new and never ran on (he claims put new ones after he ran it)
Pistons still have grease on top.
Crank pulley doesn’t have any paint/rust wore off from the belt.

Here's another good example of poor information. One of our younger field tech's was out working on an old Cat 988 wheel loader. The unit had around 50,000 total hrs on it. The complaint was a "may-day" sudden loss of engine power. Just started doing it too. Can't even use it, it's sooo bad. The Tech called me for some elderly advice. He said the engine starts and runs fine, but maximum turbo boost was 3 to 4 lbs low of factory specs. I told him that I think the injection pump is probably getting tired, and the complaint of it "just started doing this" isn't true. I suggested that he give the fuel delivery screw a turn or turn and a half outward and see if the boost improves. I also told him to grill all affected employees at this quarry about the machines power as of late. In the end, the boost went up. Engine HP was now where it should have been.  The "lie" was that the performance has been somewhat weak for a year or more. This particular day the operator was "new" to this machine.

Edited by DrAllis - 4 hours 29 minutes ago at 8:51pm

Here is a picture of the sheet I got of what he supposedly did to it.
It wouldn’t let me post a picture of it but it copied it.

Allis Chalmers D-17 Statement of Repairs
• Decals/Nose Emblem
• Clutch Assembly (All) disc & pressure plate replaced
• Replace Throw Out Bearing
• Changed out Clutch Shaft
• New Piston Rings
• New Bearings
• New Gaskets
• Rebuilt Head-ground valves
• Rebuilt Carburetor
• Rebuilt Hydraulic Pump
• Rebuilt Water Pump
• Rebuilt Governor
• Flushed and repaired radiator
• New Rim on Rear End (1)
• Replaced Front Rim (Used)(1)
• Sand blasted rims and sheet metal
• Painted entire Tractor
• Split tractor 3 times
• Rebuilt the head twice
• Cleaned and Sealed Gas Tank
• Replaced rear axle seals
• New Brakes and seals
• New wire harness and wiring
• New Gauges and switches
• New Steering Wheel
• New Muffler
• Switched from Generator to alternator
• New points, plugs, condenser and cap
• New Tires front and rear-with tubes
• Starter Rebuilt
• Replaced all hoses and clamps
• Replaced Fan Belt
• Replaced lights and or bulbs as needed
• Seat Cover
• Antifreeze, Oil, Rear End Oil, Hydraulic Oil
• Oil Filter
• Fly Wheel Ring Gear
• Sediment Bowl
• Shifter Boot

Edited by 55allis - 4 hours 12 minutes ago at 9:08pm

I notice in the statement of repairs that the head was rebuilt-ground valves and the head was rebuilt twice. Just a guess on my part but it probably didn't run enough hours during the restoration process to need the head rebuilt the second time, so there was probably something not quite right the first time it was done. I think I would at least ask. Not always fun stepping in at the end to try to figure out why a job wasn't finished. How much of the previous work do you assume was done correctly? And of couse how and why did all of the pushrods get bent so severely? I think maybe there was some factor in the first rebuild that caused coil bind in the springs(wrong springs?) and the pushrods were bent then, and either not replaced or they were "straightened" but still bent enough to be weakened so they bent shortly after it fired, but again just a guess on my part.

Ted