The Lombardini is Down!

[barbender]

Well, the day I have been fearing came yesterday. I'm pretty sure the Lombardini diesel on my LT40 had a head gasket let go. I like this little engine just fine, but I've always been worried about the parts availability for an obsolete engine. It appears my worry was well founded, everywhere I look online that has parts for them is in Europe. Woodmizer can get some parts but said they could be 1-3 weeks as they don't stock them, they have to order them themselves. I have to tear it down first anyhow, as there are different headgasket thicknesses to get the deck height correct so I have to see which one it has. I may pop it off and throw a 24hp Honda that I can get cheap on it for the time being to keep the sawdust flowing. 

[fluidpowerpro]

Well that Suc$$. Bummer. 
Not long ago I was watching a used Lombardini on the local K-Bid auction. I think it went for cheap.

[Magicman]

I feel your pain, but thankfully I had a 1400 hour non-turbo spare on skids waiting.  One day down and I was sawing again.

As you know, Lombardini is now owned by Kohler.

[barbender]

Yes Magic I was envious of your good planning and having another engine ready to go!👍 I have been watching for a spare engine, I missed a couple of running Kubota take out V1505-t engines that went for around $700 each last week because I forgot to update my auction bid🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ I'll figure it out, my engine should be completely repairable but at how much down time? 

[LeeB]

As MM said, you can probably get parts from Kohler but finding where is another issue. From time to time I try to look up part numbers on the Kohler sight but it is a nightmare.

[Satamax]

Barbender, are the Lombardini parts you need that expensive? When ordering from Euroland ?

If it's just the language barrier. I speak French (i am French! :D )  And i can Write in Italian. I also speak it, but with the worst accent ever.  ;D If some help is required.

[ladylake]

 Time to switch to a Kubota, Isuzu or a Yanmar.  I have over 12000 hours on my Isuzu a couple of glow plugs, 2 rear seal and 1 front seal.  Steve

[barbender]

I would love to switch over to one of those, Steve. But I'd also get as much life out if this engine as I can, it only has 2000 hours on it. 

Satamax, I may well take you up on your translation services. All the parts for this engine are readily available over there.

Lee, I don't doubt Kohler has some. Finding the right person to talk to who knows the corner of a warehouse where they may be is another story.

[barbender]

Ladylike, what model is your Isuzu engine? I need to stay near the weight of my Lombardini if I swap out, I believe it is around 300 pounds.

[Magicman]

When I did a valve adjustment and head gasket replacement on my original Lombardini engine, the head gasket was ordered through:

 M & L Engines
Address: 1210 St Charles St, Houma, LA 70360, United States
Phone: +1 985 876 2280
 

[barbender]

Thanks a bunch, Magic! I tell you, this is not a simple problem. If I was getting a gas engine, there's several retailers in my area where I can pick one up and get back to business. A small industrial diesel? Good luck. I'm not going to a local vendor to just pick one up, I can tell you that much!

[Magicman]

I have personally been to the M & L Engines location and I can assure you that they ain't a "local vendor joint". 


 
They are the real deal and have hundreds of engines in stock and can meet anyone's needs.  If I had taken a picture toward my left it would have shown 3-4 times this many engines.

[barbender]

I'm liking what I see there, Magic! 👍👍

[ladylake]

Ladylike, what model is your Isuzu engine? I need to stay near the weight of my Lombardini if I swoth out, I believe it is around 300 pounds.

Mine is a 3lb1 which weighs around 300# with the radiator  29HP.  Isuzu make a 3ld1 which is around  35 hp but still a 3 cylinder.  Over at Yanmar they make 3 cylinder engines with more cc and a turbo for more power.  Steve

[LeeB]

C:\Users\jlbenitz\Documents\Documents\sawmill stuff\ED0053023510_R06_MO_LDW_FOCS_EN.pdf_R06_MO_LDW_FOCS_EN.pdf

This may or may not help you. It's a workshop manual for the FOCS series engines. Nevermind, the link doesn't work.

[barbender]

Thanks Lee, I did find a manual for it online.

 Good news, I ended up ordering parts from WM. I talked to Marty Parsons on the phone, he said that's where he has sourced Lombardini parts and they usually come in a reasonable amount of time. I was concerned because when I had talked to WM previously, they said it could be a week or it could be 3...that put me off a bit but I wasn't getting them faster anywhere else. Anyways, I ordered them yesterday and recieved an email that they shipped today, that was great to read! So hopefully I can be up and running next week at some point.

[Southside]

That's great news BB.  What all did you find had gone wrong? 

[barbender]

I haven't even pulled it apart yet. On the one hand I wanted to, just so I know I have all of the right parts. On the other hand, I don't have much for facilities (as in, I'll be doing engine repair with the head backed into a shed). So I'm hoping to be able to open it up, install a new head gasket and timing belt, slap on a valve cover gasket and away we go. Things are seldom that simple but I can hope can't I?😁 The one thing I'll have to do some figuring on- installing and tensioning the timing belt requires a special tool. It's a funny little socket with a long slot and a hook on the end. I think WM had $380 listed as the price for it. I hope my junk yard fab skills can come up with something that works, because I just couldn't spring for that😬

Lee, here's a workshop manual-

LOMBARDINI LDW 502 WORKSHOP MANUAL Pdf Download | ManualsLib

[barbender]

This I is a link to the tool. If I could've got it even for $100 I would've just bought it, almost $400 no way. 

https://www.asvarta.com/gb/tooling-kohler-kdw-502.html?search_query=Tension+tool&results=25

[jpassardi]

I wouldn't give them $400 for it either just out of principle... I'd fab. one even if it took me 2 hours.
I would check the head and block deck surfaces.
I assume it doesn't have torque to yield head bolts, correct?

[LeeB]

That's the same manual I was trying to link you to. 

[barbender]

jpassardi- yeah it's the principle of it for me, too. I'm not trying to dog on WM for it, either. I'm sure the price just reflects what they are charged for it, as I've found WM's parts pricing to be very, very fair over the years. 

 I will be checking the head and deck. In the causation/correlation investigation, I'm not sure which happened first. The engine has had a slight misfire when first put under load for a while. Last summer, I replaced all the glow plugs, as it had been starting hard. It started great for about a month, and then it was back to starting hard. I pulled all the glow plugs and tested them, they were working great. One very cold (about 0°F😬) I started it up and was letting it idle and warm up, while I sat in my warm pickup. I jumped out to check on things, there's antifreeze pouring out everywhere. I found there was a small rubber plug on a coolant port that had failed. Wetger it just failed due to age, or if the system was building excess pressure I'm not sure. But it is completely possible it overheated at that point (although it didn't seem excessively hot, but what does when it's 0 out?😁). After that it has progressively burped up more and more antifreeze when I run it, until I couldn't ignore it and saw on the other day. All of that said, it's the kind of circumstances where a head and deck should certainly  be looked over.

As far as I can tell from the manual, the head bolts are reusable.

Lee, it sure is handy being able to find these manuals online!

[jpassardi]

Understood, I agree WM treats us fair with replacement parts pricing.
I'm wondering if the head gasket started leaking combustion gas pressurizing coolant and that blew out your plug in winter??

[barbender]

Yes, that's what I'm wondering too. Not sure what came first- head gasket, pressure and the plug blew. Or, the plug blew, engine overheated and caused the head gasket to fail. Doesn't really matter at this point🤷‍♂️

[jpassardi]

Very true.

"Too many irons in the fire" I like it  - boy I can relate to that...