Fan really ??

[hydroharry]

Well, I noticed some drips from my hydro on my 1250 this summer. Thought maybe I had over filled it but checked and it was at an ok level. I had removed the hydro about a year earlier to replace the cork gasket and was afraid it was leaking again…Then I noticed that the plastic fan which I had replaced fairly recently was down to one blade. I got a new one from Charlie, (thanks for the candies too). Was not feeling enthusiastic about removing the drive shaft so I tried cutting it in “half” at the hub and holding it on with a hose clamp. Took a bit of fiddling but it worked, and I see no leaks now… so I either had over filled it or the fan helps. I think the engineers knew what they were doing, yes these machines are massively overbuilt by today’s standards but that’s why we love em. So maybe think of the fan as part of the overbuilding… happy thanksgiving all.

Maybe I don't understand this - but are you saying the hose clamp is holding 2 pieces of the driveshaft together???
If so, I don't see how it would last with the torque you get from these Kohler K engines.

 

[hydroharry]

The overbuilding adds to the desirability of these fine machines, but is also the reason a lot of them are still here for us to mess with and enjoy.

Absolutey AGREE!!!! In my view the Primary item overbuilt is the tranny/rearend (which came from the Cub). 2nd on the list would be the hydro pump, and 3rd simplicity of the clutch (at least the narrow frame version which holds up better than the QL version).

 

[hydroharry]

I bet the vast majority of them look like this:

View attachment 146532

And a few look like this one.

View attachment 146533

View attachment 146534

Both of these were out of 125s with intact metal fans. The upper one is the one my parents bought new, the second one is out of a 125 that I parted back in 2002. I still have the hydro and a few other parts. The engine was rebuilt for me by David Kirk to his "Killer Kohler" specs and lives on in a different 125 chassis.

Kraig - Oh Great One, Keeper of the Photos:
Whether you realize it or not, sometimes your Photos make me fall off my chair. I've seen some bad looking hydros before but yours really take the cake. And if I were you I don't think I would have admitted that first photo was of my (your) parents
But you know what I always say:
Old Cubs Never Die
They just find another resting place.

 

[PACub100]

Maybe I don't understand this - but are you saying the hose clamp is holding 2 pieces of the driveshaft together???
If so, I don't see how it would last with the torque you get from these Kohler K engines.

No, he meant he cut the fan in half then sandwiched them around the driveshaft and held them together with a hose clamp.

 

[jdrong]

My first thought was that the one bladed fan caused enough vibration to make a slightly worn shaft and seal to leak. A new fan with a hose clamp may cause the same out of balance condition and the leak will be back. It just takes a while for a small leak run down from the hydro area to the floor after being cleaned up. I've found out the hard way that leaks don't fix themselves without a seal or a gasket being replaced or some sort of repair. Not trying to be a know it all or disagreeable, or cause a sh*t storm, just my personal experience with oil leaks.

 

[1811Cub]

I have seen oil leaks correct themselves with use from engines that were mostly dormant-Especially rear main seals. As for the seals on a hydro unit, they wear away and actually can wear a groove into the metal surface they ride on. Another example of this is harmonic balancers on an engine. They sell stainless steel sleeves to correct the groove on the balancer to save the part. You would not think rubber can wear away at metal but it does. Imbalance not only ruins the seals but the bearings too.

 

[Stu]

Yeah, good points on the seal wear, I hadn't thought of that. When I got my 1250 the driveshaft had at least a 1/4" off-center wobble from worn rag joints at the motor end, still worked but yeah the seals were gone, most likely from age rather than anything else - after a full rebuild with overbore, new piston etc, she runs much better! (and cleaner, that's for sure) I don't think the hose clamp will affect balance -much- and of course I never thought to balance the driveshaft when I had it apart anyway... I will chek the seal on the hydro unit which I havent touched save for the cork gasket and new Hytran. I was thinking it was dripping a bit (now gone away with the new fan I believe) due to overheating.

 

[hydroharry]

No, he meant he cut the fan in half then sandwiched them around the driveshaft and held them together with a hose clamp.

Whew, glad I was misunderstanding his method. Now, the original method includes using a really tough spring clip on the fan hub. Bent alot of spring clip tools before I found one that would work. I assume the hose clamp would add just slightly more weight than the spring clip so cutting the fan hub in half is probably an ok fix and won't really cause an out of balance issue for the pump seal.

To me the bigger question is where really was the pump drip really coming from??? And whether the fan cooling really caused it to seal up again??? Probably never really know the answer.

 

[1811Cub]

I've replaced the input seal on a few of these hydros. It's just the result of old age and several hundred thousand revolutions. I can get them done in a bout 30 minutes.

 

[Stu]

Yeah, I shoulda done that when I had it apart. I found these pics of my fan experiment, I had forgotten that I used a circlip rather than a hose clamp, that may be what held the original fan bits, can’t recall!

 

[PACub100]

Yeah, I shoulda done that when I had it apart. I found these pics of my fan experiment, I had forgotten that I used a circlip rather than a hose clamp, that may be what held the original fan bits, can’t recall! View attachment 146570View attachment 146571

That's actually a pretty neat idea...

 

[lpalma]

Why not just glue it back together with 2 part epoxy?

 

[Stu]

Well, that's a thought - but I think the fan is a nylon type material, not much sticks to it. The biggest challenge was holding the 2 pieces in place whilst slipping the circlip on, a pain.

 

[hydroharry]

Yeah, I shoulda done that when I had it apart. I found these pics of my fan experiment, I had forgotten that I used a circlip rather than a hose clamp, that may be what held the original fan bits, can’t recall! View attachment 146570View attachment 146571

Your "circlip" is what I call a snap ring or spring clip AND I see you used the original one that sure is TOUGH to get on.

 

[Stu]

Your "circlip" is what I call a snap ring or spring clip AND I see you used the original one that sure is TOUGH to get on.

 

[Stu]

Oops. Yeah snap ring pliers and a fair amount of strong language are essential.