# TD9 Pistons



## Wrecker (Feb 7, 2007)

Hi.I'm new to the site.I've been trying to work out how to assess some used TD9 pistons & liners that I have here.Just need some tips on what makes a used piston worth reinstalling.The pistons appear quite straight & tidy,& have conrods connected......however the conrod caps are not connected & I can't seem to find any ID marks to match them up again.Is this a problem.?
Also,one of the liners has a few very minor chips missing from the bottom ...is that a problem?Otherwise, liners are looking OK.
Any info is appreciated.
Thanks .


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## Archdean (Jul 15, 2004)

Welcome Wrecker!

Since Removing and installing pistons and liners is not just an afternoon stroll in the park, someone had a good reason to remove them in the first place and no doubt are no longer matched to each other! The chips are probably caused during removal!

In my opinion there is no GOOD reason to reinstall them EVER.

I have several laying around from Lycoming and Continental engines that look all straight and tidy too (make great ashtrays) but certainly not airworthy!!

Dean

:cowboy:


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Welcome to Tractor Forum Wrecker. 

With old parts such as this, it is a mixed bag. In most cases there is no good way to tell if the liners or pistons and rods have cracks that cannot be seen with the naked eye or may be ever so slightly bent. 

My thoughts would be to look at the price of a new or refurbished set of pistons, rods, and liners (if available) vs. the cost of having the set you have inspected and checked for cracks and tolerances. If there was a major cost benefit either way, I would be looking at going with the most cost effective. 

As far as the connecting rod caps go, the only option you have is to make a best guess assignment of each cap to a rod that it appears to fit the best. Then each connecting rod/cap inside diameter will have to be checked for out of round tolerance and machined accordingly if this is allowable. 

Bringing these old girls back to life can sometimes be quite an involved project.


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## wass (Jan 3, 2007)

Yep! Piston/Sleeve sets are just about as cheap as Pistons alone. New pins, bushings, rings, pistons and sleeves, and a ton less on the measuring which is frustrating and easy to screw up!Any good machine shop can refit the rods ( straightening and grinding the bore ). Question is do you want to use it or take it to shows. Are rattles ok, or do you want to make it snort!


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## Wrecker (Feb 7, 2007)

Thanks for the tips...I'm enjoying the posts on the forum so far. I'm told that these pistons are hard to get these days,so I bought them from a dismantled machine.An engine rebuilder took a quick look & thought they were OK,but I wasn't sure what he was checking.


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## Archdean (Jul 15, 2004)

Do you yourself have a need for them or are you thinking of trying to resell them?

I agree that they are hard to get and sold to the right person (ebay perhaps) it just may get an old broad purring again!

If you are trying to get a machine working again then by all means have a reputable shop help you sort out the chaff from the wheat!!

Personally if I were rebuilding one I would not spend the time nor energy (considerable, been there done that) in using a hodge podge of questionable parts only to find out that, OOPS that isn't an improvement afterall and then having to go through the whole process again!!

Dean

:cowboy:


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