FE290D motor in the very old gators...
My gator isnt in need of a new motor yet, but at 1800 hours it would be negligent of me to not be looking ahead at a repower at some point in the near future. probably fall/winter 2018.
I wanted to make a post to simply record some info to the forum. for my own sake and others considering this. I see three different options.
Small Engine warehouse sells a B&S 1450 Series OHV, kit with the proper taper shaft to accept our old clutches. I think this kit ends up being around $700+- i believe it comes with wiring, starter and charging system. Having put new engines in cars before, there is always some level of fabbing, modding, and adjustments when doing stuff like this. i would expect light use of a welder at some point, possibly some changes to belt length ect? ive never seen any posts on the matter so im speculating.
Pluses: all new everything. Negatives: unknown fabrication and modification.
Another option I discovered was Precision Engineering stl in Missouri. They have a website, as well as ebay store and clearly a ton of experience with these little motors. You ship them your engine and they rebuild the entire thing. top to bottom and it gets turned around in a week or so. Shipping 80 pounds via ground shipping 2 ways prob isnt cheap i have not priced that out. They replace piston, rings, cylinder bore is straightened and re-bored if needed. Pull the connecting rod and crankshaft, measure and if to specifications reuse them. If they are out of specification, they get replaced or remachined into specs. Both counterbalance connecting rod bearings are replaced. Re-grind or replace any valves as needed. Charging system flywheel and under-flywheel coil are to be remove before sending the core, so you end up reusing 20 year old parts on your rebuilt engine. If that stuff is off, id like to replace, but have not researched the ancillaries of the FE290. This route is roughly the same as SEW around $600, plus or minus.
Pluses: all original, reliability, no fabbing, no modding. Cons: re-using old crap like charging system, shipping fees.
Lastly, a local quote I got from a shop that rebuilds FE290s for golf carts was $1200, which is silly.
Pluses: local, quick, easy. Cons: costs.
I'm leaning towards sending out my old motor to Jim at Precision Engineering but a lot can change in 6-9 months as i research this.
My gator isnt in need of a new motor yet, but at 1800 hours it would be negligent of me to not be looking ahead at a repower at some point in the near future. probably fall/winter 2018.
I wanted to make a post to simply record some info to the forum. for my own sake and others considering this. I see three different options.
Small Engine warehouse sells a B&S 1450 Series OHV, kit with the proper taper shaft to accept our old clutches. I think this kit ends up being around $700+- i believe it comes with wiring, starter and charging system. Having put new engines in cars before, there is always some level of fabbing, modding, and adjustments when doing stuff like this. i would expect light use of a welder at some point, possibly some changes to belt length ect? ive never seen any posts on the matter so im speculating.
Pluses: all new everything. Negatives: unknown fabrication and modification.
Another option I discovered was Precision Engineering stl in Missouri. They have a website, as well as ebay store and clearly a ton of experience with these little motors. You ship them your engine and they rebuild the entire thing. top to bottom and it gets turned around in a week or so. Shipping 80 pounds via ground shipping 2 ways prob isnt cheap i have not priced that out. They replace piston, rings, cylinder bore is straightened and re-bored if needed. Pull the connecting rod and crankshaft, measure and if to specifications reuse them. If they are out of specification, they get replaced or remachined into specs. Both counterbalance connecting rod bearings are replaced. Re-grind or replace any valves as needed. Charging system flywheel and under-flywheel coil are to be remove before sending the core, so you end up reusing 20 year old parts on your rebuilt engine. If that stuff is off, id like to replace, but have not researched the ancillaries of the FE290. This route is roughly the same as SEW around $600, plus or minus.
Pluses: all original, reliability, no fabbing, no modding. Cons: re-using old crap like charging system, shipping fees.
Lastly, a local quote I got from a shop that rebuilds FE290s for golf carts was $1200, which is silly.
Pluses: local, quick, easy. Cons: costs.
I'm leaning towards sending out my old motor to Jim at Precision Engineering but a lot can change in 6-9 months as i research this.