Wheelhorse 520; Engine Work / Quits When Hot / Ignition Module
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.ย. 2024
- Wheelhorse 520-H, replacing an ignition module (crank trigger). The tractor is equipped with a 20 HP Onan twin cylinder engine. The crank trigger replaces a distributor and tells the engine which cylinder needs spark. The tractor runs great until it reaches operating temperature. After a few minutes of regular run time it shuts down and will not start until it cools off. This video shows the symptoms the tractor experiences in real life and illustrates the repair. The 520 Wheelhorse used in this video was originally purchased by my grandfather. It is a 1994 model and was used mainly to mow the yard around his farm house. It was originally equipped with a heavy duty 60" mowing deck (those are built like a tank). New lawn and garden tractors cannot match the quality and power of these older Wheelhorse tractors. Go team Wheelhorse! My dad saved Grandad's old tractor from the auction block after he passed on. Happy I could help restore the operation of this fine 520 workhorse. This one's for you Grandpa! :)
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*Mechanic Work, Maintenance, Wheelhorse, Wheelhorse 520, Lawn and Garden Tractors, Fixing Stuff, Do It Yourself, Auto Repair, Etc.
Great video..glad I found this,exactly the info I needed for my 416H. Thanks
Awesome! Thanks for watching and good luck on the repair! 👍😁
Great video you have awesome skills my friend. Thanks for breaking it down for us Rookies. I would definitely have to watch this video just to remember where everything goes. Excellent job you did, and great advice you gave. I really appreciated.
Thank you! I'm glad my tinkering could help others. Good luck on the repair and thanks for watching! 👍😁
Well done folks. Love the Wheelhorses. All of ours are older.Couple of good tips there for DIY people with closing the choke and tying the wires in clusters. Great job getting that horse back up to snuff. I'll be looking forward to more...
Thank you! 👍 I appreciate the all the comments. I hope to upload a new video every Wednesday. It will not always be Wheelhorse related, but I do have several more tractor projects to tackle. I am strongly entertaining the novel idea of a Harley Davidson Engine swamp on a Wheelhorse. It might get a little wild. I also have another 520 Wheelhorse that needs repair and hope to make improvements on the 704 too. :)
Is this an Onan engine?
Great video. Showed all steps and no nonsense
Thanks! I am happy I was able to capture how it reacts. Thanks for watching and sharing! 👍😁
Nice work!
Thanks! Thanks for watching 👍😁
Great video .
Thanks! I appreciate you taking time to watch. Good luck on the repair! Cheers 👍😁
My 416H, Onan P216G engine, is 26 years old and has the exact same issue. Don't know if it is really worth the trouble, but these little tractors are strong beasts! Thanks for the parts info!
If you are handy and a little patient it's always worth fixing a Wheelhorse. Happy I could help! Thanks for watching 👍😁
Yay my 416-8 runs again thanks to you! Love the, "Shame on you!" Comment about the bolt! And I have the 42" rear discharge!
Awesome! Happy I could help out. Thanks for watching 👍😁
Waiting for parts to do the same thing on my Onan in a '91 JD 318 and ran across your video. Very well done! Thank you. Great tips.
Thanks! I'm happy my video helped out! Thanks for watching! 👍😁
Awesome video I will be doing this soon to my 520H as it is doing the same thing
Thanks! I'm glad I could capture its mode of failure in action. This one eluded us for a while. Thanks for watching and good luck with the repair! 👍😁
Nicely done. Very clear and concise. Not a lot of mumbling and camera jerking like many others.
Thank You! 👍 I try to make a video that is useful to others and doesn't make you nauseous from camera wobble. Sometimes it's difficult to avoid a little bouncing though. Check out my channel regularly. I am trying to upload a new video every Wednesday. It will not always be Wheelhorse related, but I do have several other projects in that area. If you noticed in the background I have my own personal 520 on the lift. It needs some work to get back up to snuff. ;)
I have not gotten a Wheel Horse 520-H yet but, I'm looking forward to getting one now. I'm thinking fo getting A Wheel Horse tractor to plow snow on my property. I like the way they are maid, and the way the Onan engine sounds. We used the Onan engine in a generator we had that came in our Verizon International Harvester work trucks years ago. I see they still work well today. Thanks for that helpful repair video.
Hello Edwin! If you haven't already check out some of the other 520-H videos. In one I plow a little snow with my unit. They can push a lot of snow! Onan engines are good running machines. Thank you for watching and happy Wheel Horse hunting! Cheers 👍😁
Thanks for the video I have a couple of these exact engines even replaced the pistons and rods in one of them but had no idea those two parts existed . 👍
Thanks for watching! This was my first experience with this unique failure mode. It made diagnosising it difficult. 👍😁
Well done patience pays and you were careful with your bolts. I have a 416-8
I removed cover to modify the the surround with rubber around the oil filter. I cannot buy the original one any more and the generic one is shorter. Now I can get my hand in to tighten it onto the motor. I use a Holden 6 cylinder air filter as original is no longer available in Australia. Great presentation. Thank you for the info in case I strike this problem.
Thanks! It was a rather unique mode of failure that was tricky for us to diagnose. Taking those covers off can be a real bear! Happy you were able to modify the cover to accept the oil filters available in Australia! Thanks for watching and keep on wheel horsing! Cheers 👍😁
the thing is a beast, i have a 60" deck that weighs as much as my truck.
The 60" decks are built like a tank! My only complaint about using them is the difficult maneuver of removing / installing them. When I get around to fixing my own personal 520H I plan on installing a 42" rear discharge. I always liked way rear discharge mowers lay the grass down. Plus my current yard is too small for the big'in 👍😁
Thank god someone had a video on this. Same issue
It tricked us for awhile before we realized this was indeed the issue. Happy to help! Thanks for watching 👍😁
I had to do the same thing , thank you so much for video , helped greatly , Cliff
Hi Cliff! I'm glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching and sharing 👍😁
Great video. Generally I believe when a small engine quits after getting hot it may be the coil. I just replaced my module and shaft ring yesterday as mine was not firing at all. That fixed the problem, now all my gauges stopped working, ugh.
Thanks! I'm glad it was helpful. This mystery took us a while to solve. I'm guessing your fuse block has some issues making the gages not functional. Thanks for watching! 👍😁
wow, fantastic video.
Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to watch it and I hope it helps with your repair. Cheers 👍😁
This video helped me so much because I’m having the same problem with mine it’ll run for a little bit it just shut off
Glad it helped! It was an odd mode of failure that confused us for a long time. This is why I wanted to video how it failed. Thanks for watching 👍😁
Great Information! Thank You.
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching! 👍😁
I have a 416h that does the same thing ill have to look into this thanks!
You are welcome! It took us a while to determine this was indeed the culprit. I am happy I was able to recreate the fault on video. Its a strange mode of failure. Happy Holidays and thanks for watching! 👍😁
I have done the same job on mine. The hardest part is getting the engine cover off and back on.
This was my first go around removing the flywheel on a 520 Wheelhorse. I agree the sheet metal cover removal / install is the worst part of the whole job! Hopefully my video can help others who want to tackle the job themselves. :)
Also had trouble with cover , Cliff
Those covers are always an interesting challenge!
You were right there and didnt change the flyball spacer that where's out on onans
I had no idea these were troublesome wear items. The governor works just fine on this tractor, but I'll have to keep that in mind on future repairs. Thanks for watching 👍😁
I had a simular problem with my 1989 520 H. That shroud s a doozy to remove. Could it be Onan thought they built an engine that would never need Maintenance? I went through mine a few years back and it was expensive. But that low torque rumble that exuberates from that engine makes my neighbors jealous. I started buying Wheel-Horse tractors in the late 70"s and have been with them since. Thanks for bringing back memories.
Hi Robert! I love Wheel Horse tractors. I am glad others can get enjoyment out of my videos / work. The cover is indeed a tricky piece of sheet metal. Thanks for watching and sharing! 👍😁
I've done the same thing with a similar year 520-H though I think cleaning all of the contacts was the only thing I really changed. One thing I did do different was apply dielectric grease to all of the contacts to hopefully prevent the corrosion that I did clean off.
Dielectric grease is a great idea! I applied it to my connections too, but don't remember if I included it in this video. Thanks for watching and happy wheel horsing! 👍😁
Video was great help, perfect for getting my 520h running again. Ever done anything on the hydraulics on these? Mine doesn’t hold speed and is slow to lift?
I am glad it helped! Many years ago I replaced a hose for the lift ram, but never had any major repairs on the hydraulics. Make sure you're rear end is full of clean oil and change the filter. I use 10w-30 oil. When it is cold outside it always needed to warm up before the lift would operate correctly. I have heard of people getting air in the system that created issues with the hydraulics. On holding speed; their is a linkage / profiled plate with a nut and washer under the seat. This nut holds the drive in position for a certain speed. I have had to adjust the tension on this nut a few times over the years. Adjust it to be a little tighter and see if that helps with the speed change. Making it too tight with make the motion lever difficult to move. Thanks for watching and happy wheel horsing! 👍😁
Nice video BIG man! I have the same problem on the same tractor. Where did u get those parts?? My local dealer couldn't even find me a coil!??!
Keep the good stuff comin!!
Thanks! We struggled for a little to diagnose this failure. It has interesting symptoms. I am happy I could capture how it reacts on video. I bought mine off the internet before Covid really started to shut things down. ~April 2020. Good luck on the repair! Thanks for watching. 👍😁
That flywheel is really heavy
Definitely leave the bolt started when popping it off the taper..... This thing could smash some toes! Thanks for watching! 👍😁
MY WHEEL HORSE 724-Z HAS THE SAME ENGINE..ALSO HAS THOSE EXACT PARTS.. HOWEVER I CAN'T FIND THEM ON THE WEB BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SEARCH FOR THEM BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE CALLED EXACTLY.. IF YOU COULD POST THE PART NO'S AND OR NAME OF THE PARTS SO THAT I MAY FIND THEM I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. FORGIVE MY MISSPELLED WORDS I COULD NEVER SPELL WORTH A DAM
Onan Parts: 166-0785 & 166-0767
I think the boxes with the part numbers are shown the video. It's been awhile so I don't fully remember. Thanks for watching! 👍😁
replacement switch 111332 doesn't have lifting nipple on switch lever, will not make contact to start? Tip for fix?
Not 100% sure what you are describing? Bend the metal tab to adjust the switch. The bushings on the lever you are trying to sense may need replaced to reduce excess movement. I did this in another video on a 520. Thanks for watching 👍😁
What was the tube that is plugged?
I believe it is for the vacuum gage. Unfortunately I cannot confirm since I don't remember if the gage worked on grandad's tractor. Thanks for watching! 👍😁
im dealing with the same issue, you wouldnt happen to know the part numbers on the trigger and pickup?
Onan Parts: 166-0785 & 166-0767.
Thanks for watching and good luck on the repair. 👍😁
@@FlatThunder just ordered up from Cummins, was the flywheel easy? i was told you can smack it with a rubber mallot and it comes off too. i'll prob just buy a puller.
@@leedimatteo5078 I'd recommend a puller. Mine popped off with some serious force. Remember to leave the bolt in loosely so it doesn't fall on your foot. 👍
Excellent video and thanks for demonstrating what the symptoms of this are. I have a 520 that is running similar to yours but not quite as bad. Mine runs great until it's hot then it starts missing out really bad. However the interesting part is it runs fine if its under load (when the mower deck is engaged). The other interesting part is that it only runs like this when going up a hill or if I'm on a bank where the right side of the tractor is lower than the left side. I've threw some parts at it (Carb cleaning / float adjustments, coil, fuel pump) and nothing has fixed it and I'm sure the ignition module is the problem. I've also had good times with the shroud on the onan what a pain in the butt. How long did this job take you?
Thanks! 👍😁 It took approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Filming always adds a little extra time to the task. Maybe check your fuel line and the pickup in the fuel tank. Sometimes they become clogged with junk inside the tank or the hose cracks and/or plugs before the fuel pump. The different angles makes me think it is related to fuel or electrical wiring issues. Thanks for watching!
Had the same issue 2 years ago replaced the entire ignition system. This was the last piece. So intermittent it did make it hard to pin point.
So, how did you determine that ignition module trigger was faulty?
It would lose spark when hot. Thanks for watching! 👍😁
@FlatThunder thanks for the response 🙂
Awesome i have a 520h and i cant seem to get my headlights and tail light and volt gauge to work any suggestions
The issue is likely in the fuse block. It's a problem area on these tractors. The connections get dirty, corroded and weak over time. Once they short out they lose connectivity and frequently melt from heat generation. Other problem areas for bad connections are at the ignition switch, the multi conductor plug at the engine harness and the bank of relays. Check out my other wheel horse videos. In a few I troubleshoot some bad wiring on my 520. Thanks for watching 👍😁
Yes the fuse block melted the 30 amp and i fix that so its in the wiring harness can a person just cut the two plugs and directly wired together
@@jameslucas7550 I think it's only suppose to be a 25 amp. Make sure it's making a good connection at both terminals of the fuse. Yes, you can eliminate the plug and direct wire the engine to the harness. I recommend soldiered connections.
I would take one wheel horse over 4 zero turns any day of the week
😊😊😊
Go team wheel horse! 👍😁
Can anyone leave me a link to the parts replaced in this video?
I purchased my kit online off of an auction site. The item is no longer available by the seller. Here are the part numbers 'Genuine Onan 166-0785 & 166-0767'. A random search looks indicates that some components are on backorder. I looked at this website: onanparts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=737. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for watching and good luck with the repair! 👍😁
@@FlatThunder will this also work on my P216 onan?(416-H
I am not an expect on all Onan engines, but I believe it is the same. I checked the website I supplied a link for and it calls out your model P216 under the description for ignition module 166-0785. If concerned I would double check with the supplier. The website looks pretty good.
@@FlatThunder The sad part of all of this since I now know that this is an Onan engine, is that Onan engines have since been picked up by Cummins and Cummins scrapped all of the Onan engine line. Parts for an Onan engine are a nightmare to get if you need them. Onan engins are good engines, mind you, however their reputation for extreme expense is phenomenal, number one, and number two since the change over to Cummins and parts obtaing problem, well, you get my drift.
@@danbasta3677 I was not aware of the evolution. I too like Onan engines, but the parts have always been pricey. Looks like we might be stuck waiting on aftermarket parts from now on? The one saving grace is the tractor in the video has only required an ignition coil in the past. So they are expensive, but realiable and usually only require minimal maintenance.