Jeff Orr in front of his lovely MH 101
When I got my Muskeg, a friend of mine, Carl MacKenzie, dropped in to have a look, and with Carl being an admirer of track vehicles the conversation was on. He pointed out that the engine, a flat head Dodge inline 6 cylinder (IL6), was the same used in the Massey Harris 101 tractor. It turns out, that they were also used in cars, trucks, combines, pumps, generators and other industrial applications. Carl then directed me to Jeff Orr’s farm where I found an excellent ‘101’ example.
History
Dodge started production of this engine in 1924, at 201 cubic inch displacement (CID) it produced 68 hp primarily for use in the automotive industry. By 1959 it had increased to 230 CID and 132 hp. 1960 was the last year for its use in automobiles followed by 1961 for the truck line but it remained in production until 1970, used in industrial and agriculture applications.
The ‘101’
In 1938 Massey Harris chose this engine for their newly designed tractor − the ‘101’. With the 201 CID it produced about 30 hp governed, which was needed to keep it in tune with the equipment it would be operating. With this engine MH could boast a huge support network for engine parts availability, thanks to Dodge, and that it was the first tractor to have an electric starter and come equipped with an included muffler.
‘IL6’ in the MH101 shows the up draft carburetor (on the bottom) and the up swept front exhaust; also shown is the governor (belt driven at the front this of the engine.
The two main differences between the tractor and auto configuration are the governor and the fuel system. The auto models have no governor and use a down draft carburetor with a mechanical fuel pump delivery driven off of the engine that has the exhaust to the rear going down. The tractor version uses an updraft carburetor with the fuel gravity fed from the tank through a shut off valve with the exhaust going up at the front. Both use the same manifolds, exhaust up for tractors; turn it over, down, for auto.
This engine is about as simple as they come and using only one 12 volt 15 amp wire to run it in the tractor, it’s a joy to work on. In a Muskeg it’s in a somewhat confined space. As I mentioned in the Nov/Dec issue, I rewired this engine which is a great first job if you are going to purchase an old tractor.
Basic Maintenance
In the following issues I am going to cover some basic engine maintenance using this engine, however all aspirated gas engines with distributor points will basically be the same.
Now, let’s start with some basic maintenance.
Oil filter
I checked the oil prior to running the Muskeg and it was black, so first up was an oil change and oil filter. This engine, as a lot of the older ones did, uses an oil cartridge that drops into a canister. I stopped into Rankin Supply who have been helping farmers and alike in the north shore area forever, and he promptly pulled the filter off the shelf. The canister has a drain bung and a lid needing a gasket which comes included with the oil filter. Having oil containment at hand I removed the bung and drained the oil from the canister. Then I removed the lid and pulled out the cartridge. The bottom of the canister would now need to be cleaned out as there was a ring of heavy sludge left behind.
In the box with the filter is a selection of gaskets. With the correct ones chosen I replaced the cartridge and the lid. I then cleaned the bung threads and corresponding threads in the canister with brake cleaner and re installed using oil rated Teflon tape on the bung. I then checked all connections, filter, filter mounts and lines for tightness.
With my first Muskeg the engine oil was drained via the bung in the oil pan. This meant crawling
The oil canister on the opposite side with the silver bung shown at the bottom centre (note the anti chaff wrap on the wiring)
under the machine in between the tracks. This one requires a container to be manipulated alongside the block and the oil drained out a quart at a time from up above. On the tractors the bung is under the oil pan, which simplifies things.
I then cleaned and replaced the oil pan bung using the oil resistant Teflon tape. The oil of choice here is 10W-30, topped up to the proper level.
Radiator
Next up is the coolant system. The radiator on the Muskeg is a biggie and the cooling is different than the tractors as the fan is backwards. Instead of sucking air into the front of the radiator and out the back it is reversed, drawing air from the back of the transmission past the engine and out through the front. Why?
Because at a screaming half MPH traversing a bulrush and mosquito-infested swamp, using the traditional method would draw all that debris into the radiator plugging it in minutes; this way it blows the debris away from the radiator so the mosquitoes can get a good aim.
Using a radiator gauge I checked for the fluid’s cold rating which was perfect and it had obviously been changed as its colour indicated (nice and green with no grit, and the radiator was newly re-cored). A fitting on the heater core was tightened and an engine run up indicated that the thermostat was operational at about 170 degrees which is good.
Note: if you are going to remove the radiator on your tractor and it doesn’t leak, you may want to try a trick I used to clean it. Purchase several containers of rust/scale remover such as ‘CLR’ and with the holes plugged, pour the product in and let it sit. The rust/scale remover will do its job and remove the calcium build up in the small coolant tubes which plug up and burst under pressure.
Okay, there are two minor but important maintenance jobs looked after. If you do drain the radiator fluid and the hoses and clamps look tired, you may want to change them at this time while it’s empty.
More to come in future issues.
Carl MacKenzie passed away in September, 2019 and our community lost a good person. He’ll be missed.
— Dan Kerr