C&P John Deere 318 L&G Tractor OEM filter

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

Annual oil change, details below:

Tractor: 1986 John Deere 318, 875 hours on original Onan 18 HP B43 engine.
Filter: AM101207 JD OEM filter removed, installed Napa Gold.
Interval: 20.9 hours, last changed 20 Nov 2022. Used very little in 2023 so first oil change in two years.
Oil: Drained Rotella T4 10w30, filled with Traveller 15w40 on BITOG recommendation.
Oil removed was dark, small flecks observed in oil filter. See photos of engine bore from approx 13 hours ago during starter replacement and carbon check on heads.

 

[fantastic]

Looks like some debris made it's way into the cylinder along the way which is not unheard of with OPE. Also, appears the cylinders are polished w/little to know crosshatch. Run it till she blows or new rings, deglaze, & reseal in the future? Pretty sure those JD filters are Champion Labs filter you may be able to obtain cheaper. That Travellers is affordable oil. Thanks for the post.

 

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

Thanks for the input on the cylinder walls, yes they are smooth with no crosshatching. Going to run 'er till she blows, at 10-20 hrs per year it may be quite a while. Going to re-power with a Vanguard if that time comes. Onans are outstanding engines but are parts are expensive and obsolete now. Keeping a near-40 year old tractor running is work enough.

 

[fantastic]

Thanks for the input on the cylinder walls, yes they are smooth with no crosshatching. Going to run 'er till she blows, at 10-20 hrs per year it may be quite a while. Going to re-power with a Vanguard if that time comes. Onans are outstanding engines but are parts are expensive and obsolete now. Keeping a near-40 year old tractor running is work enough.

You're in better shape then I since there were a ton of them sold. I fully restored, minus transmission, a 1991 JD 260. Which is nothing special & had the funky "Emergency Brake Handle" for the deck lift. Luckily I still found parts but as you stated their were some obsolete engine parts I had to reuse so I feel your pain. There's a ton of data for those 318 machines & is why I think they still remain a popular GT. I don't blame you for running it until you need to tear into it though. A new 18 HP Vanguard may be higher power if it's an updated HP test to boot.

 

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

I was lucky to get a 316 with the Onan, fire damaged and non running, with a package deal that included a newer style 48" deck. Installed the deck on the 318 to replace a bend original 46, plus have used the starter and pto clutch which had failed on the 318 over the last few years. Yes the parts are still out there and will likely stay that way since several 300 series models were made over several decades. The high value used market does seem to be shifting to the 700 series though.

Yup, everyone says the Vanguard is a big step up. There's also a 23 hp option which would transform the machine no doubt.