Terramite Engine Threw a Rod, Can we Fix it For Free? 

Mustie, the biggest kid in town when let loose on anything with wheels and an engine. Seeing a wild Mustie running through the shrubbery revving and braking to his heart's content brings a happy tear to my eye.

I have learned more about small motors from this guy than anyone. Look forward to mustie uploads every Sunday.

I do not often comment on video that I watch, however I will on this one. Mustie I have to say that you approach repairs / troubleshooting the way I was taught. You can tell that your skill set is enhanced by your vast experience, you have a very old school way of approaching problems and I really would like to acknowledge that. Rather than dumping parts at the issue, you get in there and find a way to overcome the problem using logic reasoning and good old fashioned mechanical skill. I have watched your videos for a couple of years now and with your skill set and honest approach I will keep watching you truly are a one of a kind on you tube!! There are no stupid made up words or pretentious fake acting bullshit just honest wrenching with good explanatory reasoning . Keep up the awesome work from one old school mechanic / engineer to the next. A subscriber for life thank you. D

Mustie, you are the first thing we watch on Sunday after the livestock are tended to. You never fail to come through with great content. Thnks, Bill

I`ll tell ya, Mustie1 never disappoints us. Great fix, glad you had a few engines and she lives again. Got my coffee and a Mustie1 vid to start my Sunday. Big day for my family today, my Grandson Theo is 7 today! Pop baked his birthday cake again,#7. I think you can possibly get 1 good engine out of the 3. Thanks for taking us along for the ride Darren. I look forward to the engine teardown video. Stay safe, God Bless.

Terramies are great little machines. Dug a 16 foot deep well with one of the earlier ones back in 1984-85. Teared down to get that deep. Last 6 feet was through shale. Only had one mishap, blew out the rubber bushing coupler while clean out a wet drainage ditch, ended up changing it right there in the muck. Talk about fun.

You might want to push the lever for lowering the bucket arms further forward. If memory serves me, there is a float position which allows you to a better job when back dragging. Might want to lightly tap the side of the parts you are trying to separate with the air chisel while using the wheel puller. Filling the setscrew holes with penetrating fluid might help too. Thanks for posting these videos Darren. I look forward to them and recommend your channel to all my friends.

You may already know this, but there is a valve you can turn 90 degrees through a hole in the bottom of the tractor under the pump that will put the machine in neutral and let you tow it. May be handy if she quits on you again sometime. Also if you happen to know where to get a replacement fuel filler I shure could use one. I broke mine into pieces taking it off to coat the tank. Thanks!!!

May I call you a mechanical genius? OK I will then....you're a mechanical genius. I am a retired mechanic and I learn so much from every Sunday...Thank you. Hope you move a lot of dirt with that special rig.

I retired last summer and after open heart surgery recovery I've been feeling well enough to work on stuff. So: buying lawn and garden equipment that's used but OK (and cheap) to fix and either keep or sell. Lots of fun too. Just bought a JD 850 tractor 2 days ago: doing major service cycle on it and no real surprises Yet.....

Nice work Darren! You never disappoint us with your wit, knowledge and educational style. Thanks for the many years of adventures and here's hoping for many more. Take care!

Half way through the video, I really didn't think you were going to do it this time. Amazed, once again.

Morning all from Lincolnshire UK 🇬🇧

That's alot of tractor for a little guy! And only 2 cylinder engine too, very impressive! Nice work, great video.

Briiliantly entertaining and openly showing all one's forbile faults - the master (Mustie 1) performs yet again .... we gotta love this guy - what say you folks - yes?

Brilliant. You look wheelie pleased with yourself at the end there. Looking forward to seeing how it pans out with the other engines. Great video.

Ok my back hurts just watching you lift both engines

oh the woes of owning a kohler command 💪💪💪. great watch!

That look at the end of this vid is priceless.... Mustie1...you continue your ROCKSTAR status....👍👍👍👍😎😁⭐

Excellent to see that engine crank over. Really nice job. Thanks for sharing a cup of coffee with us.

it always amazes me how much stuff you have in the stash. I'm sure we'll see 2 bad engines become one working unit when you've got some free time. Keep up the great videos

I am fascinated by all of the techniques used to disassemble these rusted up couplings,great to watch and learn even at my advancing years

That was a very interesting engine swap. I know you didn't ask, but I think you should put up a chain-hoist over your work table.

I would like to see a follow up video on the old engine to see what failed.

Seeing you pulling a wheely on a freshly recovered vehicle,.... makes me smile!!

Nice fix, glad you had a backup. I wish I could find one of those little jewels, I could really use one. I’ll keep looking. Very good video as always. Can’t wait for your next one.

Always enjoy and learn by watching you Bud..Thank you very Much..Jim from Ont.

Congrats Mustie 1 on getting the old engine-out and the other engine-in ur Terramite.. looks great. good to spare parts..

I would say that works 200% better than it did before the other engine popped! That is a great little machine.

I like the I fix stuff t shirt . You going to do some mustie t shirts please ? Or hats ? I’d buy one

Terramite Engine Threw a Rod. I’ve been watching for years. Great videos.

Thanks Mustie for another great video, it saved my day once more, love watching you fix things, and you seldom fail. cheers!

Backhoe wheelie! Cool video. Nice work.

I’ve never seen Mustie pick up so many engines in one video! 💪 Strong like Bull 🐂

Mustie, you should narrate stuff. Your voice is soothing and listenable

Excellent video as always, thanks Darren, your channel is one of the very best mechanical repair channels on RU-vid. What also helps is your very relaxed and friendly manner plus you explain things very well.

I must say you're having WAY to much fun driving that thing. :--) Keep the video coming. Get info every time. Thanks

Who cares how he spells " threw " id rather him not know how to spell/ what word to use when and still get these awesome videos. Who gives a shit. Videos are always awesome best RU-vidr around.

I wince every time you do an extreme lift, remembering a few years back when you damaged your back, it nearly finished your youtube career before it really got going, mightn't get away with it next time! regards, Geoff from Merimbula Australia

I want to know why that other one is bending pushrods. Two bent valves? Something funky is going on in there.

hot cup of tea and Mustie, that's a good Sunday morning 😊.

Ah yes, my Sunday morning coffee and Mustie!

He's not a rocket scientist, but I bet he could be one. I've read a lot of the comments and I am the only one that the whining seems to bother, what a Weido I am. Another impossibility made possible by a mechanical genius. Man, what talent.

That fimular wine of a termite, yep. They are just complete work horses digging Graves, water lines, even septic tanks. Good to see you got yours going again I guess I need to get off my ass and get mine going now.

What a great video !! I had to watch in pieces, had stuff to do early, but what a great little machine !!

Oh no, not the Terramite! Oh well makes for a good video, thanks Mustie!

Greetings from Southern Maine! Another excellent job Darren!

That was the best engine swap enjoyed Mustie can and did for if anyone can Mustie can cant wait for next video thank you for sharing and your time was really great never miss a video.

😂😂😂 The look on your face at the end after the wheely session is priceless! 😅

enjoyed that. wasn't expecting it to be that difficult. Good work.

"That wasn't so bad." Well...not for me, but I'm not the one who had to lift 4 engines! Great save! Sounds like a nice smooth runner.

It amazes me that your stash covers most of your repairs. Three extra engines to make one good one!? Amazing.

Thrown rods, wireless pushrods.. This is gonna be interesting.

One comment on a lot of your videos is, why not use anti-seize on large couplings such as for the Terri-mite! I use it on every bolt that I find hard to remove in the first place. I love your videos and the way that you talk as though we are right along side of you!

Good work mister! Thoroughly enjoyed this one.👏

Doing wheelies whith that small tractor made me laugh😆 Good content as always👍

Always making something out of nothing! You rock Darrel

I can’t wait for the tear down video and the “Franken Kohler” video!!!

good job as usual

Love watching the Terramite videos. Best little american machine made. Have a Honda 20hp on mine.

I've been watching your channel since you started working on the Cushman meter maid and have learned so much from you and Taryl

I have 'assembled' several of these Kohler engines using parts from multiple engines. Often, the difference in horsepower are ignition-system and carburetor (everything else remains the same) Swapping heads is a great way to end up with a usable engine. (and a bunch of spare-parts) The MOST TROUBLESOME part seems to be those valvecover-mounted fuel-pumps.

Love the wheelies at the end!! Hilarious!!!

Another morning spent watching Musti1 and sipping my coffee. Glad you got your "Termite" running again. Looking forward to the engine build/swap around to get 1 good engine.

I do look forward to seeing a dissection of the dead engine and trying to make a good motor out of the three! good stuff as always sir.

Hi, Many thanks. LOVE to see the postmortem and a rebuild.

Awesome video Mustie. I would love to have that tractor! I always look forward to watching you're video's! Keep up the awesome work.

I am a mack/Volvo mechanic definitely recommend a alignment when new steer tires are installed.

Worrying that 3 of those engines lost the same cylinder... Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦

When I see these engine replacement videos now, imma say VW air cooled every time! 🤣🤣 ...and yes, I know I know, I'm kidding this time. Mostly. 🤣

At 27:50 I fell in love with the old moped in the back.

Mustie, great save! But only you would have 3 more identical engines in the loft! 🤠

Forever the ten year old boy doing wheelies at the end. Great video Darren 😄😄😄

I love it your vid. I have never seen anyone straighten a push rod before, now i know why. Wonderful.

Well dude, welcome to the world of kolar problems. Those rockers are famous for getting loose and blowing up heads had a few of them myself to the point when I do oil changes I check to make sure the rockers are tightened to spec as part of my routine maintenance. Just a bad design I guess but they have never fixed it.

Love watching people make things work

Glad you fixed the little backhoe & srtpping/rebuilding those other dodgy two bangers would be a neat video especially if the blown lump could be used to help in some way , great Sunday watching as always 😀 🎉

I love it when you put out a new video, and that was a great free fix. That would be a handy machine to have, i used to run a jcb extend a hoe when i worked at the cemetery, and that thing was sketchy in the winter digging on a pretty big hill sideways. I used to tell the guy's i'll dig this one, you got kid's. The sketchy part was that whoever laid out the place should have had the graves facing straight up and down the hill, but instead, many are laid out sideways, which is pretty bad on some of the steepest area's, especially when the ground freezes, and the stabilizers won't bite in, and you start sliding. The worst part was setting the vault, because i lifted it with the front bucket and carried it up hill, and that was really the dicey part of it. I had the stabilizers out so if it tipped, it would keep it from flipping. G-d bless from a lady in michigan.

Nice one Darren another machine fixed awesome

Thanks again for another awesome video I learn a lot every time I watch ya....

I got a hernia just watching you lift those engines! LOL cool flames out of the exhaust!!

Cool little piece of equipment

Dr. Mustie is in the OR. doing a heart transplant. Will the operation be a success? One way or another it will happen. Duct tape, hot glue, jb weld, or a two pound sledge the Dr. Will pull it off!!! Thanks for sharing Doctor!!!

Don’t mind these spelling freaks Darren, we know what you meant, ‘thru’!

Another great video. What a fantastic machine. I've been looking for one that is somewhat affordable in my area for a long time. Glad you got it back in service.

Frankenstein.. 'It's alive'! haha. and it wouldn't be a Mustie1 video without the jokes 😂 Look forward to seeing what happened to the engine that blew up. Been great 'hanging around and doing some wrenching with ya' 👍

When push rods bend again after straightening and the other cylinder has good compression, that almost always means bent valves on the bad side. What happens is the valves don't close all the way because they are bent, so the hydraulic lifter expands to keep the lash good. Now when the cam opens the valves with expanded liters, the valve spring gets fully compressed and stops the rocker arm from moving further. As the cam pushes the lifter up more something has to give. The weakest part in the linkage is the push rod so it bends...again...

i could hear the rods knocking in buffalo ny on that machine when you. We're pulling the bug buss apart lol

Always amazes me how access to power tools causes blindness to the easy way and creates extra work! You could have left the UJ coupler attached, blocking the fan cover, if you were prepared to use a hand ratchet to undo the crank nose bolts. As it turned out, you would have had to split it anyway, to use the other fan shroud and metal mesh cover, but you had no way of knowing that while you were struggling to create access for the gun. Power tools are great, but they’re not a replacement for hand tools. You’ve got to use both!

Through a rod? That must have been tough! I would like to see an engine go through a rod.

Excellent, as always! But I missed how Darren did the oil drain access? Thanks for the videos! 👍👍

Thankfully Mustie's work is better than his spelling. Through vs Threw a rod?

You make it look so easy, that I now have a tiller in my yard that won’t run! Lol

Love the Victory Wheelies at the end!!

Don’t you just love it when everything slides home.

Well done sir. Now all you need to do is print a big decal for it that says.......TONKA

popping wheelies mustie you big show off good to see the little termite working good again

Nice save. Always like the "free and easy" repair over the 'hard and big buck" ones. I would hurt myself with that thing. 🙂

You need to find a steam-jenny or something like it to clean that engine up and the rest of the backhoe . power washers just don't do it justice on heavy equipment. you need heated water to cut the grime on them . MOS 1341 you buddy will know tell him semper-Fi brother.

That looks like a cub cadet drive shaft laying there on pallet. That's what in mower have here 20hp Kohler command. Locked up. Try get it going for pops this spring. Lol best one is on the backhoe and its toast. Priceless.