Tractor Repair: MF 285 Engine, head gasket problems, massey ferguson 285

Question
I have a Massey Ferguson 285 (not sure of the year; approx. 4900 hours; Perkins engine) in which the engine has given us a fair bit of trouble over the 15 years that we have had it.  We have been told by our mechanic that the engines in these tractors are notorious for various problems that in the end always cost a lot to fix.  Our current problem is this: the head gasket blew between cylinders 1 & 2 with piston 2 being scored from chunks of the head gasket being imbedded in the piston.  Between those two pistons where the gasket blew, the engine block material has been slightly eroded such that there is an easily noticeable depression.  Our options seem to be: to have the engine block welded and machined back down and rebuilt; get a used engine block to replace the current one and rebuild; or put in a complete used engine.  Given the reputation that these engines have, another option that I have suggested to our mechanic is whether or not we can out a larger engine into this tractor.  Are there any larger (more horsepower; either 4 or 6 cylinder) engines that would fit the rest of the tractor?  The rest of the tractor is built fairly heavily so as long as everything were to attach at the engine split, it would be able to handle the extra power.  What would you suggest as the most cost effective way of getting this tractor back into service?  Is it worth it?  

Thanks in advance for any help,
MW

Answer
  I asked him today what they did, and he said Perkins revised the head bolts several times because of the problems.  At one time, they changed from bolts to studs, and later back to bolts again because the studs would stretch and still did not fix the problem.  He said they fixed it one last time and then sold it to someone who had the problem happen again.  That person took it to a dealer near Lacrosse, WI that finally fixed the problem.  I thought they somehow reworked the engine so they could put in larger bolts, but he said the bolts were still the same size, but were made of a different material that was much harder, so the bolts could be torqued much tighter without the bolts stretching or breaking.  He said there is no other engine that would fit the tractor.  According to him, the cylinder sleeves should only be installed by an engine machine shop, and then honed after they are pressed in because they are easily distorted while being installed, and that could result in scoring the pistons again.
                Good luck,

                      Arnie


Hello,

  Yes, I have heard about these being notorious for head gasket problems.  Perkins designed it with the head bolts being too small so not enough torque could be applied to retain the gasket.  I would think that fixing the block would be less expensive than replacing it, but I don't have all the facts, so I can't advise you on that.  I have no info on whether a different engine will fit or not.  Someone that I work with had this same problem and I will ask him what they did and do a follow-up on this question tomorrow.

                    Arnie