By
rmissildine
Hello all. I'm new to the forum and have read all the posts I could find concerning the 550 Mule, so far no one with my problem. So, I'll give it a go and hopefully get an answer.
I got this mule about three years ago, had to do some minor repairs, and it's been a great machine. Last fall, I noticed an oil leak coming from the left side around the crankcase cover. I was able to slow the leak considerably, but it still leaked. I never had the time to tear it down due to work. I retire in March of this year and decided to fix it with a new cover gasket. I ordered a new gasket and crankshaft seal and while waiting for them to arrive, I began the tear down and cleaning of the mating surfaces. Got the seal and gasket installed and the cover back on and torqued. Decided to crank it up and let it idle a bit to check for any oil leaks before I put the converters back on. Fired right up, let it idle for about 10 minutes, no leaks. I'm happy at this point...
Next day, installed the inside converter cover, new belt and converters, not the outside cover though. I wanted to see how the new belt was going to work out. I still had the rear end jacked up so it wouldn't move. Guess what, it wouldn't start up. Cranked over like always, just wouldn't start... Now I'm bummed. So I start checking gas, spark and everything is good. Even tried a squirt of starting fluid, and it did fire a couple of times but no start. Now I'm even more bummed. Time for a break.
Now I've worked on everything from small engines to tractors and have never had this problem. After a little thought I decided to run a compression test. The repair manual lists 115 - 178 psi as the correct range, I had 30 psi!!!!! What in the world happened over night. I did spray a light oil into the cylinder and it came up to about 60 psi but that was all I could get. I checked the valve clearances, their good.
Sorry for the long post, but I hope someone can point me in the right direction cause I really like this little machine.
Thanks for your help,
Roger
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