In search of a rebuilt or salvaged M18 Universal for my girl. Trying to bring the original motor back to life, but not having much luck.Thought about the tractor motor but there are some parts issues with that route.I'm in Austin,Texas. Thanks
need rebuilt M18 Universal
- Thread starter lydiao
- Start date
In search of a rebuilt or salvaged M18 Universal for my girl. Trying to bring the original motor back to life, but not having much luck.Thought about the tractor motor but there are some parts issues with that route.I'm in Austin,Texas. Thanks
Your M-18 IS A TRACTOR motor. All Universal engines are Kobuta Tractor engine blocks, which are just marinized by installing a water impeller type pump & zincs. Otherwise there are identical to Kobuta tractor diesel engines. You can save a lot of money on your rebuild part requirements by purchasing the parts from a Kobuta Tractor dealer. You just have to find out the conversion number of a M-18 to the Kobuta part numbers, which may be in your engine owner's manual. The marine specific parts such as the heat exchanger & water pump & exhaust risers can be purchased from Westerbeake, who now owns Universal, but their parts are very expensive. I usually always feel that rebuilding what you've got is always cheaper then replacement, unless the block is cracked or extremely corroded. Its also good to know that your engine already fits in the existing motor mounts, & you can re-use your existing transmission & shaft set up, which is an expensive thing to modify, when you change engines, that most sailors never seem to factor in before they commit to an engine repower. Good luck on your rebuild.
The M18 is a tractor engine, Kubota Z600. If you can find one of those it will work. You'll need the exhaust manifold, bell housing, damper plate, raw water pump and maybe the engine mounts off the old one. Hopefully they're still good. Should be a lot cheaper than a used marine engine. You could go with a bigger Kubota, but then the manifold won't fit.