The Cub Cadet 782 Lives! Onan P218G Engine - First Start in 13+ Years

The moment of truth! It only took me 5 months of wrenching (whenever I could find time), but I finally got the Onan P218G engine ready to mount and run in the Cub Cadet 782. In this video, you'll see the old Onan come to life after sitting idle for more than 13 years. That's not an exaggeration either; this engine was pulled out of a John Deere 318 back in 2005 right after the previous owner put a brand new carburetor on it. I have the original Onan box that the carb came in, and it has a 2005 manufacture date on the label. Since the last update video, I installed a new wiring harness in the 782 (it's for an earlier IH-built 782, so it doesn't have the neutral safety or reverse PTO relays built in). Also replaced the key switch and fuses. I found all the missing engine tins needed in order to bolt the 982 muffler shrouds up. But the tins were either rusty or had mismatched black paint, so I dropped all the tins off at a local powdercoating shop to get sandblasted and coated in satin black. I also had to replace the cheap eBay starter with a higher-quality starter because the eBay one didn't have enough power to crank the engine over, even with a full 12 volts from the battery. I got the new starter and engine tins installed, and mounted the P218G engine in the tractor once again. Hooked up the driveshaft and tightened all the CV joint screws, wired up the coil and regulator, installed the fuel tank with new shutoff valve and fuel lines, replaced the air filter & spark plugs, and changed the engine oil to Rotella 15w40 diesel oil (my go-to for opposed-twin engines). Also changed the oil filter and installed a new filter grommet (to keep the engine from losing any cooling air around the oil filter hole). I primed the carb and checked to make sure the fuel pump worked. Turned the key, and.....I'll let the video tell the rest of the story! Once I get a few more hours of run-time on the tractor, I will start piecing it back together. It's going to be a very tough worker when I'm finished with it...planning to add power steering, dual brakes, three-point hitch, and lots of other accessories down the road.