Low compression in farmall 706

I'm looking at buying a farmall 706, the guy wants $1,650 for it. Runs and drives, not much tred on tires but hold air. Narrow front looks really nice but has low compression.
How expensive is this to fix? Roughly I know I haven't given you much to go on.
I haven't been able to talk to the guy yet so I dont know any more then this.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
-Garrett

Low compression wet or dry? If it gets better wet it will need rings and maybe sleeves, a lot more parts.If it doesn't change, Head work is around 4-500 if you can do the work taking off and putting back on, probably the minimum. I found splitting the tractor makes life easier over all. Burned valves is common enough. How mechanical are you?

"How expensive is this to fix?"

Gas or diesel?

That would be a big $$$ question as to the cost .

It's a gas.

How mechanical am I? Decently enough, my dad would be able to help and he is more mechanical then me.

New rear tires: $1500
Overhaul kit: $1000
Overhaul labor: $1000 or 40 hours of your time?
Value of tractor after repairs are completed: $3000 to $4000

Poor tires and low compression could be signs there is more "deferred maintenance" needed:
replace fluids, hoses, belts, maybe clutch or T/A, etc.

Can you use it "as-is" for a while then sell/trade it in when you need something better?

Buy it drive it use it if it has bad blowby out the vent, and uses oil like an unloading tanker, then fix it, it could be what you need as is. tires are not cheap, but you should be able to sell it for what you have in it. Jim

Have you checked the compression, or is that what the seller is saying?

You can tell a lot just listening to it run.

If it idles well at low RPM, the compression is probably at an acceptable level.

A lazy puffing of vapor out the cc vent is normal, blowing, or one cylinder puffing excessively, blowing oil droplets, not good.

Blue exhaust smoke on acceleration or under load, not good.

History of fouling plugs not good.

If you can, pull the coil wire, crank the engine through, listen for freewheeling cylinders that don't load the starter.

And there are other things that can cause low compression, something as simple as a broken valve spring, valve out of adjustment. Or a top end problem, valve burned or seat come out, bent, blown head gasket.

What do you plan on using it for and how much? It's going to use a lot of gas on top of all the repair expenses.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I talked to the seller and he said he only check 3 of the cylinders 1 of them was at 30
1 of them was at 100
And 1 of them was normal? Whatever that means

If you look at it, bring a compression gauge kit and check it yourself. Easy to do in about 15-30 minutes and you can look at the spark plugs when you get them out...that will tell you a lot.

I will throw in my fifty cents worth here , Since i know more about 706 gasser then anyone on here . Lets start with what engine as they used two engines , one is the C263 and on the later models they used a C291 . These engines have two different BORE CLASSES and what i mean here is the block bore is not all the same on either engine . once you have the head off and the top of the block cleaned up you will see letters by each hole and they can be and a - b - c - d , A AND B will take the same DRY sleeve and the FIT will work C and D class holes need a thicker sleeve as the bore was a little to big for the A and B sleeve . When you buy one of these after market kits they only come with the A B class bore , if you stuff and A or B into a C or D hole it will darn near fall in and it may run for a little while but it will snap off the lip of the sleeve and suck it down around the crank. The sleeves are a PRESS fit . No ya can get the correct sleeves for the bore class you have from Case I H but take you Nitro and a inhaler when they tell you the price per HOLE . The next down side to a 706 gasser is they do not like the gas ya get today , now IF you can find REAL 93 octane then they will run fine as that is the lowest octane they were designed to run on . Next up on the down side of the gassser is ya havve to run the Low Ash engine oil or they like to munch exhaust valves like M & M's . I personally ran a late model 706 gasser for years and got along doing everything it was designed to do . i pulled 4 x16 710 plow a I H 370 13.6 disc a four row planter with it i would buy any 706 gasser i could find and bring them home and get them back up and running and in the fields , all my friends bought them off me and they got along just fine with them TILL the oil companys changed the gas and we started eating pistons and scoring cylinders . Now there is only one left and it is setting in the weeds with a Newer Hy cap T/A clutch IDPTO shaft , new 15 GPM hyd pump a rebuilt PTo new clutch and pressure plate and one scrapped out piston , i am done putting in pistons as that one make piston # 16 that i have put in it due to the gas. If i do anything with that tractor it might get a 6.9 or a 7.3 . So if you want a 706 find a diesel the money you spend on a RUNNIG WORKING tractor will be money in the bank What you willo have in doing a correct out of chassis rebuild you will be looking at close to 4 grand , then when you find out that OH the clutch is out and low side of the T/A is toast your looking at 2500 or better then ya add i two new rear tires depending on if you want cheap China made or you want the Stones heres another 1200 to 2500 so that Cheap tractor by the time your done you could have bought and 886 that runs .

I just redid one last year and still have more work. mine was a 1964 with diesel 282 motor and it had no compression as the guy how own it before me used either. new piston and sleeves and the head all redone was almost $2000.00 and that was me doing the work. the head I had sent out and everything was replaced. and I knew I was getting in to a money pit but I planed on that when I got it.

Nice

I would pass on that one. You will need to get into that engine before you can work that tractor. A little more than just low compression,30 probably exhaust valve,100 likely rings. It has 6, what about the other 3? TV gave you a good cost estimate.

Thank you! I think I'll tak your advice and pass on this tractor.