I have a 4010 John Deere with six holes on the side of the block about the size of a BB. Water seeps out of the third hole from the front. How can I stop the leak, and what are those holes for? My neighbor's 4010 started leaking out one of those holes, and he drove a piece of wood into it, stopping his leak. Should I do the same thing?
The holes in your block are "weep holes." Older John Deere tractor engines had them, but they later stopped casting them in the block. Your engine is "wet-sleeved," which means the sleeve containing the piston has coolant directly around a replaceable liner, quickly dispensing heat.
The lower portion of the liner is sealed against the block with O rings. The top O ring seals the coolant in the top; the bottom O ring seals the oil in the pan. Between the rings is an open slot that runs to the outside of the block.
This weep hole lets you know when the top O ring is allowing coolant to seep by it, showing up on the outside of the engine. Although coolant is leaking past the top O ring and out the weep hole, the bottom O ring can continue to seal both the coolant and oil in their respective places.
So, when you plug the weep hole from the outside, you may think your problem is solved, and it is solved until the bottom O ring begins leaking coolant into the oil pan. If this happens, you will "weep" when the mechanic gives you the bill. The weep hole is a heads-up. It's there to alert you about a possible upcoming big problem.
I have a John Deere 5510 utility tractor that we use for almost everything on the farm. We usually try to do our own repair in order to save money, but sometimes we get in trouble—like now. The hydraulics appear to be simple, but I think I'm missing something. While the hydraulics seem to be strong, they work in jerks—and slowly. I just knew it was the hydraulic filter, so I changed the filter and oil. Same thing—slow and jerky. Got any ideas? The tractor has 1,800 hours on it.
More than likely, you have an easy fix here. Even good mechanics overlook simple fixes.
On the back of your tractor, below and to the right of the PTO shaft, is a cover for a wire screen hydraulic filter. The cover—with two cap screws—seals with an O ring. Remove the cover, then the filter; you will lose most of your new oil, so grab a drain pan. Clean the scum and debris off the filter with soap and water. Then dry the filter and reinstall it.
Refill your system with new oil and you're ready to go.
I have two old Oliver tractors. One runs on gas, the other on diesel. Both of them get fuel in the oil. I need some help fixing them because a new tractor costs more than I paid for my farm. I have rebuilt the carburetor on the gas tractor and had the injector pump rebuilt on my diesel. What now?
The gas tractor is easy. Your carburetor is flooding after you stop the tractor. The fuel system is gravity flow, and the needle and seat in the carburetor are not shutting off the fuel, which can create an extreme flooding condition.
The gas runs out of the carburetor, up the manifold and into the engine. The best way to prevent this flooding is to shut off the gas after use.
Even though the old parts look OK and the float's level is set correctly, I have found, many times, that replacing the float along with the needle and seat in the carburetor will fix flooding problems. Be sure the float level is set correctly after you replace the needle, the seat and float. The closest point to the carburetor is usually around 1/4 inch.
Diesel getting into the oil is a problem that is a little more difficult to diagnose. The three areas from which diesel can get into the crankcase are through the transfer pump, through the seal on the injector pump and when there is raw fuel in the cylinder.
The transfer pump transfers fuel from the tank to the injector pump. Not all tractors have transfer pumps that "touch" oil. Some fuel systems are gravity flow, and some have an electric pump in the fuel tank.
The manual pump is usually mounted on the side of the engine block and is operated by a lobe on the camshaft. If the diaphragm in the pump leaks, diesel fuel runs directly into the oil pan.
The front seal on the injector pump must contain the fuel in the pump. If it leaks, diesel fuel ends up in the engine oil. Just keep in mind this seal is sometimes difficult to install without damaging it. It is not uncommon for the diesel-in-oil problem to persist if this seal has been incorrectly installed.
Raw diesel fuel can end up in the cylinder due to a faulty injector or low compression. The tractor can miss, have one or more dead cylinders and "slobber" out of the exhaust. The raw fuel seeps past the rings and into the crankcase.
Whatever is causing gas or diesel fuel to get into your engine crankcase needs immediate attention.
All indicators on the dashboard of my Ford 2600 tractor have stopped working. I replaced the oil pressure and temperature gauge with mechanical gauges. I want to replace the alternator and hook up a mechanical amp gauge. A friend of mine suggested a one-wire alternator. What would you suggest?
The one-wire alternator has become very popular. It works great and is easy to install. You simply run the wire from the post on the alternator to the positive side of the amp gauge.
From the other post on the amp gauge, run the wire to the starter solenoid where the positive battery cable fits. You may have to rev up your tractor in order to initially "excite" the alternator to make it charge, but other than that, they work just like a multi-wire alternator.
Note: If your tractor came with a generator and is positive ground, you will need to make sure that you hook up your battery negative ground and that your system is 12 volts.