Took a CHANCE, Bought a 7234/Excessive Smoke/no power

   / Took a CHANCE, Bought a 7234/Excessive Smoke/no power #1  

F100Panel

Silver Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2004
Messages
132
Location
Renss. County NY
Tractor
Usually something with a Loader
Saw this 7234 4x4 with Loader on E-Bay. Bought it for what I'd guess the loader would go for ( IF some one actually needed a loader..other than that the loader ain't much..:) ) Problem that has to be dealt with once delivered- Excessive smoke and lacks power. Starts OK/loader & power steering work OK, no noises reported and the 3 point hitch don't lift/I have no use for that anyway....... Nothing else known about the tractor... I'm hoping I find a mouse nest in the air intake or muffler but likely it will need an engine..especially after reading some posts here about Cub Cadets... If I had read them first I probably wouldn't have bought the tractor-I thought Mitsubishi made good stuff? BUT, I've managed to find an owners manual on line but not a service manual on line that has service info for the engine. Anyone have a link for the engine service or tractor service and repair in general that includes the engine? With that any Cub guys out there that may have seen this before & and have some ideas of what I should look at off the top of their head? Is the pump for the 3 point lift & Loader/power steering Hydaulics one and the same? It would be nice if the 3 point hitch pump was different & causing the engine to be under load all the time but at this point I'm just fishing for things to look at when it arrives and fully prepared that it may need an engine....
 
   / Took a CHANCE, Bought a 7234/Excessive Smoke/no power
  • Thread Starter
#3  
THANK YOU!!! For the Manual Old Machinist.. I always thought Cub Cadet was a well made line of Tractors.. The more I read MTD seems to have taken them over? If thats the case then I expect junk much the same way MTD ruined the Troy Built line.. I'm from the Troy NY area.. Gardenway going under was a SAD thing to see....Then even worse the Troy Built name start appearing on pieces of tin tractors at the box stores.... Though there still appears to be a Cub Cadet fan base here on TBN...

I'm still trolling for ideas though from anybody who may have seen this before/excessive smoke & lack of power..
 
   / Took a CHANCE, Bought a 7234/Excessive Smoke/no power #4  
If you can rebuild with new pistons, sleeves, and bearings the engine should run like new.
 
   / Took a CHANCE, Bought a 7234/Excessive Smoke/no power #5  
You didn't say what color smoke.

Black smoke is usually a signal that there's too much fuel, not enough air or injector pump timing is off. One of the most common causes of this condition is an air inlet restriction. The cause may be a dirty air filter, a collapsed intake hose or even an exhaust restriction.

White smoke usually occurs when there is not enough heat to burn the fuel. The unburned fuel particles go out the tailpipe and typically produce a rich fuel smell. It's not unusual to see white smoke in the exhaust during cold weather until the engine warms up.
Bad glow plugs or a faulty glow plug control module can cause white smoke on engine start up. Low engine cranking speed may also produce white smoke.
If white smoke is still visible after the engine has warmed up, the engine may have one or more bad injectors, retarded injection timing or a worn injection pump. Low compression can also be a source of white smoke. Air in the fuel system can also cause white smoke.
 
   / Took a CHANCE, Bought a 7234/Excessive Smoke/no power
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Old Machinist- Black smoke all the time... I'm thinking air restriction either exhaust or intake, bad injectors letting in too much fuel? or Timing off.. If there was not enough compression, white or blue smoke all the time? Any of my ideas have merrit in your mind? Or any more you may have?
 
   / Took a CHANCE, Bought a 7234/Excessive Smoke/no power #7  
That's where I'd start. Could just be a clogged air filter or rodent nest like you said. Then I'd have a diesel shop test the injectors. Next would be the pump timing. Pump timing is controlled by adding or subtracting shims where it mounts and is covered in the service manual.
 
   / Took a CHANCE, Bought a 7234/Excessive Smoke/no power
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Thank YOU!!! Old Machinist.. A second opinion is always good for pumping up the ambition to get'er done...:)
 
   / Took a CHANCE, Bought a 7234/Excessive Smoke/no power #9  
I have never owned a cub but have owned six or seven 3 and 4 cylinder Mitsubishi tractors and have been impressed with every one of them. I currently have about 1400+ trouble free hrs on a 24 hp 3 cylinder Mits and it still runs like the day I got it 7 yrs/1000 hrs ago. I think the others are right on track about it either being an air or fuel issue. You mention that the black smoke is constant and assume that this means even while sitting at idle as well ( i.e. tractor not in gear and putting a load on the engine) but if not, I also want to throw out the possibility that it is simply something that is putting a constant load on the engine, like stuck brakes or even (maybe) a frozen bearing, etc in the drive train???

As far as the 3 point hitch, I'm curious why you don't need it? One thing you may not have considered is that if you are going to be using the loader much you will definitely want the 3 point to attach some counter weight to. It may be a simple fix, I have been down that road on several occasions. Assuming the loader works then it's not a pump issue so it could be a lost pin in the linkage ( first place to check), a worn seal on the lift cylinder or trash stuck in the relief valve or control valve. The last three require a little more disassembly but certainly doable with a manual and basic tools/ mechanical ability. Good luck and keep us posted on what you find.

On edit: I looked at what I assume was the auction ( http://cgi.ebay.com/1997-Cub-cadet-...?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Tractors&hash=item2ead3da722 ) and I'd say you got a good deal. I don't think you you have a major issue at hand. Even if it is new injectors or an injector pump rebuild you are probably only looking at $300-$400 for the latter. I don't have a stitch of faith in MTD but Mitsubishi makes solid tractors and I seriously doubt you have serious problems based on the black smoke. When you say "lacks power", how bad is it?
 
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   / Took a CHANCE, Bought a 7234/Excessive Smoke/no power #10  
Ok, I'm gonna throw this out there.
I have a 5264D. 3 cyl daihatsu diesel.
My 3point control does NOT pop back to neutral once it reaches the top of it's travel. Hence, when the mower deck, rake, weight box etc... Get to the highest point, I HAVE to center the lift lever or my tractor has NO power & I can hear the pto pump straining.
If your 3point isn't responding at all I'd check for a bent/broken linkage holding the valve open.
Good luck!
 
 
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