Backhoe There's good days, bad days and there's today! Could use help on splitting a 4500

   / There's good days, bad days and there's today! Could use help on splitting a 4500 #1  

justneedit

New member
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Dec 10, 2009
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7
My 1970 4500 TLB with the 4spd. and torque converter has sprung a major tranny leak at the converter. Any advice on splitting her and what to look for when I get in there would be much appreciated. Still a pretty tight and good machine so I definitely want to fix it.
Thanks
 
   / There's good days, bad days and there's today! Could use help on splitting a 4500 #2  
I just did a split for a clutch on a 3000 8 speed. I'll try pasting my notes here, most of it will apply to your split on a 4500. Critical thing is to wedge boards on the front axle so front half of tractor won't rotate over when you slide halves apart. You have to have a manual too, there's too much to cover here.

Ford 3000 clutch job
1973 Diesel 3000 with 730 front end loader. This method rolls the back of tractor away from front due to the front end loader installed.
Prep: use labeled ziplock baggies for all bolts. Cut four 1x4 boards to about 2 feet. Have some 2x6, and 4x4 lumber available for blocks. Take digital photos of every part you remove, you’ll be glad you did.
1. Chock rear wheels, jack up front of tractor until bottom of enginblock is level (use level to check), and place boards under front tires. Mine took a 2x6 and a 1x6 under each front tire to be level. If engine is level it goes back together much easier. Chock front wheels. Cut some 1x4’s and pound wedges behind and under front axles on both sides. This keeps wheels and engine secure when you remove radius rods.

2. Loader: support front pump with wire, unbolt 2 bolts holding pump to bracket, pull pump fwd so shaft clears. This keeps pump shaft from bending when you unhook loader from rear axle. Support rear loader frame on blocks, unbolt loader from rear axle, lower with jack until loader just clears bolts, set on blocks. If bolts spin, cut with sawzall and replace later. Pry loader arms towards right wheel with long 2x4, then jack up to touch rear axle. This helps the loader control lever 90 deg return line fitting clear the dashboard.

3. Unhook back end of radius rods, unhook steering rods from steering box arms, remove lower steering box covers near stick shift. Unhook foot throttle linkage near steering box.
4. Hydraulic pump: remove bracket from hydraulic lines under center of fuel tank. Stuff paper towels under pump, clean lines near pump. Remove pressure line by unscrewing nut. Unhook larger suction/return line by pulling on it from right side of tractor, it is only held in by the o-ring. The IT manual says to remove the pump but this is not necessary, just unhook lines. Be sure to bleed pump before starting engine.


5. Starter: This was not as hard as they say. Remove negative cable from battery terminal for safety. Unhook kill knob cable so it is out of the way. No other line removal is needed. To remove starter I used a 3/8 ratchet, 6 inch extension, 9/16 deepwell socket. No u-joint was needed to remove the famous backside bolt. Take just the extension with socket on and slip it behind top half of starter, feeding it behind any fuel lines as you go. Locate the back bolt by feel with your left finger bent around starter flange-it’s about an inch below the top. Feel the socket approach the bolt head and guide it on. Now pull extension slightly away from engine, insert the ratchet into the extension and unscrew. See photo for exact location of ratchet extension.
Take photos, then unhook any wires, remove last bolt at top, then lower and rotate starter so gear housing of starter will clear the tractor. To re-install, use a ¼” x 6” ratchet extension, adapter for socket, ¼ ratchet, and short 9/16 socket. Tape bolt onto socket with electrical tape, tape all extension joints. Use left finger to feel bolt entering hole, then turn by hand to start threads.

Below is a photo of the hole where starter mounts, notice where the back bolt goes.

6. Misc. label and unhook voltage reg wires, and harness at gen, headlights, etc. Be sure to unbolt tank from regulator bracket, and 4 bolts from voltage regulator bracket at engine. Also unbolt front right tank bracket near battery tray. Pry loader arm away from dash with long 2x4 if necessary for return line fitting removal. Now unhook loader return line and fitting, install ¾ male pvc fitting into loader valve.
7. Put jacks in place, put equal pressure on both jacks. Unbolt 6 engine/trans bolts. On right side use extra floor jack and 2x4 on ratchet to loosen top bolt. On left side use mallet or jack handle under loader arm to loosen top bolt. Take out all bolts and slowly begin pulling halves apart. Measure as you go, any uneven gaps must be fixed as you go. Also check alignment of bolt holes to each other as a reference. At about 5 inches shaft will clear. Keep floor jack handle centered as you roll, have assistant watch that front bottle jack is not tipping. If so something is probably still hooked up. I left voltage regulator bracket bolts in by accident. I used chains and a truck to slowly pull back half away.






Re-attach return line now so it doesn’t leak.
8. If re-using pressure plate, wire3 arms down towards engine, remove clutch assy..


9. Place reference line on flywheel. Lay 4x4 across loader, strap to flywheel and remove it. Notice in photo below that clutch disc is facing backwards, with hub facing flywheel. This doesn’t seem to matter on double clutch models, however there is more spline contact when installed so it faces the pressure plate.

10. Remove rear engine cover plate. Now drain coolant and R&R 3 freeze plugs. For press in plugs, use a pin punch and mallet to tap edge of plug till it tilts sideways, then pull out with pliers. Apply light coat of Permatex #2 on new freeze plug edge and engine bore, then drive in new with largest socket that will fit inside plug. Do not skip Permatex, it will leak. I let permatex cure for a day then added coolant to check for leaks.


11. Remove old main seal by carefully drilling holes on each side and inserting sheet metal screws. Scrape away some rubber with flat screwdriver to see the metal part of seal. Drill small pilot hole in center of metal, then work up to final size for sheet metal screw. I tried a center punch to locate drill hole, but it only pushed seal in more, so I just held drill in place. A small drill bit will not walk if careful. Be sure not to hit crank or block when drilling or screwing. Once screws are in place, carefully wiggle seal out left and right with flat pry bar. Installing new main seal was a pain without the special tool. I made a ring out of two green sprinkler valve grates from the big box store. Cut the collar off of one and insert it inside other one. This equals the necessary 5” I.D. Grease up the new seal, get it started onto crank, lay 2x4 block across grate, then carefully tap on grate with mallet to install. Book says set face of seal .060 below surface, plus or minus .015”.

12. Now for the tranny side. Jack up bell housing enough to get oil level below the input shaft bearing carrier. Remove clutch release bearing by removing bolt and lock nut at center of cross shaft. Unhook clutch pedal rod, then slide out shaft. Rock fork forward and release bearing carrier will come out. Unbolt the small ring of bolts and slide out input shaft bearing carrier. On dual clutch models the input shaft won’t come out, just leave it in. Change the oil seal and needle bearing inside the carrier. Also change release bearing.
13. Next put in new tranny clutch disc and new pressure plate assy. I elected to re-use my old pressure plate, but I don’t advise it. Install 3 bolts just enough to hold some tension on clutch disc. Next get it in the ballpark with long screwdriver. Now insert the slightly greased alignment tool, wiggle and push till it’s in. I ordered a Ford 3000 clutch alignment tool from ebay for $15, made for my dual clutch model. It really worked well. Tighten all six flywheel bolts to spec, my 3000 was 15lbs.
14. I measured the release bearing to finger bolt clearance prior to connecting halves . I then set the pedal free play so I knew I would have the ¼ to 3/8 gap needed. I clamped two framing squares together and rested the legs on the engine block. Also measured the distance from bell housing to release bearing, then set clutch pedal to provide a ¼” gap. I also measured the finger bolt height down to the PTO hub. Photos below show crude but effective tools. The 2” PVC coupler sits on the PTO hub, you can then calculate the recommended 2.110 inches by measuring the gap with calipers.









15. RE-assembling: Check all splines and line up best you can. Carefully roll halves back together, measuring bell housing gap top bottom, left right and adjusting jacks as you go. I used some 6” 7/16 x 14 bolts with heads cut off as guide pins while I joined halves. Once splines are engaged, push rear tires and wiggle left and right till halves are close, then finish drawing together with bolts.
16. Now stop and check clutch operation: Set pedal free play to book, around 1 ½ inches. Engage PTO lever and have assistant press clutch pedal to floor. Turn PTO shaft by hand and note where pto shaft stops while assistant slowly raises clutch pedal. This should happen around 2 inches off floor. If not, roll tractor apart and adjust allen screws for pto clutch. A tighter gap raises clutch pedal engagement higher up. .010 is plenty enough to change pedal height.
 
   / There's good days, bad days and there's today! Could use help on splitting a 4500 #3  
The procedure is similar to a 3000, but here is a different approach:
1. Chock rear wheels. Wedge front axle on either side between top of axle and front end.
2. Lift loader all the way up. Fashion loader cylinder safety stops/struts out of 1/4" or heavier 2x2 angle iron that will fit over each cylinder rod. Secure with hose clamps to cylinder rod.
3. Disconnect drag link at steering pitman.
4. Drain loader hydraulics by disconnecting pump pressure and return lines along inside of loader frame. Cap/cover ends to prevent dirt contamination.
5. Remove muffler and hood assembly.
6. Disconnect battery and remove. Disconnect engine wiring harness from oil pressure switch, alternator/generator, temp. sender, intake heater and starter. Remove harnes from regulator. Pull harness back and hang/tie to loader arm.
7. Turn off fuel valve. Remove fuel line from filter. Remove injector leak-off line from #3 injector. Disconnect throttle linkage at injection pump. If possible, disconnect throttle linkage at opposite end as well, eliminate problems of it hanging up during split and reassembly.
8. Remove shutoff cable from injection pump lever. Remove manifold bolt holding shutoff cable support bracket and tie up with harness.
9. Remove fuel filter mount bolts and tie filter up about 1" higher so you have more room to remove starter.
10. Remove the 3 bolts on the starter and remove.
11. Remove timing cover screw and cover on lower RH bell housing below the starter.
12. Drain coolant and remove lower radiator hose to gain access to transmission cooler line. Remove the transmission cooler tubes from the bottom of the radiator and pull to left side. You may have to wait until you start to split to get them out of the way. (This is if the transmission filter is on LH side of transmission and not in front of the radiator.)
13. Put a bottle jack under bell housing and raise until firmly nested. Roll a 3-4 ton long floor jack under the front of the tractor and lift up under the oil pan until firmly in place. The oil pan should be cast iron.
14. Disconnect 6 bolts that secure the engine to transmission. Leave the 2 bottom bolts in place with nuts removed to help stabilize and act as guides while equalizing the jacks under the engine and bell housing. Drain the transmission.
15. Support the loader subframe towards the front of frame on each side with 4 to 6 ton bottle jacks. Disconnect subframe bolts from front bolster assembly. When bolts are removed, place blocks or jackstands under frame arms and transfer weight to jackstands from bottle jacks. Make sure that blocks or stands are firmly planted on floor and are stable. Check the wedges on front axle to make sure they are firmly in place.
16. Use 2x4's in front and back of front wheels to keep assembly from rolling unexpectedly. Slide 2x4's out about 6" on front of wheels and start splitting the engine away from the bell housing. Make sure that the assembly is moving straight and even from bell housing. Use 2x4's to hold the front end at desired position. When front end is approximately 3' from bell housing, you should have enough room to work on transmission. If you have the room, slide out further.
17. Remove the torque converter from the flywheel. Remove the flywheel from the crankshaft. Remove the steel plate from the back of the engine. Replace all 3 freeze plugs on back of engine. Replace rear main seal on crankshaft and install a speedi-sleeve on crankshaft where seal rides if wear groove is excessive.

At this point, I recommend replacing the torque converter flex plate, resealing the clutch pack/shuttle assembly, replace the friction discs and replace the transmission pump or inspect it at least. To remove the shuttle assembly, you need to remove 2 tubes from the cooler lines on the end of 2 large banjo fittings before you can pull the shuttle housing out.
Things to look for are wear on the torque converter ears and nose where the seal rides. Excessive wear from clutch plate splines into clutch housings. Sealing ring wear into housing bushings. Bearing wear into shuttle output shaft end race. Pump filter detached from filter housing.

Reassemble everything in reverse order. The torque converter will be installed on transmission pump and a box wrench for the converter to flywheel bolts will have to be bent to tighten the bolts through the starter hole in the bell housing from the backside of the converter. Alternative method is to bolt the torque converter to the flywheel and stab it back into transmission pump when sliding back together, rotating the flywheel with a screwdriver on the ring gear teeth to make sure the torque converter slides jnto the transmission pump correctly cand completely. I prefer doing it this way, but you risk damaging the transmission pump seal.
You will need to make some aligning studs that bolt into the bell housing and are approximately 6" long to aid in aligning the engine to bell housing. Make sure the 2 halves are evenly spaced top to bottom and side to side when pushing together. Don't force the 2 halves by bolting them together before the gap has closed to less than 1/4" to avoid damaging anything.
 
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   / There's good days, bad days and there's today! Could use help on splitting a 4500
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Many thanks to both of you guys! My computer is in the house and the machine is in the shop and I got started on it and forgot all about having posted this thread. I ended up splitting it the way TractorTech recommended. All went well except that most everything fought me coming apart. Not that surprizing on a 43 year old machine. She's split and now I've got to remove the pump and reverser mechanism. I have a shop manual and it doesn't look like a problem. TractorTech, you've spelled everything out in great detail so I think it'll go OK. Any advice on parts sources and torque convrter service?
 
   / There's good days, bad days and there's today! Could use help on splitting a 4500
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Had no time for it today and I'll be out of town the rest of the week so it will be the weekend of next week before anything else gets done on it.
 
 
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