JD 3010: Oil dripping from everywhere

[MinnesotaGuy84]

My john deere 3010 diesel recently started dripping oil slow from several locations. The dipstick showed it had plenty of oil. I was told by a guy that when it's really cold (as it has been) that oil may leak. I didn't worry about it too much. Tonight there was a loud noise while operating. Then oil started leaking profusely from this down spout type thing located under the tractor, pretty much underneath the fuel filters. Oil continues to drip from several spots that are actually tightened down good. And today is the first warmish day we've had in a long time (~20 degrees above zero).

any ideas whats going on and how I should proceed?

 

[davesl708]

Did you determine where the loud noise came from? Did it continue to make noise?
Can you give more detail on the down spout your referencing? Is it the vent from the valve cover?
Are you finding engine oil or hydraulic oil?

 

[Mace Canute]

Maybe it's a line to the power steering up under the dash. My 3010 developed a crack in the pressure line last year and soaked everything with hydraulic fluid. Fortunately my buddy and not me was running it at the time! Our deal is I buy them and he fixes them and gets to use them.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Our deal is I buy them and he fixes them and gets to use them.

That is an interesting way to do it. With the right guys it would be a win/win situation.

Sorry about the hijack.

gg

 

[Dave M7040]

There have been many posts about cold weather causing freeze up problems in the crankcase venting systems on some tractors.
Don't know your model but one more thing to consider. When the vent system freezes closed, pressure builds up in the crankcase forcing oil out everywhere.
On some tractors with turbos, the engines can run away and self destruct, as they are running on crankcase oil and turning the key off does not stop the engine.
The oil is forced out of the engine and up the turbo oil drain line and in that way the oil becomes the fuel until there is not enough left to lubricate the engine and it fails.
Dave M7040

 

[MinnesotaGuy84]

I think I've deduced that I'm getting diesel fuel in the crank case. Pressure got super high causing oil/diesel to weep here and there. I've come to learn that where I said the oil was dripping heavily from is the crank case vent. The dip stick reads off the charts.

So, how would diesel be getting into the crank case?

Thanks

 

[varmint]

I was going to make a stupid comment like "if you had a Kubota..." but this reads like the guys with Kubotas with cold weather ice blockage crankcase venting issues and runaway engines! Check for those threads, maybe they will shed light on your very problem! Good luck with this, and hopefully no lasting damage is done.

 

[davesl708]

How old and how many hours on the tractor?
Could be a hole blew in the top of a piston. How is the tractor running? Rough? That might explain the loud noise you heard.

You can find a bad piston with a compression tester. Or pull a injector and look inside.

 

[ovrszd]

It's gonna take more investigation on your part to figure this out.

Don't start the engine again without draining the crankcase down to a normal level.

The diesel fuel would be coming from the injector pump I'd guess. Not sure what type pump that engine uses. Again guessing that the pump is gear driven off the engine and could be blowing diesel thru a seal into the engine.

 

[Dave M7040]

I had not realized how old a JD 3010 was until I googled it and came up with these University of Nebraska tests from 1960.
The comment in the report about the engine fuel system about a fuel filter screen in the pump gave me the idea I have described.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1388&context=tractormuseumlit

My best guess is that there is a simple mechanical lift pump on the side of the engine, not the injection pump, and possibly on the opposite side of the engine.
This pump's job is to provide the injection pump with a steady supply of fuel from the tank.
I have marked the pump on the photo with a red arrow.

This pump would be a simple diaphragm which is moved up and down to pump fuel as the engine rotates.
These diaphragms develop cracks over the years and dump fuel into the engine since they have a lever which enters into the engine crankcase.
If your fuel tank is full, it is possible that gravity is supplying the injection pump with fuel even though the lift pump is starting to fail.

Unbolt the lift pump from the engine leaving the lines attached. operate the lever coming from the bottom of the pump and see if fuel comes out around the lever.
If it does you have the source of the problem.
Here is picture of pump and red arrow pointing to lever where fuel can leak out around it.

Here is a picture of the internal pump parts with an arrow pointing to the diaphragm which fails.

Dave M7040