well i have been useing my tractor to plow snow , this winter , when it is cold the loader wont move at all , i have to run the tractor about 10 min. then it works fine , if i move the steering wheel to the right or left and hold it , the loader trys to move but real slow, let off the steering wheel and it stops , let it run for about 10 min. and it works fine , i have changed the oil with the napa wo 32 , i think thats what it is , and its full , i was told it was a bad stearing box , and was told it was a bad deverter vale , i asked the guy at Northen and he dont seam to know what it is , i know when it gets about 60 Deg. out it will work fine , but i would like to fix it if i can fiend out what to fix , any help would be great , Thanks Frank From Near Erie Pa .
204 Nortrac Bad Steering Box Or Valve ?
- Thread starter Frankm
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greg_g
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2003
- Messages
- 6,126
- Location
- Western Kentucky
- Tractor
- JD3720 Cab, 300X loader with 4-in-1 bucket
Even AW32 is thicker when cold than when hot. I see no mention of your checking the hydraulic fluid suction screen. If that's clogged, you may be waiting for even the AW32 to warm up until it's thin enough to get through the suction screen. Changing out OE fluids is a good thing. Not flushing before pouring in the good stuff ain't.
//greg//
//greg//
Yeah,,you need to check hydro screen in hydro tank,,it goes down in under seat,,take line off than take bolts out plate,,be very gentle,,pulling it up,,,you can take it off and clean with kerosine or desil,,new gasket might be needed you can make one outta cork gasket sheet,,,
I bought a nortrac to,and they did do a very good job assemblying tractor,replaced raditiator hoses and many other things,,but that hydro fluid when I drained mine for the heck of it at about 50-100 hours was brownish like chocolate milk,,and screen had two dimed sized holes in it,,they sent me new screen free,,,,,it sometimes may be so dirty that it needs drained twice.
Also,you live in erie pa. !! its cold there,[course you knew that],,,maybe in winter you might wanta think about an even lighter oil in hydro?? do they make a lighter hydro oil?? sure they do?,,,you got to let it warm up too,,might take 1/2 an hour if its real cold,,you might wanta think about an raditiator hose heater or block heater,,,info is everywhere,,one goes in your rad hose and heats coolant and thus block,,other goes in freeze plug in block.
thingy
I bought a nortrac to,and they did do a very good job assemblying tractor,replaced raditiator hoses and many other things,,but that hydro fluid when I drained mine for the heck of it at about 50-100 hours was brownish like chocolate milk,,and screen had two dimed sized holes in it,,they sent me new screen free,,,,,it sometimes may be so dirty that it needs drained twice.
Also,you live in erie pa. !! its cold there,[course you knew that],,,maybe in winter you might wanta think about an even lighter oil in hydro?? do they make a lighter hydro oil?? sure they do?,,,you got to let it warm up too,,might take 1/2 an hour if its real cold,,you might wanta think about an raditiator hose heater or block heater,,,info is everywhere,,one goes in your rad hose and heats coolant and thus block,,other goes in freeze plug in block.
thingy
Yes When i changed the oil i did clean the screen, there was not anything in it , is there an ajustment any place on the flow of it , like i said when its cold the loader or the 3 Point hitch wont move at all , the power steering seams to work fine , so why does it work when its cold ? its no big deal i let it run for about 10 min. befor i try to use it may be thats just the way its going to be ewhen its cold, i have a friend with a Kabota, said his loader workd the same cold or hot ?
Well I don't have a loader,,so can't say really,,anybody got a loader on one in cold climates? Maybe you already said,,but how cold we talking about here? When it warms up,every thing work alright? How long does it take to warm up and work alright? Does it ever work alright? or just when its warmed up? details,,the mecanics need,,,, thingy
RonMar
Elite Member
You might also be sucking a bit of air. When the fluid is cold, the vacume on the suction side of the pipe is greater. It is far easier to draw in air than pump cold fluid so some air could be drawn in at the union on top of the resovoir or where the pipe meets the pump or even a pinhole or small crack in a suction pipe.
The description of the loader working slowly when the wheel is turned is interesting. The fluid flow is from pump thru loader control valve to diverter valve. There the flow can split. The main flow is from the diverter back to the 3PH control valve. These tractors originally came with manual steering. The diverter valve was added to give steering hydraulic priority over the 3PH. When you turn the wheel, fluid is drawn thru the diverter and a spring activated plunger in that valve moves, opening a larger port to send the fluid to the steering.
The steering box is a valve and a pump, that is why you can turn the wheels without the engine running as long as there is fluid between the box and the cylinder. Turning the steering wheel may help draw the fluid thru the main hydraulic pump and the loader control valve, that is most likley why the loader will move slowly when the wheel is turned.
How many hours do you have on this machine? Another possibility is a cracked pump housing or bad seal on the suction side. Again sucking air instead of fluid. Or if this problem has been going on for a while, the rotor or housing inside the pump may be worn/damaged(they need fluid flow for cooling/lubrication) and it may not be able to develop the required suction to move the fluid.
The description of the loader working slowly when the wheel is turned is interesting. The fluid flow is from pump thru loader control valve to diverter valve. There the flow can split. The main flow is from the diverter back to the 3PH control valve. These tractors originally came with manual steering. The diverter valve was added to give steering hydraulic priority over the 3PH. When you turn the wheel, fluid is drawn thru the diverter and a spring activated plunger in that valve moves, opening a larger port to send the fluid to the steering.
The steering box is a valve and a pump, that is why you can turn the wheels without the engine running as long as there is fluid between the box and the cylinder. Turning the steering wheel may help draw the fluid thru the main hydraulic pump and the loader control valve, that is most likley why the loader will move slowly when the wheel is turned.
How many hours do you have on this machine? Another possibility is a cracked pump housing or bad seal on the suction side. Again sucking air instead of fluid. Or if this problem has been going on for a while, the rotor or housing inside the pump may be worn/damaged(they need fluid flow for cooling/lubrication) and it may not be able to develop the required suction to move the fluid.
RonMar
Elite Member
Frankm said:
Yep, the diverter is a quick and easy inspect, one large endcap plug and you will find a sliding valve assembly with orifice holes and a spring. Pretty simple device. If it was failing, it would most likley stick one way or another leaving you with power steering and no 3PH or vis versa, but you would still have flow thru the loader valve and it should still work.
If the diverter valve was restricting the flow, you would have other issues such as stalled engine due to hydraulic pump overload, blown/leaking hoses and plumbing, blown and leaking seals or cracked pump housing.
The problem you describe of no function untill the pump and oil is warm sounds like it isn't getting any flow at all. This leads me to think that the pump is loosing prime due to an air leak which is made worse by the thicker cold fluid or the pump is having a problem building pressure when cold due to an internal leak or cracked housing, again made worse by the cold thick fluid. Have you put a pressure gauge on it to see if it is making enough pressure(when working) to activate the safety bypass on the loader valve? You can hear this valve "wooshing" when you fully extend or fully retract the lift or dump cylinders and keep holding the lever. It is usually good to know what pressure it is relieving at anyway. When it is working is it smooth or do you experience jerking operation(a sign of air in the system).
What does the fluid look like? With clean clear oil you should be able t see several inches into it. Entrapped air bubbles will make the oil opaque as will entrapped moisture. Moisture in the oil will freeze, further restricting the oil flow when really cold.
When i got the Tractor , at about 3 Hr , they had to replace the pump and the loader valve , it would just about move , the loader ,the oil it is clean i changed it at 10 Hr , only other thing i see is when i let the bucket down some times it makes the oil come out the breather on the dip stick, i will still take the valve apart and take a look .
