FEL control valve frozen this morning??

jodebg · Dec 18, 2013

Recently purchased my first tractor...2004 B7800 with 400 hours.

Started the tractor this morning at 25 degrees F. Let it run for approximately
15 minutes to warm up. Began slowly by operating the rear pto and then the
bucket, slowly.

When I was ready to drive out of the garage, I tried pushing the loader control
to the right to pivot the bucket and it would not move to the right at all-totally block from moving right.

Let it run a while longer and reattempts were unsuccessful.

Called the local dealer and he told me that the control valve had water in it and it was frozen.
Suggested a heat gun to melt the ice. Applied low heat for a few seconds and it came to life slowly.

He told me that I would have to take the control valve apart and remove the water.

*If I need to do this, how do I disassemble and remove the water??

*Wondering if I caused this to happen by removing the hydraulic pressure in the lines when I shut it down
a couple of days ago? When the owner delivered the tractor he showed me how to remove the bucket.
Part of the process was to turn the loader control lever in a circle just before disconnecting the lines to
relieve the line pressure.

After shutting the tractor off, I moved the control lever in a circle thinking that it may be a good idea
eliminate the pressure while the tractor was off and idle. *Would this set up the situation for moisture to form in the control
valve during the winter months?

Another important question....

I noticed that the needle on the temperature gauge barely moves after idling for 15-20 minutes.

And, after plowing snow today for about 30 minutes, the temp gauge only moved a short distance from the lower
cold position.

Can this mean that the thermostat may not be working correctly or is this normal?

Thanks.

themichelob · Dec 19, 2013

jodebg--Let's start with the easy part first. They do seem to run cold, and I believe that's normal. My temp gauge has never risen above about one third of the way up even during the hottest summer work. Now for that FEL control freezing up in winter. I don't believe it has anything to do with you removing the pressure in the lines. I think some moisture gets in the valve and it freezes in cold weather. My hydraulic chute rotation on my snowblower will turn to the left, but not the right as you described. There have been threads on this forum with instructions to disassemble the valve, drill some holes to allow the water to escape and repack with grease. Supposedly, there are some tiny ball bearings and springs in there that scared me off from doing that job. Sooo....I keep a heat gun plugged in near the tractor, and while the tractor's warming up I warm up the valve. Kind of a pain, but no big deal. I bought my B7800 new and this has been my procedure for the last 9 years. I hope this eases your mind some--my tractor has done everything I've asked of it, so I don't complain about the small stuff. Regards, Mike

chim · Dec 19, 2013

I always relieve the pressure in the loader lines, whether I plan to remove it or not. No sense leaving that pressure on the seals.

The B7500 I had got water in the FEL control and it rusted inside. It took a lot of force to get it into the float position. I disassembled and cleaned it up and it was pretty intense. Springs, balls and limited space for my big hands made it difficult.

gwdixon · Dec 19, 2013

Taking apart those controls is not for the faint of heart. Springs, ball bearings, and "now where does this part go?" is part of the process.

If your control has a 3" to 4", 1" diameter pipe coming off the bottom then sometimes the problem can be solved without disassembly.

The bottom of the pipe appears sealed but there is a small drain hole on the bottom center. It may have gotten plugged with debris. Use a small nail to clear it.

Then stick the little tube from a can of WD-40 in the hole and hose it out with WD-40. Let drain and do it again. Once more if gunk is still draining out. That should do it.

I used to hose out the control about once a month in winter after going through the disassembly nightmare.

jodebg · Dec 19, 2013

There are 2 octagon shaped pieces sitting parallel and threaded into the bottom of the control valve. They are about 3" long. One has yw244 on it. Are these where the drain hole may be found?

gwdixon · Dec 19, 2013

jodebg said:
There are 2 octagon shaped pieces sitting parallel and threaded into the bottom of the control valve. They are about 3" long. One has yw244 on it. Are these where the drain hole may be found?

Those may be the ones but I'm not familiar with how the hydraulics are set up on your model. Mine was on a L3650.

The best way to find out is to poke around with a small nail or awl to find out if there is a hole in the middle. Sometimes it is difficult to get your head under that area. Maybe a mirror would be of some help.

/pine · Dec 19, 2013

Most valves have caps/cups on the bottom of the spools...it is generally considered to be regular maintenance to remove the caps and drain any water/rust/gunk etc. that has collected (condensed) there...if they are not cleaned periodically rust is common...

As for the temperature gauge not moving much...my B1700 runs very cool and the gauge registers about like you described...I checked the sending unit and all is well...they just run cool...

JoeL4330 · Dec 19, 2013

If I had to keep a heat gun plugged in to warm my control block, I might look into a glue-on heater patch and run the cord to an octopus w. my block heater, so when I plugged in one...

jodebg · Dec 20, 2013

/pine said:
Most valves have caps/cups on the bottom of the spools...it is generally considered to be regular maintenance to remove the caps and drain any water/rust/gunk etc. that has collected (condensed) there...if they are not cleaned periodically rust is common...

As for the temperature gauge not moving much...my B1700 runs very cool and the gauge registers about like you described...I checked the sending unit and all is well...they just run cool...

What do the caps/cups look like? And, what is involved in removing and cleaning them? I hydr. pressure lost, any loose parts inside, etc.?

How do I remove the vinyl cover on the control valve?

Manual says to lubricate the control lever linkage. I assume I will need to remove the cover to do so?