Ford 3000 hydro help

[3000disaster]

As my forum name hints, my Ford 3000 hydraulics have been troublesome. Maybe the members can help guide me to get this thing lifting so I can bush hog the property.

The hydraulics have been slow since i bought the tractor 3 years ago, and I decided to change the hydraulic fluid (303) The 3 point hitch continued to get slower/ jerky and finally quit lifting.

Tore into the top, drained fluid, cleaned filters, put back together, and back to lifting slow for a short while, then completely quit lifting again.

Took it to a local tractor mechanic, who cleaned filters, had it lifting great. I then was able to bushhog the property for 3 hours with flawless operation, then it quit lifting again!

Mechanic said change the pump, ordered a new hydro pump, back to lifting for a short while, then quit again. I talked the business where I got the pump into replacing it, put a new pump on that lifted for a short while, and it has finally quit again.

Was recently told this might be a fluid problem??

I am open to,any ideas or suggestions. It is difficult to find local tractor experts, so I decided to come here. Thanks for your response!

 

[J_J]

Did the mechanic not do a pressure and flow test.

That would provide a good status of the pump.

Hyd pumps will work on just about any mineral based fluid, and synthetic fluid. For instance, I use motor oil as the hyd fluid in my machine, and it is recommend by the manufacturer.

As fluid heats up, the viscosity decreases and becomes less efficient.

Do you have a hyd gage you can install in a tee in the IN port of the FEL valve and use it to troubleshoot the hyd system.

If not, make a test set like one of these units. Cost about $30

 

[3000disaster]

I remember him saying that putting air in lines, lifted the arms. Not sure !



I haven't checked the pressure!

If I rig up the guage like you have it, where do I hook it up to tractor?

 

[J_J]

If you have a FEL, install a 3000 psi hyd gage in a tee in the IN port of the FEL valve.

If no FEL valve, install the gage in a tee in the first fitting after the pump, and mount the gage where you can see it .

 

[milkman636]

Sorry for starting back at the basics.

Have you checked the sump level while you are having the issue?

Also there is a purge port on top of the hydraulic pump. If you pull the ignition coil wire to the distributor (gas version?) and pull the purge plug on top of the pump, you can roll the engine over a few cranks to see if you can purge any air out of the pump and its suction line. When the engine cranks you will get a good rush of fluid immediately if there is no air. Be careful not to start the engine with the purge plug out.

 

[3000disaster]

The pump will prime itself once I pull the plug, and there is definitely plenty hydraulic fluid in the reservoir .

Talking with a Ford Tractor mechanic, he says the next step is to try 85w-90 weight gear oil that is anti foam GL5? I definitely want to try to check the pressure first.

Thank you for any replies!

Nick

 

[Soundguy]

NO do not put gear oil inthe hyds/rear end sump. it is designed for UTF fluid.

also.. there is no T int he pressure line from the pump.. however there are ports you can fit a gauge to, and then tie the lift arms down and get a pressur ereading.. assuming the unlaoder is not sticking.. which is not an uncommon failure.

i question whether that suction filter is passing oil.... for people that can't get it off / get to it.

I've used the following to clean it.

fill sump with a mix of diesel and 90% rubbing alcohol.. and a couple quarts atf. ( few gallons of diesel and strong alcoho mix ).

now run it around the yard.. now let it set a day.. then run it around the yard again.. then drain.

water is t key issue here. water blocks those suction filters and emulsifies oil. diesel and alcohol will nix that pretty effectively..

 

[City Farmer]

I had the same problem when I bought my "68" 3000 about 5 years ago. First, I replaced all the hydraulic fluid, paper filter and cleaned the metal screen discharge filter. I was in there a rag soaking up the old oil & water. The old paper filter looked good but when I tried blowing air through it, it would barely go. With The new filter it passed air really good. Started/ran the tractor, had the same problem. So the next step was to go after the orings in the sump housing cover. Again, All the orings looked to be in good shape but I replaced them anyway. That fixed my problem 100%. No more jerking/falling out 3pt any more. I figured as the oil gets hot it gets thinner and would just blow by the worn out orings. When she's cold, she's really slow and jerky but once she's warmed up it works great. Getting out every drop of oil took the longest, It took about 3hrs for the fix. It was a good thing I took the time to go through it because the snap ring on the pto was off, there were (6) ball bearings under the transmission output shaft too. They fell off when whoever took off the pto engagement lever kept dropping them in there and never went to go get them.

 

[3000disaster]

Replaced the paper filter and the pump doesn't seem to be priming very good. Going to try and replace all of the o rings in the sump housing cover.

 

[bobflange]

I remember when I was determining which fluid to buy for my 3400 I ruled out 303 for some major reason. I can't recall right now but I remember seeing a deal on it and researching it and deciding "that's not for me"

Could the 303 fluid be the problem (winter time when this started)?