Ford 3600 diesel Case pressure

[Texasmark]

2100 about.
Yes cables are all good.

There isn't any smoke. It starts right up the first time and runs fine. IN the winter when it is cold it takes a bit or a spray of ether to get it started but someone unplugged the manifold heating unit from the ignition because the key is wonky and i am not sure they knew that it had a heating element and it was draining the battery.

Again there is no smoke other than the normal little bit on start up when it has been sitting for a long time. The oil was black but it is unknown when the PO changed the oil last. I runs fine. It just struggles under load and there is some smoke out the crankcast vent and oil misting. No sludge when i changed the oil in the bottom of the pan that i could feel as i checked for that just to be curious on my oil change.

Ok, you are tracking me so I'll move on from what I just posted. I don't see an overhaul just yet....don't go to all that trouble and expense unnecessarily! Sounds more like under load you are asking your injectors for more "fuel mist" and they can't deliver as required.

First off change the oil and filter. Run a single wash out cycle as mentioned above. Then with what you said above refill with a new filter and a C rated 15w-40 oil is what I'd use and I use WW oil in my Fords, been doing it as long as I can remember, or go with Shella Rotella T, or Delvac, or the other popular oil co. C (compression) rated tractor oil...D something. While at WW get some SF anyway and put a whole can in your diesel fuel tank and top it off. Run that fuel out working as you are now and come back with the results. I use a fuel cleaner in my fuel always and have no fuel problems. On that, I use Power Services products which are popular.

I think you may be suffering from lack of working your tractor, both by the PO and yourself, meaning getting it under load with clean fuel/lubes/internal components, getting the temperature up and all the working parts hot (not overheated, hot at rated temps) and blowing the crud out. Do what I suggested and give it time to clean up internally. Report back.

One last thought in reading over this is that your fuel filter(s) may need changing with 2000 hrs on the engine if they haven't been changed over the life of the tractor, way past time. Get yourself an I&T service manual for your tractor.....

I&T Shop Manual FO-41 Ford 231 26 261 36 361 411 46 461 461SU+ | eBay

Will tell you how to change your fuel filter and bleed the air out of the system and while on ebay, might as well buy replacement(s)....just plug "Ford 3600 diesel fuel filter" into the ebay search engine.....here I did it for you:

EDPN9N74AA NEW Fuel Filter For Ford 2 3 4 5 7 26 36 46+ | eBay

 

[Zleviticus]

One last thought in reading over this is that your fuel filter(s) may need changing with 2000 hrs on the engine if they haven't been changed over the life of the tractor, way past time. Get yourself an I&T service manual for your tractor.....

I have the manuals (IT and owner's manual)
I changed the fuel filter just a week ago along with the hydraulic filter and changed the hydraulic fluid as well. The only thing that has not been changed are the air filters (they look almost new), transmission fluid (it is fine) and power steering fluid.

I could understand the losing power by not getting enough fuel but isn't that set by the throttle? If i have it under load and it bogs down, as soon as i unload it (put the wheels up on the disc harrow) the RPMs go back up. it probably does need a good fuel clean out of the injectors and pump.

I am confused though on how the items suggested would cause increase crank case pressure under load? i thought that normally happens due to ring issues or something with the compression, maybe valves not seating properly? Maybe carbon on the valves causing them not to seat all the way? Timing issue?

How the **** do you time a diesel anyways? LOL

 

[jaydee325]

I agree with the suggestions made by Texasmark as a starting point.

You mentioned in your OP that the dipstick was forced out by crankcase pressure. I'd verify the breather tube is clear and any breather filter is clean. The breather tube should be able to handle all but excessive blow by.

Someone mentioned compression test. I've found that a leak down test is a much better indication of engine condition. You will be able to tell if any valves are leaking by. You will also be able to determine ring/sealing condition. A compression test will only tell you you have low compression and you don't know if it is leaking through valves or rings.

Leaking valve won't cause crankcase pressure.

 

[Zleviticus]

I agree with the suggestions made by Texasmark as a starting point.

You mentioned in your OP that the dipstick was forced out by crankcase pressure. I'd verify the breather tube is clear and any breather filter is clean. The breather tube should be able to handle all but excessive blow by.

Someone mentioned compression test. I've found that a leak down test is a much better indication of engine condition. You will be able to tell if any valves are leaking by. You will also be able to determine ring/sealing condition. A compression test will only tell you you have low compression and you don't know if it is leaking through valves or rings.

Leaking valve won't cause crankcase pressure.

Yeah the dipstick was at the final point where it was really struggling and probably pushed it too hard. My main concern is the lack of power (which i guess could be fuel related) and the amount of oil misting (and a little smoke at times) coming out of the breather tube that goes from the valve cover to under the tractor.

 

[DLTTrekkers]

Leaking valves at the valveguides or valvestemseals will add to breathing.

 

[radios1]

if nothing else works, you can change to 100W aircraft oil for the summer, it's so thick the can has to be warmed up so it will flow. do you have an airport close enough to buy it?. this is a last ditch attempt to get you through the season..

 

[Texasmark]

If your rings are all gummed up they can't seal the combustion chamber and "blowby" compressure slips past them resulting in loss of power and pressure in the crankcase. Otherwise the rings are shot, but again, unless the PO was extremely careless in operation and maintenance, on a 2000 hr tractor to have rings shot is hard to imagine.....since normally they will run 10k hrs. or more with proper servicing and operation.

You're not consuming much HP when not loading the engine so loss of power and all wouldn't be noticed.

On bad valve guides, again, at 2000 hrs? And bad valve guides could pressurize your crankcase also, or maybe a valve not seating properly.

Maybe you need to invest in a compression tester and look in your manuals for the test process and minimum result. Be time well spent again before you puked a lot of money and effort that may not have been necessary......unless you just want to and I have had friends do just that on cars and trucks.

 

[Zleviticus]

Thanks all. A couple things to note now and where we are.

I did some SF treatment in both the oil and the fuel tank. We will see how that goes. I also blew the valve cover gasket when the pressure built up. It crumbled when i took the valve cover off. A new one should be here soon. I did notice while i had the valve cover off that a couple of the rocker arms seemed a little more loose than i would like or thing they should be. So i am going to do a valve adjustment when i take the valve cover off again to replace the gasket next week. I am hoping it is something stupid simple that i am overlooking or that it just needs to be ran and used heavily to get some of the carbon build up gone.

 

[rangerfredbob]

If that's the 170ish cubic inch 3 cylinder they seem to be good little engines, we redid the head of my brothers 4000 (they are a 201ci 3 cylinder) about a year ago and it was around $500, but he had a bent pushrod and needed new valves and such...

I don't have input on the crankcase pressure but it kinda sounds like a piston failure somehow...