Hood dash separation

[mponeill]

On my Mahindra 4110 the hood and dash seem to be separating. The strip where the rubber casket between the two is much wider than when I purchased the tractor. Has anyone experienced something like this and fixed it?
Thanks, Mike

 

[DavesTractor]

On my Mahindra 4110 the hood and dash seem to be separating. The strip where the rubber casket between the two is much wider than when I purchased the tractor. Has anyone experienced something like this and fixed it?
Thanks, Mike

Could the rubber strip just be distorted? The sun is hard on them. Take a picture for us. Thanks, Dave

 

[mponeill]

Dave,
Thanks for the reply, haven't got anymore hits from anyone. I think this happened while I was using a 3pt hitch backhoe, so who knows.
I have attached three pictures.
Thanks, Mike

 

[LAWALLSTRACTOR]

Better check all of the bolts and joints holding the chassis together. I didn't like the sound of it when you said you think it happened when using a 3PH backhoe.

 

[DavesTractor]

Dave,
Thanks for the reply, haven't got anymore hits from anyone. I think this happened while I was using a 3pt hitch backhoe, so who knows.
I have attached three pictures.
Thanks, Mike

This is worrisome. As said above, check bolts and also look for a cracked bellhousing. Three point backhoes are bad news.

 

[mponeill]

I had already read post about 3pt hitch backhoes breaking a tractor in half and I have already checked all the bolts and joints and nothing except the hood seems to be separating.
It looks to me that there are, or should be a couple of bolts going through the firewall (don't know if thats what its called or not) from the engine compartment side, that screw into some nuts (welded) to the dash. I don't see the bolts but I do see the nuts and holes. Maybe they vibrated loose and fell out. Should there be some there? That to me would pull these two back together.

Thanks, Mike

 

[skipmarcy]

My 4110 has been like that for years now and has very slowly gotten wider. Back in 2005 I had to do a major front split on my tractor as the bolts that hold the big plate between the trans and engine (on an auto it would be in the place of the bellhousing) to the engine loosened and most of them broke off - the only way I found this was when I'd get a load in the bucket it would flex enough for the ring gear to grind on the nosecone of the starter and make a terrible noise !!! My tractor didn't come with the extra support brackets from the frame along side the engine down to the cross brace under the trans. Mahindra sent them to me to install myself after fighting with them for awhile. Anyway, those bolts cannot be checked without splitting the tractor - they go thru the thick plate and screw into the engine block and are behind the flywheel. It is almost impossible to see the seam where the plate and engine block meet to check it for seperation too. Mahindra used no Loctite nor loc washers on these bolts and after they loosened some they finally snapped off. I had 2 bolts left holding the tractor together and they were loose !! I installed new bolts with Loctite and the loader braces mentioned above and have been OK since. The gap like yours had started back then and has very slowly gotten wider but I think it is the stamped metal firewall to platform that is bending, not the tractor frame. You should have 2 threaded strut rods with adjustments with lock nuts under the hood to adjust that gap some but if you adjust it to where it looks right, the hood won't fit or shut right - at least that's my case. Maybe yours is a different problem - sounds like you are missing the 2 strut rods - if they were there it would be very obvious what they are for.

 

[mponeill]

Skipmarcy,
Where are those strut rods located. I have included some pictures of the welded nuts I see from under the hood that don't have any bolts in them. It would seem there should be a bolt in each coming from under the pastic dash bonnet into these nuts.
Do you have a pictures of these struts?
Thanks, Mike

 

[skipmarcy]

Just slipped outside and took a few pics for you. Those welded nuts are empty on mine too, you can see the framework & struts I referred to and how they attach to the firewall & engine.

 

[mponeill]

Yeap, got nothing like that on this 4110. Wonder if I should? Its a 2008.
Mike