JD 4100 burning 1 qt of oil every 5-10 hours

[deere755]

I never trust those indicators. I find that it is always better to just look at the filters. I take a flashlight or a trouble light and check to see if I can see light through the filter and I always inspect for tears in the filter. An engines worst enemy is dirt. I always try to keep clean fuel, oil, and air filters on my equipment. So far I have never had many motor problems. I hope that will take care of your oil problem.

 

[cp1969]

This is sort of grasping at straws, but it happened to me so I'll throw it out.

Did you change the brand and/or weight of oil when you got the tractor? If you can find this out, I'd switch back the what the previous owner was using and run it a little longer and see what happens. I know that sounds stupid, but I once bought a C50 Chevy truck that the owner cautioned me to use Conoco oil. That advice went in one ear and out the other and I switched it to Quaker State. The truck started using a LOT of oil. Talked to the previous owner and he asked if I switched oil. Switched back to Conoco, and oil consumption went WAY down. I'm not recommending any brand of oil here, only that sometimes engines can develop a preference. I can't explain it. Another truck I had, a Ford Ranger would guzzle 10w-40 but not 5w-30.

Strange things that I can't explain, but nonetheless, they happened to me.

Might be worth a try to find out what was in it previously.

 

[B2400]

Try the new filters and see if there's improvement. If not, then I'd definitely want to do a compression check. Diesels are very depedent on "clean air" as they are a combustion ignition. A little dirt past the filter can have dire results on the engine as it destroys ring seal which is so important to maintain compression and oil control. You didn't mention if there was any noticeable blue smoke from the exhaust. This would be a sign of burning oil whereas black smoke would be the sign of a plugged air filter or injector trouble. Good luck and hope it's something simple!!

 

[coloradotrout]

I did replace both primary and secondary air filters. I have only ran it about an hour thusfar. It's still using oil, but it's too early to say how much. There is some blue-ish smoke.. a very light haze I'd say, but then, at 32oz per 5 hours we are talking about 0.1 oz per minute; a very small amount. Kind of interesting.. 32oz in 5 hours sounds like a lot, but if you look at it by the minute, 0.1 oz seems pretty small. At this point, I still plan to take it in for a compression check.

 

[coloradotrout]

re: changing type of oil. I used JD Plus 50 15w40 oil. Previous owner stated he used Chevron 15w40. However, there was oil burning before I switched. It was pretty significant, but I can't say how much. 1 quart/10 hours would be a safe estimate.

 

[cp1969]

Would you be happy with 1qt/10hrs? If so, you might want to go back and try the Chevron oil. You don't have much to lose. You might be in for sticker shock when you find out how much to overhaul the engine. Oil is (relatively) cheap--at 1qt/10hrs, you're looking at about 20 cents per hour. 40 cents at your current rate of consumption.

 

[coloradotrout]

That's an accurate statement.. I may indeed be content with even 1 qt / 5 hours. However, the immediate resolve is to find the problem and assess the options and associated costs. I bought the machine under the representation of "..been taken care of, regular service, checked over every week, no leaks.." The previous owner has agreed, verbally, that he is willing to take some responsibility if this indeed is not the case. Thusfar, I have facts that indicate that the front axle fluid was below detection of the dipstick, the fuel and air filters appear to never have been changed, several moveable parts were frozen (never lubed), there is a small leak in the pressure hydraulic line, the engine is using 1 qt of oil every 5-10 hours, and it's pretty likely the transmission oil and filter have never been changed. I paid for the description given, but I've received something other than that. But as I noted, the previous owner is willing to work toward an agreement, which eases some of the pain. If a full engine overhaul is $5K, then perhaps I can expect 75% of that to come from him. I figure the 1093 hours I have now is about 25% of what that engine should have attained given proper care. And that is probably a conservative estimate. Well maintained I'd think 5K plus is attainable. At this point I'm trying to rule out the "simple stuff". And all the posts here have been very helpful. When I do take it in for the compression test, I'll mention the other causes listed here.

 

[deere755]

I don't know if this is true but my John Deere mechanic told me that the plus 50 is not a good oil to use in a used engine unless it was used when the tractor was new or when it was just overhauled.

 

[MrZukerman]

I would be surprised if he would pay that much, really if he pays any at all. You said it used oil before you bought it, as for him neglecting the maintenance, that’s part of buying a used tractor or any vehicle. Don’t get me wrong I do hope you get your problem taken care of, but trying to put all the blame on the way the PO took care of it isn’t quit right, after all you did know what you were buy didn’t you?

 

[coloradotrout]

It was an ebay sale. I don't believe the description given is consistent with the product sold. The amount of oil was not stated; nor the fact the front axle was near empty; nor several other signs of inadequate maintenance. I paid a fair price for the description given. I don't know how I would have known about the amount of oil usage other than running the tractor 10 hours and seeing -- which is exactly what I did. If I had been told "it uses 1 quart of oil every 10 hours" that would have influenced my purchase. The description documented and some verbal comments about well maintained, etc. are what I had to go on. I was told "it uses some oil" after sale and delivery. No quantities given; no quantities still given. So I think we are working about this in a fair and honest way. I'm more about finding the issue at this point. If I can find the cause of oil burning, and put some costs around a resolution, I think it's reasonable to expect the seller to pay a fair portion of what is a 1094 hour tractor. But that is conservatively 25% of it's expected lifetime. So roughly I'd expect the PO to pay for about 75% of the resolution, or compensate me for the condition of the tractor as it really is.. not as he documented before the sale. "..been taken care of, regular service, checked over every week, no leaks.." vs "uses 1qt oil every 10 hours; air, fuel, tranny filter never changed; some controls frozen; very low fluid in ft axle, small leak in hydraulic pressure line" would have sold at a much lower price. Just curious.. what would have have paid for the "given description" vs "actual description". In essence that is the delta I expect the PO to compensate me.