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

[ducati996]

Honestly I would not expect the seller to be as reasonable as you hope for him to be. It was an internet sale and with all sales buyer beware. You wont have any recourse to pursue him legally....However I would find out exactly what is causing the oil usuage first for your own well being - that way you can decide if you want to keep the machine or not....

I think I remember this unit for sale on ebay - 1000 hr is not a lot of hours for this machine, but it is still a lot of hours (if you know what I mean). I see 4100 & 4110 with much less hours all the time on ebay and at dealers....

I think the first step is to find out what exactly is wrong with it before you can do or say anything - and I hope the seller still sings the same tune that he will help you offset any costs....dont be surprised if that tune turns into a "heavy metal" tune....

Duc

 

[coloradotrout]

I understand. I don't have much legal recourse, but possibly some. I did miss the 60 day Ebay window. I'm not happy w/ myself about that. I could have filed a complaint. I've seen other tractors in the <500 hr range, but they tend to draw $10K plus. My price range was lower.. and the 1000 hours was acceptable given the condition stated. Again, if the description had stated the true condition 1) I would have taken that into consideration on the bid and 2) it would have sold for much, much less if at all. "..been taken care of, regular service, checked over every week, no leaks.." is not what was sold. In retro, I should have put in 2-3 days of solid inspection vs seeing how things worked out. At this point, my topic may shift to how much is the tractor worth given it's current condition. As long as I add oil, it seems to work. But I'm not at peace with paying the price I did for what I got. I will get the compression test, and go from there. It still puzzles me.. it runs good... but just a light blue haze. I may ask the dealer what he thinks it's worth as-is. You can look at the listing on ebay.. though it may be gone now. I paid $8500 w/ FEL w/4' box blade plus $100 delivery. He was driving out my way as it turns out, so I paid his gas basically. The box blade was going to be $200, but when he got here, the battery was dead, so he threw in the box blade. I have about $300 in parts in it now.

 

[Mike_Lipke]

Colorado, even if you never figgure out what is wrong, it can be lived with for many years.
I used to own an over the road truck. Ran 3 times a week Minneapolis to Chicago and back. 400 miles each way, 8 hours.
My engine was worn, and burned 1 gallon each way. Bigger engine, not normal, but that is one quart every hour. Ran it that way for 2 years, until I finally had it rebuilt. Oil burning is maybe more of an emotional issue than a functional one.

 

[Mike_Lipke]

Oops, shoulda read 1 quart every 2 hours.

 

[ducati996]

Have the dealer or somebody check it over to truly see what your options would be....I totally understand how you feel and it can happen to anybody - try to find out how bad things are -sometimes they are less than it would appear.....
If you had too you could probably break even or close to it if you decided to unload it - the key point is the machine works, just burns a little oil. Somefolks out there dont care, as long as it gets the job done

 

[cp1969]

I would not have given anything for it. I bought a CJ5 Jeep on eBay. It, too, was not as described.

When I went to pick it up and saw this, the money did not change hands.

Ebay is not a good place to buy things like machinery. I know that after-the-fact advice such as that is of limited value now, but I'm sure had you come here first, many members would have cautioned you about buying machinery on ebay. I am beginning to wonder if it's a good place to buy anything.

Descriptions are so subjective that what one person considers to be fair and honest is deceptive to another. Kind of like real estate ads. "Well vented" might actually mean the roof leaks.

Good luck in your negotiations.

 

[Charolais]

One thing I'd check before I took the tractor in for testing. I'd pull the valve cover. See if it's gummed up. If it is, the drain back holes(in the head) may be stopped up or mostly stopped up. If they are then that's where your oil may be going. It will pool on top (of the head) and leak by the valve stems, may be blowing out as vapor from the breather or both.

Won't cost you but a few bucks to check this too.

 

[coloradotrout]

..just want to point out that the previous owner to this point has been very good to work with. I have not lost faith in all humankind yet. We've worked through every issue, and he indicates he'll work through this one.

The valve cover idea is a great one.. but I have an agreement from previous owner to take it to dealer.. look at the valves, replace seals, and possibly do a compression check. He's willing to pay for this.. and I think we are talking about a 2-3 hours of labor and minimal parts. The mechanic also said if I leave it there for a few days, in his spare time he'll see what else might come to mind.

Any other ideas are greatly appreciated. I just want to stress again, that it has measureable oil loss - 1 qt every 5 hours, but the doggone thing seems to run fine - albeit a tad bit smelly. Does that in any way suggest maybe the piston/cyilnders are OK?

 

[Charolais]

Sounds like you now have a good plan going. Please keep us updated and good luck to you. Hope it's a simple fix.

 

[ducati996]

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Any other ideas are greatly appreciated. I just want to stress again, that it has measureable oil loss - 1 qt every 5 hours, but the doggone thing seems to run fine - albeit a tad bit smelly. Does that in any way suggest maybe the piston/cyilnders are OK? )</font>

Since it only holds 2 quarts in total I would be concerned - hurry up and have it inspected - I suspect good faith tends to change over time -

Keep us posted