MF205 Tractor Won't Start please help

[jlgurr]

If he's lucky it maybe the battery, or very hopefully just the starter, it usually goes without saying to have them checked first. But the battery seems to have enough juice to make the starter start to smoke, and the positive battery cable to get hot. In the video to me (and apparently to others) it sure sounds like it should be able to crank it over a little bit as hard as the starter hits.

Sorry, I didn't watch the video. My bad.

 

[Kenneth S]

Sorry, I didn't watch the video. My bad.

No problem, but it is still just a educated guess from many years of experience, and only having what information the OP described, and watching the video that was posted to go off of.

 

[JWR]

There really isn't enough info to know what is wrong. All of us are in truth out here speculating. I tend to agree with the guy who said "don't make it too complex." If it were mine,...

1) I would NOT be unscrewing, unbolting, pulling off or tweeking anything. That tractor is a plain std transmission I believe. So either push it or coast it and let out on the clutch in some middle gear. Make sure you get the engine to turn. Based on the fact that it was running when you turned it off I think the serious fluid locks and all that are somewhat far fetched. If you get the engine turned over several times pushing or coasting I'd take the risk. Who knows what might be stuck & turning the engine may dislodge whatever it was. 2) If that quick/easy fails, jump it with another good battery. Precede that with a while on the battery charger too. It may well start and if it does, go get the battery tested. 3) If none of that produces a running engine I say you probably have a bad starter motor. First make sure all the connections are tight. If no luck, then and only then might I pull something off it -- like the starter motor.

 

[JWR]

WHOA ! Sorry, I had not noticed the video attached to your first post! Holy cow. I'm about to retract half of what I said above. Of course it is good/OK to test the battery. But that sound in your video is one to cringe from. I'd still (but a whole lot more gingerly having heard the sound) try to turn the engine by some external means -- either easy push and let out the clutch or as the other guy said , a wrench on the crank. Either way, see if you can get the engine turning at least some but with out applying destructive force. If you can turn the engine, investigate a bad starter motor. If you cannot turn the engine then you probably are into a more serious issue and the other suggestions (esp. pulling injectors) would be appropriate to see if there is liquid blockage. By the way, how many hours on this engine ?

 

[jlgurr]

I just watched the video and to be honest it makes me believe eve more that it's a weak battery. Reminds me all too well of the cold mornings just minutes before dad hollered at mom in the house. "Honey, bring the truck to the barn the Farmall needs a pull start again."

I was so happy when he converted it to a 12v system. Wish I had that old M today....

 

[WhirldWorks]

So I finally got my hands back on the tractor and it looks like your hydrolock diagnosis is spot on. I took the glow plugs out and turned the engine by hand. Engine coolant pumped out of the forward plug hole. I tore the thing down and when I took the head off there was a lot of coolant in that same cylinder. I don't yet have the head cleaned off but there was no obvious crack in it in it's dirty condition and the gasket looked good too (as far as I could tell).

I don't have my new gasket in yet, but I was curious if there are supposed to be dimples where the glow plugs are located. The guy I bought the tractor from said he recently replaced them and I'm wondering if maybe he got ones that were too long and put downward pressure on the gasket causing it to leak. I don't know, but it's a theory.

 

[WhirldWorks]

..and to add, yes, as soon as I took the glow plugs out the engine turned VERY easy by hand. A LOT of antifreeze came out the glow plug hole which is why I felt compelled to tear it down. I'm still baffled as to why so much coolant got into the cylinders, but perhaps when the head is fully cleaned I'll know more...or less. (The starter did try to turn over the engine when the fluid pressure was released).

There are 1082 metered hours on the tractor.

 

[irvingj]

Thanks much for the update-- we all learn here! Best of luck with tracking down the culprit.

Just a thought-- I once had a Peugeot 504D wagon that used indirect injection through a pre-combustion chamber. (Don't know if your tractor is direct or indirect injection.) Anyway, I had been having overheating problems, pressurizing the cooling system, etc. Finally tracked it down to a small crack INSIDE the head in that %$##* Ricardo pre-combustion chamber. It was not readily visible. A "new" (used) head took care of the problem-- along with the 3rd head gasket and ANOTHER complete set of stretch bolts. Point is, sometimes cracks can be hard to see, though it sounds as though your coolant breach is probably pretty large.

 

[WhirldWorks]

I thought I'd add that there did not appear to be any coolant in the engine oil (pan).

 

[Kenneth S]

More than likely the head gasket (even though it may look good) is the usually main culprit followed by a cracked cylinder, or a cracked head. Since it sat between uses it doesn't take much of a leak over time to fill a cylinder, since you don't appear to have coolant in the oil pan you may if you already haven't drained the engine oil, any coolant will usually come out first since it's heavier than oil. A engine machine shop that specializes in diesel engines "should" be able to pressure test the head, and block, or you can have them checked it for cracks by having them magnifluxed. If you didn't have any overheating problems the head gasket would be the most likely. Most head, and block cracks are usually from overheating (or freeze if the coolant is weak). For the news you may not want to hear is finding parts maybe difficult since the tractor was built by Toyosha, they also made tractors for Duetz-Allis, Simplicity, Allis Chalmers, and under their own brand Hinomoto, but have since quit making tractors for years. The MF head gasket part number is 3281473M1, the other gaskets you can make yourself.