Need guidance on a 545D

City Farmer · Nov 11, 2015

I needed more HP than the old 3000 can give so yesterday I took a leap, right off a flip'n cliff. I know I'm going to regret this purchase but away we go. It's to late for buyers remorse, it's already paid for and I pick it up Friday.
This is what I know.....I had somebody make a few phone calls around town because there's no way the hr meter on this thing could be right. It looks like it has 1000's of hours on it. They said that all the tractors at the Detroit auction had really low hours. They have been abused by people that had no business driving anything let alone a tractor. I'm not afraid of turning a wrench and putting some $$$$ into it because I bought it cheap. I don't want this to be an endless money pit. I'd put the cab on the new 4500 and part it out if I had to.

These are the steps I was going to take before starting.
1) Pull the injectors/exhaust manifold to see if water got into the engine, I'm sure it did. They broke part of the muffler off.
2) Drain the oil and see if water made it past the rings.
3) If the engine is stuck, PB blaster, kroil, and whatever else we can put in there to free it up.
4) IF by some miracle there's no water in it and its free, drain all the fuel and blow out the lines to the injectors, replace filters and try starting it up.

At the very least, I think an in frame overhaul is coming because I can't get tractor lucky 2 weeks in a row. Let's say worst case the engine is smoked. Can a 545D be repowered with a Ford 4500 engine?

Any and all help is always appriciated.

Andy

crashz · Nov 11, 2015

I assume that you verified that the engine is stuck?

I think you are on the right path to getting this going, but pay attention to the turbo too. If water got past it to the engine, you will have problems there as well. But I've had a lot of open stack equipment sit outside for a long time without issues. I think she'll run!

City Farmer · Nov 11, 2015

Crashz, your giving me a glimmer of hope. I'm assuming it's stuck because of the broken exhaust and it's been sitting outside for so long. One of the guys told me that these machines could've been sitting in a lot somewhere since new. Getting pushed around and banged up from pulling other equipment in/out. Unless they tampered with every single machine.....Out of the 9, the highest hr tractor was around 300. I was attracted (good or bad) to this one because it had its filters changed about 1-1/2yrs ago. I'll know more by the end of the weekend where we stand.

crashz said:
I assume that you verified that the engine is stuck?

I think you are on the right path to getting this going, but pay attention to the turbo too. If water got past it to the engine, you will have problems there as well. But I've had a lot of open stack equipment sit outside for a long time without issues. I think she'll run!

City Farmer · Nov 14, 2015

Tractor ID

The guy at the dealer was the only one there yesterday and was to busy to put an exact date on my tractor. Can anyone put a date on it for me? Got all my parts, intake gasket, head gasket, fuel filter, new oil sensor and exhaust manifold gasket. There was an aftermarket oil sensor under the oil filter. Dealer said it was just plugged hole from the factory. Does anyone recognize this oil sensor? Heres a picture of it from one of the other tractors that was there. The dealer didn't have anything like it. I should have a good idea of what I'm dealing with by this evening.

Tractor #--A445253
Unit #--0L27
Model #--DD5W2
Trans #--8K21
Hyd
Pump #--0L15

TractorTech · Nov 14, 2015

City Farmer,
It is a Nov. 27, 2000 build, 8X8 transmission with PTO.
I have seen that sensor before, but can't think where offhand.
As far as the engine itself, the 545D used headland pistons with the compression ring at the top of the piston. These are durable under normal conditions, but if dirt or rust gets under them, they will crack and most likely score the cylinder wall. It would be better to put original pistons back in it if you have to rebuild. A cheaper alternative would be to put standard ring pistons in it, but this does change your compression. The turbo was only for emission reasons and did not add to the HP of the engine. Of course the injection pump is set up for both the turbo and piston arrangement.

City Farmer · Nov 14, 2015

Thanks for the info and help, I really appriciate it. I got the exhaust manifold off and she's dry as a bone. The only thing I can come up with is.... they must've recently removed the muffler. The turbo is dry and spins freely. Now on to the fuel system. The filter is completely rusted. Can you point me in the right direction on how to properly clean it all? I was thinking of blowing out all the lines
With some brake cleaner. I'd hate to have to remove all of them but I will if it's recommended.

TractorTech said:
City Farmer,
It is a Nov. 27, 2000 build, 8X8 transmission with PTO.
I have seen that sensor before, but can't think where offhand.
As far as the engine itself, the 545D used headland pistons with the compression ring at the top of the piston. These are durable under normal conditions, but if dirt or rust gets under them, they will crack and most likely score the cylinder wall. It would be better to put original pistons back in it if you have to rebuild. A cheaper alternative would be to put standard ring pistons in it, but this does change your compression. The turbo was only for emission reasons and did not add to the HP of the engine. Of course the injection pump is set up for both the turbo and piston arrangement.

TractorTech · Nov 15, 2015

Good news on the engine, bad news on the fuel system. I would remove the the inlet line to the injection pump to see how far the water and rust went. Removing all of the lines and cleaning them is a must. Replace the line seals while you're at it. Also remove the injection pump strainer and clean, replace all of the fuel and then hope for the best.

City Farmer · Nov 17, 2015

Thanks TractorTech. The water was only in the filter. I pulled the injector screen and a couple lines, they were clean as can be. I drained the old fuel and engine oil, it looked good too. Waiting on parts to fix some hydraulic lines and the exhaust manifold gasket. I'm hoping to start it this weekend.

Edit: Do you think any 3 prong oil sensor switch will work? I called the place that installed the oil pressure switch. They have a call in to the manufacture. They told me it's an obsolete part and I may not be able to get one. They're waiting to hear back.

TractorTech said:
Good news on the engine, bad news on the fuel system. I would remove the the inlet line to the injection pump to see how far the water and rust went. Removing all of the lines and cleaning them is a must. Replace the line seals while you're at it. Also remove the injection pump strainer and clean, replace all of the fuel and then hope for the best.

joecdeere · Nov 17, 2015

That's not the original Ford NH sender. That was added to control a low oil shutdown system or other thing like a horn if low on pressure.
The original one was a one wire switch Ford has used all the way back into the 70's. You need to trace those wires back and see where
they are going. I own a 89 model Ford 345c and it too has the one wire setup

Below is one from a good to deal with Ford Dealer see item #43), and the other is just one I found with a good clear picture.

Ford/New Holland Oil Pressure Switch 82028130, 81873524, F1NN9278AA

545D - 3 CYL TRACTOR LOADER 9/92-12/00 | Messick's

TractorTech · Nov 18, 2015

Agree with Joe as it is a safety switch probably to shut down the engine when oil pressure is low. Most likely hooked to injection pump solenoid directly or through a shutdown system relay, like a Murphy or a momentary push button switch to override for starting.
There are other switches that will replace that one. Here is the Murphy.