NH TC25D Sluggish

ARAD · Dec 21, 2009

I have a New Holland TC25D (circa 1999) and am generally very happy with it. In the last six months or so, I have notice what seemed at first to be a loss of power while driving back and forth and up and down some hills and inclines on our property. We had the dealer check the tractor when this started (about 6 months ago). They said that the the engine was working well. They could not find any "power problems". They did change filter and replaced the oil. I will admit that the problem doesn't seem to be with power - I have been able to move loads of gravel with the bucket and just finished plowing the 20 inches of snow we got this weekend.

But, the problems seems to be back. I have plenty of power using the front loader, etc. and on flat terrain. I usually notice that the tractor slows down and gets sluggish up hills.

Today, I went down the driveway to clear a bit more snow. When heading back up the driveway (up hill) the track seemed to really labor - I was afraid it would stall. I backed off the pedal and the tractor made it back up the hill. Could the problem be the transmission?

Hooked_on_HP · Dec 21, 2009

If it is a hydrostat when was the last time the fluid and filter were changed? Have you changed the fuel filter or air filter? These are the first things I would do.
Bill

guyw · Dec 21, 2009

If the RPMs of the engine start falling off when this happens I would suspect water in the fuel filter bowl and/or a fuel filter problem. When my TC18 looses power/RPMs on hills it is a sure sign of water in the fuel filter bowl. Draining then refilling it fixes the problem. I change the fuel filter at the same time.

Guy.

ARAD · Dec 22, 2009

Thanks to you both for a quick response. The fuel filter and the air filter where changed about 5 months ago. You are very likely correct about the water in the fuel line. We had a similar problem with another machine.

I may have a fuel storage/contamination problem too!!?? Now the question is "What should I do to keep water from getting in the fuel bowl/filter?".

I will not be able to get to it until the weekend or maybe later with Christmas this Friday. I will let you know how it goes.

manganos · Dec 22, 2009

I treat all my diesel with "Power Service" and have never had a fuel issue. SHRUG.

dqdave1 · Dec 22, 2009

i had a similar problem a few years ago; was some water in tank; I had to change fuel filter about 5 times till finally was ok. Make sure you are treating every tank of fuel with conditioner of your choice.

Soundguy · Dec 23, 2009

I'd start by checking the water trap.. and then checking fuel flow out the tank valve.

soundguy

ARAD said:
Thanks to you both for a quick response. The fuel filter and the air filter where changed about 5 months ago. You are very likely correct about the water in the fuel line. We had a similar problem with another machine.

I may have a fuel storage/contamination problem too!!?? Now the question is "What should I do to keep water from getting in the fuel bowl/filter?".

I will not be able to get to it until the weekend or maybe later with Christmas this Friday. I will let you know how it goes.

jinman · Dec 23, 2009

ARAD said:
We had the dealer check the tractor when this started (about 6 months ago). They said that the the engine was working well. They could not find any "power problems". They did change filter and replaced the oil. I will admit that the problem doesn't seem to be with power - I have been able to move loads of gravel with the bucket and just finished plowing the 20 inches of snow we got this weekend. . .

. . .When heading back up the driveway (up hill) the track seemed to really labor - I was afraid it would stall. I backed off the pedal and the tractor made it back up the hill. Could the problem be the transmission?

Can you tell us what range you were in as you were going uphill? ...and what engine rpm? Because you have the weight of the tractor aiding you going downhill, pushing a load is tremendously more easy than pushing the same load uphill. It's especially noticable with an HST transmission. You have to adjust the pedal position to get the proper gear ratio.

What I have observed with engine stalls due to contamination or clogging is that the engine will not recover if the load is removed. Often, the engine will either die or spit and cough for several seconds until the water or clog is cleared and then run normally again. If you "cured" the problem with just backing off the HST pedal to change gear ratios, I'd bet it's not engine related. It might be that your hydraulic oil is very cold and not warming up properly in this cold weather you are having in MD. You could partially block off the HST oil cooler (tape cardboard over it) to get the temperature up and see if that cures the problem.