NT-204C 100Hour Maint.
- Thread starter Pirate
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Well, lots of good reading. Some say it doesn't matter to do the lash until 500 hours, others start at 50. Some say they never loosen the head bolts before re-torque. (I guess those guys are not pros according to rooks!), others say loosen. I did find some good posts with pictures and handy hints.
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greg_g
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2003
- Messages
- 6,126
- Location
- Western Kentucky
- Tractor
- JD3720 Cab, 300X loader with 4-in-1 bucket
Well your tone gives me a feeling that you just haven't quite put it all together yet then. It's technically true that valve lash and head bolts aren't mentioned in the Chinese engine manuals until 100 and 500 hours respectively. But then take a look at when those manuals were last updated. The one in front of me right now says Oct 10th, 2000. That's why these forums exist. In the 10+ years since, there's a lot of dealer and user water that's gone under the bridge. During that time, the same mechanical issues kept arising in otherwise "new" tractors. High on the list were (a) dirty fluids, (b) parts falling off, (c) clutch problems, and (d) blown head gaskets. Hence, the collective wisdom came up with a maintenance list that is NOT in the books. You can find hundreds of references to it as the "50 hour (break-in) maintenance".
And since the valve train comes off for the head bolt job, it only made sense to do the valve lash adjustment at 50 hours instead of the 100 hours recommended in the book(s). The manufacturers 500 hour valve maintenance by the way, is a lot more than just valve lash. It's grind & lap first, then reset valve lash. If you never touched the valves before then, you might not even MAKE it to 500 hours.
Ignoring such hard learned lessons so generously contributed by our members - is done at your own expense.
//greg//
No, I haven't put it all together yet. I'm now beginning to realize I didn't drain the transmission enough nor the front axle. I'll just call it a temporary flush until I get around to doing the right way. I think I have a handle on the valve lash and torquing (yes, I will loosen them a bit first, one at a time), but now I'm trying to find a good picture of all the drains for the tranny, four I believe?
Bob Rooks
Elite Member
I guess it depends on what you do for a living, how knowledgeable you are at it, how successful you are at it, and how you are judged by your peers. So yes, there are those that claim to be "pros" that are obviously not. That is why there are credentials and certifications, but in these forums it's sometimes difficult to tell, so ultimately you have to go with your gut feeling on who's right unless you personally know better.
I digress.
I would rather not mess with it at all, given my current situation, which is taking care of someone who can't do ANYTHING for themselves. It keeps me busy. I can't find a good shop close so I am trying to do what I can to keep this thing from destroying itself. I am really mechanically inclined and have no doubt I could disassemble this tractor and put it back together, IF I had time. Time to learn it and then do it.
