Oil & Fuel TC33D oil light at low RPMs?

[housemasters]

My TC35DA sometimes sputters out when the fuel level is low because of the hills on my property. Sometimes I've had to back up the hill at an angle to allow the fuel to get to the outlet in the tank to go refill it. I wish there was a pump on it instead of just a gravity feed.

 

[jinman]

My TC35DA sometimes sputters out when the fuel level is low because of the hills on my property. Sometimes I've had to back up the hill at an angle to allow the fuel to get to the outlet in the tank to go refill it. I wish there was a pump on it instead of just a gravity feed.

I had that happen to me once when my level was very low. MikePA has a good idea of always keeping 1/3 or more tank when operating and filling it completely when done at the end of the day. In areas where condensation is a problem, that will surely help.

I believe it was PineRidge and also Hazmat's dad who both had to remove their fuel tanks and clean out "garbage" that was blocking the fuel feed tap inside the tank.

 

[BigE_]

Good call on the sediment bulb. It, along with the fuel filter, was full of crud. I cleaned it out, and cleaned out the filter as good as I could. I ran into town to buy a filter, knowing that the dealer was open on Saturdays. What I didn't realize is that they closed at noon. I got there at 12:30. I'll definitely be picking up a fuel filter on Monday, along with the parking brake (that finally came in ). Yes, it was a pain to start the tractor after cleaning out the sediment bulb, but I followed the service manual procedure on bleeding the fuel system. Of course, I tried to start the tractor immediately after cleaning out the bulb, and it ran for about 30 seconds and then died. Bled the system, started it back up. It ran rough for a minute or so, but then went back to normal....

While I was in town, I picked up some CRC additive. I got the anti-gel / lubricity / water getter ridder one, where 12 oz is supposed to treat 125 gallons. I dumped in a little less than an oz in my 5 gallon can. I also bought the fuel dryer version since it was supposed to remove water where-as the first "helped to remove" water. The second one also treats 125 gallons, so I dumped in a little less than an oz.

I also changed my air filters (both of them) out on Saturday. The larger one said 589.1 or 10-02, so I have to assume the smaller one has never been changed out.

Since the dealer was closed, I couldn't change out the oil pressure switch. Upon closer inspection on the existing switch, the bad news is that it looks brand new, with some scuff marks from what appears to be a wrench, so I'm not 100% certain that switching it out will fix my problem.

The good news is that with the fuel filter cleaning and the air filter change, my oil light goes out at 1200 RPMs vs. the original 1500 RPMs.

I put another 30 minutes or so on the tractor, and didn't have the stalling or hesitation, so once the fuel filter is changed out, that problem should be solved.

Even though the engine oil looks new, and the filter looks new, I'm going to get replacement filter and oil, and just start changing that out, and go from there.

Quick disconnect for the FEL is leaking again, and I raised the front end of the tractor off the ground with the FEL (no curl), shut it off, and walked away. Came back 15 minutes later and it was back on the ground, but the leaking on the qd is for the raise / lower function, so no surprise. Adding that to my shopping list.

One problem at a time, right? Of course, I'll have another week of paying work before I get to put more time on the tractor....

 

[MikePA]

I keep spares of all the filters, except the air filters, in the garage at all times. When I buy them, I always buy 2 of everything. Twice as expensive. but worth it to know I wont be stranded if I have a filter problem when the dealer is closed.

One of the nice things about dealing with Messicks is their online system. Order over the Internet, have it in a few days.

 

[dqdave1]

Sometimes all you have to do is change the o-ring in the quick disconnect and they will stop leaking. You can buy a few o-rings at the dealer and also the female QD to have on hand. I have changed three out of four in 7 years.

You may want to use the old "cleaned" fuel filter for a few hours of operation in case there is more crud in tank. Next time you notice a loss of power, change the filter.

 

[dqdave1]

You may want to run a crankcase cleaner in oil before changing it in case you have a sludge problem that is slowing oil flow.

 

[BigE_]

I stopped by the dealer on the way in to work this morning to pick up the parking brake, engine oil filter, and fuel filter. It blows me away the prices they can charge for these things, but I guess it is all an economy of scale thing. $130 for what looks like a bicycle gear shift cable, though....

Doh! Forgot to pick up an o-ring for the QD!

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I checked prices on oil filters. The local NH dealer has the engine oil filter for $10.34. I went to WIX filters, WIX oil filters, WIX air filters, WIX fuel filters, WIX Heavy Duty Oil Filters : Filter Look-Up to look up my tractor and get a Wix part number (51056). I then called a few local auto parts stores with this part number to get a cross and price check. Baxter carries Wix, and the price was $12.99. Schucks crossed to Fram, and the price was $11.99. Messicks has it for $9.44. So, all roughly in the same ballpark, and nice to know I don't have to wait for Monday for the dealer to open.

Update on the oil light situation: When I first start up the tractor, the oil light comes on at RPMs below 1200. After running the tractor for about 30 minutes, the oil light stays on at RPMs below 1400. This seems to correspond with oil viscosity increasing as the engine warms up (normal - see Oil Viscosity ). So, it would seem that if 15w-40 (or even 20w-50) was put in the tractor, then replacing with 5w-30 would tend to help the problem. I have no idea what weight oil is in the tractor, but the service manual calls out SAE 30, 5W-30, 10w-30, 10w-40, and 15w-40. I'm going to try 5w-30 and see what happens. I'll also run a crankcase cleaner in for a few hours before I change out the oil.

Hydrostatic fluid is 134D, btw. At Messicks, it just says "Multi G134", so I'm assuming that includes 134D.

Buying used, I knew I'd have to make some repairs / improvements / etc., and given the lower price, I'm still content with my purchase. (Now, if this had come from a dealer, even used, I would've been upset).

It's supposed to rain for the next couple of days, and since I won't be home until after dark, I likely won't be doing much on the tractor, except maybe installing the parking brake. Working in the dark in the rain is something I try to avoid where possible. I can pull it into the garage, but I know better than to try to do a first time (for me) oil change on a rig in the garage.

Regards,
-Steve

 

[dqdave1]

My dealer will mail me items or UPS them since he is about 25 miles from me. Maybe they will mail you an oring or two.
Don't forget the anti freeze in radiator. It wears out( additives). Hopefully you will be able to get the guage on the engine shortly to check true pressure. Your dealer may rent you the guage.
I won't work in rain either; unless absolutly needed.

 

[BigE_]

NH dealer is on the way home / in to work, so no big deal. A mile out of my way....

I'm going to check the coolant in the radiator. I did the visual test, and it looks normal, but I'll put a meter in it to see how acidic it is. Probably not a bad time to replace the cap, although I've never worried too much about that.

I'll check with the dealer and see if they'll rent me a gauge, but I don't have high hopes there. I *might* have one. I know I have a negative pressure (vac) gauge (not much help here), but I might also have a regular pressure gauge. I wonder if an air gauge would work, as long as I put a long enough connector on it to keep the oil out of the gauge. If nothing else, I can pick one up from an auto parts store.

The sales guy wasn't happy that I bought elsewhere. But, he wanted almost $5k more for the same tractor 2 years newer (plus supersteer), and I told him he needed to come way down on his price. He said they gave too much in trade for it, so they had to ask more for it.

-Steve

 

[dqdave1]

Dealer should be happy you are getting your parts there. If he provides a good relationship now, you would buy new from him next time!. I have now purchased 2 new units from my dealer in 9 years. He treats me fine.

An oil pressure guage should be easy and reasonable to get at an auto parts store. You may even want to put a "tee" on sender unit and mont a permenant guage "under the hood" if this situation continues. Then you have an idiot light and the guage to verify pressure.