Oil & Fuel TC33D oil light at low RPMs?

[Cobra-R]

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

With all due respect, two years and supersteer for 5k doesn't seem unreasonable, unless that was a take it or leave it price? After having Supersteer, I would never consider a tractor without it.

The results of your oil pressure issue will tell the real tale, I guess.

 

[dqdave1]

$5000.00 more than the price of his current tractor is what I read.

 

[BigE_]

I bought a 2000, the dealer had a 2002. Both had approximately the same hours, and both had the hour meter messed with (the 2002 said it had something like 30 hours on it, the 2000 had the hour meter non-functional at 1125 hours, but depending on the day of the week you stopped by, the two different sales guys claimed the 2002 had anywhere from 800 to 1200 hours on it).

Yes, I did want the supersteer, but it wasn't worth $5k extra (50% more $) to me. I would have paid $2k extra, knowing I was not only buying the supersteer, but also a recently serviced tractor. Sales guy wouldn't budge on the price. His tractor is still on the lot....

I guess time will tell whether or not it was worth it.

I didn't get home until really late last night, so no chance to stop by an auto parts store. Closest one that is open when I get off work is 30 minutes out of the way. If I can't find something at the auto parts store, I did find a fuel pump gauge at Harbor Freight for $9.99. It reads 0-100psi and comes with several adapters, so it should do the trick in a pinch.

 

[BigE_]

Well, the weather finally cooperated, and I got some time to work on the tractor tonight (in the dark, no less).

I changed the oil and filter, and installed the parking brake. I didn't do the fuel filter yet because I wanted to let any additional sediment get into the bowl first...

The oil I used was rated CJ-4, but from what I've read, this replaces the recommended APG CG-SE oil. I used Castrol 15W-40.

I had a heck of a time getting the pressure gauge installed. I bought the correct adapters, etc., but the engine block was in the way of tightening down the pressure gauge. I couldn't even put a T-fitting on -- no room to turn it. I finally ended up using one of my quick disconnect fittings for my air hose and a 90 degree elbow. I put the female side of the QD on the engine block, put the elbow on the gauge, and then the male side of the QD on the elbow.

OK, now to the results. It turns out that there is nothing wrong with the sending unit. Anything below 1200 RPMs and I get almost no oil pressure. At 2600 RPMs, I'm getting about 12psi. The service manual says it should be 14-21psi at low idle (1000 RPMs) and 35-43psi at high idle (3000 RPMs) at normal operating temperature. Well, I didn't wait for the engine to warm up because I know the pressure drops as the engine warms up.

I double-checked the pressure gauge using my compressor, and it reads correctly up to 100psi, triple-checking with a second pressure gauge.


Next Steps:
Park on the level and double-check engine oil level
Check oil pressure relief valve
Check oil pump axial clearance
Check oil pump drive shaft gears and oil pipe
Check main and connecting rod bearings

I'm not looking forward to the last three items. Any more suggestions?

Regards,
-Steve

 

[BigE_]

And I'm definitely pulling the FEL off when I dig into the engine. Those arms and that bucket really get in the way when working on the engine!

 

[BigE_]

Hmmm, maybe the suction strainer is plugged?

Cleaning that out seems like it would be a lot easier than disassembling the engine. I'd have to drain the oil (again, dang it) to get to it. Would it be worth saving the drained oil with about 5 minutes of run time on it?

I've never worked on diesels, and not much work on other engines, save replacing the head gasket on my first car, and the standard replacement of starters and alternators, so this should be fun! I guess I did replace a crankshaft in a little 8hp engine I had once, but that was pretty straight forward.

 

[jinman]

I would sure check the relief valve before starting to disassemble the engine. On my tractor, the relief valve is easy to get to. Not sure about the TC33, but I'd bet it is just about the same. You might check with your dealer's service manager to find out it's exact location.

Also, the oil pump is under the front timing cover below the water pump, so it would be the next easiest thing to check. I'd look at both of those things before dropping the pan.

 

[IH3444]

Jiman is correct about pulling the pan first, checking the oil pump, and relief valve first. You can then determain if you need to pull a connecting rod cap, and inspect the rod bearings. They would be the first to show wear. If the rod bearing need replacing, then also mic the connecting rod journal for size, and roundness. If the crank mics out fine, I believe you can swap out even the main with the engine in the frame. I did this on my IH3444, BD154 engine, and also installed a new oil pump. Sorry to hear about your troubles on such a low hours tractor. I wish NH would have put a real oil pressure gauge with number on our machines. May have cost another $20.

 

[FULLPULL]

I would first try a different oil gauge most of them i have seen have a 1/8 inch tube and kind of calibrates it with the gauge . It still may be a sending unit .

 

[jinman]

From New Holland's engine block diagram on their website, it looks like the pressure relief valve is a hex-head that looks like a bolt in the general vicinity of the oil filter and dipstick. If you look at the engine block diagram on the website, it is item #38. I'd make sure that was correct and not held open with some foreign material before doing anything else.