Hey Guys,
Okay, well, I'm still working on the tractor, a little progress each day. The last couple of days not a lot done, but I did get the engine oil and filter changed......man, it needed it....although the level of the oil was fine, the oil had seen much better days....but not recently. Funny thing....last week I'd run a little WD or some other lube down around the key...just to see if I could get it out. No luck until Monday night....then it pretty much popped right out. Of course, then I put the key back in and it wouldn't turn the ignition....my luck. So, I pulled the ignition and worked it with the key, more WD, blasted it with some air, then some electronics cleaner, WD, key....etc. Had it working again and feeling like new in about 10 minutes. Blew some more air through it and let it set over night...and blew it out again the next morning, installed it and works great. Pulled the fuse cover...just to see if I had any blown links cause I didn't have headlights or that rear light. Yup.... 1 blown...15A. So I installed a 15A that a member had sent me. I then had headlamps, but no rear lamp...took the cover off the rear lamp and like an idiot, wiggled the wire that runs to the back of the bulb.....naturally, it was loose, hit ground and pooof....I was the proud owner of another blown 15A link. Pulled the whole light apart, found that the little plastic thing that keeps the lead wire in contact with the back of the bulb had rotted in the center allowing the lead wire to pull out the back of the socket and rattle around in the light housing. So, got some 2 part epoxy, mixed a tiny bit, ran the wire through the plastic thing then filled the oversize hole and let it set. Light works great now....I installed a 10A link and it seems to be holding. Unfortuneately, that light has been wired so when ever the key is on, the light is on. Rather than rewire it so it it comes on when the headlamps are on, I'm thinking of just installing a toggle switch back there near the light, maybe on the inward side of the fender where it drops down behind the seat. Or is that lame? Should I just rewire it back up front to maybe the headlamp hot on the " out " side of the fuse box? Anyway, my high beams aren't working, but the rear light and my low beams are working. I dropped the light switch, disconnected the high beam wire from the switch and tested the high beam terminal....nothing..so it much be in the switch. Those look like they might be serviceable...but that's another day.
Okay, another thing I've noticed the last few days. The temp light. Sometimes it comes on when I turn the key to the on position....sometimes not. Sometimes it comes on while using the tractor...but the tractors not hot. I know this only because it might come on 15 seconds after starting the tractor first thing in the AM. Yesterday the light was on and the tractor hadn't even had a chance to warm up...I opened the hood, disconnected the wire to the sending unit....light was still on. I'm confused.....but it sounds like either a short.....or...???
One other thing I noticed yesterday. That upper trans leak...It seems to leak when I put the trans in hi range.....but not low. So, as another member suggested, I checked the vent lines, seems there are 2 of them on each side just under the seat. It was late in the afternoon, so all I really did was try and blow through them. 1 I immediately noticed was plugged at the end of the rubber tubing...so I dug out the dirt, tried blowing into it....nothing. Tried sucking on the hose...nothing. Except for the obvious dirt in the hose, the other side was the same way...no air passing either direction. So, tomorrow morning I'm attacking those 2 vents to see if the vent hoses are blocked or if the vent tubes themselves are blocked. Nothing but fun, huh?
The other thing I did today, besides put the tractor to work, was fixed those dang step plate things...you know, the ones your feet rest on...but rattle pretty much any time your feet aren't on them. Pulled them out and it seems the rubber insolators were mostly gone...a couple of them still there...but shot. Again, with 2 part epoxy, I cut and installed some strips of dense cork gasket material the same size as the mounts with thin layer of the epoxy in a couple spots....just to hold the cork material. then sat the steps back into position and from below installed springs just a bit longer than the pins that hold the steps/floors in place. Then a washer pushed up compressing the springs just far enough to put new cotter keys in. It works great...feels great and best of all, no rattles at all.
Well, that's it for now. Going to have more questions soon....Hey, I've got one now...Is there a way to bleed the hydraulics for the front loader? It bleeds down fairly quickly and I don't know if there might be air in the lines or why it would start to drop. The rear hydraulics don't drop at all. Any ideas?
Hey California....did ya get those S/N's I sent ya? Did you make anything out with them?
Hoping for more progress tomorrow.
