Finally bought my first ever tractor! International 674! Help a rookie fix it!

[RebelHomesteads]

Not sure of your level of mechanical experience, or DIY abilities so don't be offended if this sounds like I'm talking down. I'm not, just trying to cover all bases on the spectrum.

Don't know that particular motor, but the way I would approach it (cheap to more expensive) ... Change all fluids unless you KNOW it was recently done. Drain the oil, send off a sample for testing (you know there's diesel, but metals is what you want to know) see how much oil comes out vs spec. (like louNY said) New filter & oil to specs, start her up & run her a bit to warm things up ... are you getting smoke/puffing/oil out of the dipstick tube or oil fill (yes? ... rings; no ... next). If no heavy blowby, run her for a while to warm her up & give a light load on the engine by moving her around (don't just idle). How does the exhaust look? Black?Blue?White?Normal? & see if oil level is increasing ... if yes, pull the injectors & inspect/have them tested/rebuilt as necessary. (rePete) If the injectors are good, then pull the pump & have someone who knows what they are doing rebuild as necessary (Harry in KY). If you do wind up pulling the pump, make sure you re-align the timing marks when putting it back together (manual should give you the info). If you're unsure of any step, find a good diesel shop that knows these engines & let them do the first repair. work your way up by doing all the regular maintenance stuff (hoses/coolant/filters/line replacement/oil changes/etc.) Have fun.

I have almost zero mechanical experience so everything you said is very helpful. Thanks. I’ve got just enough to change all the fluids and filters and do small stuff. I’ll follow this flowchart.

 

[RebelHomesteads]

Not sure of your level of mechanical experience, or DIY abilities so don't be offended if this sounds like I'm talking down. I'm not, just trying to cover all bases on the spectrum.

Don't know that particular motor, but the way I would approach it (cheap to more expensive) ... Change all fluids unless you KNOW it was recently done. Drain the oil, send off a sample for testing (you know there's diesel, but metals is what you want to know) see how much oil comes out vs spec. (like louNY said) New filter & oil to specs, start her up & run her a bit to warm things up ... are you getting smoke/puffing/oil out of the dipstick tube or oil fill (yes? ... rings; no ... next). If no heavy blowby, run her for a while to warm her up & give a light load on the engine by moving her around (don't just idle). How does the exhaust look? Black?Blue?White?Normal? & see if oil level is increasing ... if yes, pull the injectors & inspect/have them tested/rebuilt as necessary. (rePete) If the injectors are good, then pull the pump & have someone who knows what they are doing rebuild as necessary (Harry in KY). If you do wind up pulling the pump, make sure you re-align the timing marks when putting it back together (manual should give you the info). If you're unsure of any step, find a good diesel shop that knows these engines & let them do the first repair. work your way up by doing all the regular maintenance stuff (hoses/coolant/filters/line replacement/oil changes/etc.) Have fun.

Should I leave the dipstick and oil fill lid off to look for smoke?

 

[alexpops]

If the rings are shot, you should know as soon as she's running. You don't want to feel heavy air flow coming out of either. No need to keep them open once you confirm it doesn't feel/look like an exhaust pipe. The oil analysis can tell you if you have other internal wear, so send out the sample.

Don't underestimate the cost of a new fuel pump if you can even find one. A good rebuild (if you need a pump) is just as reliable and cheaper than new. Most new stuff is of questionable quality given where everthing is manufactured these days, so the professional rebuild could be more reliable. Same thing with injectors.

Spend money on repairs when you have to, save where you can, keep up with maintenance and the money saved gets you more implements.

 

[RebelHomesteads]

If the rings are shot, you should know as soon as she's running. You don't want to feel heavy air flow coming out of either. No need to keep them open once you confirm it doesn't feel/look like an exhaust pipe. The oil analysis can tell you if you have other internal wear, so send out the sample.

Don't underestimate the cost of a new fuel pump if you can even find one. A good rebuild (if you need a pump) is just as reliable and cheaper than new. Most new stuff is of questionable quality given where everthing is manufactured these days, so the professional rebuild could be more reliable. Same thing with injectors.

Spend money on repairs when you have to, save where you can, keep up with maintenance and the money saved gets you more implements.

And if it is the rings that means the tractor will need an inframe?

 

[DLTrekkers]

Remove your dipstick and check for waterdroplets on the plug.
That can tell you if you have a sleeveproblem.

 

[alexpops]

And if it is the rings that means the tractor will need an inframe?

Excess crankcase pressure indicates blowby, which is usually rings, especially when combined with fuel in the crankcase,
and yeah, at least an inframe. But, next step would be check cylinder compression (wet and dry) against specs and between cylinders for variance to make sure it IS the rings. Could be a head problem too.

I watched the videos, & right before the end of 2nd video, looks like a big puff of blue smoke as he's lugging the engine before drive off. So ... oil in the exhaust from somewhere. Or my eyes/computer aren't working right. General rule: White smoke => water, blue => oil, black => over fueling or insufficient air.

Whether the smoke is from high level in the crankcase, rings, head problems, mixing of oil & fuel at the fuel pump or something else needs someone who knows that engine to look at it. Quick search & Rebuild kits for D239 (engine, not fuel pump) look like they run from $700 - $1100 depending on inframe or major - rest of costs is labor, machine shop, consumables (penetrating oil, parts cleaners, assembly lube, oil, sealant, bolt/stud replacements, loctite, antiseize, etc.).

Since you say you don't have much experience cranking wrenches, ask around & have a good local diesel shop look it over to diagnose & give you an estimate for repair. Then make your decision.

If this is a hobby tractor & you don't NEED to put it to work, a rebuild is mainly disassembly, cleaning, checking tolerances & wear surfaces, & careful reassembly with lots of lube. Machine shop work as necessary depending on the tolerances & wear surface condition. Doable and enjoyable if you have the tools, shop space, time, and organizational skills to track what goes where and in what order. Can be a nightmare if you don't have all of the above.

BUT ... I have seen a lot of diy hot rodders take a decent, working car & destroy it by not fixing the real problem/taking shortcuts/following youtube videos for the wrong problem and losing interest/willingness to continue sinking money into a project that exceeded their skills/willingness to learn/or interest and curiosity level. By the time you buy all the tools needed, having a good diesel shop diagnose & repair the problem will probably be cheaper.

If it were me, and i was in your shoes, I'd find a reputable diesel shop to at least make the diagnosis. You might be surprised. Youre into this tractor for 3100 so far. You could easily spend the same amount or more on parts and tools that don't fix the problem (or make new problems) & then have to spend even more for a mechanic to fix everything. If you want to put the tractor to work quickly, have the shop fix it, & learn to walk (by doing maintenance/minor repairs) before trying to run the marathon of a rebuild. There will be plenty of time to fix stuff & learn as your skills and confidence in ability grow.

 

[RebelHomesteads]

Excess crankcase pressure indicates blowby, which is usually rings, especially when combined with fuel in the crankcase,
and yeah, at least an inframe. But, next step would be check cylinder compression (wet and dry) against specs and between cylinders for variance to make sure it IS the rings. Could be a head problem too.

I watched the videos, & right before the end of 2nd video, looks like a big puff of blue smoke as he's lugging the engine before drive off. So ... oil in the exhaust from somewhere. Or my eyes/computer aren't working right. General rule: White smoke => water, blue => oil, black => over fueling or insufficient air.

Whether the smoke is from high level in the crankcase, rings, head problems, mixing of oil & fuel at the fuel pump or something else needs someone who knows that engine to look at it. Quick search & Rebuild kits for D239 (engine, not fuel pump) look like they run from $700 - $1100 depending on inframe or major - rest of costs is labor, machine shop, consumables (penetrating oil, parts cleaners, assembly lube, oil, sealant, bolt/stud replacements, loctite, antiseize, etc.).

Since you say you don't have much experience cranking wrenches, ask around & have a good local diesel shop look it over to diagnose & give you an estimate for repair. Then make your decision.

If this is a hobby tractor & you don't NEED to put it to work, a rebuild is mainly disassembly, cleaning, checking tolerances & wear surfaces, & careful reassembly with lots of lube. Machine shop work as necessary depending on the tolerances & wear surface condition. Doable and enjoyable if you have the tools, shop space, time, and organizational skills to track what goes where and in what order. Can be a nightmare if you don't have all of the above.

BUT ... I have seen a lot of diy hot rodders take a decent, working car & destroy it by not fixing the real problem/taking shortcuts/following youtube videos for the wrong problem and losing interest/willingness to continue sinking money into a project that exceeded their skills/willingness to learn/or interest and curiosity level. By the time you buy all the tools needed, having a good diesel shop diagnose & repair the problem will probably be cheaper.

If it were me, and i was in your shoes, I'd find a reputable diesel shop to at least make the diagnosis. You might be surprised. Youre into this tractor for 3100 so far. You could easily spend the same amount or more on parts and tools that don't fix the problem (or make new problems) & then have to spend even more for a mechanic to fix everything. If you want to put the tractor to work quickly, have the shop fix it, & learn to walk (by doing maintenance/minor repairs) before trying to run the marathon of a rebuild. There will be plenty of time to fix stuff & learn as your skills and confidence in ability grow.

Yeah, that’s the good thing about spending so little on it so far. I could spend 5k on a rebuild and have $8100 into a tractor with a brand new rebuilt engine. Thanks for all the help, I’ve been busy with work, (Im a truck driver so I work a lot of hours) but as soon as I get the time I’ll start by changing all the fluids and filters and check if air is coming out of the dipstick, and also check how much fuel is being dumped into the crank case.

 

[alexpops]

If you drive a diesel, make friends with the guys that service the fleet. They'll have the expertise/knowledge & tools to look at your engine, make the right diagnosis, & even handle the repairs for anything too heavy for you to take on just yet. Great source of info for putting together a tool box for future needs as well.

 

[tradosaurus]

Hopefully you won't have more than $10K into that tractor to get it mechanically sound.

At that point you would have been better off sinking the money into a relatively new tractor.

 

[LouNY]

Hopefully you won't have more than $10K into that tractor to get it mechanically sound.

At that point you would have been better off sinking the money into a relatively new tractor.

I certainly don't see it that way. $10,000 doesn't get hardly thing in a relatively new tractor especially in a 70 HP unit.
If he ends up putting that much into a 674 it will be in very good shape for a lot less then a newer one.