1530 power steering -again

[tonyopitz]

I am having some problems with the power steering on my 1530 -again . I have been mowing for the past week and the tractor was making a noise when I would turn right, but just for an instant and then would be ok until I went to turn right again, it seems like it happened in the slack area between left and right. Today as I was finishing up it turned into a loud groan, at first I thought it was the mower shifting , then noticed the pressure line from the remote that goes to the loader would vibrate, also the steering column was getting hot. My lift and loader both seem to work ok but the tractor seems to be running a little hotter than usual. I finished up and brought back to the barn and hosed it off and let it cool down and shut it off and went in for a cold beer and let it set for a little while . When I cranked back up I drove it inside and it didn't seem to make the load groaning noise but the instantaneous noise when turning right is there. A few years ago TX Jim was a life saver when he told me how to change the o rings in the column, am I headed for that again, I don't remember if I thanked him for that, but I sure appreciated the help and it worked out great.
Any advise would be appreciated

Tony opitz

 

[Tx Jim]

You're Welcome
Power steering getting hot is a sign that PS valve is leaking internally. I think you need to check & probably replace those saame 6 o-rings that you replaced in the past.

 

[tonyopitz]

Thanks Jim, would the intermittent noise when starting to turn right also be related to those o rings. also when using the loader or lift it sounds a little noisy , less after it warms up and while I'm running sometimes I hear what sounds like lifter noise or air in the system that happens when I operate the hydraulics , Ive got about 60 hrs on the fluid and filters and screen cleaning, I notice no visible fluid leaks anywhere .Should I be using strictly JD fluid or can I use and after market brand that is sold at tractor supply or auto parts stores ? I made a set of long picks out of auto radio antenas last time and they worked good ,especialy after I put a white rag in the bottom to reflect the light. The tractor has really supprised me , I use it often and work it fairly hard, it uses very little fuel and starts right up since I changed the electrical system. Most of the time I am mowing with an older 206 bush hog mower and Iam mowing high weeds , grass saplings ect. I have 4o acres planted timber and mow between rows twice a year , which takes about a week each time cause I have to go fairly slow because of stumps and some trash that hasnt rotted out yet. The bush hog loader comes in handy for pushing over small trees and getting me unstuck when I get too close to some ponds.
Thanks a lot , Jim , I will pick up the o rings again and let you know how it turns out.

Tony Opitz
Jennings Fla

 

[Tx Jim]

Hyd oil should meet the J20C specifications. What type valve controls FEL & how is it attached to tractor hyd's?Have you ever inspected the hyd pump drive coupler for wear?

 

[tonyopitz]

The FEL is connected to the tractor hyd via the rear remote on the tractor with hoses that run inside the rear right fender to the control, the control is a joystick, the FEL is a 2426 qt bush hog, the hyd pump coupler appears to be new. but I have not inspected it, while it's down I will do that. Should there be a filter installed ahead the loader control, there is not one on this unit.

thanks for the reply, Tony Opitz

 

[tonyopitz]

I replaced the o rings in the steering column, it steers about the same as it did before but the noise when ever I engage the hyd. is still there it almost sounds like air in the system. It does it when I turn the wheel, when I raise the lift and when I operate the fel. I checked the hyd coupler and it looks fine. I didn't notice any groaning and it didn't heat up. I did notice a lot of play in the valves on the shaft, I'm not sure how much there should be but it seems like almost a 1/4 inch. I haven't changed the fluid and filter yet , that's my next project, last time was about 75 hours ago and the strainer was really packed with crud, I cleaned it , tried to get the pressure relief valve out but coulnt get it out , it seemed free but I guess I need to get it out this time and check it.

any ideas?
Tony

 

[Tx Jim]

FEL operation should drastically improve if you'll get pressure for FEL valve behind priority valve(fitting that supplies scv's) and return hyd oil to a ported hyd filter cover.

 

[tonyopitz]

Thanks Jim, but the fel seems to operate fine ,its just the noise that's got me worried, its worse when you turn the steering wheel than when you operate the fel. or the rear lift.

Tony

 

[tonyopitz]

well, I pulled the steering valves again to check the o rings, they looked fine, I now have smooth steering to the right but jerky and noisy steering to the left, I seem to go from bad to worse, could I have got some bad o rings, I got them from Louisville tractor, I got 12 in case I had to do it again at some point ,or could I have bad valve assemblies, or something else. any thoughts are appreciated.

Tony

 

[Tx Jim]

It possible that because of wear that the one valve body giving jerking is shimmed incorrectly

 

[tonyopitz]

Thanks Jim, it looks as if someone has jury rigged this valve assembly . there are washers that have been ground down to fit into the sleeve on top of the spring on the top of the assembly and held on with a snap ring and more modified washers on top of that that jam against the adjuster, doesn't look like the diagram. Which valve would regulate the left turn? There are 3 shims on each valve between the valve and the two spacers in the middle. Do you think I should try to locate another steering valve?

Thanks again Tony

 

[Tx Jim]

Without a JD tech manual to study I can't determine which valve is for left turn. I think your valves can be shimmed to operate correctly.

 

[tonyopitz]

Thanks Jim. I will do some digging and see what info I can come up with, I priced a used one (670) rebuilt(840) both want mine as core or $200 , that will be a last resort . I will keep you posted.

Thanks again Tony

 

[tonyopitz]

I think I got it . I found an article online that gave a procedure for shimming the valves. This guy said to hold the valve assembly in a vise with the 2 valves held together, insert cotter keys in the holes where the little spring loaded valves are, which will hold the valves on their seats and then measure the end play of the shaft. I found 2 different articles 2 different guys, one said the end play should be between .020 and .030 , the other guy said 1/16 . I measured mine with a dial indicator and came up with around .050. it's hard to hold the carter keys in and move the shaft back and forth by yourself. I ordered shims and a washer and retainer that it was missing.( had been jery rigged with an assortment of washers. I added .010 to each valve, which brought to about.030 end play. I also had to unfreeze the jam nut on the adjuster it was pretty rusty and I don't know if the adjuster was all the way down before, because it went down past where it was before . There was a little noise and slight jerking when I first stated it and turned the wheel with the wheels raised , it cleared up it a minute. the is a lot less play in the steering wheel, maybe about a quarter turn .I mowed with it for about an hour and it seemed to steer ok. I don't know if I need to add more shims or just leave it alone. Next on the agenda is draining the 303 fluid that I put in it last year and change the filter and clean the screen again and try to get the pressure relief valve out.

Thanks for all your help and patience.
Tony Opitz

 

[tonyopitz]

I think I got it. I found an article online that offered a procedure for shimming the valves,I think it was FIXYA. The guy said to put the valve assembly in a vise so that the two valves are held together, insert cotter keys in the holes where the little spring loaded valves slide so that you hold the valves on their seats and measure the end play of the shaft, He said the end play should be .020 to .030. A little tricky holding the cotter keys in and moving the shaft back and forth but I was able to get a measurement with a dial indicator of about .050. I ordered the shims and a thrust washer and a retainer that were missing and new snap rings. I added .010 to each valve and unfroze the jam nut on the adjuster , I don't think the adjuster was all the way down before. It made a little noise and was a little jerky when I started it up with the wheels off the ground, but cleared up in a minute. there seems to be a lot less play in the steering wheel, maybe 1/4 turn or less. I mowed with it for anout30 minutes .it seemed to steer ok. I don't know if I should add more shims or just leave it alone. next on the agenda is replacing the 303 fluid I put in last year with j20c and cleaning the screen and replacing the filter and try to get the pressure relief valve out.

Thanks again for all your help and patience.
Tony Opitz

 

[Tx Jim]

Thanks for the update. I think the shimming you performed will be the solution. I'm not very good at surfing the web. Can you post where you found your shimming deminsions? Thanks,Jim

 

[Zebrafive]

Coming in late, upper valve is left, lower valve is right

 

[tonyopitz]

the site where I got the procedure is called" just answer heavy equipment". It's one of those sites where you talk to an expert and then you pay him, only I did not talk to him or pay him because you can find alot of stuff that they have been talking about that may be what your problem is. All you have to do is google " just answer heavy equipment 1530 steering" and it will pull up a couple of articles on that subject. Where I got the measurement of .020 -.030 was an article that the same guy did on a 310b backhoe . which seems to have the same steering , that one would be " just answer 310 backhoe steering just turns right" -- I think, anyhow sometimes find these things and have no idea how I got there. But the 310b article is quite long and can be frustrating reading because you are also reading the customers response which can be --frustrating but it does have some pictures . I hope you are able to pull this up, and thanks for the reply Jim, and also ZEBRAFIVE . I am probably going to leave it as it is for now but this winter while I got down time I may do some more experimenting with shimming the valve again to may get it tighter. I was at an equipment lot while I was looking for used valves and the guy had a really solid 2030 he was trying to sell me and the steering on that one was really nice and tight although it did have a slight noise in between right and left , but it was just for and instant.

Again. thanks for all your help
Tony Opitz

 

[Zebrafive]

Probably NOT the same; early 2030 (no spring) tech manual said to shim to get a PRE LOAD of .001-.003

 

[tonyopitz]

Interesting, the pictures I saw of the 310b valves did not show a spring either. Should there be clearance between the washer on top of the spring and the adjuster ?, because there is on mine, I didn't measure it but it looks like about 1/8 or so. I'm not exactly sure what the spring does, other than keep some tension on the shaft.

Thanks for the info.
tony