Ford 3000 driving me insane!

[SoGeorgia]

Soundguy, somebody, please help me out. My 3000 is making me pull my hair out.

I bought it a year ago and it's constantly something new giving me problems. First the PTO wouldn't stay engaged. I was desperate to get some work done so I wound up keeping the heel of my boot against the lever to keep it engaged while I mowed. Early this summer it finally gave up and broke the inner PTO shifter arm. I replaced just about everything and now the PTO is great but before I got to use it I realized my water pump was toast. I replaced my water pump last week.

Now.. it's always been hard to restart once it gets hot. So Saturday I started mowing and about 10 minutes in, the tractor just dies like it was turned off. I checked the fuel level and it was good, checked to make sure the intake was not obstructed in any way. Would not start. So I pulled the fuel filters off to check for water. It seemed like there may have been some water. Put them back on, purged the fuel system at the filters and at the pump, fuel was squirting from the bleeder valve on the pump. Still wouldn't crank. Got aggravated and walked away for about 30 minutes.. Came back and it cranked right up. Fast forward about an hour of mowing. I get hung up on a stump and while trying to free it I notice water is leaking!! Radiator has a hole in the bottom near the mounting bolts!! So my first question is, should I buy a new radiator or have this one repaired? Apparently there is only one local guy who fixes radiators and he charges around 100 bucks! I'm also considering trying to repair it myself.

So I shut it down and go get some water to top it off and come back to try to get free of the stump. Tractor won't start.. So pi$$ed I just left it for the day.

Yesterday morning I decided to try again. Walked up to the tractor, turned the key and it cranked right up!! Why will it not crank when it's hot??!! Also, why would the tractor just die on Saturday after running for 10 minutes?

I really can't afford a new tractor but I'm sick of throwing money at this one and still not getting any work done.

 

[Soundguy]

lots of issues.. I'll try to address each one.

1, the pto kicking out was due to thrust paly at the shaft probbaly, make it walk out of engagement. sounds like you repalced all that.

hole int he rad.. is it in a spot you can get to? if so.. san it clean.. fid a suitable patch.. something like a piece of tin roofing. get your plumbers torcha nd some plumbers paste flux and solder.. and flux the crud out of it. tin the repair airea.. tin the patch ( after fluxing. ) lay the patch on with more flux, heat joint and it should sweat right up.


cut and flattened copper pipe can be a patch. a pennd sanded flat will patch.. galv roof tin.. etc.. etc.

diesels die / quit running from lack of fuel... that's where I'd be looking.

No start? it's unclear. are you saying it won;t crank over when hot.. or won't fire off while cranking? if not fireing off while cranking, 1, do you hav ethe correct 4dlt and well charged battery. good cables and ends and good crank speed? is it making smoke when you crank it? is the fuel stop / kill cable firmly in and not walking out a lil bit?


if not cranking.. check NS switch at range shifter.. .. check connections at solenoid.

post back

 

[SoGeorgia]

lots of issues.. I'll try to address each one.

1, the pto kicking out was due to thrust paly at the shaft probbaly, make it walk out of engagement. sounds like you repalced all that.

Thank you Soundguy.. Yes, the shaft had a bit of end/thrust play. All has been replaced on the PTO and so far, what few hours I've got to mow it's working fine.

hole int he rad.. is it in a spot you can get to? if so.. san it clean.. fid a suitable patch.. something like a piece of tin roofing. get your plumbers torcha nd some plumbers paste flux and solder.. and flux the crud out of it. tin the repair airea.. tin the patch ( after fluxing. ) lay the patch on with more flux, heat joint and it should sweat right up.


cut and flattened copper pipe can be a patch. a pennd sanded flat will patch.. galv roof tin.. etc.. etc.

Awesome advice.. Haven't removed the radiator again so I'll have to examine the leak more closely once I get it back off.

diesels die / quit running from lack of fuel... that's where I'd be looking.

No start? it's unclear. are you saying it won;t crank over when hot.. or won't fire off while cranking? if not fireing off while cranking, 1, do you hav ethe correct 4dlt and well charged battery. good cables and ends and good crank speed? is it making smoke when you crank it? is the fuel stop / kill cable firmly in and not walking out a lil bit?


if not cranking.. check NS switch at range shifter.. .. check connections at solenoid.

post back

I know better than not to word a post correctly.. sorry.. When hot, it will crank but not start/fire. At the bleed valve on the pump, if you turn it over fuel will squirt out, but I'm not sure of how hard/fast it's supposed to do so.. the kill cable isn't the greatest but I verified that it's all the way in and shouldn't be affecting it. Now that you mention it, it's not really smoking when I try to start it.

 

[SoGeorgia]

Do you think I'm looking at a fuel pump problem? Maybe when it's hot the tolerances are too great and it's not making adequate pressure?

 

[Soundguy]

if it is getting fuel to the injector pump that is un obstructed, it may be a lift pump issue.


PS.. can't remember.. this is a simms inline pump right? is there oil in the cambox?

 

[SoGeorgia]

if it is getting fuel to the injector pump that is un obstructed, it may be a lift pump issue.

PS.. can't remember.. this is a simms inline pump right? is there oil in the cambox?

It's the rotary CAV/Lucas pump. Looks like the one below.

 

[Soundguy]

hmm.. the cav are pretty good pumps.. and fuel lubed.. so no cambox to run out of oil.

return is not blocked is it?

 

[SoGeorgia]

hmm.. the cav are pretty good pumps.. and fuel lubed.. so no cambox to run out of oil.

return is not blocked is it?

It could be. I really didn't know what to check except for fuel squirting from the bleed screw.

It's covered in oil and grease so I'll have to look for the return.

 

[SoGeorgia]

Oh, I also loosened one of the injector lines and checked for fuel flow there when turning engine over. Again, it came out but I don't know how much pressure is required.

 

[Soundguy]

pressure is a combination of flow and resistance.. with an injector line cracked open.. you will have very little flow and no resistance.. thus no appreciable pressure.