Ford 3930 is leaking out of the exhaust

rowellc · May 20, 2014

I just bought 1993 45 HP Ford 3930. It runs on Diesel. I paid about 5950. I had it delivered and am having another Dealer check it out. I just got a call from the dealer I brought it to and he is telling me there is oil leaking out of the exhaust. This was after letting it run three hours. Initially
it was blowing white smoke but then cleared out. I just bought the Ford 3930 Shop Manual but there is nothing about troubleshooting oil leaks.
The dealer I brought it from never said anything about any oil leaks. Of course it is a 1993.

Obviously, I am a bit disappointed but the tractor appears to be running ok but the dealer I brought it to is saying they won't know if the tractor will require a complete engine rebuild until they get into the Engine.

My question is couldn't this be an oil seal or oil pan issue or perhaps a seal around the crankcase.

Not sure what I should do about this. Are there things i should be looking at like a leaky oil pan. Should I do a compression check?

I don't really want to spend 350 dollars to let the second dealer starting taking the engine apart unless it is absoulutely necessary to find out what the issue is. Can I live with a slow oil leak for a while?

I am not a tractor guy but need this for the farm so I am trying to figure out what the smart move is here.

Charlie

RickB · May 20, 2014

If the dealer let it sit around and idle for 3 hours with no load the "oil" dripping from the exhaust manifold is very likely to be unburnt diesel known as slobber or wet-stacking. The dealer is either very stupid, or thinks you are, and is fishing for an unnecessary engine overhaul job.
The smart move is to have the tractor run HARD on PTO dynomometer to determine what HP level it can produce, whether the tractor can perform well under load, and if the exhaust leak disappears, which I believe will happen. Or just take it home and put it to work, which is what you bought it for.

Texasmark · May 20, 2014

RickB said:
If the dealer let it sit around and idle for 3 hours with no load the "oil" dripping from the exhaust manifold is very likely to be unburnt diesel known as slobber or wet-stacking. The dealer is either very stupid, or thinks you are, and is fishing for an unnecessary engine overhaul job.
The smart move is to have the tractor run HARD on PTO dynomometer to determine what HP level it can produce, whether the tractor can perform well under load, and if the exhaust leak disappears, which I believe will happen. Or just take it home and put it to work, which is what you bought it for.

+1. The initial white smoke is a clue also. Run Hxxx out of it and then worry about a problem.

Mark

rowellc · Nov 22, 2014

If you can believe this here it is November 21st, 2014. I had replaced the Ford 3930 with a rebuilt engine as per the previous conversation. I had paid 5950 for the original Ford 3930 and put 8 hours on it before I recognized I had an issue. In June I took it down to another dealer. I order a rebuilt engine and paid 5797. So now I have invested 5950 for a Ford 3930 with a bad engine and invested another 5797 for a rebuilt engine. Well, on top of that the dealer who installed the new engine charged me 3512 for the deinstall of the old engine and reinstall of the rebuilt engine.
So, now I finally get it home on November 21st and guess what the oil has antifreeze in the oil and is a milky white color and the fuel injector is installed wrong as well. So now I have put on 9/10 of one hour on the new engine and back it goes to the dealer. Now, the engine rebuilder has agreed to rebuild another engine and send it over to the dealer and pay for the deinstall and reinstall of the current rebuilt engine and cover the expenses. So it has been 6 months since I bought the original tractor from the first dealer who refused to take care of the problem in the first place.

So I ask you do you know of any farmer who has been thru so much nonsense for a 1993 Ford 3930 45 HP Diesel Tractor. I am at wits end with this. I just can not believe I have had such a bad stroke of luck on a farm tractor.

Thanks for your time

jimmysisson · Nov 23, 2014

Did you ever try what Rick suggested?
Once that tractor is sorted you'll find it is a workhorse and very reliable. Don't curse it to its face.
Jim

rowellc · Nov 25, 2014

Try what "Running the **** out of it." I got it home in June and got to run for 8 hours before it used up 8 quarts of oil in 8 hours of use. It was losing power by the end of the day and that engine was clearly on its last legs. I bought a rebuilt engine which was not supposed to have any issues for 5797 then had a new dealer install the rebuilt engine for 3512 and that was on top of the 5930 I invested. Do you honestly believe I could say anthing more to the face of the tractor that could possibly make things any worse than they already are? You sound like there is some supersition associated with tractors. I mean supersition lies with these weasels who call themselves tractor dealers. So now the company that agreed to sell me a new rebuilt engine in the first place is covering the entire cost of another rebuilt engine plus the addtional cost of deinstalling the old rebuilt engine and reinstalling the new rebuilt engine (hopefully there won't be any more issues). But the question what about the dealer who sold me the tractor in the first place for 5950. What do I do about that rascal?

This has been an exercise in futility for the past six months. I have never had so many issues with a tractor. I bought a Ford 3000 8 years ago and that tractor lasted me a good long time for 7 years. Now, I have to deal with these Ford tractor issues on Ford 3930. Makes you wonder a bit about this tractor business.