John Deere 820

[cannedman]

Hello and very Merry Christmas to everyone.

I have a John Deere 820 tractor SN 100295L that my uncle gave me. The tractor looks to be in good shape. The big problem is the tractor has not been started in 4 or 5 years. The battery is missing and I have no manuals. I have been told it is a 12 volt system. If anyone knows or what I should do before I even try to start the tractor. Any suggestions I know nothing about tractors but I am willing to learn. I do not have the money to take it to a dealer and have him go through it.

TIA

 

[kjung17]

Do you have the full 13 digit number or is this an old 2 cylinder?

 

[jenkinsph]

I would start off by changing the oil, oil filter, draining the fuel tank there is a petcock beneath the tank and add fresh fuel. I would change the fuel filters and check the air filter and make sure there are no nests inside here. Check the antifreeze coolant to make sure it is full.

A safe route in my opinion is to remove the injectors and fog the cylinders squirting some fogging oil in and let it set for a few days. I would give it a small squirt in each cylinder two or three days in a row. give the oil time to loosen any thing up.

I would then install a good battery and check the cables and wires too. Next I would try to see if it will turn over if it does let it turn for 20 to 30 seconds to clear the cylinders. Replace the injectors and bleed the air from the lines.

If it smokes while cranking but doesn't fire up you may need to use starting fluid. There is a starting fluid injection point on most of these tractors located just below the right bottom corner of the dash, should have a knurled cap with a short chain over it. While cranking over the engine add a small burst of ether and it should fire off, you may need to repeat this but use the ether as sparingly as possible. If it will run but is rough you may need to bleed the air from the fuel lines again to smooth it out.

Carefully monitor the oil pressure, temperature and watch for leaks and other problems.

Let us know how it goes.


Here are some pics of my 820

 

[cannedman]

Thank you so much. I will post my progress.

 

[JD5210]

Here is where you go for a manuals. Have the SN when you call them. Tractordata.com will give you some specs on the tractor and year based on serial number. The second URL is for parts.

Operator's Manuals for John Deere Equipment

John Deere - Parts Catalog

 

[jenkinsph]

I do have an owners manual and parts book for this tractor if you need more info.

 

[cannedman]

Steve,

I ordered a service manual for the tractor they said it would take 9 to 14 days to get it.

I bought the oil filter, fuel filter and hydraulic filter. I found the oil filter without any problems but I cannot find the fuel filter and the hydraulic filter.

I drained the oil and the old fuel and refilled with new. I decided I would see if the tractor would start. The temp here today was 32 so I used some starting fluid and it fired on the first crank. The tractor ran for about 4 minutes with all pressure and temp good, smoked like a freight train. After about 4 minutes it started missing and finally shut down. It acts like it is not getting any fuel. Is it possible that there could be air in the lines and if so how do you bleed them?

Sorry for all the questions but I have really enjoyed working on the tractor today.

Thanks again for all of your help. Have a great day.

Leonard

 

[jenkinsph]

NAPA auto parts should have the two fuel filters you need, change these filters and the orings that go with them. Use the small lever on the fuel pump to prime the filters there is a small bleeder knob on top of the secondary fuel filter to bleed the air from these filters.

On my 820 the fuel filters with glass sediment bowls are on the right hand side of the engine as well as the small primary fuel pump. If you look at the first picture I posted the filters are directly above the starter.


Not sure what you mean, you can't locate the fuel filters physically on the tractor or you cant find them at the store?

There may be two types of fuel filter set ups later tractors used a small box shaped fuel filter that was about the dimensions of two packs of cigarettes stacked together, most of these tractors had two round filters about 3.5 " diameter and about 3" tall.

Can you post a pic of your tractor with the right side of the engine?

 

[cannedman]

I could not locate the fuel filters on the tractor. The picture you posted showed me what I am looking for. On my tractor they had been painted over.

Do you know where the hydraulic filter is located on the tractor. I want to change that one also?

Thanks.

Leonard

 

[jenkinsph]

I would change the filter as well as the hydraulic oil at the same time. Included are pics of the housing for the filter. Do this with the 3pt lift arms in the lowered position.

Very important to do this, while the oil may seem expensive, this will reduce problems in the long run. I would make sure you get the engine up and running first then change this hyd oil and fresh antifreeze solution too.

Pictures from my manual which is 35 years old, sorry about the quality but the second one is much better.

 

[Jim Dunn]

Make absolutely sure to check all passages of the air intake for dirt or debris. I started an engine that ran good for a few minutes and then started having problems. I found that there was a mud wasp nest in the intake hose that allowed the engine to draw in dirt that mixed with the fuel and created a gummy gue that coated the valve stems and guides which caused all but two of the valves to stick and bend each of those push rods. Had to pull the head and clean the valves and guides to correct the problem. A simple cleaning of the complete air intake would have saved a lot of work.

Jim Dunn

 

[jenkinsph]

Make absolutely sure to check all passages of the air intake for dirt or debris. I started an engine that ran good for a few minutes and then started having problems. I found that there was a mud wasp nest in the intake hose that allowed the engine to draw in dirt that mixed with the fuel and created a gummy gue that coated the valve stems and guides which caused all but two of the valves to stick and bend each of those push rods. Had to pull the head and clean the valves and guides to correct the problem. A simple cleaning of the complete air intake would have saved a lot of work.

Jim Dunn

I agree and mentioned this in the first sentence of my post. Shortcuts can be expensive, not fogging the cylinders before attempting to start was risky too. All of the initial prep work before sticking the key in the switch is the best bet.

 

[cannedman]

I found the fuel filters and got them changed. I bled the lines and it started without a problem. I will now see if I can find the hydraulic filter. I will change the fluid and the filter. Do you know how much fluid it holds?

While I had it running I checked the lift and the pto. The lift works fine but the pto will not engage.

Thanks again for all of your help and the pictures.

 

[jenkinsph]

It holds about 8 gals dry, so somewhere between 7 and 8 gallons. Also check the plug pictured on the steering column it should be full to the bottom of the plug, top it off with the same 303 fluid.

when checking the hydraulic fluid level there is a dipstick at the rear of the right hand foot plate. With tractor on level surface use this dipstick with out screwing in to check the level. Fluid should be between the marks.

If you do all of this and can run it awhile check for leaks, make sure the radiator and pump isn't leaking and change the anti freeze too.

About the pto clutch, make sure the pedal is to the floor before trying to engage the pto lever. This tractor has a two stage clutch and may need adjusting.


Sounds like this is coming to life again.:thumbsup:

 

[cannedman]

I found the dip stick underneath the seat. I did not find the one under the steering column. I am changing the anti freeze also just to make sure. I ran and drove the tractor for about an hour today. Found a couple of small hydraulic leaks.

I tried the pto again and it will not engage. I will have to wait on my manual to arrive and see if shows how to make the adjustments.

Once I get the tractor cleaned up I will take some pictures and post them.

 

[roncamaro]

While you are changing the hydraulic oil make sure you clean the screen at the same time. Is the pto grinding when you try to engage it? I believe you have a two stage clutch. Make sure the clutch petal is all the way down engage the lever then let the petal up.

 

[cannedman]

Thanks I will clean the screen. The pto lever will not move. I can push it out toward the wheel but it will not move forward. No noise on any kind.

 

[jenkinsph]

I found the dip stick underneath the seat. I did not find the one under the steering column. I am changing the anti freeze also just to make sure. I ran and drove the tractor for about an hour today. Found a couple of small hydraulic leaks.

I tried the pto again and it will not engage. I will have to wait on my manual to arrive and see if shows how to make the adjustments.

Once I get the tractor cleaned up I will take some pictures and post them.

What you found under the seat with the little tab on it is the "rate of drop control" it has a small shaft on it. This is used to dampen or slow down how fast the 3pt lowers an implement to the ground. I will post a pic of the dipstick at the rear of the footrest rightside.

I am including a pic of the left side by the clutch pedal, there is a round cover that you need to remove and grease the clutch, just two (2) squirts of a grease gun.

I agree that you should clean the screen when changing the hydraulic fluid too.


First pic of correct dipstick and hydraulic filler cap.
Second pic Upper right inspection cover removed to show grease zerk for clutch.
Third pic is the implement rate of drop control, should be adjusted so that it takes two seconds for the 3pt implement to drop to the ground.

 

[jenkinsph]

If you have manual steering the plug is shown in the pic belpw, this should be filled with the same lubricant as the hydraulics Deere 303 or new replacement. #1 points to the plug and #2 points to the approximate fill line.

 

[cannedman]

Thanks to everyone for your help. I want to make sure I am doing the pto correctly. The pto handle is on the left side underneath the seat clutch fully engaged lever should move forward and stay. Release clutch and pto should be moving. Is this correct?