MF 255 questions

[65plymouth]

Guys. Just bought a 255 with 236ci perkins and 8 speed. I bought it out of state sight unseen (other than pics and video from the dealer) and had it shipped to me.

A few questions.

1) started the tractor and warmed it up. Seems to have a small fuel leak from the fuel pump (I assume gasket) on the side of the engine. Also appears to have a decent oil leak from the crank case dip stick tube. Could it be a o-ring?

2) tractor does not have multipower. After driving it around and warming it up I heard a constant low whinning noise from the trans/rear end. When I depress the clutch pedal all the way, the noise goes away completely. Let it out and it reappears. Thoughts on what this noise could be?

3) front wheels are adjusted very wide. Seems simple to bring them back in. Tractor seems to have a TON of camber. Top of tires are way out. Is this normal or a sign of worn spindles?

4) Want to change all the fluids. Anyone know the correct fuel filter (Glass bowl on bottom) for this tractor. It has the 4.236 perkins. What about the hydraulic filter?

5) diff pedal seems to be locked down. Any idea how to release it. I am assuming the diff is locked with the pedal in the down position.

I appreciate the help.
Thanks

 

[thepumpguysc]

Fuel filter CAV> 7111-296.. that # will cross to a wix but to avoid any install problems, stick w. the CAV.. you can get them from any fuel shop.

 

[Phillip w]

Oil leak from dip stick??? Not gonna be much help. Leak at the fuel pump??? Is it a manual or electric shutoff ? If you have a manual shutoff, there are some o rings that could the causing trouble. Howling- whining noise??? This could be a bit of bad news.my first thought are the clutch and or throw out bearing. If so, you have to split the tractor in half to fix. As a far as your front end, they are generally not to hard to adjust. I have done it using a tape measure. When I think I got it pretty close, i tighten everything down and take it for a little drive. If that turns out ok, I take down the road in road gear. If you are running wide open in road gear and not having issues trting to steer it, then good enough leave it alone. If the spindle is bad, you should be able to Jack up the front of the tractor and wiggle front wheel to check for play. I've seen alot more broken spindles (mainly from loaders) than I have worn out spindles. Differential lock??? Sometimes they can get stiff and you can shoot with penetrating oil. Make sure you don't have a clod of dirt or something in the way causing you trouble. Some of those had a spring on them. Don't know on that particular tractor. But kind of check for a spring that is broken, unhooked or missing. These are ideas and guesses that may get you headed in the right direction. Good luck.

 

[65plymouth]

Thanks guys I appreciate it. I guess the leaks are easy enough to address and fix with gaskets and o-ring. Not worried about moving the wheels back in...

My main concern is what Phillip pointed out. Possibly a bad throw out bearing. The odd thing is that I was told the clutch was replaced on this tractor not long ago. Is there any other way to determine what the issue is? Could old/bad hydraulic oil be causing this
Noise? Or some other simple fix? Low hydraulic oil? I was planning on changing all the fluids and filters before I do, I need a pretty confident diagnosis regarding the noise.

If the tractor needs to be split, I am calling the dealer and requesting he take it back. I hope it isn't the throw out bearing.... for my sake and his....

I would be interested in more opinions.

Thanks.

 

[Working on Rust]

First, look for some manuals.

Is the leaking fuel pump the lift pump or the injection pump?

The whine noise is most likely the main hydraulic pump. It is disengaged when you push the clutch all the way down. A bit of whine I think is normal but a loud whine could mean a plugged intake screen or some other problem like the wrong oil.

The front wheel camber I really have no clue on. Most I have seen the front wheels look mostly parallel. We had to change the axle pivot bushings and tie rods as it was very shaky going down the road.

Changing fluids is straight forwards, but messy and expansive. A few things are does your tractor have remote hydraulics and are the brakes wet or dry? I think wet brakes are if there are five small notches in the casting at the back between the axle tubes and the differential housing.

The differential lock being stuck down is common. Most of the time the pedal pivot is stiff. Oil and try prying the pedal up carefully with a pry bar. It is unstuck if when you turn tightly you can see the wheels turning different speeds.

The MF 255 is a good tractor and well worth fixing up. Good luck and I can try to answer other questions.

 

[65plymouth]

First, look for some manuals.

Is the leaking fuel pump the lift pump or the injection pump?

The whine noise is most likely the main hydraulic pump. It is disengaged when you push the clutch all the way down. A bit of whine I think is normal but a loud whine could mean a plugged intake screen or some other problem like the wrong oil.

The front wheel camber I really have no clue on. Most I have seen the front wheels look mostly parallel. We had to change the axle pivot bushings and tie rods as it was very shaky going down the road.

Changing fluids is straight forwards, but messy and expansive. A few things are does your tractor have remote hydraulics and are the brakes wet or dry? I think wet brakes are if there are five small notches in the casting at the back between the axle tubes and the differential housing.

The differential lock being stuck down is common. Most of the time the pedal pivot is stiff. Oil and try prying the pedal up carefully with a pry bar. It is unstuck if when you turn tightly you can see the wheels turning different speeds.

The MF 255 is a good tractor and well worth fixing up. Good luck and I can try to answer other questions.

Thank you!!

It is the gasket around the Lift pump that is leaking. No big deal really. I can address that on the cheap. I was told by the selling dealer (out of state) that the tractor had no leaks. The underside of the engine and trans is coated in fuel and oil. Fine for a 40 year old tractor, but when you are told it has "No Leaks" it is a bit surprising to see the underside coated in fluids.

I was able to get out and move the wheels in. Like I said, this tractor had them adjusted way out. Everything went as planned, but the big nut on the left shaft (to adjust toe) is frozen and I cant get it to budge. Obviously but shortening the axle, I also need to shorten the tie rod shaft and the only why I can see to do that, is by freeing that nut and turning the threads in. Cant get it to move.

I have all the fluids and most filter to do a change. Problem is that I want to determine if I have internal issues before dumping 200.00 in fluids and filters at this tractor. Diff lock is also concerning.

 

[Phillip w]

I have to agree on the hydraulic suggestion. The pump is going cuput or for some reason starving for fluid it can make a howl/whine noise. Could be low on fluid or plugged filter or pick up screen. Can you hook up to a discrewed or something that has a hydraulic cylinder??? If so see how it responds to actuating the cylinder. If it is slow and jerky you probably have hydraulic issue. If it is relatively smooth and functions at a "pretty normal response time" then hydraulics may not be the problem. As for the nut??? Sometimes you can spray With penetrating oil and let the sit an hour or two. Then come back and spray it again. Repeat this process 2 or 3 times. If that don't work, sometimes a little heat from a torch will work. Just a little heat, you don't want to get it cherry red or anything cause that would screw things up. Hope this helps.

 

[Working on Rust]

I would hope the lift pump leak is the gasket but I know it can also look like the gasket and instead was the diaphragm or some place else. We put a brand new AGCO fuel pump (made in China) on and within 6 months it is leaking again. I have never seen a old Perkins with a dry oil pan bottom but 236 and 248 are much better than a 318 about oil leaks.

The big nut around the tie rod is for fine adjustment of front wheel toe in. The tread width tie rod adjustment should be with some cross bolts in clamps on the end of the inner tie rod tube with notches in the outer tie rod. They are known to stick and be a very big pain to get moving again.

All of these tractors I have heard have a notable hydraulic whine to them, it would be very helpful to find some one around with a similar model and listen to it. If some one had put gear oil in it instead of TDH than that would make it whine for sure.

As far as the hydraulic pump, first check the strainer intake. There should be a metal plate with 3 bolts under the transmissioin and two drain plugs. Prepare for a big mess. Drain the oil, remove cover plate and have a look at the strainer, If it is plugged clean or replace it, ($20) and then see if the whine is still bad.

Also change the power steering oil and the fine drives.

If you have remote hydraulics and there is a cast iron filter underneath the valve block that is an expensive filter and a huge pain to get off. We changed ours to spin on.

 

[jimmyhouser]

The hydraulic noise is probably the position control lever being all the way back in "constant pumping mode." Push it down a little bit to keep it from running against the relief valve.

As for the diff lock pedal, get some penetrating oil, a piece of wood, and a hammer and work it back up. Don't strike it too hard. It is cast steel.