Starting a 2 plus yr sitting OLD tractor TIPS...

saltbranch · Oct 1, 2009

JD 4020 diesel, appearantly old enough for generator and converted to altenator. Its setup for 2 12 volt batteries, which I will get this weekend from ranch truck. I have drained about a cup of oil from the pan and checked dip stick....looks good, no discoloration or metal shavings. I am going to change fuel filters and use fresh fuel from a seperate tank. Where is the primer for the fuel pump? Where do you check the hydraulic and tranny/rearend fluid?( I'm more of a car guy..sorry if lingo is wrong).
The radiator is not available(yet), so I have to be quick in checking out the running motor once started. My first post on this tractor was
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/john-deere-owning-operating/154040-4020-frame-rails.html
Again thanks for any tips/advice

jenkinsph · Oct 2, 2009

First thing I would want to know is if the motor has been turned over or not, hope it isn't frozen up. Hard to know whether you need to pull injectors and lube the cylinders prior to running it, maybe someone else could chime in? Might be more time consuming but may save you some grief in the long run.

It has been since the early 1980s' since I worked with one but I am thinking there should be a small lever attached to the fuel pump that will pump up the fuel to the filters. You should have water bleeders on the bottom and air bleeders on the top of the fuel filters. Most 4020s' had a fuel tank drain petcock on the bottom of the tank too. If you use an auxillary tank of some kind small enough to put on the hood then gravity should help with the air bleeding, and I would for test purposes leave the return line plumbed to the existing tank. Hopefully you won't have to bleed the injector lines but may have to crank this old fuel through them.

I would also clean the air filter dust bowl on top and the Donaldson air filter behind the front side grills and make sure nothing is in there also.

Check and clean all the battery terminals as I recall this is 24 volts and originally had two long narrow batteries on each side of the platform. Make sure these boxes are not rotted out where the batteries are no longer held securely.

I would also check the hydraulic oil level to make sure it is at least showing on the stick,
and leave the tractor in park or nuetral to start without holding in the clutch. Reason being the hydraulic transfer pump in the rear needs the clutch to be engaged to work. You will want to pump hydraulic oil to the front piston pump as quickly as possible. I would check out the alignment of the front hydraulic pump too, it may have suffered damage from the frame mishap. You could disconnect the pump coupling if necessary.

Sometimes overlooked are the rubber return line hoses on the motor, when cracked and leaking they can drip fuel on the exhaust starting a fire, but for this test I dont think you will be getting that hot.

Hope this helps you some,

Steve

ctlguy · Oct 2, 2009

hyd oil / trans oil dipstick is located on the front of the rockshaft housing (rear trans case cover if no rockshaft). The seat sits just above these.

Danny Faust · Oct 2, 2009

I recently got my 1955 ford 860 gas tractor running after it sat for three years. Although it was not stuck, I still squirted some oil in each cylinder and turned over by hand before firing her up. Smoked like a late freight train for a bit, but cleared out and runs fine now.